Sunday 17/07/2011 Latitude Festival, Day Three @ Henham Park, Suffolk

Day three of Latitude 2011 got under in a rather subdued fashion as Mercury Prize nominated songstress opened the Obelisk Arena. Perhaps it was the overcast, gray weather, or more likely Gigwise’s stinking hangover but Calvi’s performance, for whatever reason, didn’t appear to inspire the rest of the day’s proceedings in the way in which Villagers had the previous day.

Former Libertine and indie boy also ran Carl Barat then took to the Word Arena and attempted to convince us all that there was longevity in his burgeoning solo career- something he didn’t entirely achieve. It wasn’t until Barat played The Man Who Would Be King from the Libertines (despite admitting that “it may be a bit early for this”) that he got a response, albeit muted, from the onlookers. Barat chain smoked throughout performance perhaps to detract from some of the rather cringe worthy lyrics of material from his recent solo release (something about carving his name on lovers’ livers), however it would be unfair to remain to negative as Barat’s oft-overlooked vocal quality was allowed to shine through due to the subtlety of his band’s (complete with cellist) backing.

New Zealand darlings The Naked and Famous produced the type of performance which has made them on of the most talked about live acts of the last year.  Having caught them on top live form earlier in the year at Dot to Dot festival, the band’s Latitude performance proved that the band retain an impressive live following, understandably given the evidence. The set concluded with a vivacious rendition of fan favourite single Young Blood, once again raising the Word Arena’s performance bar to all a new high.

After darting across the site to the Sunrise Arena The Heartbreaks took to the stage. Hailing from Morecambe the four piece admitted that it was like being at home playing the festival due to the volatile meteorological conditions, however, despite a spirited display their brand of rather generic indie guitar rock is nothing to write home about.
Sam Beam’s Iron and Wine provided an intriguing display back on the Obelisk Arena. Complemented by a band consisting of additional brass and percussion sections, Beam’s sumptuous vocals, most evident when reciting material from most recent release Kiss Each Other Clean, enthralled us all. Whether the main stage was a suitable location for the subtle beauty of Iron and Wine’s material is perhaps debatable, but there was no doubting the eminence of the show.

OMD’s Andy McCluskey generated simultaneously one of the most impressive and energetic performances of the weekend, whilst also displaying perhaps the worst stage moves in the history of Latitude, nay music festivals in general. To McCluskey’s credit he was well aware of the fact and joked how he “couldn’t dance in my 20s so I’m ****ed at 52”. Bad dancing aside OMD produced a feast of nostalgia as synth laden hit followed synth laden hit. OMD may not be the coolest live spectacle but in terms of vigour and commitment, as well effortlessly infectious 80s hits, the band, on the basis of their Latitude performance, appear unsurpassable in many ways.

In true Hollywood style the best of Latitude 2011 was saved until the last performance by Mark Everett aka Eels. Following Swede Lykke Li’s stint before him which proved as hypnotic and beguiling as ever, Eels took to the stage complete with two piece brass section and two additional guitarist E’s originally lo-fi alternative musings were transformed into full on raucous party anthems.  With barely a pause for breath between songs (just a “Yeah” holler from E) the band rattled through a euphoric set which saw numbers such as Novacaine for the Sole and Prizefighter which was lapped up by the audience. Humorous band introductions followed included drummer Knuckles’ song written about himself (tongue in cheek of course), but, despite the light hearted atmosphere, what really shone through was the calibre of musicianship which was on stage at the Word Arena that evening. 

It was a suitably impressive end to what an event which is quickly establishing itself as one of the hottest tickets in the festival calendar.

Latitude Festival - Day Three In Photos