Latitude Festival Review
Jack Page | 19th July 2017
CREDIT: Laura Maccabee
As it was my first time at the festival I was eager to see the colours, the pizzazz, the energy that I had heard from the Latitude faithful.
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As most avid festival goers know, the Thursday is always a chance to chill out, get a few cans in and see what the site has to offer. We made our way to the arena and arrived at the Faraway Forest which was in many ways, lit (I’m sorry). The d.j sets around the many different boutique venues offered different tones of disc jockeying, from your classic d’n’b, to my pleasant surprise of very good funk. It was funking great. I am not the most committed d.j set enthusiast, but the setting, the people and the whole scene allowed you to really immerse yourself in the experience.
CREDIT: Victor Frankowski
Friday got underway, and we were isntantly drawn to the BBC Music Stage. This venue is where we experienced the most memorable performances with a superb mix of different up and coming bands. Julia Jacklin opened the stage with a flawlessly calming set, enchanting the audience with her personal lyrics and soothing ambiance.
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We then moved on to fuel up in the arena grounds, to which there was plenty of choice of food and drink. Price-wise we were pretty happy to see the typical inflation that comes with big festival prices hadn’t gotten too ridiculous. You know the deal, fiver for a pint, eight quid for a decent sized portion of food. That sorta thing. It was reasonable.
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After fueling up for the rest of the day, we were able to see a good number of eclectic and personalised artists with the likes of The Japanese House doing a fantastic job on the BBC Music Stage. We then moved swiftly through the Faraway Forest and into the Sunrise Arena where we saw Marika Hackman perform some of the great tracks from her latest album ‘I’m Not Your Man’. A fun and exciting performance followed Hackman by Norway’s own, Sigrid. The crowd were all singing along to her hit single ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’. It was fab.
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Friday was finished off with 1975’s first headline slot EVER at a major festival. They really rocked it with their pop-funk, pop-rock full performances. They even got the ol’ Jeremy Corbyn chant going to follow a speech of unity and understanding from front man Matt Healy. It was a joy to watch.
CREDIT: Sarah Koury
Saturday was a great day for music lovers in general. The incorporation of Mumford & Son’s Gentleman of The Road stopover was a great inclusion. With acts like Declan Mckenna and Maggie Rogers really getting the BBC Music Stage rocking as well as Milky Chance and Glass Animals doing a great job on the main stage. It set up a great, great day. The Lemon Twigs, for us, were the pick of the day with the d’addarrio brothers really making the venue their own and showing how they’re destined for the bigger stages.
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The case of Mumford & Sons headlining festivals seems to rile some people up. Not for us. The band really does try to entertain, and so they did. They brought out the classic tracks from ‘Sigh No More’ and ‘Babel’ tracks to please the ‘old Mumford’ faithful while bringing in to the set their newer material as well as bringing on Baba Maal for their track ‘There Will Be Time’. Their closing performance of ‘Get by with a little help from my friends’, as always, was a knock out with what seemed like the majority of Saturday’s lineup getting on stage to perform.
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CREDIT: Ben Gibson
Sunday saw a much more relaxed feel on the main stage. Performances from Goat Girl and Girl Ray in the Sunrise Arena were a sign of the U.K alternative scene beginning to thrive again. Sunflower Bean absolutely smashed it in the same venue with an exciting and memorable performance.
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Sunday's headliners, Fleet Foxes were a dream to watch. Their set saw them perform many songs from the back catalogue alongside their most recent material from ‘Crack up’, released this year. The musicianship and craftsmanship shined through and closed what was a fantastic weekend for music lovers.
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To sum up guys, Latitude is a great experience. The setting is perfect and the lineup always seems to lend itself to promoting great acts on the rise. Better get yourselves down to Henham Park for 2018.
CREDIT: Victor Frankowski