Latitude Sunday

After the quiet Saturday, Sunday is the complete contrast with by far the strongest line-up for me. We start with Joanna Newsom who plays an hour and a bit of delightful music, utterly charming the obelisk arena crowd. Playing a variety of songs both old and new, solo on harp or piano she is quite possibly the best opening act ever on the main stage at latitude.

Perhaps understandably things take something of a dip after that with neither Satin Peaches nor Those Dancing Days doing much to impress. Better are American alt-rock survivors Nada Surf although they struggle with the sound, particularly the bass player who gets quite annoyed. I must confess to not knowing much about them, but will definitely be exploring further.

It's then back to the uncut tent for Patrick Watson who plays a set drawn heavily from his recent album, Close to Paradise. Live the songs take on a whole new dimension as he layers in feedback and effects, playing around with an extensive array of pedals. I'm not sure I like him live as much as on record, but nontheless another good set.

Things then step up a gear on the main stage with the Breeders. I must confess to a degree of sentiment here as when I was a teenager Last Splash was one of my favourite albums. Their subsequent albums, after a not insubstantial hiatus, haven't excited me to quite the same degree but live the recent material is imbued with a warmth not to be found on CD. It helps that the sisters Deal are in high spirits, joking with each other and bantering with the rest of the band. It's the songs from Last Splash that get the best reaction from the crowd, but they also do songs from all three other albums; and a couple from Kim Deal's other, other band The Amps. A band that I was somewhat nervous about seeing, given my fond memories of them in the early 90s, they definitely seem to be back on the right track.

If the Breeders were one of my favourite bands of the early 90s, then Nick Cave in any of his many guises is one of my current heroes. His Grinderman outfit are up next. Playing mostly songs from their debut album, together with a couple of newer songs they are probably the highlight of the entire festival for me. Regular Cave sidekick Warren Ellis sets the tone as he batters a solitary cymbal with a pair of maracas. Midway through the set the wind gets up, blowing the rain and dust into a maelstrom, but Nick Cave is its equal as a force of nature as he stands legs apart on the edge of the stage, hair blowing out behind him seemingly challenging the weather to do its worst. An absolute triumph, and I can only hope that Cave is back with the Bad Seeds next year.

Interpol are one of those bands that have never done it for me so I foresake their headlining slot for The Tindersticks in the Uncut Tent. As the rain begins to bucket down I think I made the right decision, particularly when they begin to play. As expected their setlist drew heavily from recent album, the hungry saw, although a smattering of early songs also go down well. Perhaps a bit too low-key to be the perfect ending to the festival, but pretty close.

So how did this Latitude compare to the previous two? Pretty well all things considered. As I said at the start of the write-up, I arrived with relatively low expectations as there were few must-see bands on the line-up. There were enough stand-outs (notably Grinderman and Eli 'Paperboy Reed) and new discoveries (Derwyddon Dr Gonzo, Gideon Conn) to keep me interested, not to mention the many other attractions on offer!