LATITUDE 2019
luckily latitude's lineups taking a turn for the worse coincided with me being a dad so it's not been as painful as it might have been the last couple of years deciding between fucking off the weekend and leaving the mrs at home to look after the kids thinking i'm a cunt or staying at home being a good dad but full of regret at missing out on the festival. going for a day is something i'd never previously have considered but it turns out is a decent happy medium and worked well last year. luckily i managed to get hold of a free ticket for the sunday this year so the decision was made. the lineup for all 3 days was a bit weird this year. the undercard was pretty strong but the headliners across the board were poor and a lot more mainstream than normal. it seems to have worked as a business model though as this was the first time in many years that the whole weekend sold out including weekend camping and day tickets. as a result the site was loads busier than i ever remember.
despite only being there for a day i managed to cram loads in. the gods smiled on me when the timings were put together so i pretty much got to see everyone i wanted music wise plus a few more. unloike last year where i got to see quite a few big hitters, this year it was all about the smaller newer bands for the most part for me. i felt like a right pretentious prick when on the coach there and all these lana del rey fans were asking me who i was planning on seeing and i answered "squid mate" to be met by blank faces.
got in earlier than i expected so started off by seeing
the kingdom choir as there wasn't much else on. the sunday midday slot used to be a big deal at latitude but they've gone downhill with it the last few years. this lot are the ones who performed at harry and meghan's wedding. it was fairly decent for what it was, loads of big pop covers in a gospel style but not really something i'd ever listen to outside of the festival. 6
caught most of
gently tender's set next in the alcove aka the keith allen tent. it's the new band from some of palma violets and they sound fairly similar but a bit more dark and brooding. was alright but i spent most of the set looking wistfully round the tent reminiscing about the times spent with karl mahoney in the early hours. 6.5
next up was the first must see act on my list, norwich's own
let's eat grandma. despite being from norwich and playing here loads i've only ever seen them once before and that was latitude in the woods about 4 years ago. they've come a long way since then and have toned down some of the weirdness for a more confident stage presence. did a quite touching tribute by covering one of their boyfriends songs as he died of cancer a few weeks ago and you could tell it was quite a moment for them. powerful stuff. they had a huge crowd too which was great to see. bigger than mogwai had headlining the same stage last year. 8.5
i then watched
working men's club on the lake stage. i quite like the single they've got out at the moment so thought i'd give them a go. definitley got something about them and have a bit of a gang of four/joy division influence. the kind of band there were everywhere in the early to mid 00s but because there's been a bit of a break now feel fairly fresh. frontman had a bit of danger to him and whilst not every song hit the spot they had enough to make me want to keep an eye on them. 7.5
drahla were up next and on the same stage. i love the album so these were one of my must sees. really enjoyed their set though for some reason the bass player really annoyed me just by looking a bit geeky. vocals were a bit low for the first song but they soon sorted it out and played a blistering set. lacked a bit of personality/stage presence but the tunes are there. 8
went across to the bbc tent to see
sons of kemet who were my other must see of the day. really good energetic set and shabaka hutchings is a don. a definite standout 9
i then made a rare trip to the mainstage to see
cat power. when i last saw her at latitude she had really short bleach blonde hair. this time she looked like a completely different person with long black hair. was also doing the double microphone thing like mark e smith too for the whole set. i remember quite enjoying her last time out but this was a bit dull. might have been because id been on a run of slightly rockier/danceable stuff but her set passed me by slightly. 6
after cat power didn't hit the spot i was worried i would feel the same about
julia jacklin next, another slightly maudlin singer songwriter. the contrast couldn't have been different though and she absolutely smashed it. my set of the day, just a really tight band and her voice is incredible. stella donnelly came out and joined her for a tune too which was nice to see. 9
kept the australian theme going by watching
rolling blackout coastal fever after julia jacklin. julia and stella joined them for a tune too for an aussie fest. just needed dmas to really get the place going. rolling blackout coastal fever were great and a lot louder/heavier than on record. only thing that let them down were the songs start to sound the same after a little while. 8
squid were up next on the lake stage. a real moment, what a band. nadine shah was having it during her set and getting involved down the front so i had a little chat and a picture with her once they were done. made up for missing her set the day before and nice to see her hanging around for the whole weekend. the crowd for squid reminded me of a sleaford mods crowd. mostly bald middle aged blokes. i felt right at home. was expecting more teenagers for some reason but no chance. 9
squid were my last must see band of the day so i had a bit of a wander after them. ended up watching
fur on the tiny solas stage. they do the whole 60s rip off thing and dress like cunts. ok but heard it all before. 5
the bbc introducing stage had been having a secret set each day by someone already on the lineup playing a bigger stage who had come up through bbc introducing. friday was freya riding and saturday was tom grennan. i heard
pale waves were doing the last one and to be honest they're a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine so as there was nothing else on i wanted to see i went along. a 25 minute secret set on a small stage was the perfect way to see them really. all their songs sound the same but they have some fucking bangers. i have to keep it quiet i like them but i reckon if i was a 16 year old girl they'd be my favourite band. 7.5
decided on watching
lana del rey as the headliner as whilst i don't mind slaves i've seen them several times before over the years. lana was one of the weirdest festival headline sets i've ever seen . she was 20 minutes late on, finished 10 minutes early and spent a good 10 minutes during her set not performing and just having selfies with the front row and signing stuff. this was only about 4 songs in too, proper weird. therefore she must have only been playing for about an hour which isn't good enough for a headliner. down the front it was like beatlemania though, i've never heard such a reaction with all the screams and stuff. there was a geezer on my coach who had come from france to see her and brought a vinyl with him for her to sign. when he told me i thought no chance but when he got back on the coach at the end of the day he not only had his vinyl signed but a selfie with her. he said he stood front row on the barrier all day from midday to 11pm without a piss, drink or any food
mentalist. that's what sort of crowd she seems to attract. otherwise lots of people at the back were either leaving early or looking bored/slagging her off. i find her quite captivating and stayed for the whole set so something must have kept me there. was tempted to give snapped ankles a try in the film tent but stuck with lana. was ok and she has some tunes but a bit self indulgent really. 6
overall another good day but it was the smaller bands that made it. had i paid full whack i would have been disappointed with the end to the day and that's exactly why i didn't pay. the festival is a lot more mainstream now than it was a few years ago. there's now a huge pepsi viewing platform on the mainstage and things like the carlsberg quarter and a next clothes shop which make it feel more like v festival. the crowd is noticably chavvier too. definitley losing the middle class stereotype it used to have which isn't totally a bad thing but gives the place a completely different vibe.
my final observation is what the fuck is this trend of teenage lads wearing bumbags across their shoulders all about? thousands of the cunts everywhere all of them looking like tossers. never seen it before until recently but they were all at it. this is the kind of thing... bellends the lot of them.
mentalist. that's what sort of crowd she seems to attract. otherwise lots of people at the back were either leaving early or looking bored/slagging her off. i find her quite captivating and stayed for the whole set so something must have kept me there. was tempted to give snapped ankles a try in the film tent but stuck with lana. was ok and she has some tunes but a bit self indulgent really. 6
