OK – so having trawled through the Latitude playlist we’ve come to the informed conclusion that the bookers have been given a brief of trying to put everyone to sleep.
That’s not knocking the bands who are playing…but there is a distinct theme that emerges…and it’s such a laid back one that it’s almost falling over backwards.
So we’ve done a little sifting and shifting and here’s a playlist of 37 artists we think might wake you up – either through energy or ideas…
Grace Savage
Intelligence shines through Grace Savage’s songs. Bass lines are intrinsic and underneath everything there is a sense of meaning. Like a gravity well, she draws you in and takes you somewhere unfathomable.
Nadine Shah
Much-revered and championed by the likes of Billy Bragg, Nadine Shah is a talent with a career trajectory that unlike many of her peers is likely to hit the stratosphere.
David Keenhan
On first impressions David Keenhan might seem like one of those sleepy acts we have tried to avoid at Latitude. But listen closely and you be drawn into a dark and dystopic world that will open your eyes and find your ears craving more of this exceptional talent.
Tune-Yards
Now the beat picks up and we’re into the world of pure pop – sharp, spikey, staccato and on fire, Tune-Yards are impassioned and worthy of deeper exploration.
Bethlehem Casuals
Once upon a nevertime a festival takea a punt on a band who are a bit different from the mainstream. A few years back Latitude gave stage=space to Slaves. Guess what, it paid off. This yeat Bethleham Casuals look set to fill those self-same shoes. Can they cut the mustard? You decide?
Belle & Sebastian
OK – so we said we were trying to avoid the chill-out bands. Sorry. This is Belle & Sebastian after all… bear with us and be a part of one of the experiences of the festival…
Japandroids
Thumping, thumping, thumping – Japandroids simply stomp their way through a musical landscape that is increasingly turning into an indistinguishable desert. Bursting like a cactus bloom from the arrid sand they reach for the sky with a sound that may not be completely their own but is none the less 100% authentic.
The Charlatans
Come on team – you have no soul if you don’t put a big red circle around The Charlatans in your festival programme. Not to be missed.
Confidence Man
Uplifting pop like we wish there was more of every day of the week and every day of the month. Let these guys put a smile on your face…
Boy Azooga
OK – here’s that time you get to decide whether the reality lives up to the hype – we sincerely hope you won’t be dissapointed.
James
Quite simply, James have one of the strongest back-catalogues of any 90s era band still on the circuit. They never fail to send shivers up every spine in the room. Miss them at your peril.
AE Mak
Afrrican rhythms reminiscent of Paul Simon’s Graceland classic hold together a musical tapestry that paints a multi-layered lyrical picture we love. Explore.
Lower Slaughter
Brutal chords explode in a way that might scare the living daylights out of many Latitude festival-goers. Bu t for anyone loooking for raw power – you’ve found it in Lower Slaughter.
Bomba Estero
Quirky and unpretentious, Bomba Estero are incredibly likely to see you twitching your dance… you know what we mean.
Jacob Banks
We almost skipped over Jacob Banks as this taster track took a whike to build – but we pesevered and discovered a song of genuine delight. Close your eyes annd dive in to a songwriter with truly hideen depths.
Joseph J. Jones
Darkly deep and dripping in decay, Joseph J. Jones delights in dragging you though the murky depths of despair. Or maybe he will lift you higher than you’ve ever been lifted before.
Gang of Youths
Oh my – this is something very special. If ‘Let Me Down Easy’ is in any way a marker for the quality of Gang of Youths’ other material we are going to be lifelong friends…
 The Vaccines
OK – you know what’s coming…so get ready and make sure you are down the front where the action is…
The Breeders
Once again, here’s a band from THAT classic guitar-driven era who have never aged and continue to deliver the goods. Dripping with opulence, The Breeders simply exude the spirit of ther time.
Mogwai
Holding fans enraptured since their incptione, Mogwai will forever be a forse to be reckoned with.
Dancing on Tables
Sardonic and understated – Dancing on Tables think before they speak. A perfect example of the power of a lyric that has been allowed to grow organically out of the germ of an idea.
Yellow Days
Depending on your frame of mind Yellow Days will eith leave you running scared or gently tripping into a world of your own imagination…
Grace Petrie
We are unashamed fans of protest-folk. That’s what we love Grace Petrie
…And you will know us by the trail of the dead
Moody and brroding, AYWKUBTTOTD are exactly what you would expect from a band with such a deliberately divisive name. Prepare to explode.
Phobophobes
Slightly psych – Phobophobes have a gothic smell about them but at the same time hold on to a trajectory that takes them into the world of pop. Difficult to sum up – we hope they find a fan base who will nurture their unchallenged talents.
Black Honey
Potential. Potential. Potential. Here’s a band we really think has the potential to grow beyomd their humble beginnings. Evertthing ties together so nicely. But can it hold?
Hak Baker
Modern folk music is exactly what Hak Baker is making. Songs about life in East London. This is the stuffr the future will look back on to define life today.
LION
Oozing potential, LION are sitting on that fence between obscurity and fame. Hundreds of bands have fallen off the radar too soon – will ther be THAT song that cements their place in the ‘made it’ pile?
Parquet Courts
As funky and as friendly as they come, Parquet Courts simply exude everything you ever need to know about what makea a smile happen. See you down the front!
Juanitea Stein
Mellow – but in a very different way to the bulk of Latitude’s offering – Juanita Stein has a quality that belongs back in the late 60s and early 70s hayday of power pop ballads. Today it sounds as fresh as ever and deserves a wider audience.
THe GO! Team
OK – you know you want to – here’s the weekends least gulity pleasure!
Wildwood Kin
Driving folk rhythms underpin lyrics tat would be at home one, two, or three hundred years ago…
Gaffa Tape Sandy
We are sniffing potential here … the guts of a great band are already in place. Gaffa Tape Sandy just need a couple of stick-in-your-head tunes to cement their foundations in the history of rock.
Oscar Jerome
Jazz – funk – a little urban vocalism… Oscar Jerome has a sound that sits comfortably in a party vivb where your guests are all mature and open to something tasty … sounds like Latitude to me!
IDLES
If you want to know what all the fuss is about here’s 2018’s answer to Slaves… you will like this a lot….
Ghostpoet
It’s al in the words – and if you are a fan of the way that a concept can be drwan out, expancdd, and explained then you are a fan of Ghostpoet
Hinds
It’s raw and its raucous – should you write it off? Probably not – but check Hinds out for yourself before you make up your mind…
