FRONT ROW CENTRE - LATITUDE 2013 SPECIAL - DAY 2
Welcome back to the Latitude Festival 2013 Special - Day 2!
Latitude Festival Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk on July 20th 2013
Talk about chalk and cheese with the weather! I woke up on Saturday morning and it was grey and drizzly. Having checked the weather frequently on the run up to the festival, it clearly stated sunny all weekend! Well, needless to say I had not packed for this eventuality apart from the hoody incase it was cool in the evening. So that was me for the day: shorts, flip flops and a hoody. I was bloody freezing and damp but it still didn't take away from the great music that was on. It was a relief that we still had a few sunny spells especially whilst seeing the bands featured here. It was the first day I really noticed people milling around in fancy dress with my particular favourites being a bloke dressed as Alice In Wonderland and several blokes in full ball gowns. Other amusing sights were a guy with a stuffed budgie clipped to his shirt and a man with a massive fried egg T-shirt and bunny mask.
Night Engine - 'Seventeen'
If there is one new band you check out this year, make it Night Engine. My good friend Dominic who plays keyboard for the band, made my visit to Latitude possible so they were up there with my 'must see' bands. Perched along the barriers right at the front of The Lake Stage, I was swallowed up with Night Engine's energy. They got the crowd dancing to funky hits Seventeen, Treat Me Like A Baby and my personal favourite (featured previously on totw), I'll Make It Worth Your While. My friend mused that it was difficult to behold all the facial expressions but in my opinion, its what sets lead singer Phil asides from the rest! Well worth watching these guys if you get a chance, they really give it their all. If it was possible for steam to rise up off the stage from drummer Lee and bassist Eddy during their last track then they warranted it!
If there is one new band you check out this year, make it Night Engine. My good friend Dominic who plays keyboard for the band, made my visit to Latitude possible so they were up there with my 'must see' bands. Perched along the barriers right at the front of The Lake Stage, I was swallowed up with Night Engine's energy. They got the crowd dancing to funky hits Seventeen, Treat Me Like A Baby and my personal favourite (featured previously on totw), I'll Make It Worth Your While. My friend mused that it was difficult to behold all the facial expressions but in my opinion, its what sets lead singer Phil asides from the rest! Well worth watching these guys if you get a chance, they really give it their all. If it was possible for steam to rise up off the stage from drummer Lee and bassist Eddy during their last track then they warranted it!
Hot Chip - 'Ready For The Floor'
One of my all time favourite dance groups really put on a fabulous show. I was sat in a field on a portable chair shivering under a gloomy sky but as soon as they knocked out big numbers like One Life Stand, Boy From School and this great rendition of Ready For The Floor I was rocking around in my chair and heating up nicely. I was especially impressed when they played Over And Over as despite the fact I was towards the back of the stage, the volume from the crowd singing along felt like I was bang smack in the middle of the mosh pit! I was also surprised to hear that their female (and might I add, highly skilled!) drummer was also playing The Obelisk Stage the previous night, headlining with Bloc Party!
One of my all time favourite dance groups really put on a fabulous show. I was sat in a field on a portable chair shivering under a gloomy sky but as soon as they knocked out big numbers like One Life Stand, Boy From School and this great rendition of Ready For The Floor I was rocking around in my chair and heating up nicely. I was especially impressed when they played Over And Over as despite the fact I was towards the back of the stage, the volume from the crowd singing along felt like I was bang smack in the middle of the mosh pit! I was also surprised to hear that their female (and might I add, highly skilled!) drummer was also playing The Obelisk Stage the previous night, headlining with Bloc Party!
Alt-J - 'Breezeblocks'
A hard decision had to be made: A historic 3-D Kraftwerk show or Alt-J? For me it wasn't that tough as I know far more of Alt-J and they were such a mega part of my listening pleasure last year. On our way to the BBC6 tent, we heard Kraftwerk kick off with Robots which sounded pretty good. As it was now dark out, it was much colder so it was a relief to seek refuge amongst the warmth of a packed tent. The sound was so crisp and the band tight so credit to BBC6 for that. It was really like being part of a community in that tent, the crowd all knew every word of every song and sang in perfect timing. Tessellate and Something Good came surprisingly early on but Alt-J kept me waiting for Breezeblocks and it didn't disappoint.
A hard decision had to be made: A historic 3-D Kraftwerk show or Alt-J? For me it wasn't that tough as I know far more of Alt-J and they were such a mega part of my listening pleasure last year. On our way to the BBC6 tent, we heard Kraftwerk kick off with Robots which sounded pretty good. As it was now dark out, it was much colder so it was a relief to seek refuge amongst the warmth of a packed tent. The sound was so crisp and the band tight so credit to BBC6 for that. It was really like being part of a community in that tent, the crowd all knew every word of every song and sang in perfect timing. Tessellate and Something Good came surprisingly early on but Alt-J kept me waiting for Breezeblocks and it didn't disappoint.
Enjoying these reviews? Come back next week for the last instalment with Day 3 or listen to my best of Latitude Spotify playlist!
Comments
Another brilliant review - looking forward to Day 3.