Huw Stephens highlights from Latitude

I thought the first year was special, but Latitude 07 was even better! I arrived on Thursday and went for a wander round the site - the woods and lake were still where they were and looked beautiful, and then the film on the Lake stage. It was Alfred Hitchcock's The Lodger, which was great. And then about ten minutes in, Jon Dunn, my mate Wally and me noticed the live orchestra playing the soundtrack. That was great! It felt like a festival hitting all the senses - oh to be able to have a weekend off and see eveything!

Other highlights across the weekend for me was - Polar Bear's poetry, Stuart Silver in the Literature tent, crepes, short French films, every band on the Lake Stage from Dan le Sac vs Scroobious Pip to Gentle Good, Middleman to Duloks, TANAOU to Hot Puppies, Sam Isaac to Get Cape, Vessels to - just everybody!

I enjoyed the late night partying, Rob da Bank djing in the woods, Andy Votel, Gruff Rhys, Jarvis Cocker, Forecast, Vinyl Vendettas and ex boyfriends records djing, Arcade Fire and Rodrigo y Gabriela, and the whole vibe I saw was lovely.

Here's to next year!

Tania Harrison's insight to Latitude 2007

What exactly was it about the saucy nipple tassled cabaret or the Drag Queen Workshop that made me want to book them for the Latitude audience? Good questions. But not ones I’m supposed to write about in my blog apparently. Luckily there are a huge number of acts performing at Latitude that are as exciting and it's so difficult to pin down just a few. It's been a frenzied week of booking and this week we are announcing Richard Curtis and Shane Meadows doing a BAFTA Q&A in the Music and Film Arena, plus James Franco (Tristan & Isolde), Richard Hawley (Love Actually) and Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls) reading short stories by Ron Carlson and Nick Hornby in the Literary Arena. In fact I have to stop on that one because WordTheatre is a great concept; very basically actors bring the short story to a very vibrant life. WordTheatre is huge in L.A. and Al Pacino and Tom Hanks have done it over there and we have to'd and fro'd with some incredibly brilliant actors this week including Meryl Streep (ha, then I woke up) and have confirmed some great performances to bring to Latitude. One low in the rollercoaster ride of confirmations was, I invited the New Statesman to a political debate with The Spectator in the Literary Arena. Surely both would take up the challenge? No, The Spectator declined, apparently they don’t ‘do’ festivals. Shame really. The idea of John Kampfner v Boris Johnson showdown would have been enormous fun. Boris and John in the Guilty Pleasures tent dancing to ELO as and aftershow? Anyhow, back to life. Phil Collins (the Turner prize nominee not the drummer from Genesis thankfully) is another personal favourite and I was thrilled that he has agreed to do an art installation at the festival. Am hoping it will be his Korean/Smiths/karaoke show which is brilliant fun. There are so many interesting art collaborations in the M& F Arena that I want to mention them all but if I had to choose just one it would probably be the Chris Shepherd Q&A. Chris Shepherd has worked with the genius of understated and fiercely witty art; David Shrigley and Chris has created dark and edgy animated movies with David and will be talking about those and his own films prior to the screenings. Phew, and not a nipple tassle in sight...

Jon Dunn's insight to Latitude

''My first festival was Reading 89, music was a passion, but football was everything...I can remember spending the whole day at the front of the stage,refusing to leave (I dont know how I went that long without wanting to go to toilet) my spot,taking in My Bloody Valentine, Spaceman 3, House of Love,Sugarcubes and New Order - To say it changed my life is an overstatement, but it definately set me on a different course, I'd been in bands but realised that I was a talentless clown who couldnt sing and had zero prescence on stage... Within months of Reading I started to promote bands at my local club in Chelmsford, and have been promoting acts ever since,in 2005 I started promoting Anthony & Johsons and Arcade Fire along with others, both acts had stunning albums out, and through this I was asked to book a new event named Latitude by Melvin Benn at Mean Fiddler..

Last years event was a great success, some great performances by Anthony, Guillemots, Lavender Diamond, Mogwai and 1990's alongside new acts at that time Scott Matthews, Pigeon Detectives, Paolo Nutini and Peter Bjorn and John..

Im really pretty excited about this years event, there have been acts that I havent been able to get due to touring committments, and will be talking to re garding next years event come July 16th.. But back to this year, its impossible to know where to start and I dont want to miss anyone out, and intend to see a tune by every act (I'll be the guy on the sheep drawn chariot hurtling across the woods). He heavy highlighter pen will fall on Patrick Wolf, Tinawaren, Bonde de Role, Pete and Pirates, CSS, Clap Your Hands, Herman Dune, Seasick Steve, Satin Peaches, Remi Nicole, Cold War Kids, The National, The Strange Death Of Liberal England, Wild Beasts, SonicFlyer, Arcade Fire...

I hope you have a top time,be inspired,take some great memories away and come away with a new favourite band'.

Latitude Festival

LATITUDE

July 12th – 15th 2007

Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk

Latitude Festival

The award-winning and ground-breaking Latitude Festival is returning to the sunrise coast of Suffolk for it’s amazing second year. Hosted once again in the breathtaking grounds of Henham Park Estate, Southwold, organisers Mean Fiddler are promising an even more spectacular event.

Latitude’s arrival last year re-wrote the rulebook on traditional festivals and provided a well-needed breath of fresh air. On one of the hottest weekends in history, Latitude shimmered and glittered in the sunshine, providing a relaxing weekend break in the countryside. Bursting with weird and wonderful sights and experiences, it embraced and showcased an eclectic array of art, entertainment and attractions for all generations.


LINE-UP SO FAR:

MUSIC ARENAS

OBELISK ARENA


*DAMIEN RICE* *THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE QUEEN*

*ARCADE FIRE*

*JARVIS COCKER* *WILCO* *CSS*

*THE MAGIC NUMBERS* *CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH* *THE RAPTURE*

*MIDLAKE* *THE HOLD STEADY* *COLD WAR KIDS*

*CAKE* *BAT FOR LASHES* *THE NATIONAL* *ALBERT HAMMOND JR*

*TWO GALLANTS* *HERMAN DUNE* *ANNUALS* *AU REVOIR SIMONE*

*KISSAWAY TRAIL* *THE RUSHES* *HOOSIERS*



UNCUT ARENA

*GOTAN PROJECT* *PATRICK WOLF* *RODRIGO Y GABRIELA* *TINARIWEN*



SUNRISE ARENA

*I’M FROM BARCELONA*

*PETE AND THE PIRATES* *WILD BEASTS* *SONICFLYER*

*STEPHANIE DOSEN* *BOBBY COOK* *PETER & THE WOLF*

*WALLIS BIRD* KARIMA FRANCIS*



MUSIC & FILM ARENA

*BAFTA* *HALLOWEEN MUSIC AND FILM CLUB*

MARK LAMARR curates a night at Latitude in the Music & Film Arena

with THE BEAT, ALABAMA 3, BROKEN FAMILY BAND

EDGAR JONES AND THE JONESES,

LITTLE GEORGE SUEREF

*LAUTREC* *DAYS of BEING WILD*

FUTURE CINEMA with *PERICO* *LITTLE BOAT* *KORA*

*RICHARD DEDOMENICI*



COMEDY ARENA

*ALAN CARR* *BILL BAILEY* * PHIL JUPITUS* *DYLAN MORAN*

*LEE MACK* *STEWART LEE*

*MARK STEEL* *RUSSELL HOWARD*

*THE EARLY EDITION with MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE and ANDRE VINCENT*

*JASON MANFORD* * RUSSELL KANE*

*MICHAEL MCINTYRE* *JEREMY HARDY* *MIKE WILMOT* *BRENDON BURNS* *JON RICHARDSON* *STEVE WILLIAMS* *ANDY ROBINSON*

*SHAPPI KHORSANDI* *KEVIN DAY* *COLE PARKER* *ARNAB CHANDA*

*GUILTY PLEASURES*



POETRY ARENA

*ROGER MCGOUGH* *JOHN HEGLEY*

*MURRAY LACHLAN YOUNG* *LUKE WRIGHT*

*AISLE16 with CHRIS HICKS JOEL STICKLEY and ROSS SUTHERLAND*

*SIMON ARMITAGE*

*CRISIS* *SCROOBIUS PIP* *POLAR BEAR*

*JOHN BERKAVITCH* *INUA ELLAMS* *CLARE POLLARD*

*LEMN SISSAY* *DAVID J* *TIM WELLS*

*RACHEL PANTECHNICON*

*THICK RICHARD*

*SOPHIE WOOLEY* *SALENA GODDEN* *ANDY CRAVEN-GRIFFITHS*

*LIZ BENTLEY* *KIM TRUSTY* *JENNY LINDSAY* *BEN MELLOR*

*NIALL O’SULLIVAN* *JOHN OSBOURNE*

*FRANCESCA BEARD* *JOE DUNTHORNE* *TIM CLARE*

*JENNY LYNDSAY* *BYRON VINCENT* *STEVE LARKIN*

*YANNY MAC & PIKEY PADDY* *KAT FRANCOIS*

LITERATURE ARENA

*ROBIN INCE’S BOOK CLUB*

* BOOK SLAM* *LOUIS DE BERNIERES*

*STELLA DUFFY* *LAUREN HENDERSON* *JENNY COLGAN*

VOX’N’ROLL BOOK READINGS with:

*DON LETTS* *JOHNNY GREEN* *MICK BROWN*

*PERVERTED BY LANGUAGE* with *NIALL GRIFFITHS*

*NICOLAS BLINCOE* *MATT THORNE* *STEWART LEE*

*STAV SHEREZ* and *JOHN WILLIAMS*

*KEVIN SAMPSON* *GUY PRATT* *KESTER ASPDEN* *MOLLY McGRANN*

*CHILDRENS BOOK AT BEDTIME* *HORROR FICTION HALF HOUR*

*EWEN’S GHOST STORIES*

THEATRE ARENA

*ROYAL COURT THEATRE* *NABOKOV THEATRE COMPANY*

*PAINES PLOUGH* *THE BUSH THEATRE* *PEGABOVINE*

*THE PAPER BIRDS* *SMALL CHANGE THEATRE*

*LIZZIE ROPER**FAT TONGUE* *COLIN & FERGUS*

*SINCERA PRODUCTIONS and TOM MORTON-SMITH*

*BEN MOOR* *PHILLIPA PEACOCK*

*MOUTH TO MOUTH*



CABARET ARENA

*THE PUPPINI SISTERS*

*MOULIN ROUGE CABARET* *GAWKAGOGO FREAKSHOW*

*BOLLYWOOD DANCE CLASSES*

*MUSICAL SHOW STARS KARAOKE* PUPPETRY OF THE POPS*

*MEN'S BURLESQUE WORKSHOPS*



THE ‘IN THE WOODS’ STAGE

Radio 1’s Rob Da Bank will headline the Saturday night ‘In The Woods’.

Much more to be announced…



AND…. IN THE WOODS GENERALLY

*THE DIALOGUE PROJECT*

CHILDREN

As if Latitude wasn’t different enough from the other festivals, its facilities for children are second to none. With a designated Children’s area brought together by Sharon Reuben with swings and slides and all manner of things to climb over, children are never short of entertainment. Join in the fun with clay modelling, finger-painting, even a treasure hunt through the beautiful woods and between 7pm and 9pm each night, a special childrens ‘Book at Bedtime’

Ticket Information
Weekend tickets £112 plus booking fees, Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £45 plus booking fee. Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping.

Days include car parking only.

C/Card line 0870 060 3775

Or online at www.meanfiddler.co.uk, www.seetickets.com, www.latitudefestival.com

For a full list of National and regional outlets please visit www.latitudefestival.com


WHAT PEOPLE SAID

“Latitude reaches the parts other festivals don’t even know existed.” Observer

“The site, the lake, the woods, the deckchairs, the punting in the gondolas all added to an extraordinary weekend for me. I haven’t come down from it yet.” NME

“What a fantastic weekend.” Evening Standard

“I had a first class time. It was easily the best festival I’ve ever attended.” Howard Marks

“This is the first festival I’ve been to that has made a real effort to bring quality theatre into the equation.” Times On-Line.

“I think it was a superb event…the detail and planning was inspiring.” Sam Steele –Radio 1