Photo: WENN
Miraculously, the sun has continued to shine on Henham Park as Latitude 2015 heads into the afternoon of day one, with Nitin Sawhney's Indian-inflected electronica providing the perfect soundtrack to the warm weather, while Unknown Mortal Orchestra entertained the already sunburnt masses who had retreated to the shelter of the 6 Music tent.
Melding his Asian heritage with a backdrop of R&B and jazz, musician and producer Nitin Sawhney welcomed singer Nicki Wells to the stage for much of his set, who handled his ambitious melodies with aplomb.
"This is a little singalong one if you know the words," uttered Sawhney, whose albums, scores and collaborations span over two decades, "Actually, I'll teach you the words... They're in Hindi." Ever the optimist.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, meanwhile, recovered from a slightly lacklustre start when they burst into the best known tracks from their second album, II. The subtle, psych-rock melodies of 'So Good At Being In Trouble' warranted the perfect sound quality of the 6 Music tent - an asset not many festival tents can often boast.
By the time they'd reached material from their latest album, Multi-Love, the crowd - from the dedicated mosh pit in the front row to the fair weather fans (literally) lingering in the back - were fully on side.
Multi-Love's title track, with its themes of polyamorous relationships and gender ambiguity, were undoubtedly the set's highlight - so much so that the pace and atmosphere slightly dipped when they chose to end the set with something less impactful.
Latitude Festival continues tonight with headliners Alt-J, as well as performances from the likes of Wild Beats, Ezra Furman, Caribou and Jon Hopkins. Check back with Gigwise later for more news, reviews and photos from Latitude 2015.
