aaamusic | On 22, May 2011

14th – 17th July 2011, Henham Park Estate, Southwold, Suffolk.

19th May 2011
MUSIC ADDITIONS

Huw Stephens presents:
THE LAKE STAGE

~ Dutch Uncles ~ CocknBullKid ~ Dry The River ~

~Admiral Fallow ~ The B. Goodes ~ Brown Brogues ~
~ Cerebral Ballzy ~ Dels ~ Fiction ~ Fixers ~
~ Friends Electric ~ Ghostpoet ~ Gwilym Gold ~
~ James Spankie ~ Jonny ~ Mazes ~
~ Still Corners ~ The Gentle Good ~ These Are End Times ~
~ Tribes ~ Various Cruelties ~ Y Niwl ~

On 14th – 17th July in the sumptuous surrounds of the Suffolk countryside, the welcoming daisy-adorned gates will open for the 6th edition of the magical and fantastical Latitude Festival.

With four bespoke arenas dedicated to music, Latitude offers an enormous selection of the finest hand-picked bands and artists to create the perfect soundtrack to a resoundingly superb weekend. With reformed must-sees to the newest essential hot tips from a variety of genres, Latitude’s music arenas have it all. With The National, Paolo Nutini and Suede headlining the Obelisk Arena; Bombay Bicycle Club, Foals and Eels headlining The Word Arena and a whole wealth of musical talent playing across the weekend, Latitude once again boasts an exhilarating and unique line-up.

Meanwhile, Latitude’s unrivalled arts programme features the very best from the worlds of theatre, poetry, literary, comedy, cabaret, dance, art, fashion and film. All of these performances come together to create one spectacular summer break. Eye-opening and awe-inspiring – Latitude Festival just gets better and better with these new additions:

Manchester popsters Dutch Uncles headline the Friday evening, clutching the jerky, XTC-like content of their UK debut album ‘Cadenza’. Their self-titled album hasn’t seen a release yet, but it’s on this latest offering that they really hit their stride. Frantic rhythms, infinite guitar refrains and memorably loopy vocals. The best band people know of but haven’t heard, it’s about time everyone was acquainted with these clever, fun and anthemic songs.

CocknBullKid is the Saturday night headliner for The Lake Stage. Anita Blay started off in music collaborating with rapper-turned-lounge singer Plan B before signing to cool indie label Moshi Moshi in 2009. After a series of sleek pop singles, her debut album is released in May – ‘Adulthood’ – showcasing her chart-scaling ambition. She toured with Marina and the Diamonds and Kele late last year, building her live reputation to the level that is required for her deserved headlining slot for Latitude.

London’s folk-influenced scene has its new spearhead in Dry The River, five relatively clean-cut young men whose harmonies and acoustic led songs have drawn labels out like the Pied Piper. The headliners for Sunday evening build their songs into riveting bombastic crescendos, ensuring an extra level of epic during their live performances. These relentless touring machines haven’t had time to release an album just yet, but a three track EP, a new single entitled ‘Ceremony’ and a bunch of tracks online show the churning, blooming appeal in their pastoral ditties.

Also playing throughout the weekend are:

Admiral Fallow are a Scottish five-piece led by singer Louis Abbot’s impassioned vocals and a rolling folk-inspired sound. Expect stirring strings, fast claw picking and lyrics that tug at the teenage memories in you. Their debut album ‘Boots Met My Face’ was first released last year and re-released earlier this year after several festival slots and short stints touring with The Felice Brothers and a show with Latitude Obelisk headliner Paolo Nutini broadcast on Radio 2.

The B. Goodes may have sprung up in 2009 from Ipswich, but they could’ve come from 50’s America with their surf-twanging rock ‘n’ roll. In it for the fun and the nostalgia, these four men have taken to bringing their authentic-sounding retro rock – all ice cream parlours and broken hearts – to every audience they can muster.

Manchester’s Brown Brogues grind out grimy, frazzled garage rock. Fuzz guitar scorches the airwaves around them while the drums tenderise your eardrums for easier consumption. Howls of complaint and excitement emanate from the mess. It’s not easy listening but fans of sludgy, rhythmic rock ‘n’ roll will find these a perfect fir.

Cerebral Ballzy are Brooklyn’s wild children. Quite apart from the distasteful name, their thrashing hardcore punk – with a twist of tunefulness – has also made an impact. Those expecting brain food will find no relief here. Songs such as ‘Underage Drink Forever’, ‘Puke Song’ and ‘Sk8 All Day’ give you an indication of their intentions. Fast, loud, incoherent and fizzing with cola rocket energy, songs last less than two minutes and will leave you feeling 13 years old again.

DELS is Kieren Dickens from Ipswich, a rapper embroiled in glitch and ambient electronica. These striking parallel sounds have resulted in Ninja Tune offshoot Big Dada signing DELS for a three album deal. His debut album ‘GOB’ is produced by Kwes, Hot Chip leader Joe Goddard and twisted avant-pop pixie Micachu, as well as featuring a guest turn from Roots Manuva. His eclectic noise, permeated with a smooth flow, has incited major unrest amongst music fans wanting something different.

Fiction seemed to arrive almost fully-formed a year back. They’re live show involved a partial drum kit being played in turns and at different tempos while guitars and keyboards laced melodies around it. Their music now sparkles and shines, sometimes haunting, sometimes anthemic. Closest to the Echo and the Bunnymen swell that has become a major influence on many a London band, they don’t easily fit into any pigeonhole, which is perhaps why interest is swirling around them at this early, exciting stage.

Fixers are another Oxford band about to make good. Recently signed to a major after a few years gigging hard, this quintet make a gorgeous, glistening sound that hovers between ambient and sonorous. Intense while somehow languishing, this impressive ambiguity merely sets up their thundering melodies which benefit from being swathed in harmonious cadences. With a debut album out sometimes later in the year, their Latitude performance will be a good prelude before the winter chill heralds more songs and more fans.

Welsh synth addicts Friends Electric answer Gary Numan’s question defiantly: yes, yes we are. Undulating electronic chords swarm their robotic melodies, providing a beat-addled version of easy listening synth pop. Choruses languish in the splashing rivers of trance-inspired sound. The quartet seem intent on just filling nightclubs and festival tents with night lights. Let them.

Obaro Ejimiwe, otherwise known as Ghostpoet, has just released his debut album ‘Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam’. It’s an appropriate title that is reflected in both the mood and the addictive sludgy pace of his minimal electronic backing and his drawling wordplay. A certain trip-hop dribble seeps into his absorbing storytelling and it has caught the attention of Mike Skinner (AKA The Streets) who claims Obaro to be one of his favourite MCs of the moment. His hungover-slathered music is a potent haze and one that will hold sway over the entire audience once he steps onto The Lake Stage.

Success with indie band Golden Silvers hasn’t dampened vocalist Gwilym Gold’s spirit to make as much music as possible. His solo incarnation is far more spacious, as if he’s launched himself into the cosmos. He’s working on his debut album, set for release this summer, with producer Lexxx, and though very little has been heard so far, expect something quite different to his usual band.

James Spankie has been whiling away crafting rather beautiful folk-inspired songs with rustic acoustic guitars, aching bowed violins and brooding piano. His craft has even encouraged The Kills’ Alison Mosshart to provide a spoken word monologue for the song ‘Electricity’. His lushly arranged instrumentals are given a shuddering timbre with his voice gently intoning in falsetto or vibrato. Having toiled for over three years now, it’s about time we all started taking notice.

Jonny is the unsurprising but satisfying pairing of Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake and ex-Gorky Zygotic Mynci man Euros Childs. Away from Euros’ normally maudlin, roots-strewn efforts, these cheery, light-hearted pop songs are perfect for a summer evening in a festival field. As two of the best left-field pop front men in the UK, their melodic flexing puts others to shame and their self-titled debut album has met with wide approval.

Manchester’s Mazes started life a mere two years ago by supporting the messy pop of PENS and striking scuzz-grunge of Wavves. It’s no surprise then that Mazes deal in fast-paced, hyper-tuneful power pop. Their debut album ‘A Thousand Heys’ is reminiscent of the infectious jaunty flair of Cloud Nothings, and there’s no doubting the youthful vim and sincerity in these jangled chords and distorted choruses. With a DIY background, a handful of EPs and 7”s and a tonne of shows, these young ‘uns don’t need to prove their credentials before embarking on a mission to add fizz to your Latitude experience.

The defiantly retro sounds from Still Corners envelop you in their spectral production, a spacey, echoed wall of reverb where the slinky female tones glide upon them. Mixing their palette between 60’s Spector and 70’s Meek and 80’s Cocteau Twins, recent singles ‘Don’t Fall In Love’ and ‘Eyes’ wring their every sopping note over the crowd, so that everyone watching feels soaked in their gentile, serene sounds.

Cardiff’s Gareth Bonello – otherwise known as The Gentle Good – has been playing traditional folk songs and his own tunes in his homeland for five years. Mixing a little psychedelia at times to lift the songs above their roots, his music has an infectious lilt to it that can’t help but raise a smile. His new album ‘Tethered For The Storm’ has influences from the landscape to the poetry of Philip Larkin and his Lake Stage set will be a good chance to soak the sun and think of Wales.

The apocalyptic trio These Are End Times has taken the scaremongering and doom-saying seriously, shrouding their image and foreboding post-rock instrumentals in it. Songs entitled ‘We’re Not Safe Here’ and ‘Now I Realise How Helpless We Are’ give an indication of what to expect, while the swaying, lonely brass, gently picked electric guitars, and samples of stormy noise bring you into their vision of a barren planet. Expect beauty and chaos intermingled, and perhaps you too can be saved.

Camden’s Tribes are a grungy quartet whose simple strum-along songs are bolstered by scuzzy distortion, but never at the expense of the ragged choruses. The simplicity of their climaxes ensures they can easily be sung at high volume with arms raised above shoulder height. The band are about to embark on a tour with hyped American rockers Funeral Party and Tribes’ lackadaisical indie-rock is a suitable foil to the folk-ridden mainstream of the moment.

Various Cruelties are in their infancy, but have already supported Mumford & Sons, The Vaccines and Villagers. Their latest single ‘Neon Truth’ and B-side ‘She Is The One’ seem to echo classic soul or R‘n’B textures; sparse musicianship, tonnes of room ambience and a clear, downbeat vocal. With them already making an impression opening for the aforementioned acts, their first festival performance will be a tantalising introduction to a band who may well be the ones taking the next big things on tour by next year.

Welsh surf rock band Y Niwl made a distinct impression on Huw Stephens last year and their dark but summery instrumental pop satisfied fans of short, sharp bursts of melodic punch. Tremelo, reverb and twang are all essential ingredients, all of which were stirred lovingly into their self-titled debut album from late last year. It’s live where their vocal-less tide of wave-envisioning melodies make even more sense. Dancing is mandatory.

Also playing in the Music Arenas over the weekend is a fantastic mix of burgeoning acts and household names including headliners The National, Paolo Nutini and Suede, notorious folk ensemble Bellowhead, falsetto prog-popsters Everything Everything, electronic genius Gold Panda, Kele, soulful wanderers The Duke & The King, dance scattershot Caribou, The Vaccines, country hero Lyle Lovett, and the inimitable Americana rockers My Morning Jacket, there’s something new, fresh and truly incredible for everyone.

Elsewhere throughout the weekend, festival goers can enjoy readings from leading poets and authors including Linton Kwesi Johnson, Esther Freud, Jo Shapcott, Simon Armitage, Sarah Dunant, Dave Gorman and Alexei Sayle; top comics Alan Carr, Omid Djalili, Jason Byrne and a festival debut of Never Mind The Buzzcocks; exciting theatre and dance productions presented by The Gate, Bush Theatre, Sadler’s Wells and English National Ballet to name but a few, cabaret performances from David Schneider & Friends, Will Adamsdale, Bourgeois and Maurice; and BAFTA return to the Film & Music Arena with a fantastic programme of Q&A’s, discussions and workshops including comedy stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon discussing their hilarious work on Michael Winterbottom’s ‘The Trip’.

With DJ’s, The Winter’s Ball and late night parties found throughout the site, it is a unique and special weekend of fun, culture and entertainment. An intimate world away from reality waiting to be explored and enjoyed.

Latitude’s music arena line-up to date:

– OBELISK ARENA –

FRIDAY
~ The National ~
~ Paloma Faith ~ Bright Eyes ~ KT Tunstall ~
~ Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanagan ~ Wanda Jackson ~

SATURDAY
~ Paolo Nutini ~
~ My Morning Jacket ~ The Cribs ~ Seasick Steve ~ Rumer ~
~ They Might Be Giants ~ Ed Sheeran ~

SUNDAY
~ Suede ~
~ Hurts ~ Glasvegas ~ Iron & Wine ~ The Waterboys ~
~ Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros ~

– THE WORD ARENA –

FRIDAY
~ Bombay Bicycle Club ~
~ The Vaccines ~ Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group ~
~ Caribou ~ Deerhunter ~ Yann Tiersen ~

SATURDAY
~ Foals ~
~ Echo and The Bunnymen ~ I Am Kloot ~
~ Bellowhead ~ British Sea Power ~

SUNDAY
~ Eels ~
~ Lykke Li ~ OMD ~ Everything Everything ~ Os Mutantes ~
~ Carl Barât ~

Also appearing

~ Annie Nightingale ~
~ The Bees ~ Caitlin Rose ~ Chapel Club ~
~ Crystal Fighters ~ C.W. Stoneking ~
~ Dog Is Dead ~ The Duke And The King ~
~ Edwyn Collins ~ Esben and the Witch ~
~ Fight Like Apes ~ Graffiti 6 ~
~ The Lloyd Cole Small Ensemble ~ Phildel ~
~ The Raghu Dixit Project ~ Thea Gilmore ~ Tripwires ~
~ Trophy Wife ~ Violens ~

– THE LAKE STAGE –

FRIDAY
~ Dutch Uncles ~

SATURDAY
~ CocknBullKid ~

SUNDAY
~ Dry The River ~

Playing across all The Lake Stage over the course of the weekend are:

~Admiral Fallow ~ The B. Goodes ~ Brown Brogues ~
~ Cerebral Ballzy ~ Dels ~ Fiction ~ Fixers ~
~ Friends Electric ~ Ghostpoet ~ Gwilym Gold
~ James Spankie ~ Jonny ~ Mazes ~
~ Still Corners ~ The Gentle Good ~ These Are End Times ~
~ Tribes ~ Various Cruelties ~ Y Niwl ~

Playing across all the music arenas over the course of the weekend are:

FRIDAY
~ Avi Buffalo ~ Crocodiles ~ Cloud Control ~
~ Glasser ~ Grouplove ~ Jenny and Johnny ~

SATURDAY
~ Adam Ant ~ Villagers ~
~ The Walkmen ~

SUNDAY
~ Anna Calvi ~ Foster The People ~ Gold Panda ~ Kele ~ The Leisure Society ~
~ Marques Toliver ~ The Naked and Famous ~
– TICKET INFORMATION –

Weekend tickets £170.00 including VAT, subject to booking fee
Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £70.00 including VAT, subject to booking fee
Child ticket (5-12 years) £5.00 including VAT, subject to booking fee
Campervan Permit £30.00
Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping
Day tickets include car parking only

Credit Card line: 0871 231 0821
Online: www.festivalrepublic.com • www.seetickets.com • www.latitudefestival.co.uk