During Thom Yorke's rare solo performance on Sunday afternoon at the Latitude Festival's Obelisk Arena, some misanthropic wag in the crowd said loudly: "I wish they'd put the big screens on so we can see how bad his hair looks." I'm happy to say it wasn't me. I had mixed feelings about seeing Thom Yorke at Latitude, but it had nothing to do with the state of his hair or even the redundant 'h' in his forename. It had been twelve years since I'd seen Radiohead for the first - and, as it turned out, the last - time. That [...]
I caught The Asteroids Galaxy Tour during Mark Lamaar's now-traditional 'God's Jukebox' showcase last night at this year's Latitude Festival. They come from Denmark and play an irresistible and infectious blend of 60s soul (there's lots of horns!) and indie-tinged psychedelia. I thought they were great.
It's Saturday afternoon, Clare and the kids are back at the family campsite and I'm sitting in the Film & Music Arena at this year's Latitude Festival watching a short film about sheep. That's not what I'm really there to see, you understand; I'm actually waiting for the marvellous singer-songwriter and comic book artist Jeffery Lewis to deliver his lecture on the groundbreaking graphic novel Watchmen. It's one of things I've really looked forward to seeing this weekend and - as something of a Latitude veteran - I've long since learned that the only way to guarantee a ringside seat [...]
Afternoon slots on a festival's main stage can be a cruel and intimidating testing ground for up-and-coming performers. What may sound great within the gloomy confines of a medium-sized urban venue can lose its impact when performed on a big field in broad daylight before a transient crowd of musical moochers. It takes a certain calibre of artist to fill that space, make an impact and grab that crowd's attention. It takes someone like Patrick Wolf. On Saturday afternoon, the 26 year-old multi-instrumentalist didn't just fill Latitude's Obelisk Arena; at times it felt as though the festival's largest stage would struggle to contain his [...]
Showing my Age part 2: Squeeze, Uncut Arena, 17th July 2009 Let's face it: Squeeze aren't what you might call a fashionable band. Then again, I'm not what you might call a fashionable person. So let me take this opportunity to fess-up and admit that I've always liked them. My first 7" single (look it up) was Cool For Cats,which I bought with my pocket money from what used to be the local branch of Woolworths(look that up, too). Over the years I've got into numerous booze-fuelled disputes with musically-minded mates in which I've steadfastly defended the reputation of Deptford's finest against naysayers, [...]
