Latitude Festival returns for an incredible 5^th Edition on 15-18^th July 2010 set in the beautiful countryside of Henham Park Estate on Suffolk’s Sunrise Coast.

Celebrating its fifth year, Latitude continues to lead the way as a bold and pioneering festival cherry-picking the very best from the worlds of music, theatre, comedy, literature, film, poetry, dance, art, fashion and cabaret and bringing them together for one glorious weekend. It is a place like no other; an intimate world away from reality that encourages you to be all that you’ve ever wanted to be whilst indulging in the spirit of exploration and discovery.

Building on its reputation as one of the most respected and highly anticipated events of the season, 2010 promises to be an inspirational and entertaining, sophisticated and scintillating weekend. Day and night, Latitude will boast an eclectic array of acts spread throughout the site with all manner of unexpected pleasures hidden around every corner. With over 700 performers to be announced over the coming months and a wealth of other weird and wonderful delights to be discovered – it is shaping up to be another spectacular slice of unadulterated cultural fun and adventure.

Festival Republic Managing Director, Melvin Benn says:

“Five glorious years on and Latitude Festival continues to be everything I wanted it to be.  The breadth and calibre of programming across the arts and music consistently astounds me and I am delighted that Latitude has earned its place as a festival of choice for many.  With an incredible wealth of talent joining us at Henham Park year on year, Latitude holds its unique position in the festival season.

It is indeed a very special weekend.”

~ MUSIC ARENAS ~

Showcasing a wealth of diverse musical talent, Latitude’s four dedicated arenas provide a unique and perfect soundtrack to the weekend’s festivities. Across the Obelisk, The Word and Sunrise Arenas and the Lake Stage, the very best in both emerging and established bands and performers will play throughout the weekend. In the past Latitude has seen such spellbinding performances from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Tindersticks, Sigur R?s, Arcade Fire, Blondie, Amadou & Mariam, dEUS, Glasvegas and has helped propel up and coming acts like The xx and Marina & The Diamonds into the spotlight. Across the four arenas, audiences can expect everything from rock to pop, indie to folk, electro to dance and world to jazz – whatever your taste, Latitude has it all.

Jon Dunn, Music Arenas Booker says:

“Year five…The first four Latitude festivals have left me with many highlights..Antony & Johnsons, Patti Smith, Arcade Fire, The Rapture, The Mars Volta, Blondie, Foals, White Lies, Thom Yorke, Joanna Newsom and Sigur Ros…..

I’m excited and honoured that such acts as Florence and the Machine, Belle and Sebastian and Vampire Weekend will be headlining our main stage, meanwhile I feel that in The Word Arena we have the real essence of Latitude in The National, The xx and Grizzly Bear, acts that carve out their own niche and journey and who are taken on the brilliance of their music..”

~ OBELISK ARENA ~

~ Florence + The Machine ~ Belle and Sebastian ~ Vampire Weekend ~

~ Empire of the Sun ~ The Maccabees ~ Rodrigo y Gabriela ~

The Obelisk Arena has been the focal point for many of Latitude’s most memorable performances. Thom Yorke’s mesmerising Sunday noon set, Grace Jones’ blazingly colourful headlining slot, Regina Spektor’s whimsical elegance and Doves’ epic street-swept triumph are all highlights from last year’s main stage line-up. Once more you’ll be watching this year’s exceptional cast assembled under the sun or the stars, which lends to the natural ambience so many have come to expect from Latitude.

This year – Latitude’s music headliners are:

Florence + The Machine, led by flame haired songstress Florence Welch, had an incredible 2009. Beginning with winning the Critics’ Choice award at the Brits, Florence won the coveted South Bank Award, graced NME covers and was a constant visible presence throughout the year at festivals and other award ceremonies. Her stunning debut album ‘Lungs’ released in June last year was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and has since won another Brit for Best British Album. ‘Lungs’ reached Number 1 in January this year, having been in the Top 40 since its release. On a heady wave of popularity that shows no sign of stopping, her effortless rise sees her top the bill on Friday night at Latitude 2010 – in what will be Florence and her mighty Machine’s very first festival headline performance. With her potent, soaring anthems and confident stagecraft, Florence will light up the Obelisk Arena.

With barely contained excitement, it’s a pleasure to announce the end of these legendary Scottish heroes’ hiatus. Belle and Sebastian haven’t played live together since September 2006 and it’s been a long four years without them. The quirky and humorous songwriting of this indie collective is widely celebrated and the band is highly revered by their fervent fanbase. They were voted Scotland’s greatest ever band via a poll by The List magazine back in 2005, assuring their beyond-cult status. With a brand new album, the follow up to 2006’s ‘The Life Pursuit’, soon to arrive, 2010 is bound to be a big year for Stuart Murdoch and co. It’s sure to be topped off, no doubt, by their Saturday night headline slot – one of Latitude’s most highly anticipated performances so far.

Literate New York quartet Vampire Weekend have exceeded all expectations with the release of their second album ‘Contra’, in January. It did the unthinkable and reached the top of the US Billboard Chart, a phenomenal success, coming only four years since their inception. Their afro-beat inspired tropical jangle, synonymous with a new breed of intelligent collegiate pop, has now reached mainstream success. With two inspired pop records under their belt plus a reputation for scintillating live shows, Vampire Weekend have earned their headline slot and we are proud to announce them as Latitude’s Sunday bill topper.

Luke Steele’s electronic synth-pop outfit Empire of the Sun has been embraced by a wide range of fans, young and old, with its timeless and infectious feel. Taking time away from his usual day job, The Sleepy Jackson, Luke has crafted a debut album of futuristic carnival ditties with elegantly crafted melodies and warped keyboard soundscapes. Empire of the Sun’s slot on the Friday night is sure to entice and enrapture with selections from their debut, Walking on a Dream.

Brighton’s finest The Maccabees join the Obelisk Arena’s line up for Saturday night. This indie-rock five-piece have gone from strength to strength in the three years since their debut album ‘Colour It In’ hit the Top 40 charts. Their youthful and vibrant music has won them a legion of fans and their recent second album ‘Wall of Sound’ released last year earned them critical acclaim from Steve Lamacq, Zane Lowe and NME.

The spellbinding musical brilliance of Rodrigo y Gabriela comes to Latitude Festival, to play the Obelisk Arena on Sunday night. Specialising in fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars, Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are masters of fret-board wizardry straddling both world and rock with obvious Hispanic influences. Passionate yet melodic, the fire in their playing comes from their life-long love of metal music and they often cover Metallica and Led Zeppelin in their live performances. Gaining a burgeoning cult following since their inception in 2001 their recent album ’11:11’ has pushed them further into the mainstream prompting appearances on American TV and Jools Holland’s Hootenanny. Their performance at Latitude will be an absolute must!

~ THE WORD ARENA ~

~ The National ~ The xx ~ Grizzly Bear ~

~ Charlotte Gainsbourg ~ The Horrors ~

Inside the deceptively large canopy that comprises The Word Arena will be an amazing set of alternative artists crossing genre boundaries seamlessly. You’ll discover a host of fresh and exciting acts from across the spectrum. Last year included the lavish melodies of Bat For Lashes, a wall of light and sound created by the incredible Spiritualized, the spiky post-punk thrash of Magazine and the tribal drum passion of husband and wife duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums. The Word Arena is bound to satiate both the esoteric music fan and the casual passer-by as they enjoy these introductions to their new favourite sounds.

Latitude is proud to welcome Brooklyn-based indie rock outfit The National to The Word Arena. The Friday night headliners’ unmistakable sound coupled with lead singer Matt Berninger’s distinctive baritone vocal and a career now spanning over a decade will make this a must-see performance. With a new record to be released in May you can expect the band to have reached even greater heights when this headline performance comes to pass.

The xx have to be one of the success stories of Latitude’s short but prominent history. The Wandsworth three-piece performed an early afternoon set on The Lake Stage in 2009 and this year sees their return headlining The Word Arena on Saturday night. With the band’s debut album ‘xx’ only arriving in August of last year NME has already placed the record at #2 on their ‘50 Best Albums of 2009’ with Rolling Stone also placing it at #9 in their ‘Best of the Year’ list in 2009. Catch one of the fastest rising acts of the moment at The Word Arena.

Brooklyn-based Grizzly Bear are set to bring their psychedelic folk/pop to Latitude closing The Word Arena on Sunday night. The headliners will be showcasing old favourites and material from 2009’s critically acclaimed ‘Veckatimest’ album which has brought the band mainstream success with its accessible pop overtones reaching a Top Ten position on the US Billboard 200 chart. Their ambitious, symphonic pop will be the perfect way to bring Latitude 2010’s Word Arena to a triumphant close.

The velvety vocals of French actress and singer-songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg will be soothing Latitude’s crowds with songs straight from her recent critically-acclaimed release IRM. As part of her very first tour, this performance will be exceptionally special as she brings her European chic and unshakable melodies drawn from renowned US songwriter Beck. Gainsbourg has also recently starred in the controversial and vivid Lars Von Trier masterpiece Antichrist.

Originating from Southend-on-Sea, black-clad quintet The Horrors formed in the summer of 2005 and quickly gained notoriety around London for their look, sound, and brief but frantic live shows.  They released their debut album Strange House in 2007, reaching number 37 on the UK Albums Chart, and not long after that a world tour followed. Their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and saw the band opt for a very different sound, mixing shoegaze, post-punk, and goth. The album reached number 25 in the UK album chart and was nominated for the 2009 Mercury Prize. NME later gave the album first place in the 50 Best Albums of 2009.

~ SUNRISE ARENA ~

A deliciously unexpected treat waits within the fragrant woods on the other side of the lake. The Sunrise Arena, situated along the nature trail spattered with flourishes of art and decadent spirit, is host to a splendid foray of new acts. Some of them will have been on the hushed lips of dedicated gem hunters for a while and others will be on the rise already, about to break for all to enjoy. With the likes of Band of Skulls, First Aid Kit and Local Natives rising steadily after last year’s appearances, The Sunrise Arena is the place to discover tomorrow’s stars today.  This year will see plenty of tasty morsels for those who like to be at the start of something very special.  

~ LAKE STAGE ~

curated by Huw Stephens

A few metres away from the crystal waters of Latitude’s central landscape feature, The Lake Stage provides tantalisingly early glimpses of Huw Stephens’ freshest tips. Latitude audiences are treated to a full parade of diverse and exhilarating bands about to be splashed across magazines up and down the country. Last year, critics’ favourites such as Golden Silvers, Bombay Bicycle Club and Pulled Apart By Horses have since enjoyed mainstream successes, proving Latitude is the perfect place to catch such rising stars. Take the opportunity to absorb the sounds of next year in the surrounds of Latitude’s exquisite Lake Stage.

Record Label: Grandpa Stan

Download Single:

Our Rating:

After drawing parrallels to the likes of Mercury Rev, it would come as no surprise that The High Wire purvey the same beautifully crafted dreamscapes as their elder statesmen did with such adroit. After been “holed up in some darkened studio” since their last release ‘Odds & Evens’, this single straddles a tight rope of dreamy indie-pop, driving rootsy melodies reminiscent of Mercury Rev, harnessed by the solemn purr of Alexis Hagen. Although avoid a state of narcosis as these daydreaming melodies and harmonies have the power to rock you asleep, albeit till that bell sounds.  Spellbindingly compelling pop music!

MGMT have announced they will be releasing their new album Congratulations, on Monday 12^th April in the UK. As the first teaser from the new album the band are giving away a free Mp3 of new track ‘Flash Delirium’ from www.whoismgmt.com.

One of 2010’s most eagerly anticipated new releases, Congratulations is the successor to MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular, the 2008 debut album which established the band’s potential as a visionary force in pop music.

Congratulations is a collection of nine individual musical tours de force sequenced to flow with sonic and thematic coherence:  ”It’s Working,” “Song for Dan Treacy,” “Someone’s Missing,” “Flash Delirium,” “I Found a Whistle,” “Siberian Breaks,” “Brian Eno,” “Lady Dada’s Nightmare,” and “Congratulations.”

Produced by MGMT and Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, E.A.R., Spectrum), Congratulations was recorded throughout 2009 in upstate New York, Malibu, and Brooklyn and features Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, MGMT’s core duo, performing with Matt Asti (bass, backing vocals), Will Berman (drums, backing vocals), and James Richardson (guitar, backing vocals), the band’s live line-up.

Congratulations offered MGMT the opportunity to work with a couple of their musical idols and influences including album co-producer Sonic Boom (Pete Kember) and Royal Trux front-woman Jennifer Herrema, who contributed guest vocals.  ”We’ve been lucky enough to meet and work with some of our all-time musical heroes,” Andrew says, marveling at MGMT’s good collaborative karma.  ”It’s so great to be around such amazing and unusual musical minds.”

Ben and Andrew first met the mythic Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, E.A.R., Spectrum) at a Spectrum show in London in February 2009 and wound up onstage jamming with the band on “Suicide,” a vintage Spacemen 3 track paying homage to another light in MGMT’s musical pantheon.

MGMT have become an international festival favourite with performances at South By Southwest, Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo in the States and the Glastonbury extravaganza in the UK.  The band have toured with Beck, Yeasayer and Of Montreal, among others, while becoming a headline concert attraction in its own right.  MGMT are confirmed to appear at the 2010 Coachella and Bamboozle festivals.

With Congratulations, MGMT unlock a new musical world whirling in its own space/time grid infused with hints of music from the past five decades.  Soulful and complex, Congratulations is a surprising and delightful quantum step forward in MGMT’s ongoing pop revolution.

whoismgmt.com

www.myspace.com/mgmt

Record Label: S-Curve Records / Virgin Records

Download Single:

Our Rating:

If you like teeny-bopping American pop-rock then We The Kings will be the Prince’s duly waiting to take their throne through your blurry eyes. However, if your taste isn’t obscured by a dirge of over lauded guitar solos and insipid lyrics then you may want to swerve Virgin’s latest signing’s. This single comes from their sophomore album ‘Smile Kid’ and although they’re all over the U.S charts like a skater boy’s drawl on Avril Lavigne’s greasy chops it does nothing but grate with its pristine production and shimmering synth back drop.  The vocals are whiney -as you may expect- and fundamentally ‘Heaven Can Wait’ really just doesn’t cut it. It may be a long wait for them to succeed any available pop-rock throne. Well, at least in this Monarch anyway.

Record Label: Vision / Division

Download Single:

Our Rating:

After garnering somewhat of a cult following, Dutch aural assassins Noisia release their debut single ‘Machine Gun’ from their eagerly anticipated disc ‘Split The Atom’ due to hit stores on April 5th. This exposure came through a string of high-profile remixes of Moby and Prodigy tracks. Also, Noisia are widely respected for their Drum & Bass bomb blasts, so it’s no surprise that  ‘Machine Gun’ is a relentless tide of glitches, beats and euphoric arpeggios. It’s slick production is only out shone by its driving bass that mirrors a piston in full flow. Even for a timid soul not entirely bowled over by Noisia’s obvious tendencies for industrial dance chic, it’s hard to not think of revelling in a seedy warehouse party with beer-swilled walls and sweaty carcasses amass.

Oxford quintet Foals’ much anticipated second album Total Life Forever will be released on May 10^th, preceded on May 3rd by debut single ‘This Orient’. The band also announced today that they will play an intimate UK tour in April/May:

Thu 29^th April               Liverpool Kazimier

Fri 30^th April                 Newcastle Uni

Sun 2^nd May                 Glasgow ABC

Mon 3^rd May                 Leeds Met Uni

Tues 4^th May                 Manchester Ritz

Thurs 6^th May               Cambridge Junction

Fri 7^th May                    Nottingham Trent Uni

Sat 8^th May                   Bristol Anson Rooms

Mon 10^th May                London Electric Ballroom

Weds 12^th May              Oxford 02 Academy

Fri 14^th May                  Dublin Ambassador

Tickets go on general sale at 9am on March 12^th.

Fans are able to register at www.foals.co.uk for more information on these dates and the new album.

2008 saw the band rise to prominence – from the early days playing house parties up and down the country, to selling-out incendiary tours across the world, stand-out TV performances, and exhilarating festival appearances. Their debut album Antidotes entered the UK charts at no. 3, achieved gold status, and has attracted devoted fans across the globe.

Since then, Foals have returned to Oxford to reaffirm their roots. Living in the House of Supreme Mathematics, they built a primitive studio and rehearsal space in its basement, and immersed themselves in communal rituals. Sharing the space with like-minded musicians and artists, a tribal enterprise developed, one focused above all on making new, exciting music.

Now they return with a powerful, definitve album: Total Life Forever.

‘Spanish Sahara’ was recorded in London, 2009, and the rest of the album in Gothenburg, Sweden, during late 2009, all by Luke Smith (Clor).

Foals are an articulate and independently-minded band, troubled but not torn, intent on choosing evolution over extinction.

Fenech-Soler are here again. We just couldn’t resist welcoming the Kings Cliffe’s quartet back with open arms to the Shout4Music sofa. With an extensive tour across the UK in full flow, there’s no reason to avoid getting off your rather plump behinds and seeing these glossy synth popsters in person.  So what are you waiting for?

Hello Fenech-Soler, welcome to the imaginary sofa of Shout4Music once again. How’s this week treating you?

Thank you, it’s nice to be back. This week has been good. We have been putting the finishing touches to a track called ‘Golden Sun’ which we are very excited about. We’ve also been getting ready for our show tonight at Koko in London.

Quick slice of background information on the band for our readers please who are unfamiliar with you…

We are not French. We are actually from a little place called Kings Cliffe which is just down the road from Lincoln. There is four of us and we play electronic pop music. Our name is pronounced “Fen-ek So-ler”… It gets a lot of people!

Fenech-Soler’s sound like in four words…

Glam, Psychedelic, Zouk, Pop

So, the band is touring at the moment, what stands out so far from the tour?

I think our show at Stealth in Nottingham was really the first time we turned up somewhere we have never played before and had people knowing all the lyrics to the songs. It’s quite an odd experience but obviously very humbling. I think as soon as this album is finished we will get out and play more regional shows. We cant wait.

You’re playing SXSW in March, what aspects of the festival are you looking forward to? Do you know where you’re playing and how many times?

I know we have already lined up half the shows but i’m not sure where. I think just getting to see as many bands as possible is the intension. We have obviously been aware of SXSW for a while and it’s always been on the cards but the four of us just wanted to wait until we had the album finished.

In the latter stages of the tour you’re supporting the divine Tigs and her band Chew Lips in Burnley and Lancaster. Have you played with them before?

Well we are playing with them tonight which should be fun. I really liked their singles but haven’t heard the album yet. We did play a long time ago with them at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen in London.

The finest moment in Fenech-Soler’s existence so far?

When we released our first single last year we went over to Paris to spend some time with Alan Braxe. The whole experience was crazy. He had found us randomly on myspace and signed our first single. It was the first time we had really stepped out of the studio with our music, so to get his praise and support after spending years listening to his records pretty much gave us the green light with this band. It’s been all hands on deck ever since!

Using the letters of your band name, name something that inspires you for each letter e.g (The) Farm Einstein etc…

French house records

Echo machines

Neptunes

Engine Shed

Crookers

Hot Chip

Stephen Fry

Oxford Synthesizer Company

Lasers

Electric Elephant Festival

Radiohead

Using the letters of your band name, name something you despise for each letter…

Fines (Parking)

Edmonds

Noel

Edmonds

Chat shows or really just Jeremy Kyle.

Herbal tea (just a personal choice)

Silent discos (they’re just a bit rubbish aren’t they?!)

Overrated music

Lost (TV program)

Edmonds

Rustlers Burgers

The best thing about being a musician simply is…

The creativity. We do exactly what we want and it’s what we enjoy. Complete freedom.

Mississippi born songwriter Lissie has recently been recording with the likes of Band of Horses and Bill Reynolds so it’s of no surprise that she’s garnering support from many a muso at the minute. So cast your eye over her latest single ‘In Sleep’…

Everything Everything are pleased to announce a much coveted spot on this spring’s NME Radar Tour. They will play the co-headline slot with fellow Mancunians, Hurts while NYC newcomer Darwin Deez holds the support. The tour opens in Glasgow on April 26 and runs through to the closing show in Northampton on May 12.

This will follow the bands SXSW jaunt (playing the official Fader & NME parties amongst others) and a support gig for Wild Beasts in London on April 22. This extensive NME tour will serve to showcase some exciting new material the boys have been working on whilst recording their debut album, due for release this summer on Geffen UK.

Full NME dates:

April 26          Glasgow

April 27          Preston, 53 Degrees

April 28          Manchester, Academy 3

April 30          Stoke, Sugarmill

May 2             Middlesborough

May 4             Oxford Academy 2

May 5             Bristol Thekla

May 6             Wrexham, Central Station

May 8             York, Duchess

May 9             Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms

May 10           London, KOKO

May 11           Norwich, Waterfront

May 12           Northampton, Roadmender

www.everything-everything.co.uk

www.myspace.com/everythingeverthinguk

Fancy watching a punch up? Well, just put aside a couple of minutes to watch The Smoking Hearts new video for forthcoming single ‘Juliana Blue’. London hardcore outfit will be featuring a lot on Shout4Music in the near future. Their debut album is due out March 8th and also we got the chance to sit down with the guys for a wee chat. Stay tuned for more on The Smoking Hearts, the bloody ruffians.