Photo: Michael Lee Jamison
Latitude Festival kicked off yesterday with brilliants sets from the likes of Christine And The Queens, Perfume Genius, The Big Moon and Grimes.
“Who’s only here because you’re hoping to catch a Pokemon?” asked Emmy The Great, opening the main stage earlier in the day. Though her minimalist pop might have been better suited to a later slot at one of the tent stages, she still set a high benchmark for the acts set to follow her.
Oh Wonder proved themselves worthy of their rising star status in the 6 Music tent later in the afternoon. Though frontwoman Josephine Vander Gucht’s wide-eyed expression could easily have been misread for stage fright, her formidable performance proved otherwise. The Big Moon, meanwhile, drew an impressive crowd to the Lake Stage – a somewhat tricky performance space, given the constant thoroughfare of people traipsing back and forth between the bigger stages. They commanded it beautifully though, their sharp-tongued, guitar-heavy pop bringing a raucous energy to proceedings.
The decision to place Perfume Genius on the bill just ahead of Christine And The Queens was a perfect one – Mike Hadreas returned to join the French electro-pop phenomenon for a beautiful, haunting performance of ‘Jonathan’. The rest of the set was equally mesmeric, elevated by Heloise Lettisier’s inimitable dance moves.
Later on, Grimes headlined the 6 Music Stage with a characteristically energetic and charismatic performance, drawing from her brilliant 2015 album Art Angels as well as a smattering of remixed, reworked versions of older material.
Latitude Festival continues today with headliners The National, alongside the likes of Daughter, Chvrches, John Grant and Polica.
