Features

The Hold Steady, Wild Beasts, Sonic Flyer, Alabama 3, Annuals - Latitude Festival preview.

Bill Cummings 28/06/2007

Latitude Festival returns this year taking place between the July 12th - 15th 2007 at the rather beautiful Henham Park, in Southwold, Suffolk. Boasting an eclectic line up including Arcade Fire, Patrick Wolf, Jarvis Cocker, and many more up and coming bands.Latitude is more than just a music festival taking in film, literature, and comedy events throughout the site. As part of a series we present five preview interviews with acts slated to appear at the event, including chats with The Hold Steady, Wild Beasts, Sonic Flyer, Alabama 3, and Annuals.

The Hold Steady - Tad (Lead Guitarist)

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

2.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
We're bringing a mountain lion. If we can get it through customs. Might be weird. Just don't look it straight in the eyes. It will eat you.

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

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
Drinking and peeing on cars.

5.) What is your favourite colour Sheep?
I like them closely shaven...


Wild Beasts

1.) What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
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.

2.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
We'll bring our BBQ and plan to have some speciality meats.

3.) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?
Arcade Fire-their enormity is mind-boggling.

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
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.

5.) What is your favourite colour Sheep?
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.



Sonic Flyer - Yulia (Singer/lead guitar) and Rob (Bass)

1.) What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
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.

2.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have
anything special planned?
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!

3.) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival and why?

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.

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

5.) What is your favourite colour Sheep?
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?


Alabama 3 - Rob

1.) What aspect of Latitude festival interests you most and why?
Whether there are communal showers in the VIP area, our pianoplayer has
always dreamt of sharing a shower with Paul Simonon.

2.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival?
A sober and focused critique of all things magical

3.) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival
and why?
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

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
Explaining to my probation officer why I'm not doing it

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


Annuals - Mike Robinson

1.) What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
The longitude!

2.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have
anything special planned?
We're going to be bringing 6 ridiculous, big, absolutely dumb faces!

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

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
Something else involving gravity?!?!

5.) What is your favourite colour Sheep?
Corduroy!

More info:

The line-ups across the Music Arenas at Latitude offer a uniquely inspiring hotbed of both well-known and up and coming leftfield, alternative and experimental music that will provide the perfect atmosphere and entertainment for the weekend's festivities. Headlining the main Obelisk Stage this year, Latitude are pleased to announce Dublin born global phenomenon, Damien Rice for the Friday night, the Damon Albarn-fronted and super-cool The Good, The Bad And The Queen for Saturday, and the epic, and euphoric Arcade Fire closing the festival on Sunday night. Also confirmed for the festival are: Jarvis Cocker, Cake, The Hold Steady, Two Gallants, Cold War Kids, Patrick Wolf, Midlake, Wilco, CSS, The Rapture, The Magic Numbers, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Gotan Project, Albert Hammond Jr, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, and Tinariwen.



Full line-up across all three music arenas below.



But of course, Latitude is so much more than a music festival. Latitude can boast the exclusive involvement of BAFTA with Screenings, Directors Q and A's and Alfred Hitchcock's The Lodger accompanied by a live orchestra; Mark Lamarr curating his own night of music with The Beat and Alabama 3, comic and satirical stars from the world of Radio and TV including Bill Bailey, Alan Carr, Dylan Moran, Phill Jupitus, Lee Mack, Stewart Lee, Mark Steel , Russell Howard and The Early Edition with Marcus Brigstocke and Andre Vincent, a vast array of authors including Ali Smith, Don Letts, and Niall Griffiths involved in the legendary Vox 'n' Roll book readings come to the Literary Arena as well as Louis de Bernieres, Book Slam and Robin Ince's Book Club with guests Simon Munnery , Josie Long and Jo Neary amongst many others. Royal Court Theatre, Bush Theatre and Nabokov Theatre Company as well as Paines Plough bring exciting new shows to the Theatre Arena plus stellar poets Roger McGough and John Hegley as well as Polar Bear, Luke Wright, Scroobius Pip and Lemn Sissay are all confirmed for the Poetry Arena. And that's not to mention The Puppini Sisters, Moulin Rouge Cabaret at the Cabaret Tent and a headlining DJ set from Radio 1's very own Rob Da Bank at the In the Woods stage! Plus much more…