More about: Frank TurnerLatitude Festival

After one day at Latitude Festival, the arts and theatre is already blowing our minds. With more spaces that you could imagine, and more yet to discover, here’s our top picks from the arts at Latitude, Day One. 

Sadlers Well’s Presents: Titanium

Blasting through the tranquil scenery and sound of lapping water against the river bank, the Waterfront Stage erupts with bass tones, vibrating through every blade of surrounding grass. Crawling and clawing, from one side of the stage emerges a slight figure, apparelled head to toe in black, this is the beginning of the most explosive new dance fusion in a long time.

Before you can blink, the stage is swarmed by a new production from acclaimed choreographers Rojas and Rodriguez of Nuevo Ballet Espanol, Titanium. This nine-piece all male dance troop deliver assertive fluidity and determination in every stomp, blending the boundaries between traditional and contemporary flamenco, breakdancing, gymnastics, and pushing the human body to the limits of endurance and stamina.

Accompanied by a live band who are as much a feature as the dancers, they create an electric and goose-bump inducing soundtrack with sumptuous and flirtatious violin and drum solos flowing moments of passion and power into that of vulnerability seamlessly. Working in three divided troops; three flamenco dancers, three hip-hop dancers, and three break dancers, each battling the other for originality and style, goaded on by the eclectic and authentic live vocals.

Having enjoyed a rapturous welcome to the UK in May, the Latitude crowd raised the bar, meeting the end of the performance with a standing ovation and deafening applause. Titanium is infectious, the energy explosive. This is a euphoric and superb addition to the Friday arts line up.

Frank Turner: Interviewed by Ian Winwood

Latitude’s Literacy Arena is vast, and when we say vast we mean it- this staged marquee feels like half the size of a football pitch. But, even this was not big enough to house all the fans who turned out to hear Frank Turner, interviewed by (but more in conversation with) Ian Winwood, talking about work, life, music and whatever doesn’t fit into those categories.

“I think we (the UK) do the best festivals in the world. I miss going as a punter”, Turner begins, effortlessly winning the hearts of the crowd. Naturally, the Arena cheer and shouts of happy agreement break out. “I love festival season in May,” he continues, “but around this time I get tired of being in a field not knowing the fuck is going on”. We know the feeling, and the crosslegged listeners agreed, a sea on nodding heads and knowing chuckles swept through the Literacy Arena like a Mexican wave.

Feeling like a friendly chat with a friend in the pub, he tells us about his soon to be released sixth studio album, tales of album making and anecdotes along the way, adding that “in life you should try to do new things all the time”. About the new album specifically, but his ambition generally, “I hope I’ve made a record people want to give their time to.”

Positive Songs For Negative People is out on 7 August.

Comedy: Russell Kane

Latitude’s Comedy Arena, packed to the rafters, people spilling out of every opening and pouring into every opportunistic gap.

The last slot of the afternoon was taken by Russell Kane, followed by Elliot Steal, and compared by Zoe Lyons. Anyone familiar with Kane’s shows- self confessed former nerd with extravagantly camp mannerisms, quirks and skips to and from either side of the Arena stage, will have expected to see just these classical Kanisms. They did.

Using his 45 minute set to talk to us in only his unmistakable style about to awkwardness of the stereotypical Brit, when for example, learning a language, drawing contrast between us and our European counterparts. This, along with his many other observations of us Brits, combined with his boyish charm and spritely energy made for hilarious watching under the baking hot sun and yellowing grass.

Keeping on point and Latitude-centric, his thoughts turned to sleep. Specifically, sleeping at festivals - Group A, the impossibility or Group B, the effortless easy of it, and of course, the out right annoyance that builders against others in your camp who don’t fall into the first Group A. As far as the eye could see, heads robbed up and down in furious agreement

All in all, a brilliant first day for the arts of Latitude, the variety and the quality.

More about: Frank TurnerLatitude Festival