At UK festivals, where you’re often surrounded by mud, portaloos and giant metal stages, it’s not often that you get the chance to appreciate much natural beauty; that is where Latitude is different. In the blistering Suffolk sun, you can treat yourself to a gondola ride down the lake. You can venture deep into the woodlands. Or you can simply sit back and appreciate the landscape. Of all the people at Latitude, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, probably worded it best. “When we got here we expected it to be just like any other festival. How wrong were we? You guys have got you’re own little utopia set up here. Hell, where else in the world do you get little multicoloured sheep running around?”. Peugeot 108 sent us off to Latitude this year and it was bloody brilliant…and thats just the car. Find out more here. So, here are our highlights from the weekend…
THE BANDS…
Latitude is a music festival, and no music festival would be complete without a plethora of amazing artists. Big names such as The Black Keys, Bombay Bicycle Club, Damon Albarn and Haim all drew huge crowds over the weekend; although it was Latitude’s lesser-known acts who truly brought the site to life. Jaw-dropping performances from Mogwai, Lykke Li, Goat and Future Islands, The Fat White Family and Jungle (just to name a few) are what music festivals such as Latitude are all about. These left-field artists thrust audiences out of their comfort zones, creating experiences unlike anything else.
THE COMEDY…
Comedy tents have become a regular feature on the UK festival circuit now, but rarely do they cast a shadow over the main stage. At Latitude, the comedy tent was unarguably one the greatest attractions. Sets from comedians such as Al Murray, Simon Amstell, Kevin Bridges and Jack Dee left the crowds in tears, with hordes of people outside the tent scrambling to get within listening distance.
THAT SHAGGY GUY…
Within moments of his appearance, and consequent disappearance, the story of “that Shaggy guy” had become a piece of Latitude legend. During Guilty Pleasures (one of Latitudes most popular after-hours events) one pale, skinny, man, dressed in a full tuxedo, clambered upon stage and took the night by storm. Rumour has it that as the opening notes of Shaggy’s ‘Angel’ began to play, he announced he would sing this song to impress his girlfriend who was currently flirting with another guy. The crowd broke out into the chorus singing “You’re my angel, you’re my darling angel” before the “Shaggy Guy” burst into the verses, faultlessly mimicking Shaggy’s distinctive Jamaican rapping style, stirring the crowd into chaos and disbelief. As he nailed every incomprehensible line of the famous Shaggy tune, he left the stage with his arms aloft, never to be seen again.
THE THUNDER STORMS…
We all knew it was coming. As Damon Albarn played his headline set on the Saturday night, everyone could see the black clouds hurtling towards us, rolling over the hills in the distance. Albarn stepped back onstage for his encore as an unbelievable crash of lightning lit up the sky from horizon to horizon. Graham Coxon joined his former band mate to play fan favourite ‘Tender’, sending Blur fans into gushing hysterics; then at that moment, as if spurred on by a higher power, the skies opened above us. The biblical rainstorm continued throughout the encore and well into the night and, although inconvenient, it’s stark beauty was undeniable.
