[r-man]

Off to Latitude and turns out I don't know half these names. I'm sure I'll have fun just wandering randomly, but does anyone have recommendations for less well known stuff?

http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/lineup/index.aspx

[slackline]

A lot there I've never heard of either, but If I were going I'd be aiming to see...

Spiritulaized
Tricky
Saint Etienne
Django Django
Mark Thomas
Dave Gorman
Turin Breaks accoustic set

[Jaspersharpe]

Fucking hell that looks brilliant.

I dunno about obscure but aside from the obvious ones like Doves I would like to see:

Ladyhawke
The Airbourne Toxic Event
The Gaslight Anthem
Red Light Company
Saint Etienne
Mew - Weird Scandinavian band, I have an album "And The Glass Handed Kites". Strange but very good.
Charlotte Hatherley - That's her out of Ash.
The Duckworth Lewis Method - This is a side project of Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy).

And plenty more that I've heard bits of but don't really know.

Have fun, I'm well jealous. 

[Bubba]

Don't know most of the stuff on there, but it'd be a lot of fun discovering new music - stuff i'd try to catch

Thom Yorke
Bat For Lashes
Emmy The Great
Gossip
St Etienne
Mark Thomas
Shappi Khorsandi
The Sadlers Wells Dance Club

[andy popp]

A good-looking line-up. Like others have hinted the best bet is to make the most of the opportunity to discover things new to you. My son saw Gaslight Anthem in Manc recently and raved about them. Broken Family Band are quite a good festival band. Also on there is a bloke from the Faroe islands called Teitur, haven't seen him live but I love his album The Singer. Been meaning to recommend it here for ages - for all lovers of oddball Scandanavian pop/torch-songs/whatever.

[r-man]

Cheers people, I'm excited. Some good stuff there - just been myspacing them. Sure I'll make lots of unexpected discoveries, but as I'm also working there it's good to have a few things to aim my spare time at.

[Jaspersharpe]

Just noticed White Lies are there too. Definitely worth a look.

You'll have to let us know what it was like r-man. It looks really chilled out in comparison to the bigger festivals and perhaps kid friendly enough to be of use to us next year..........

[andy popp]

Just noticed White Lies are there too. Definitely worth a look.

You'll have to let us know what it was like r-man. It looks really chilled out in comparison to the bigger festivals and perhaps kid friendly enough to be of use to us next year..........

Get yourself to the Green Man this year Jasper.

[chriss]

I'll see you there!! Latitude is an amazing non chav festival un like the coperate Hell that is V etc....
It's all about Nick Cave for me, but the artists mentioned by others are all worth a listen. The comedy tent looks very good thou.

[r-man]

I'll be in the info/lost luggage tent - say hello if you feel like it. The comedy tent was rammed last year - I think I got close enough to watch the top half of Bill Bailey's head for half an hour. Right, must dash, train tomorrow and I still haven't packed...

[rginns]

How was Latitude Robin? did you see the Leg-end that is Mr. Thom Yorke??

[chriss]

Sorry R-Man, didn't read your last post post 'till today, I'm not an arrogant sorthern twat would of said hello other wise.
I did see Thom- he was fucking ace. Other hilights were Tricky, Squeeze, Regina Spektor, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Spiritualized, Doves, The Rumble Strips, Dave Gorman to name but a few. 
A good festival, but sadly marred by the presents of Mr & Mrs middle class & that aint' me baby!

[Jaspersharpe]

Why? What did they give you?

[chriss]

Like what you did there Jasper........
It was a festival full of people who like to stand & watch rather than get involved which I think is a bit a sad. If your an artist working your bollox off trying to entertain a crowd who don't respond it must be shit. Imagine climbing at the world cup topping out the final set of problems in near silence with one or two people clapping..... I love my music shame some people go just for something to tell workmates on Monday.

[r-man]

The festival was wonderful. I worked nights manning the info tent, so was lucky enough to encounter an excellent selection of characters and their tall tales - for me, they were just as entertaining as the music. As for the music: Bats for lashes were a mystical melodrama, though I wearied after 20min. Lykke Li was a pop sorceress. Nick Cave was a snake in a desert of hard rock. Thomas Dybdahl was an American folk ice cream.  Pet Shop Boys were so awful I couldn't even approach. Grace Jones was loud enough that I heard her a mile away. Smoke Fairies were a whispy tendril of blues - I was so happy to see these two: they once jammed in my house in Norwich, and it's great to see them now performing in front of hundreds of people. There were others, but I forget the names. I was asleep through Thom Yorke.

The poetry was entertaining as ever - lots of my friends are involved in this, so it's always good to see em. I bought my mate's first published book at the literature tent, which was nice. The comedy tent was predictably packed, and so was Simon Armitage sadly. I heard he did a bit of music somewhere? Saw a bit of dance here and there, and also danced myself silly in the music and film tent, but sadly missed Mark Lamarr's reggae gathering, which I hear was excellent.

The atmosphere was friendly and wotnot, as you'd expect from a multi-generational crowd. Jasper, if you want to take your family to a festival, I can't imagine it gets more family friendly than this, especially at this size (about 30,000 people I think).

Chriss, I'm not sure I agree with you - there were moshpits and crowd-surfing if you sought them out (even crowd surfing in the comedy tent) but it all depends what act you were at. In general fans were making themselves heard when they appreciated something - I don't buy the idea that the audience has to be hyper to please the artist.

However, perhaps the fact that the festival isn't as universally young as most may take some getting used to. It's a very middle class festival. There aren't the stabbings and beatings that come with meaner festivals such as Redding and Leeds, but there are a new type of troublemaker. Middle class people are generally an easy going bunch. But the extremists take Indignant to a level that might be useful in warfare. Woe betide the festival steward who uses slightly the wrong tone of voice...
   Here's the best example. At some point a middle aged lady entered our tent, pointing at her tongue.
   "This," she said, indicating furiously, "was badly burnt!". The lady with the protruding tongue then proceeded (indignantly) to the comments and complaints book. She wrote this: "I burnt my tongue very badly on a cup of hot chocolate purchased on these premises. I would strongly suggest that the temperature of the hot chocolate be checked more carefully."
   How many hot chocolates has she had in her life? Is this the first time she has crossed paths with a hot liquid? Amazing. In any case, I'm glad loonies exist. They add fun.

Ignore that last paragraph. Moaners aren't an issue, I just find them amusing.

Latitude was great.

[chriss]

Haha R-man, I'm 31, so no youngster myself...
Personally I don't think a festival is an a good event for children, but I don't have kids. Each to there own like slabs vs overhangs......
I also the vibe thing, acts Tricky or Nick Cave are energetic performers so deserve an up for it crowd where as a chilled act like Thom York or Camera Obsecura get a stand & look type crowd.
Yeah it's a middleclass festival & I would go again next year, different to V or Reading I liked it alot was just a big culture shock to see people not getting excited or involved with the bands.