Latitude - Bands bleat about sheep

United Kingdom | 09 July 2007

Latitude is one of the most feverishly anticipated festival this summer. Having experimented with its multi-arts format last year, the Suffolk festival is back with one of the most intriguing lineups to grace recent memory. The headliners - Damien Rice, The Good The Bad & The Queen and Arcade Fire - pretty much speak for themselves, but explore further down the bill and you'll find some real gems.

Just a few of our recommendations would include The Lea Shores, Euros Childs, Soul Savers, Alberta Cross, Remi Nicole, Seasick Steve, Two Gallants, Rob Da Bank, Liz Green, Aqualung, Cold War Kids,  Tinariwen, Metronomy and Wild Beasts - but if you're going, we're sure you've already got yours. 

Of course you'll also know that the festival is about much more than music, with a range of art forms available to enrich your cultural veins. Luke Wright made a real name for himself by hosting last year's poetry tent so expect spoken word of a similar high standard this time round, with the likes of David J and John Hegley among those making welcome returns.

Marcus Bridgestock, Bill Bailey and Dylan Moran are among the big hitters in the Comedy Tent but expect to go home with heavy side pains if you spend too much time there. Of a more gentle persuasion, the Royal Court Theatre will be performing a number of short productions peppered throughout the weekend, while the Puppini Sisters are one of many acts who'll be found in the Cabaret Tent. And then there's the coloured sheep...

But enough from us. Here's the lowdown from several of the artists who'll also be performing..

The Hold Steady

VF: What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
THS: "It's always fun to meet other bands. And you can drink all day. And then they'll pay us."

VF: What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
THS: "We're bringing a mountain lion. If we can get it through customs. It might be a bit weird so just don't look it straight in the eyes. It will eat you."

VF: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?
THS: "Girls. Lots of girls. And drunk people making terrible decisions. Myself included."

VF: If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?
THS: "Drinking and peeing on cars."

VF: What is your favourite colour sheep?
THS: "We like them closely shaven..."

Howling Bells 

VF: What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
HB: "The thoughtful line up. Last year I saw Patti Smith and Lavender Diamond, I loved the variety. The totally appreciative audience. It seems everyone is there to consume art in any shape it comes, an open minded festival I think."
 
VF: What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
HB: "Ummmm.... we try create a very intimate and Noir-ish experience. Our audiences are usually very quiet, so that kinda vibe."
 
VF: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?
HB: "The Good The Bad And The Queen. Andrew Bird, CSS, Arcade Fire, The Rapture I guess they’re bands I’ve been curious about for a while, so it'll be groovy to see them in a festival atmosphere."
 
VF: If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
HB: "I suppose as this is our last show of the tour, we'd probably be off somewhere having a ball.... but we'll probably do that at the festival anyways!"
 
VF: What is your favourite colour Sheep?
HB: "I work for A.P.C.S, an organisation that works against people colouring Sheep. It's all very sensitive!"

Bill Bailey

VF: What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
BB: "The fact I'm staying in a caravan."

VF: What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
BB: "I'll be bringing some Thai Basil and we're planning a couple of really nice hot curries."

VF: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?
BB: "The Magic Numbers because I favour the bearded singer."

VF: If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
BB: "Whittling."

Alabama 3

VF: What aspect of Latitude festival interests you most and why?
SF: Whether there are communal showers in the VIP area. Our piano player has always dreamt of sharing a shower with former Clash man Paul Simonon from The Good The Bad And The Queen."

VF: What can people expect you to bring to the festival?
SF: "A sober and focused critique of all things magical."

VF: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?
SF: "I'm looking forward to seeing Paul Simonon in the mud, because he’s the nattiest dresser on the block and a bit of mud wouldn't hurt him."

VF: If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
SF: "Explaining to my probation officer why I'm not doing it."

VF: What is your favorite colour sheep?
SF: "As an honorary Welshman, I believe the colour of wool is no baaaar to the joy of festival flock hunting."

Wild Beasts

VF: What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
WB: "Having never been to Latitude Festival before and for that matter having never played any festival before, we don’t really know what to expect… I suppose what we’re most interested in is how do we lug our amps and drums into the middle of a bloody field? And why? Because we don’t want to be stranded with them under the baking sun, surrounded by hippy revellers and having to thumb some dodgy truck driver for a lift."

VF: What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
WB: "We’ll bring our BBQ and plan to have some speciality meats."

VF: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why? 
WB: "Arcade Fire. Their enormity is mind-boggling."

VF: If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?
WB: "Our weeks come by like pass the parcel, the music stopped on July 15th so we’ll unravel with relish, otherwise we’d be passing that parcel waiting for the music to stop."

VF: What is your favourite colour Sheep?
WB: "Coming from the Lake District we know our sheep. Blue-faced Leicester must boast not only the finest colour of any sheep, but also the most dignified persona of any livestock in the farmyard today."

Herman Dune 
 
VF: What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
HD: "Man, of course, playing my songs to a bunch of festival-freaks."

VF: What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
HD: "I'm bringing my songs, I'm planning on playing them, I hope the kids will like them."

VF: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?
HD: "Probably, I'd say Regina Spektor, the guitar player from The Strokes, and also Tony Allen when he plays as part of Good The Bad And The Queen. I've never seen Fela play but really I'd just like to see his drummer play." 

VF: If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?
HD: "Being it the middle of July I'd probably be playing basketball and be trying to finish up some songs for Herman Dune's next album."

VF: What is your favourite colour Sheep?
HD: "I love black Sheep, white sheep, I just love sheep!"

VF: What is your favourite colour Sheep?
BB: "Black."

Sonic Flyer

VF: What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
SF: "We're naturally most excited about the line-up on the music stages, but it's the variety of stages and activities that's going to make it a great festival. Not forgetting the sheep, of course."

VF: What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
SF: "We're apparently playing at a time when no other band is on another stage, so people can expect us to bring noise in place of silence.  Don’t expect anything visual like fireworks, dancing or anything, we’re not about that. But we’ll definitely bring some great sounds that’ll blow your mind!" 
 
VF: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?
SF: "We're very excited about seeing The National and Arcade Fire are bound to put on an amazing show. Also keep an eye out for the brilliant Cherry Ghost in the Uncut arena." 

VF: If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
SF: "We'd probably be locked away in our sweaty rehearsal room, making sure we were good enough to be invited to play next year."

VF: What is your favourite colour Sheep?
SF: "We have an inclusive approach to sheep and treat all equally, regardless of their colour.  That said, a bright green sheep would be quite something or what about painting a big Mod's bullet on a sheep's back?"

Annuals

VF: What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
A: "The longitude!"

VF: What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
A: "We're going to be bringing six ridiculous, big, absolutely dumb faces!"

VF: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?
A: "Camera Obscura. We're all pretty big fans but none of us have seen them yet. Arcade Fire and Jarvis should be exciting too."

VF: If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
A: "Something else involving gravity?!"

VF: What is your favourite colour Sheep?
A: "Corduroy!"