Latitude 2012 - Review

As about 96% of the comedians appearing over the weekend hastened to remind us, Latitude is very middle class. Probably one of the most middle class festivals ever. There is a Loch Fyne Oyster stall and a Costa. There are morning yoga workshops, talks about the Higgs-Boson and radio 4 recordings. In the comedy tent people use pages from The Independent to sit on. It is basically Adam Buxton’s festival song, in real life. At least this means that a lot of the toilets are nice and, (hallelujah!) there are showers.


FRIDAY

At i arena, Cold Specks aka Canadian born Al Spx, is asking the crowd: ‘Wanna hear a dirty cannibal joke?’ from behind her dark sunglasses. Instead she opts for a warbled version of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ theme tune, getting some of the words wrong. She manages to make it as ‘depressing’ (her word) as her own music. I can’t help but feel that her set would have benefited from a dirty cannibal joke. More impressive, Swedish sister act First Aid Kit craft their famous harmonies dressed in swoon-worthy 70s style dresses on the Main stage. The early time doesn’t affect their beautiful performance, husky voices accompanied by clap-alongs and plenty of hair swishing. 

We head to the comedy tent to catch one of my new favourites, Doc Brown, a comedy rapper. Don’t let the phrase ‘comedy rapper’ put you off. As an ex-rapper, Doc Brown/Ben Smith knows his way around a rhyme. He is one of the highlights of the weekend, with his righteously angry rap about people who put the milk in first when it comes to making a cuppa. Next up is one of the biggest names in comedy, Tim Minchin, whose musical comedy has made him something of a rock star. His set includes old-time favourites such as ‘Prejudice’ and new favourite ‘Woody Allen Jesus’ (the song that was infamously deemed too controversial for The Jonathan Ross Show). Unfortunately, some parts of his set seem a tad too indulgent, with some songs dragging on too long and some gags coming across a bit too big-headed.

Another act which surprisingly disappoints is Alt-J, a band which normally impresses live with their intricate percussion and offbeat, catchy songs. The stage may not help; playing an enclosed tent may have aided the atmosphere of their set better. This seems a shame for a band who has just released a debut album.

The Antlers, luckily, don’t disappoint. Much rockier live than on record, they play a fantastic set in the Word Arena, including a beautiful rendition of ‘Two’ from third album, ‘Hospice’. Yeasayer follow, playing a set full of new songs, including the fantastic ‘Henrietta’. They also play some fantastic live versions of the ‘Odd Blood’ favourite, ‘O.N.E’, which catches everyone in the crowd by surprise. Neither the very drunk couple staggering into everyone, nor the annoying girls holding up a message on paper plates (and therefore blocking a lot of people’s view) can detract from a triumphant, highly enjoyable set.

Bon Iver is the headliner for the night, and plays on a beautiful stage decked out in fishing nets and lights. The set includes many songs from both albums, and it is a joy to see how well the ‘Bon Iver’ songs translate so well live, with Justin Vernon’s haunting vocals entwining with a myriad of different instruments.

SATURDAY

It is early (11am) on the Saturday morning and already there is a considerably sized queue outside the comedy tent. Someone, half-serious, tries to start a chant: ‘What do we want? Science based comedy? When do we want it…?’ When at last the tent opens there is a huge rush to get to the front. People are running. What is all the fuss about? Brian Cox is in the vicinity, that’s what. The first event of the Saturday Morning is a recording of the last in the series of Radio 4’s ‘science based comedy’ show ‘The Infinite Monkey Cage’. The show is co-presented with comedian Robin Ince, who brings his brilliant, enthusiastic humour to the mix. At the end of a very interesting discussion about the importance of both science and art in life (unfortunately simplified, rather confusingly, to ‘Science Vs. Art’ at first), Brian Cox is surrounded by teenagers as if he were (still) a rock star. Well, he is on the telly. And he does have very lovely hair…

Over on the Word stage, Sharon Van Etten plays a beautiful set. Her voice is husky and powerful, and this works very well with her fantastic guitar playing. The highlight of her set is the last song, with a plodding drumbeat leading up to a majestic, Sigur Rós-style build up, layered with echoing Warpaint like vocals.

Back to the comedy tent, we catch Josie Long at her finest; her enthusiastic and passionate political comedy is really impressive. She is not afraid to let rip onstage and go a bit mad either, which makes her even cooler. She really is one of the best stand-ups in the country!

Django Django play the teeny-tiny i arena in the woods, and there are as many people outside the tent, craning in as there are packed like sardines inside. There is such a buzz about this band, and there is no wonder; their angular pop sounds just as good live as it does on record. They also have a fantastic, energetic stage presence (from what I could see through the low branches outside the tent).

Later on at the i arena, Nika Danilova, or Zola Jesus is prowling around the stage, dressed head to toe in white. (“Its days like this I wish I wasn’t so committed to wearing white!” she laughs, alluding to the sea of mud). She is every bit caged animal as she eschews the mic stand for the majority of the set and paces the stage. Her operatic voice really is something, especially live, and versions of ‘Sea Talk’ and the powerful, bittersweet ‘Night’ bring a tear to the eye.

Later that night, Robin Ince brings his Late Night Revolution, a pick and mix of sketches and singers, to the Literature tent. This boasted the amazing Grace Petrie, who is the female Billy Bragg, pedalling stories of love and politics with the help an acoustic guitar and fantastic voice. Another highlight of the ‘Revolution’ is Johnny and The Baptists, my new favourite comedy folk band. They sings songs about having sex in a library (NOT the children’s section) and unrequited love amongst many other things, aided with fantastic violin playing and melodramatic singing. One thing the ‘Late Night Revolution’ was missing was a bit more Robin Ince/Josie Long stand-up, but alas, time was tight. Still, a very nice excuse to stay up late.

SUNDAY

Reginald D Hunter and Rich Hall bring their unique views of Britain from Americans point of view to the comedy tent. Reginald D Hunter exudes cool where Rich Hall is grumpy, but with a twinkle in his eye. He shouts at teenagers in the front row who are leaving for a loo break, before deciding he wanted youngsters to leave, yelling ‘JUSTIN BIEBER IS A C***!’ to try and achieve this.

St Vincent plays at that time of the day on the Sunday afternoon where the lack of sleep starts to catch up with some of the less hardy punters (me). However, ANNIE CLARKE?! impresses, with a fantastic stage presence- red lips and jet-black, curly hair teamed with the perfect shuffle dance. Her sexy vocals entwine with amazing guitar riffs, and I’m pretty sure everyone leaves a little bit in love with her.

Slow Club open their set in the packed out i arena with a cover of ‘Disco 2000’ by Pulp, and end it with a party; their friends dancing onstage with pom-poms and bassist Steve/Sweet Baboo taking his shirt off to play the last song. Their set is a bit short of songs from debut ‘Yeah, so’, however, wellie-stomping ‘Giving Up On Love’ being the only one which seems a little bit of a shame. Perfume Genius follows, and what a heart-rending-ly beautiful set he provides. You can tell just how much Mike Hadreas connects with what he creates, and how much it means to him emotionally. The prime example is during ‘Mr. Peterson’, he himself cries just as much as many of the people in the audience. You would have to be pretty tough not to cry too. The atmosphere in the tent is spell-bound, the fragility and raw emotion in Hadreas’ voice and the delicate piano notes watched in absolute silence before being applauded enthusiastically. Hadreas is also incredibly humble (a really refreshing and appealing attribute), looking genuinely surprised when he said, several times, ‘I hadn’t expected this, thank you so much’ about the reception his beautiful songs received. We leave the set slightly emotionally bruised and a little bit breathless, with watery eyes and a feeling that we have just seen something incredibly special.

It does seem a little bit of a shame that the highlights of Headliner Paul Weller’s set are mostly songs by The Jam. However, he is not, as one smart arse near us claims ‘shit’, and even if he was, they are perfectly welcome to go and watch something else. Smoking endless cigarettes on stage, The Modfather does look just a bit, well, old. Too old for all this maybe. However, some songs from his new album ‘Sonik Kicks’ do go down well, especially ‘Dangerous Age’ with its doo-wap style vocals. When he does play the Jam, it’s fantastic, especially ‘Town Called Malice’, which gets everyone dancing.

Latitude was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, a beautiful site packed with countless activities and stalls and of course, the coloured sheep. The atmosphere was also incredibly friendly and not once did I feel unsafe, even when alone. This was topped off with an impressive line-up of music, comedy and literature. A really wonderful festival.


Words and Photos: Holly Read Challen

Latitude Festival 2012 - Preview

With ten days to go, it’s time to get excited about Latitude festival once again, with its fantastic line-up and famous coloured sheep. The headliners are impressive: Friday night sees the beautiful (and in my opinion, un-missable) Bon Iver taking the top slot, while the other headliners are the huge dad-band Elbow and the Modfather himself, Paul Weller. Also playing and worth a mention are Metronomy and Wild Beasts, both worth a watch too. But who else should you see this year?

1. Yeasayer

The fantastically oddball lads from Brooklyn’s new album is out in August, so a mix of old favourites and first listens to new material can be expected.

2. The Antlers

Another Brooklyn band, The Antlers should not be missed, with their fragile yet expensive sound draped in falsetto.

3. Sharon Van Etten

A singer-songwriter with a distinctive voice, which is sometimes fierce and sometimes gentle. Also worth a watch just in case Justin Vernon from Bon Iver comes and duets with her on ‘Love More’ – Bon Iver covered the song. (A long shot, but boy, that would be magic!)

4. Zola Jesus

This is one artist who should never be missed. Nika Danilova aka Zola Jesus makes stunningly beautiful, eerie and industrial operatic music. This set it bound to be breath-taking.

5. Alt-J

Having recently released their debut, ‘An Awesome Wave’, Cambridge’s finest purveyors of geometry-focused angular geek pop are definitely worth a watch, with beautiful harmonies and odd lyrics.

Latitude also prides itself on its fantastic array of comedy and poetry, (its strapline is ‘more than just a music festival’) so these are also worth a mention:

1. Jack Dee

Always worth it. One of the grumpiest men in comedy, and one of the best for that very reason.

2. Tim Minchin

He had to be in this list, and doesn’t really need any introduction. You shouldn’t need any encouragement for this one either! Go and see him!

3. The Infinite Monkey Cage with Robin Ince and Brian Cox

The brilliant combination of Mr. Ince’s offbeat, charming and enthusiastic comedy and Mr. ‘making physics sexy’ Cox’s knowledge and lovely northern accent is not to be missed. (Don’t let the fact that they are joined by the annoying Al Murray put you off!)

4. John Cooper Clarke

Again, you really shouldn’t need any encouragement to go and see the legendary manc in the sunglasses with the hair. Expect hilarity and Northern wit.

5. John Hegley

A charmingly eccentric poet possibly familiar to Radio 4 listeners, who writes poetry and songs about existentialism and, famously, glasses!

Full line-up can be found at http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/line-up/

Holly Read-Challen

Zola Jesus - In Your Nature (David Lynch Remix)

Contain your excitement everyone. David Lynch, Godfather of weird, has remixed Zola Jesus’ “In Your Nature”. With Lynch being a huge influence on Nika Danilova’s music it’s a match made in heaven. The remix, which is the B side to the “In Your Nature” single, also ties in rather nicely with the fact that Sacred Bones are reissuing the soundtrack to Lynch’s Eraserhead on deluxe vinyl later this year.

Unsurprisingly Nika Danilova isn’t fond of remixes. She feels they’re rarely an improvement on the original song. With “In Your Nature” being one of the strongest tracks on “Conatus” with its thumping dance beats and high pitched strings anyone can see why Nika would be protective over her music but in her own words “when David Lynch asks to remix your song, you let him”.

The David Lynch remix follows the same structure as Zola Jesus’ original but the strings and synth beats are replaced with vocals that echo over steady drum beats, chilled guitars and Twin Peaks-esque keyboards that give the track an eerie yet uplifting feel. It could perfectly soundtrack the infamous Roadhouse’s Pink Room scene in Fire Walk With Me.

David Lynch has managed to make the song into something that competes with the beauty of the original track but still has his distinctive surreal and dreamy feel to it.

By Eden Young

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming



 Releasing a double album can mean a number of things, the main reasons being: an artist is releasing an album after a number of years and has an abundance of creativity and material, an artist is creating material with a concept or story too big for one album, or an artist is committing a plethora of throwaway tracks in a pretentious attempt to seem creative. For M83, the musical alias of 30-year-old Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez, there are hints of all three. ‘Saturdays = Youth’, the last album created by M83, was released to critical acclaim in 2008, despite Gonzalez’ lack of confidence in his own material. After its release, he relocated to California after living in Southern France for 29 years He often drove out to Joshua Tree to write and record music in a rented cabin in the middle of nowhere. Gonzalez’ fixation with double albums such as The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ and Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’, inspired him to create his own, Gonzalez calling it “a statement”.

The concept behind this double album being that one disc is “related” to the other. Track One on Disc One, the Zola Jesus featuring “Intro”, has a sibling in Track One on Disc Two, the grandiose “My Tears Are Becoming A Sea”. Listening to every song without knowing the concept makes this album a lot less enjoyable. The pairing of songs from different discs is reminiscent of Radiohead’s ‘01 and 10 Playlist’ which combined ‘OK Computer’ with ‘In Rainbows’. The only difference being that M83’s paired songs sound similar to one another, joining together almost seamlessly. The best combination is the second coupling of “Midnight City” and “New Map”, both being among the best tracks. “Midnight City” was released as a free download, which should be a crime seeing as it’s one of the best songs of the year.

However, this ambitious project isn’t without its flaws. Does a double album really need six interlude tracks? While it does make the whole thing more accessible, it seems like the idea was too big for Gonzalez to carry out, instead it’s a somewhat lazy attempt. Aside from the interludes, another deficient track is the weird children’s story of “Raconte-Moi Une Histoire”. While the music is good, the child’s narrative is odd, the track would benefit greatly without it, leaving Anthony’s woozy falsetto to truly shine in the last minute-and-a-half. Gonzalez’ vocals are a cross between Panda Bear’s croon and Ezra Koenig’s yelp, and while it suits the music well, it will grate on some people after a while, even more considering this is a double album lasting over an hour.

While the music is similar, each track blends well with its sibling which is essential in showing Gonzalez’ creativity and talent as a musician. It isn’t the best double album you’ll ever hear, but you can’t blame Anthony for taking on such a massively difficult task, he can definitely be confident in the material he has made on this project.

7/10

By Calum Stephen

Zola Jesus - Conatus

Zola Jesus aka Nika Danilova recorded her debut album, The Spoils "in the womb of a Wisconsin winter" from 2008-2009, holed up in her apartment. What was produced was a fuzzy and lo-fi yet beautiful puzzle. Trying to work out what she was singing was hard but in songs like "Clay Bodies" one thing was clear, her classically trained voice was a force to be reckoned with. From apartment to studio Zola Jesus’ sound has gradually evolved into powerful, clean, industrial dance music over the course of 3 albums, 3 EPs and a few collaborations.

"Conatus", Zola Jesus’ third album (named after a philosophical concept), is similar to her previous studio efforts. You can expect lots of synth, haunting tones, mournful lyrics about lost lovers and a powerful sound. But that doesn’t mean it’s less breathtaking or spectacular. Album opener "Swords" is just an intro but with its dramatic piano and distant vocals it is pure Zola Jesus. "Vessel", which was free to download in June, will be familiar to fans but it still hits hard with its strong chorus and crunching beats. "Seekir" takes on an almost tribal feel, the chanting and swooping synths make the song stand out from all the others. It breaks up the album and stops it from becoming one long song. "In Your Nature" would sound more at home on the soundtrack of "1984" with its screeching 80s drum machine beats but somehow Nika gets away with it. After an emotionally exhausting nine songs the calm and serene "Skin" really lets Nika really show off her talents as she’s accompanied by a piano and nothing else. The clean, pure sound is worlds apart from the hazy, fuzzy vocals on "The Spoils" and her operatic tones are enough to reduce anyone to tears.

Throughout the album the one thing that really shines through are the vocals. Every song is tinged with sadness as Nika’s voice is even emotive, clearer and more powerful than ever. Conatus will provide a fix for the hardcore fans and hook in ones, making them fall in love with the masterpiece that is Zola Jesus.

8/10
By Eden Young