Latitude Festival 2009: Day One, Friday July 17
The opening day of the festival calendar's most middle class festival had a split personality - both musically and meteorologically. Throughout the day, the weather flitted frustratingly between glorious summer sun and the closest Suffolk is ever likely to get to monsoon season.
Musically, it was the truly old guard that impressed most. The Pretenders took to the Obelisk stage looking like the classic "last-gang-in-town" style rock outfit. That's an impressive feat given that Chrissie Hynde's band has had more line-up changes than Cher's had plastic surgery.
Hynde's voice is still striking, as arresting as it was on those early records, and the hits from Brass In Pocket (thrown away by Hynde as "something cheesy") to I'll Stand By You are still something special. Hynde's insistance on lovingly calling the crowd "pikeys" was a little disconcerting but as she stalked the stage like an over-mascara'd panther, you could help but love her.
Earlier, Ladyhawke brought a reheated version of the '80s to the main stage which was fun but decidedly derivative. Only Paris Is Burning truly showed her skill with a pop hook.
Nearby, Fever Ray sported the most outlandish threads this side of tonight's appearance by Grace Jones with the band including a Pharaoh, a hairy-faced skeleton and someone in a red hijab on percussion. The music was equally odd, like being lectured by a ticked off alien. Beautiful but baffling at the same time.
Over at the Lake stage, Chew Lips were the best new band of the day. Lead singer Tigs, with her short blonde bob and killer dance moves, deserves a slice of La Roux's attention. The band's itchy electro-pop has more joy to it and Gold Key, a dramatic organ led track from the band's debut album due in January, was frankly stonking.
Later at the Uncut stage, Squeeze deliver the most hit packed set of the day. With enduring classics such as Cool For Cats and Up The Junction to draw upon, Tilbrook and Difford were always on to a winner. The crowd goes absolutely bananas as the band careen into the latter tune.
Following them, Bat For Lashes is in fine voice with her witchy, otherworldly songs sparking shudders through a tightly packed crowd. But while a clutch of hits including the breathless and beautiful Daniel are stunning, a lot of her songs sound far too similar.
Headlining the Obelisk, The Pet Shop Boys play a set that draws too heavily on their new album but the visuals make up for the lack of a greatest hits set. The band's live dance remix of Coldplay's Viva La Vida is a nice touch and the set's finale of West End Girls complete with helium balloons and glitter canons is a suitably camp conclusion.
- Mic Wright
Latitude Review: Saturday - Day 2
Follow Latitude updates live on Q's Twitter and tweet your reviews/thoughts to @QMagazine.
9:00 AM | 18/07/2009
More Photos Of:
Latest News
-
Gig Ticket Alert - Foster The People, Ben Howard, Alanis Morissette, White Denim & more
Your weekly round-up of the UK tours and shows about to go on sale
-
New Q editor appointed
Andrew Harrison takes over as Paul Rees departs
-
Column - Who are Noel Gallagher's psychedelic friends, Amorphous Androgynous?
With the first track from Noel's second solo album set to make its debut as a B-side next month, Jamie Skey profiles his cosmic collaborators
-
Q&a Lambchop - New album Mr M, Madonna, Vic Chesnutt, his 'fascination' with Taylor Swift & more
Plus Kurt Wagner on his "Lampchop has one more good record in us" comments...
-
Watch new Black Keys video, listen to Jack White's latest solo track, Nile Rodgers making album with Daft Punk, Plan B returns... Daily Hot List
A round-up of all the news, views, interviews and cool music things online today (8 Feb)
Advertisement
User Comments
Post A Comment
Shame Chew Lips didn't actually bother playing at Lovebox that same weekend. I waited 50 minutes for them to come on then the guys just came and took all the equipment away. Thanks for wasting presicous festival time.
Posted by Jamie D at 10:06 AM | 29/07/2009 | Report Abuse
Shame Chew Lips didn't actually bother playing at Lovebox that same weekend. I waited 50 minutes for them to come on then the guys just came and took all the equipment away. Thanks for wasting presicous festival time.
Posted by jamie d at 10:08 AM | 29/07/2009 | Report Abuse
Post A Comment