The Maccabees, The National & New Order to headline Latitude Festival 2016

Today Latitude Festival announces the line up for their 11th edition which takes place onThursday 14th to Sunday 17th July 2016 in the stunning grounds of Henham Park, Suffolk.
 
The Maccabees return to Latitude to perform their first ever major festival headline show on Friday night in the Obelisk Arena. The south London five piece climb to the top of the bill to cap a remarkable twelve months that has seen them score their first number one album with the acclaimed ‘Marks To Prove It’ last July, and crowned as Best British Band at last month’s NME Awards.

Saturday welcomes one of Latitude’s most loved bands, The National, back to Henham Park as the first ever act to headline the festival for a second time. Their return to the Obelisk stage will be a UK festival exclusive this year; promising a stellar set drawn from their unparalleled six albums.
 
British all-time greats, New Order took the world by surprise with the release of ‘Music Complete’last year; 10 years on from their previous studio offering. With 35 years of genre and era-defining classics to draw upon, New Order are set to provide a spectacular closing performance for Latitude 2016.
 
Melvin Benn, founder and creator of Latitude Festival commented:
 
“I’m thrilled to announce the first acts for Latitude 2016. The Maccabees, The National, and New Order headlining the music, coupled with the theatre and poetry bill looking stronger than ever, ensures Latitude 2016 is already simply unmissable.  Following the incredible success of our tenth edition last year, we had set the bar high for this year’s festival; we have a debut headline performance from The Maccabees to look forward to, which I’m really excited about and as always, the arts offering is set to be incomparable.”
 
Quotes from 2016 headliners:
 
“Latitude is the first major headline slot in our fourteen year existence and the culmination of the year spent touring ‘Marks To Prove It’. We're intending on it being a celebration of it all. See you there.” – The Maccabees
 
"Latitude has been one of our favorite festivals ever since we barely made it to play in 2006 (Cold War Kids lent us their instruments as we arrived mid set having been stuck at the border). We love the genuine multi-disciplinary format of the festival and the grounds are enchanting to wander through. We feel incredibly honored to be the first previous headliner to be asked back a second time." – The National
 
“We are thrilled to be headlining Latitude. It’s our first time at the festival so we’re looking forward to exploring, especially the diverse range of acts, bring on July!” – New Order
The Obelisk Arena will see performances by some of today’s most exciting and respected artists. French electro act M83 will be making their acclaimed return and Courtney Barnett will perform back to back with fellow BRIT nominee Father John Misty, in his only UK festival performance this year. Also taking to the Obelisk Arena Stage will be Denver folk rock trio The Lumineers, Glaswegian synth pop trio Chvrches, incomparable singer-songwriter John Grantand musical nomad Zach Condon’s Beirut.
 
Performances will come from national treasures British Sea Power, pioneering Arabic collectiveAlif, rock-soul revivalist Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, atmospheric London trioDaughter, and 70s idols Squeeze. Returning favourites genre-defying multiple award winnerLaura Mvula, Australian maverick Chet Faker, Grammy nominated country singer-songwriterSturgill Simpson and soulful BBC Sound Of winner Michael Kiwanuka also join the Obelisk Arena line up.

Latitude Festival 2016 lineup below

OBELISK ARENA
THE MACCABEES | THE NATIONAL | NEW ORDER
BEIRUT | CHVRCHES | M83 | FATHER JOHN MISTY
JOHN GRANT | THE LUMINEERS 
COURTNEY BARNETT | DAUGHTER | CHET FAKER 
BRITISH SEA POWER | SQUEEZE | LAURA MVULA  
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS | MICHAEL KIWANUKA 
STURGILL SIMPSON | ALIF
 
BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC STAGE
GRIMES | OF MONSTERS AND MEN 
MIIKE SNOW | KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS | FRIGHTENED RABBIT  
HALF MOON RUN | MØ | CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS | POLIÇA | LÅPSLEY
ROOTS MANUVA | PERFUME GENIUS | OH WONDER 
JAMIE WOON | RAT BOY | AURORA | MURA MASA | LUCIUS
 
SUNRISE ARENA
PANTHA DU PRINCE presents THE TRIAD | BLACK MOUNTAIN 
ANNA MEREDITH | BLANCK MASS | BOB MOSES | CLOVES
DRONES CLUB | HAYDEN JAMES | HIGHASAKITE | HOLLY MACVE
KELLY LEE OWENS | LAMBERT | LITTLE GREEN CARS
MONEY | PROTOMARTYR | SUUNS | WEAVES 

LATE NIGHT AT SUNRISE
JUNGLE (DJ SET) | DAVID RODIGAN (A JOURNEY THROUGH REGGAE)
MARLON WILLIAMS | MIKE SKINNER and MURKAGE present TONGA

POETRY
DON PATERSON | JOHN HEGLEY | HOLLIE McNISH
ELAINE FEINSTEIN | HENRY NORMAL
MICHAEL PEDERSEN |BUDDY WAKEFIELD | LUKE WRIGHT  
ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER | MARK GRIST & TIM CLARE 
TIM WELLS | MARTIN NEWELL & THE HOSEPIPE BAND 
JOHN OSBORNE | BENIN CITY | JOSH IDEHEN | HELEN MORT 
FRANKIE VAH | TALIA RANDALL 
HARRY BAKER | DEREK McLUCKIE | ROSY CARRICK
 
THEATRE 
CIRCA | IMPROBABLE & BLIND SUMMIT | GOB SQUAD 
GLEN NEATH & DAVID ROSENBERG | LIFT present EVERYTHING BY MY SIDE
LYRIC | OPERA NORTH | MARK THOMAS | GRAEAE
LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES | ACTION TO THE WORD | AIRNADETTE
LYRIC, GDIF, IMAGINE WATFORD & LATITUDE present HIKAPEE and HOW IT ENDED 
YOUNG VIC & ROYAL COURT | FOREST FRINGE | DASH ARTS | FIGHT IN THE DOG
SHON DALE-JONES | SAM HALMARACK, DAN CANHAM & OLIVIA WINTERINGHAM   
SH!T THEATRE |URSULA MARTINEZ| CHRISTOPHER BRETT BAILEY | NABOKOV | RAZ 
SLEEPING TREES | TIATA FAHODZI | LIAM WILLIAMS | PENTABUS |THE PAPER BIRDS 
KATIE BONNA |GEORGE EGG | JEMIMA FOXTROT | LUCY MCCORMICK | ROB AUTON 
RACHAEL CLERKE |FLIPPING THE BIRD | POLEROID THEATRE | OLD TRUNK THEATRE 
LICENSED TO ILL| STEFANIE MUELLER | ANNIE SIDDONS | SILENT UPROAR 
DEANNA RODGER & GEMMA ROGERS | ARWC | LEEDS BECKETT

LAVISH BIG SCREEN
GLEN MATLOCK | STEPHEN MALLINDER | DON LETTS 
NATIONAL STUDENTS SELECTION | DJ HARRY K | JET LETTS 
 
PLUS MANY MORE NAMES TO BE ANNOUNCED…

The BBC Radio 6 Music Stage will continue to deliver an exemplary mix of current and future stars, including the first major headline performance by one of the undoubted stars of 2015; Canadian renaissance woman Grimes, whose ‘Art Angels’ was NME’s album of the year. Sunday’s final BBC 6 Music stage performance will come from Icelandic indie folk-pop group Of Monsters And Men.
 
Elsewhere on the BBC 6 Music Stage will see shows from Swedish mega group Miike Snow, Philadelphia fuzz-rockers Kurt Vile and the Violators, France’s breakout star Christine and the Queens, critically acclaimed synth pop talent Perfume Genius, British soul from Jamie Woonand minimal electronic pop songstress Låpsley. Joining them will be Frightened Rabbit with their brand new Aaron Dessner produced album, BBC sound poll 2016 finalist Mura Masa, the voice of the most streamed track of all time – Denmark’s , Minneapolis synth poppersPoliça, anthemic Canadians Half Moon Run, UK rap legend Roots Manuva, acclaimed alt-pop duo Oh Wonder, the explosive Rat Boy, infectious Brooklyn quintet Lucius and ethereal Norwegian breakthrough artist Aurora.
 
The intimate Sunrise Arena returns with an eclectic line up that boasts some of the most exciting barrier-breaking electronic musicians around. Hidden away in the woods sees headline performances from Vancouver’s psychedelic export Black Mountain and the lauded Pantha Du Prince with his new AV show The Triad. Support comes from half of Fuck Buttons’ Blanck Mass project and Canadian experimental electro duo Bob Moses, alongside Australia’s Hayden James who brings his R&B-influenced electronic pop to the Sunrise Arena. Making their Latitude debuts are Norway’s number 1 indie pop group Highasakite and New Zealand’s singer songwriterMarlon Williams who will be bringing his emotional narratives to the stage.
 
America’s post-punk Protomartyr and Canada’s art-punk, krautrock inspired Suuns will also take to the Sunrise Arena stage, alongside Henham Park’s next door neighbours Drones Clubwhile Anna Meredith; the composer turned electronic producer, and Germany’s idiosyncratic pianist Lambert share their unique takes on a classical sound. Female singer songwriters command the Sunrise Arena, with Londoner Kelly Lee Owens making her Latitude debut, with Australia’s Cloves and Bella Union’s Holly Macve also performing. Toronto’s Weaves will be bending pop stereotypes alongside Ireland’s indie-rock group Little Green Cars, with Manchester’s highly loved Money returning with epically cathartic new material.
 
Bringing the evenings to a close on the Sunrise Arena, and rounding off the day’s proceedings are recent favourites Jungle with a one off DJ show built especially for the Latitude stage that can’t be seen anywhere else; original reggae selector and soundclash champion David Rodigan MBE, and big Tonga vibes from The Streets’ Mike Skinner and Murkage.
 
THEATRE AT LATITUDE 
Celebrating the biggest names in comedy, theatre, dance, film, cabaret, literature and performance; the UK’s finest multi-arts festival returns for its 11th Edition promising an unrivalled breadth, depth and quality of arts programming, offering a spectacular choice of major shows, star acts and ground-breaking commissioned works.
 
Latitude’s Curator of the Arts, Tania Harrison says:
 
“Latitude celebrates all the art forms and never more so than in this year’s theatre and spoken word performances. We have a multitude of voices, collaborations, and cross art performances – from opera to spoken word to comedy to music to circus to straight plays, puppetry, physical theatre and acrobatics to one on one conversations and encounters – there is so much incredible and exciting work to see at Latitude this year. There’s theatre in the Poetry Arena, Literary Arena, Pandora’s Playground, the Little House, the Theatre Arena and on the banks of the Waterfront. Get a seat in the Theatre, a space on the grass, a cushion in the Poetry, or even climb in bed with a stranger; we’ve got it all going on in a field in Suffolk this summer.”
 
This year’s theatre programme will reflect on the 2016 theme: ‘Love Thy Neighbour’. Tania Harrison commented;
 
“The theme for Latitude this year is 'Love Thy Neighbour' and I will be looking to explore what it really means to have an understanding and relate to others; those people next to us, on social media, in the present, across the table, across genders, across streets, across countries, across class and religion, politics and physicality. It's about breaking boundaries for the greater good.”
 
Theatre Arena
Circa, the stunning contemporary circus company from Australia will open the Theatre Arena on Thursday evening with their genre-defying show Il Ritorno, dazzling the crowds with riveting acrobatic performance set to Monteverdi’s operatic music. Exploring themes of displacement and refugeeism, Il Ritorno is a breath-taking physical performance that resonates with Latitude’s theme, ‘Love Thy Neighbour’.
 
Led by Artistic Director Lee Simpson and in collaboration with Blind SummitImprobable will present an improvised puppetry performance like no other – Animo – where the characters will literally be constructed before your very eyes. With no script, no set, just a range of everyday materials and five improvisers, Animo will invent itself as it goes along.

 
Further thrills will be found in Berlin-based arts collective Gob Squad’s Super Night Shot, the second of our international theatre shows to explore the Latitude theme, ‘Love Thy Neighbour’. InSuper Night Shot, the public will become co-stars in a movie that celebrates unplanned meetings with strangers and delights in the randomness of urban existence.
 
In what is sure to be one of this year’s highlights, the Lyric Hammersmith return to the theatre tent for the first time in five years with this irreverent, iconoclastic and deeply disrespectful celebration of the genius of Oscar Wilde; a work-in-progress performance of their forthcoming production, The Importance of Being Earnest. Director Sean Holmes wrangles The Great British Bake Off’s Mel Giedroyc and a dishevelled comedian, Ed Gaughan, to take on the extreme acting challenge of playing every character in Wilde’s masterpiece.
 
In another musical spectacular, the Theatre Arena audience will be on their feet, singing along with the Graeae and their heart-warming performance of Paul Sirett’s acclaimed coming of age tale Reasons to be Cheerful, featuring Ian Dury and the Blockheads’ greatest hits. Experience Ian Dury’s lyrics in all their glory as British sign language, captioning and audio descriptive banter are seamlessly woven into the show. Graeae Theatre Company is a pioneer in terms of access, inclusion and activism, and as an integrated disabled and non-disabled company the 2016 theme of ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ couldn't be more clearly demonstrated in their brilliantly diverse performers and working methods.
 
Award-winning comedian and playwright Mark Thomas will be performing Red Shed, the final part in a trilogy that began with Bravo Figaro and Cuckooed. Part theatre, stand up, journalism and activism, Red Shed sees Mark back at the place where he first started to perform in public, a red wooden shed in Wakefield – the labour club – to celebrate the club’s 50th birthday. Touching upon this year’s theme ‘Love Thy Neighbour’, it is the story of the battle for hope and the survival of a community in a small wooden shed.
 
In the first of two Theatre Arena productions marking the 400th year since Shakespeare’s death,Fight in the Dog will present some of Latitude’s favourite comedians putting their own spin on one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies; Love’s Labour’s Lost, with Liam Williams infusing the words of William with a unique freshness and fun. Following their incredible performance ofDracula at last year’s festival, Action to the Word return to the Theatre Arena with an electrifying adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, bringing their dynamic, exciting and shocking theatre style to one of the playwright’s most famous plays.
 
The Theatre Arena audience will need to have their hairbrushes at the ready to sing along with French company Airnadette – the world's greatest air-band – who are bringing their hit lip synching showcase to Latitude this year. Described by GQ as ‘part postmodern happening, part totally berserk’ and jam packed with references to cult classics from Star Wars to Monty Python,it’s sure to blow everyone away!
 
Sam Halmarack, Dan Canham & Olivia Winteringham will be presenting an early exploration of the devised musical Always and Totally Forever – a lament for what’s gone and a chaotic celebration of what’s to come. Through a riotous mosaic of song, dance and video art, the company will have the audience feeling the lust, confusion and excitement of being a teenager first-hand.
 
The Little House
The Little House studio space will host an eclectic variety of extraordinary performances. Opera North will be bringing a real bandstand full of musicians playing the sound of long summer nights in The Little House, with a performance of Parklife. Ferocious Transylvanian fiddling meets smoky Hungarian café songs; this whirl of European music from Bartók to Brahms will bring to life lost worlds and leave the audience spellbound.
 
The Young Vic & Royal Court will present Cuttin’ It – the incredibly emotive play from award-winning playwright Charlene James, tackling the urgent issue of FGM in Britain and the price some girls pay to become a woman. It’s a piece that encourages the audience to look more closely at the lives of those around them and to raise awareness of a deeply affecting procedure.
 
Latitude is thrilled to welcome another brand new play by Charlene James, brought to the festival by the UK’s foremost British-African theatre company tiata fahodzi, working in collaboration with world-leading Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) who have commissioned her to write with – and for – an exceptional cast of black RADA students. Their brief: to write better for black Britons, and bring the British public an enthralling new piece about humans, not stereotypes.
 
The phenomenally talented producer, director, performer and writer Shon Dale-Jones, best known for his comic creation Hugh Hughes, will be bringing a brand new show, The Duke, to The Little House. The show, about rearranging your priorities in a world full of crisis, gives us pause for thought.
 
Liam Williams, two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and “the Fringe's most articulate and original chronicler of twenty-something angst” (Telegraph) will present his debut play,Travesty, a show with a simple and striking conceit at its centre, about a couple of young, slightly lost, middle-class people who meet, start having sex and then don’t so much fall in love as cautiously negotiate their way into it.
 
Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit of Sh!t Theatre will present another of this year’s work in progress productions, Letters to Windsor House – a simultaneously personal and political piece of detective work and a look at how the housing crisis has affected the two performers’ friendship, a personal look at the Latitude theme, ‘Love Thy Neighbour’. Ursula Martinez will present Free Admission, a show that celebrates the inconsistencies and contradictions that make us human, whilst having a dig at some of the mess that is of our own making.
 
More new work being showcased in The Little House this year includes an extraordinary new drone soundscape piece from Christopher Brett Bailey – composer, theatre-maker and author of the award-winning punk-opera The Inconsiderate Aberrations of Billy the Kid. Nabokov Theatre Company, led by their new Artistic Director, Stef O’Driscoll, will take over The Little House for an evening of live music, theatre and RAVE. As well as nabokov’s brand new show SLUG written by Sabrina Mahfouz, you can expect nabokov’s incredible associates’ artists, world champion beatboxer Bellatrix, TeaFilms and Real Media’s Kam Sandhu to present an explosive multimedia experience. Licensed to Ill will have The Little House audience on their feet with their outrageously energetic account of the Beastie Boys rise to fame.
 
In Jim Cartwright’s highly acclaimed play Raz, the Latitude audience is invited out on the town with Shane, one of the low-paid generation living with his parents, and living it up at the weekend, blowing his wage packet on a perfectly orchestrated evening of drinks, drugs, and girls. Directed by Anthony Banks and starring James Cartwright, Raz has won much critical praise, described by the Evening Standard as “a rhythmic, rhyming vivid treat. Beautifully written and an enthralling performance.” The hilarious comedy trio Sleeping Trees take on sci-fi movies accompanied by a rip-roaring live score in a brand new show, and internationally acclaimed comedian George Eggwill bring his sell out surreal and absurd mix of stand-up comedy and striking innovation to The Little House. The paper have said of Anarchist Cook: One Man, One Hour, Three Courses, that “someone should give Egg his own anarchist cookery television show as soon as possible”, and Latitude agrees – this is an experience not to be missed!
 
Actress and set designer Stefanie Mueller will present Prelude to a Coat; an investigation into the choices we make and why we make them, from the things we own to the things we do, andRachael Clerke will be performing the highly political and very funny Cuncrete (described by one audience goer as “Eric Pickles meets Pussy Riot”). Site specific, collaborative theatre companyFlipping the Bird are set to perform a new feminist piece written by Phoebe Éclair-Powell, Fox, and in a performance exploring this year’s theme, ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ Annie Siddons will bringHow (not) to Live in Suburbia, a piece based upon Annie’s gauche and wrong-footed attempts to fit in after she accidently found herself living in suburbia.
 
Old Trunk Theatre were responsible for last year’s smash-hit success Pramkicker, and in 2016 the hugely talented Sadie Masler and Sarah Mayhew are back with a brand new production, Fran & Leni; part of a series of performances celebrating the 40th anniversary of punk. There will be a new show, Triple Threat from the experimental performer Lucy McCormick; a trash-step-dub-punk morality play for the modern age. And finally for The Little House audience, Pentabus Theatre will present a piece by their 16-25 year old young writers, with Last Journey; a performance comprised of interwoven vignettes, many of which explore this year’s theme, ‘Love Thy Neighbour’. Silent Uproar will perform A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) – a fun, silly and sad new show written by Jon Brittain which explores the serious issues of depression and mental health, told with a mixture of storytelling, live music, and sketch comedy.
 
Faraway Forest
The magical setting of Latitude’s legendary Faraway Forest will see the return of Glen Neath & David Rosenberg with a Latitude commission called Séance, a piece that takes place in a shipping container, in total darkness as the audience tries to connect with the other side. Everything By My Side, by celebrated Argentinian artist Fernando Rubio and presented by LIFT, invites members of the audience to climb into bed with a stranger; one of seven actresses in seven beds, who will whisper intimate stories from their childhood. This brief encounter will take place in the middle of the Faraway Forest in the heart of Latitude Festival. Forest Fringe are also back, presenting a diverse bill of new and specially commissioned work exploring this year’s theme, along with Dash Arts who will present Ukrainian Dacha – the latest instalment in The Soviet Series – an artistic journey through the lands, people, stories and cultures of the Post-Soviet States.
 
There will be new work aplenty in the Faraway Forest, with Mobile by The Paper Birds, exploring themes of home, belonging, social mobility, that also tie into the theme of ‘Love Thy Neighbour’.Deanna Rodger & Gemma Rogers will present a new show, Earth: Life on Earth is baffling, and not quite what Gem & D had wished for come the year 2016, so they are on a mission to find an alternative habitat, and in the pursuit of space away from Earth they come face to face with the view of home truths. 
 
Further new work in the Faraway Forest will include Poleroid Theatre presenting three short ballads about being alive and not, The Ballad Of The Pirate, The Talking Horse and The Monkeywritten by the award winning Luke Barnes, Brad Birch and Kenneth Emson. ARWC will treat the audience to Hang the Teasmaid, A Penguin Classic – short comedy play in the style of an Alan Bennett ‘Talking Heads’, imagining the first meeting between Bennett and Morrissey, with Alan Cox taking on the role of Alan Bennett.
 
Leeds Beckett will be performing the specially commissioned Borrowed Shoes: exploring this year’s theme, ‘Love Thy Neighbour’, this performance is based upon ‘borrowing’ and learning from the lived experiences of real people from different generations within our society.
 
Pandora’s Playground
Pandora’s Playground will once again embody the spirit of experiment and carnival with performances from the likes of the award-winning Les Enfants Terribles and their The Fantastical Flying Exploratory Laboratory; a theatrical spectacular featuring a ‘hot air balloon flying machine’ that is sure to mesmerise the Latitude audience.
 
Pandora’s Playground will also host new productions exploring this year’s theme, includingLatitude, GDIF, Lyric & Imagine Watford presenting Home by Hikapee: Home is a new, daring outdoor circus piece, weaving together slapstick comedy with breath-taking aerial, acrobatic and physical performances to explore what it is to create a ‘home’. Latitude, GDIF, Lyric & Imagine Watford will also present The Little Gardener by How it Ended, a theatrical adaption of Emily Hughes’ popular children’s book The Little Gardener.
 
Poetry Arena
Theatre and poetry will collide in an eclectic programme of events in the Poetry Arena, including award-winning writer and performer Katie Bonna and her first full-length show – all new for 2016 –All The Things I Lied About. Part documentary and part personal experience, the show is a comic exploration of what happened to estrange Katie from her father, what she is going to do about it in the face of apparently being a grown-up, and why none of us really like honesty as much as we say we do. The charming, eccentric and uplifting Rob Auton, described as ‘the Brian Cox of comedy’ by the Guardian, will also be delighting the audience with brand new work: The Sleep Show
 
Jemima Foxtrot is another theatre addition to the Poetry Arena – a performance poet and singer who blends powerful, sonic heavy poetry about modern life with snippets of her favourite artists’ songs. In Memory, Foxtrot will explore how music attached itself to memories, people and places – all told through a journey home from work.
 
POETRY AT LATITUDE
At the very heart of the festival’s mission to bring arts and music together, the Poetry Arena has always showcased the very best stand up, beat and performance poets, alongside literary legends. This year is no different, with a stellar line up set to captivate and enthral the Latitude audience.
 
Taking to the stage will be self-taught poet Don Paterson, whose astonishing work has garnered much critical acclaim and multiple awards, including the T.S Eliot Prize. Reading from his collection 40 Sonnets, he will tackle the form head-on, as described by the Guardian: ‘Paterson’s poetry has always been distinguished by its marriage of craft and lyricism, and the sonnet is, simply, the perfect vehicle to showcase this.’ Another highlight, the multi-talented Henry Normal– comedian, poet and writer and television producer responsible for hugely popular programmes such as Gavin and Stacey, The Mighty Boosh and Human Remains.
 
The famously eccentric and very funny John Hegley will also be delighting the crowds, along with prize-winning poet, novelist, playwright, biographer and translator, Elaine Feinstein. With over 4m views on her YouTube clips, UK Slam Poetry Champion Hollie McNish is not be missed, especially with such endorsement from high-profile fans like Tim Minchin and Benjamin Zephaniah, who has said he ‘can’t take his ears off her’.
 
Michael Pedersen, co-founder of the exciting cultural collective Neu! Reekie! will be taking to the stage as one half of ‘Scotland’s favourite avante-garde noisemakers’, as will the phenomenally successful Buddy Wakefield, who is set to deliver a characteristically raw, rounded, disarming performance of humour and heart. This year’s outstanding line up will also include co-curator Luke Wright, who will present his new work alongside a wip character Frankie Vah.  
 
Punk poet John Baine brings his radical-force-of-nature poet alter-ego Attila The Stockbroker, who has recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of his first gig with publication of his autobiography Arguments Yard. A former punk-folk musician, his themes are topical, words hard-hitting, politics unashamedly radical, but make festival crowds roar with laughter as well as seethe with anger. The multi-talented Joshua Idehen will delight the Poetry Arena audience not once, but twice, in a solo spoken word performance and then again as the frontman of bandBenin City. Latitude favourite John Osborne, well known for his Radio 4 comedy shows including John Peel's Shed and The Newsagent's Window will also perform at the Poetry Arena.
 
The Poetry Arena audience will be treated to performances by Tim Wells, founding editor ofRising poetry magazine and praised by the Guardian for his ‘wit and brilliance’. Former English teacher turned rap battle champ Mark Grist will be joined by award-winning spoken word artistTim Clare for a captivating performance. In a collaboration between The Hosepipe Band and North Essex poet Martin Newell, the band will be performing original music to accompany readings of Martin’s epics, The Song of the Waterlily and Black Shuck – about the sinister ghostly dog said to have haunted East Anglia since Viking times.
 
Outstanding young talent Helen Mort will be dazzling the Poetry Arena as, according to none other than Carol Ann Duffy, one of the ‘brightest stars in the sparkling new constellation of young British poets’. Talia Randall will bring the extraordinarily original Bloodlines production to the Poetry Arena, remixing garage MCing, communist manifestos and Hulk Hogan’s speeches in an inventive and heartfelt show about how we make sense of ourselves in the 21st century. Rosy Carrick's eccentric style, dense rhyme structures and forceful imagery have won her international acclaim, as well as firmly cementing her place as one of the UK's most unusual and exciting contemporary performance poets.
 
Harry Baker – ‘a champion’, according to Ed Sheeran, is sure to win the hearts and minds of the Latitude audience with his trademark raw honesty, tongue-in-cheek humour and blistering wordplay. And finally, Derek McLuckie will be taking the Latitude audience on a rollercoaster ride of stories and poems with his signature theatrical showcase.
 
 
Lavish Big Screen
The Lavish Big Screen will celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the birth of punk with evenings curated by three iconic legends of the punk era, Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols, Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder and the ‘Rebel Dread’ himself, Don Letts. Each day will feature film, video and music programmes handpicked by the three, followed by live DJ sets by themselves and others long into the night.
 

Green Man Festival 2014 Review

The valleys are alive… with the sound of music.

Thousands of like-minded music lovers made camp at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain this weekend to enjoy another inspiring Green Man Festival.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the greatest festival in the UK has to be Green Man. With beautiful music in equally beautiful surroundings, the atmosphere here is unlike any other.

Last year, my partner and I brought our 7-month-old to what would be our first festival as a family and our first Green Man. Initially worried about what to expect we soon became enchanted with its approach to live music, ethical values and it’s family friendly nature – we vowed to become regulars.

Unfortunately for us we would be begin our weekend on Friday which meant having to miss Thursday’s headliners, The Waterboys but from what I was told, the classic hits from their 80s album Fisherman’s Blues was the perfect end to the first night.

It must’ve been a good one because by the time we had rocked up, pitched the tent and headed into the festival for a pint we discovered the signature Growler Ale was already on the decline, not to worry though as the on-site beer and cider festival meant there was plenty on offer for ale and cider aficionados alike.

With the ground now nicely dried from the previous days down pour and with the sun blazing above the Black Mountains we settled ourselves in front of the Mountain Stage with a couple of cold ones.

The Augustines were just about to begin and the New York three-piece were the perfect way to kick start our weekend. Their crashing sound shook us out of the slump we were feeling after the journey down and when frontman Billy McCarthy announced it was his birthday the whole crowd erupted in an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday. That Green Man spirit and friendliness reminded me how happy I was to be there.

Photo courtesy of Green Man Festival

Our toddler had danced himself silly so we thought we’d take a walk to settle him to sleep before heading back to the Mountain Stage for Daughter and headliners, Beirut.

As a parent, other people’s judgment is a constant and irrational worry. In normal life, seeing a baby up after 9pm might invite all manner of tuts and side glances, the beauty of Green Man though is that the experience is as much for children as it is for adults. Wagons padded out and adorned with fairy lights are the transport of choice for tired little legs and are more abundant than drunk teenagers, thankfully. Hiring one of these won’t break the bank either and it ensures headliners don’t have to be missed. Everyone’s happy.

The effort to maintain the ground management to ensure it’s accessibility for wheelchair users, pram pushers and wagon pullers alike is also of noteworthy importance. The whole arena is relatively flat and is a pleasure to walk around, and as night falls, the trees light up and the place is framed with fairy lights, it truly is a magical place.

Back at the Mountain Stage, Daughter provided a stunning set playing tracks from their debut album If You Leave and EP, The Wild Youth. The ethereal voice of Elena Tonra was an early highlight. Perhaps one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend, they certainty didn’t disappoint. Hearing the hauntingly beautiful, Still come to life was earth moving and you couldn’t help but get drawn in by the raw emotion of it all.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Harris

Nicely mellowed out, we struggled to fight back the desire to head back to the tent, we knew we’d made the right decision however when Beirut burst on stage.

The rapturous trumpets blew out the need to sleep and the hit filled set soon had us all on our feet. Frontman Zach Condon seemed genuinely thrilled to be given the top spot and they were clearly the perfect choice to end Friday’s festivities.

Photo courtesy of Alex Elms

Unzipping our tent the following morning and watching the mist rise over the Black Mountains was something special indeed, and as the clouds parted across the valley all that was left were blue skies.

After breakfast we headed over to the Little Folk Enclosure to catch The Flying Seagulls. We saw this merry band of performers last year and were fascinated by their mix of energy and madness, perhaps more so than some of the kids!

Our toddler eventually pulled his parents away from the Seagulls and took us over to I See Magical Creatures, a whimsical band of characters who encourage creativity and participation through arts and crafts. We stayed and painted a rhinoceros and then as you are encouraged to do, we hid him near a tree for someone to find. This was an adorable activity that allowed our imaginations to run free and kept our boy enthralled for a good while.

After wandering though Einstein’s Garden and chatting to some very clever and creative minds there, we decided to head over to the Far Out tent to catch reformed Swansea band, The Pooh Sticks. Their inoffensive indie had us bopping along and we hung out after to catch up-and-coming purveyors of modernist pop, Woman’s Hour.

After bumping into friends and family with their children we pitched up near the helter skelter for a bite to eat and planned our next musical move.

We hung around the Far Out tent long enough to catch Fat White Family, eager to see what all the fuss was about with these young lads.

After reading about the madness from some of their earlier gigs I was keen to see what extrovert frontman Lias Saoudi would bring. Shirtless and repeatedly off stage and in amongst it, the punk-ish behavior somehow wasn’t enough to distract from how musically brilliant these guys are. Yes, they’re over the top but that’s what makes them so addictive – it was certainly up there with one of the best performances of the weekend.

We decided to forego I Break Horses in favor of a pit stop back at the tent before heading back down to the Mountain Stage for the evening.

We caught the tail end of The War On Drugs, and as we approached I couldn’t help but notice how packed the crowd was. Lead singer Adam Granduciel belted out songs from new album Lost in the Dream and had everyone warmed up for Mercury Rev.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Harris

Playing their classic album, Deserters Song’s in its entirety, headliners Mercury Rev were phenomenal. Considered one of the highest rated albums of the year when it was released in 1998, it truly was a joy to hear live.

Sunday started much the same as Saturday. We spent far too much time singing along with the Flying Seagulls but managed to pull ourselves away when we heard the band begin for No Fit State Circus who were on site showcasing some of their amazing skills and acrobatics.

Having seen the company perform Bianco last year I was hoping to see a little more from No Fit State, their blend of carnival vaudeville circus techniques were fun but unfortunately I wasn’t blown away. It was worth hanging around just to listen to their band though who were stomping out all manner of Parisian infused cabaret music which really got the audience going.

Sunday was mostly a day for lounging and exploring. We wearily wandered around the Nature Nurture area, discovering the joys of bush craft and wished we’d had the foresight to book into the spa before deciding to push on through and head to the Babbling Tongues tent.

We were hoping to catch Howard Marks who was due to give a talk on Dylan Thomas to tie in with the centenary celebrations but unfortunately this was cancelled. However, we were able to chat all things Dylan Thomas with aficionado and number one fan, Jeff Towns who was on-site with his mobile bookstore, Dylan’s Book’s.

After a good chinwag we decided to head back to the tent to feed the kid and layer up for the evening.

We made our way to the Mountain Stage later that evening and settled in to catch First Aid Kit.

“Hello, we’re two Swedish sisters,” were the first words from beautiful songstresses Johanna and Klara Söderberg and I overheard someone suggest the large crowd was probably made up of men, eager to catch a glimpse of the stunning pair rather than take in the music.

Whatever your reason for being there, their beauty was matched by equally gorgeous vocals. Playing tracks from their new album Stay Gold, and peppered with earlier tracks like Wolf, their set had something for old and new fans.

Bringing the festivities to a close were folk legends, Neutral Milk Hotel who returned to the stage bringing with them a newfound vitality and spirit. After disbanding in 1998, they returned to touring last year and the reception they’ve received every since has been huge.

After having far too much fun we couldn’t bare to stay up to watch the Green Man burn, the annual flaming full-stop that marks the end of the weekend would mean it really is all over for another year.

With such an eclectic programme of acts each year it is clear to see why thousands flock here. The breathtaking backdrop is the perfect location to what is fast becoming one of the most highly anticipated festivals of the summer. Only 360 odd days until the next one!

Green Man Festival announce Beirut, Neutral Milk Hotel and more!

As the Green Man Festival 2014 tickets go on sale, we have the details of the first lineup phase announced for this years event which includes  the wonderful Beirut, Neutral Milk Hotel, First Aid Kit, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Daughter, Anna Calvi, Sharon Van Etten, Polica, Jeffrey Lewis, Tunng and Toy.

The multi-talented Zach Condon and Beirut headline the Mountain Stage on Friday August 14th. Their amazing 2010 set is the stuff of whispered legend among the Green Man faithful…
 
And what better way to close four days of five-star live music than with a Sunday headline set from Neutral Milk Hotel, one of the great US alt-rock bands of the 1990s, back together in their classic line-up led by the mercurial Jeff Magnum?
  
Harmonies as pure as a Scandinavian stream from Swedish sisters First Aid Kit, skuzzy stoner-rock from Kurt Vile & The Violators, nocturnal atmospherics from the soon-to-be-massive Daughter, and epic raw emotion from Anna Calvi.  
 
…not to mention…
 
Brooklyn indie-folk favourite Sharon Van Etten, genius cult hero Jeffrey Lewis & The Jrams, blissful folktronica from Tunng and moody krautrockers Toy.
 
…and ALL these unbelievable bands…
 
I Break Horses |Ry X | Lanterns on the Lake | Frank Fairfield | Fat White Family | William Tyler | Michael Chapman | Speedy Ortiz | Georgia Ruth | All We Are | Happyness | Plank! | Eaves | Sons of Noel & Adrian | Valleyers | John Mouse

Underworld and Beirut added to Exit Festival 2011 lineup

Pioneers of electronic music Underworld will also grace Exit Festival this year with their incredible live show. With now nine albums under their belt, their most recent ‘Barking’ is a thundering return to form after a three year hiatus and sees the band perform a feat of creative regeneration once again. They are the undisputed masters of an insane electronic live show that will make your skin tingle with sheer delight. Karl Hyde’s energetic and infectious performance, wrapped in all his intense glory will be a truly magnificent sight to behold within the 17th Century Fortress.
 
Beirut is the perfect band for those craving something completely different.  Fusing elements of Balkan folk, French chanson, and American indie, principle songwriter and singer Zach Condon fills out classically structured pop songs with charming ukulele, flugelhorn, and accordion.  Condon’s exotic takes on music are strongly influenced by the beauty and sounds of places he’s traveled to, evoking memories, warmth, longing, and inevitably, joy. His first album ‘Gulag Orkestar’ was made single-handedly and to critical acclaim, followed by the massively successful Flying Club Cup, and most recently the double EP ‘March of the Zapotec/Holland’. The band’s live sets are equally as breathtaking to watch as they are to listen to, and it’s the Fusion stage that has the pleasure of hosting them.

EXIT 2011 LINE UP SO FAR:
Arcade Fire, Portishead, Underworld, Grinderman, Beirut, Hadouken!, Fedde Le Grande, Tiga, James Zabiela, Joris Voorn, Gramophonedzie.

 
EXIT 2011 plays host to a variety of 400 performances on 20 stages connected by cobbled streets, ramparts and tunnels – a walk through the mystical fortress is like a trip through a magical wonderland.  Music ranges from rock, dance, indie, Latino, reggae, electronica, chill out and regional music, so there is no better festival in the world that brings you so much value and so much variety! EXIT is still the coolest, most adventurous and best value for money festival experience in Europe for the discerning festival goer.  Offering more entertainment, easier and cheaper travel options, stunning weather and an atmosphere unlike any other festival, ensure it’s on your list of things to do 2011!  
 
2011 will also see pre and post EXIT events happening in the city of Novi Sad and Belgrade, so festival go-ers can spend longer in Serbia experiencing the warmth of the Serbian people whilst having fun and seeing new sights and cities. It’s an adventure and festival in one! No mud and lots of wonderful experiences, it’s a golden ticket for summer 2011.