Latitude remains a constant in a saturated festival season, attracting a mix of families, young’uns and fans with a rich cultural programme.
Of course, like previous years, music remained the main draw with a large number of smaller stages diverting our attention from some slightly weaker main stage headliners. Happily, the sun shone on a programme revolving around staple big hitters and some quite superb new music, making the 2017 edition of Latitude rich in idyllic mid-summer festival fun.
IDLES crowd surfing from their first gig to their second
A live show that is increasingly becoming one of the most talked about in the European live circuit, IDLES’ two quick fire shows in two hours brought out a throng of older middle-aged punks (where had they been hiding all weekend!?) and a raucous pit. Increasingly confident in their live abilities, lead singer Joe Talbot’s habit of eyeing up the crowd beforehand like a boxer at a weigh-in preludes their onslaught. IDLES are fun, serious and chaotic all at once and the combination is simply magic.
Dave bringing the energy for the kids
Where the kids at? Answer – all of the kids were watching Dave at Latitude. An overspilling tent, an average age of 18 and a sea of cameraphones sucking it all up, Dave’s inspiring and positive take on grime and UK rap was a real standout. The whole thing was made all the more enjoyable by a live show where he addressed his young audience directly with encouraging words and an energy that struck to the heart of his fanbase. Even finding time to poke fun at the nondescript nature of his stage name, this was an endearing performance on all levels.
Ride’s re-emergence
Ride’s re-emergence and new album this year was by all accounts a real success considering the length of the hiatus that had preceded it. With the confidence-exuding Andy Bell sounding great on guitar and a stage swagger that leant more from classic Manchester sounds than anything too current, this performance confirmed, with a sense of pomp, that their new material sits well alongside their classic work. With the tenuous link to shoegaze only loosely deployed here, their set was varied, loud and engaging.
Overzealous security
It’s hard to write about Latitude this year without mentioning the levels of security that were deployed over the weekend. For a festival that prides itself on its family-friendly vibe, seeing small children sniffed by dogs on the Sunday and the aggressive attitude of some of the security staff in high visibility jackets made for some truly off-putting moments. Everyone wants to be safe at festivals and in light of recent events this should be paramount but the excessive nature and constant visibility of the teams, many whom looked bored out of their minds, wasn’t a reassurance to punters in any way and arguably meant for an increased sense of tension over the weekend.
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