Latitude - House Of BlueEyes Exclusive Performance

16th – 19th July 2009
Henham Park Estate, Southwold, Suffolk

The pioneering, award-winning Latitude Festival returns to England’s Sunrise Coast for another spectacular edition. Taking place on 16th – 19th July, near Suffolk’s stunning seaside town of Southwold, organisers Festival Republic are promising Latitude will be the perfect British summer destination.

THE WATERFRONT STAGE

~ House of BlueEyes presents: Rock 'n' Roll Faerie ~
Fashion Show

Bringing together the worlds of fashion, art, music and film in an exciting and vibrant culture collision the House Of BlueEyes collective will be staging an incredible fashion show exclusively at Latitude Festival this year.

Using Latitude’s striking setting as the backdrop and performed over the festival’s beautiful lake, label creator Johnny BlueEyes together with his army of designers and artists will stage a magnificent showcase of an exquisite collection of garments and accessories accompanied by fantastic music and live performances.

Titled, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Faerie’, this will be a magical show of high fashion, loud music and stunning art. The fashion show including fierce catwalks and performance art, will feature fabulous designs and specially made pieces to be premiered at the Festival. As always, music will play an integral part of the show and soundtracking the event will be a heart-pumping mixture of classic and modern rock ‘n’ roll, anything from Primal Scream to Iggy Pop with a few extra little surprises to keep the party going.

Taking inspiration by their Autumn/Winter 09 collection ‘Don’t Be Afraid Of The Darkness Within’ the clothes will embody the dark side of rock ‘n’ roll; vampires, night crawlers and horror films as well as the Rolling Stones’ classic ‘Sympathy For The Devil’. Adding to the visual experience will be immense hair sculptures created by hair and make-up stylist Tamara Walsh who trained at the Royal Opera House. She will be making the glorious pieces in her studio in Paris and will transport them straight to the festival for the show.

As true believers of the idea that beauty lies within everything and indeed everyone, House Of BlueEyes are opening the doors to the fashion show and are offering the fantastic chance to take part in this incredible show. These 5 golden tickets will be for who anyone in the world who has ever harboured desires to strut their stuff down a catwalk, to be styled by world class hair and make-up artists and to wear beautiful haute couture. All that is required is your name, age, sex and a little story as to who you are and why you’d like to be in the show submitted via www.houseofblueeyes.com . No photos needed as the winners will be decided on the beauty within. Together with his mum, Johnny BlueEyes will decide the winners. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for people of all shapes and sizes, to feel a million dollars in fantastic outfits, mixing in the company of models, designers and even perhaps a few famous faces!

House Of BlueEyes are a unique collective of 10 artists, stylists, dressmakers and tailors all with their own specific talents, all pushing the boundaries of the restrictive worlds of fashion and art, embracing new ideas and new ideals. JohnnyBlueEyes is the figurehead at the very heart of this creative team. Inspired in equal parts by the Andy Warhol factory scene in 60’s/70’s New York and the punk revolution of the late 70’s, the House mixes fashion with music; designing and making outfits and costumes for a whole host of stars and emerging artists for fashion shoots, press shots and videos. Clients include Beth Ditto and Gossip, Scissor Sisters, Take That, Klaxons, Bishi and Mission District as well as CSS frontwoman Lovefoxx and her stylishly iconic catsuits. Launching the label in September of last year, Johnny BlueEyes blasted onto the scene with his first collection ‘GLAMDANDYCLOWN’. The show, hosted by Ana Matronic from Scissor Sisters featured Beth Ditto sporting a pink lamé all-in-one and Kate Moss’s first catwalk appearance in over four years.

This dynamic and vital creative powerhouse will undoubtedly produce another stunning show with cool clothes, famous faces and an infectious party spirit. The perfect addition to the festival weekend.

Also on the Waterfront, Sadler’s Wells presents Hofesh Shechter with his brand new piece ‘The Art of Not Looking Back’; The Royal Opera House will be staging work by Will Tuckett, Ballet Black and Helen Chadwick; The Irrepressibles will perform their stunning ‘The Human Music Box’ and Britten Sinfonia will be the very first full orchestra to play at the festival.

Elsewhere, the very best in film, theatre, comedy, literature, poetry, dance, art and cabaret will be pitching up at the fourth edition of Latitude Festival. LateNightTales will be presenting some fabulous live performances from an eclectic set of bands in the Film & Music Arena; Royal Shakespeare Company, The Bush, National Theatre, Paines Plough, nabokov plus many more will all be coming to the Theatre Arena along with the English Touring Theatre presenting Latitude’s first musical ‘Been So Long’. The Literary Arena is packed full of top authors including Blake Morrison, Geoff Dyer and Robin Ince’s Book Club as well as workshops from The School Of life; plus stellar poets Andrew Motion, Brian Patten, Jackie Kay and Simon Armitage will be in the Poetry Arena. The Cabaret Arena welcomes Zimbani, Deborah Frances-White, Jessica Delfino, Cardinal Burns and Watson and Oliver plus plenty more exciting performances to announce. With a quite astonishing comedy line-up to be announced and much, much more across all of the arenas, Latitude 2009 is once again a perfect slice of cultural heaven by the sea.

TICKET INFORMATION

Weekend tickets £150 plus booking fees • Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £60 plus booking fee. Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping • Days include car parking only.

Credit Card line: 0871 231 0821
Online at: www.festivalrepublic.com • www.seetickets.com • www.latitudefestival.co.uk

For a full list of national and regional outlets please visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk

For further Press info contact: 020-7792-9400
Charlie Caplowe: charlie@presscounsel.com
Dani Cotter: dani@presscounsel.com
Anthea Thomas: anthea@presscounsel.com
Dan Griffiths: griff@presscounsel.com

Latitude additions - Datarock, Marnie Stern, iLiKETRAiNS, 65 Days Of Static...

16th – 19th July 2009
Henham Park Estate, Southwold, Suffolk

OBELISK ARENA
~ Datarock ~

UNCUT ARENA
~ Marnie Stern ~ iLiKETRAiNS ~
~ Wildbirds and Peacedrums ~

SUNRISE ARENA
~ 65 Days Of Static ~
~ Asaf Avidan and The Mojos ~

The pioneering, award-winning Latitude Festival returns to England ’s Sunrise Coast for another spectacular year. Taking place on 16th – 19th July, near Suffolk ’s stunning seaside town of Southwold , organisers Festival Republic are promising Latitude will be the perfect British summer destination.

OBELISK ARENA

The open-air Obelisk Arena has been the stage for some epic performances over the past three years and the line up for Latitude 2009 will continue in this success. Lay out your picnic blanket, bask in the sunshine and get down to some of the best music around.

Equipped with matching red tracksuits, over-sized sunglasses and a party attitude, Norwegian duo Datarock are the future of electro rock. The funky choruses that fill the dancefloors have earned them comparisons with the likes of Devo and Talking Heads. Ones not to miss, Datarock bring their ‘computer generated fun’ and explosive live set to the Obelisk Arena.

UNCUT ARENA

The impressive structure of the tented Uncut Arena houses a line-up of alternative, leftfield music; a hotbed of genre-spanning artists all offering something unique. This year will once again host a myriad of musical musts from the fields of folk, world, experimental, electronica, rock, indie and any other musical style you can think of. It’s all on offer at the Uncut Arena.

Marnie Stern is causing quite a stir over in America , nominated last year for Best Female Act and Best Punk Album for her debut ‘In Advance Of The Broken Arm’ at the Plug Music Awards. And now her wonderful noise is making itself heard over here. Hailing from New York , Stern’s fret board wizardry mixes the guitar virtuosity of heavy metal with raw primitive rock, creating a unique and exciting combination.

Leeds ’ multimedia live act iLiKETRAiNS have a sound that is an amazing combination of melancholic vocals, concept songs and orchestral guitars. Dark but dreamy and full of hope, their epic tunes made Drowned in Sound describe them as ‘If David Bowie had discovered the intricacies of spacious, epic post-rock… it may have sounded like this.’

Swedish husband and wife Wildbirds and Peacedrums offer an exhilarating mix of expressive vocals and superb percussion. Jazzy beats and introspective lyrics make the unlikely blend of strength and vulnerability work in an inspiring and intimate live show.

SUNRISE ARENA

Take a stroll through Latitude’s fairytale woods with art exhibited within the trees and dappled sunlight shining through the leaves and you will stumble across the most exquisite space of all; the Sunrise Arena, home to tomorrow’s biggest stars. With a full schedule still to be announced, this cosy and cherished arena is the place to find the most exciting new talent. Discover the next big thing at Latitude’s stunning Sunrise Arena.

65 Days Of Static are an instrumental post-rock band from Sheffield . Orchestral keyboards and hypnotic guitars fused with electronic beats have seen them receive acclaim from fellow musicians - including The Cure who they supported in the US - and rise to a cult status. They released a live album ‘Escape From New York’ last month showcasing the thrilling live shows that they stage. Their slot on the intimate Sunrise Arena will no doubt be very special.

Israeli singer-songwriter Asaf Avidan and his incredible band The Mojos bring their beguiling bluesy acoustic-edged rock to the Sunrise Arena. The voice of what could be considered the lost love child of Janis Joplin and Robert Plant leads through 60’s danceable jazzy rock with a touch of modernity and inspiring lyrics.

Elsewhere, the very best in film, theatre, comedy, literature, poetry, dance, art and cabaret will be pitching up at the fourth edition of Latitude Festival. LateNightTales will be presenting some fabulous live performances from an eclectic set of bands in the Film & Music Arena; Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Opera House will be showcasing stunning performances on The Waterfront Stage; Royal Shakespeare Company, The Bush, National Theatre, Paines Plough, and nabokov plus more will all be coming to the Theatre Arena along with the English Touring Theatre presenting Latitude’s first musical ‘Been So Long’. Also for the first time is the dynamic orchestral brilliance of Britten Sinfonia performing in Latitude’s outdoor spaces. The Literary Arena is packed full of top authors including Blake Morrison, Geoff Dyer and Robin Ince’s Book Club as well as workshops from The School Of Life and Guerilla Science; plus stellar poets Andrew Motion, Brian Patten, Jackie Kay and Simon Armitage will be in the Poetry Arena. The Cabaret Arena welcomes Zimbani, Deborah Frances-White, Jessica Delfino, Cardinal Burns and Watson and Oliver plus plenty more exciting performances to announce.

With a quite astonishing comedy line-up to be announced and much, much more across all of the arenas, Latitude 2009 is once again a perfect slice of cultural heaven by the sea.

TICKET INFORMATION

Weekend tickets £150 plus booking fees • Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £60 plus booking fee. Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping • Days include car parking only.

Credit Card line: 0871 231 0821
Online at: www.festivalrepublic.com • www.seetickets.com • www.latitudefestival.co.uk
For a full list of national and regional outlets please visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk

For further Press info contact: 020-7792-9400
Charlie Caplowe: charlie@presscounsel.com
Dani Cotter: dani@presscounsel.com
Anthea Thomas: anthea@presscounsel.com
Dan Griffiths: griff@presscounsel.com

Mouthwash - 'True Stories' and UK Tour!

'Nipper' Fry: vocals & synthesizer / Rich Fry: lead guitar / Rob Tortelli: rhythm guitar &vocals Burch Bator: bass guitar &vocals / Chris Hugall: drums

‘Mouthwash are the single most exciting band in London right now. Great records, great live, great band!’ – Itch Fox, The King Blues

A symbol of London’s mash up of fashion and musical styles, Mouthwash announce the release on 8th June of their album ‘True Stories’ with a bonus CD featuring live and unreleased tracks, on Rebel Alliance Recordings. Their songs are defined by an honest delve into the under belly of London life, with references to rejecting day jobs, bundling on to night buses to getting guns pulled on them in Brixton. All their music is engrained with a gritty realism that tenderly touches on the romantic before heading back to the street corners, signing on and the offy.

Crossing ska and ragga rhythms and melodies with a UK Indie/punk sound, Mouthwash have a loyal following in the punk scene since the day they started in 1995. The band had played with many of world’s prominent punk/hardcore acts when they were still in their punk-addled teens, and it was a support slot with Rancid at the Astoria that impressed singer Tim Armstrong. He immediately asked the band to join his label ‘Hellcat Records’ on which they released the debut album ‘1000 Dreams’ to much critical acclaim.

The band themselves are quick to point out that they don’t have a particular message to spread, they just want to make good music, get smashed and enjoy themselves along the way. With tour stories such as hitchhiking across America and being stuck in a van for days with a mental patient, it seems like they are definitely trying!

These hard working boys are back and better than ever with their new album. To promote this new release the band are headlining a series of UK shows after and have just a UK tour with good friends The King Blues.

You can catch their powerful live shows at the following places:

16th May Dirty South, Lewisham w/MAN LIKE ME, £6, 8pm
22nd May Jester Bar @ Cross Kings, Kings Cross, London, £5, 7pm
23rd May Mclusky’s, Kingston on@ 5pm w/ANTI-FLAG+THE KING BLUES, £8, 4pm doors
24th May The Gander, Bournemouth, 7pm, £6
25th May Harrys Bar, Stoke £5, 7pm28th May Wagon and Horses, Digbeth, Birmingham £5, 7pm
29th May The Square, Harlow, Essex w/THE KING BLUES £8, 8pm
30th May Thatched House, Stockport 2pm, £5
31st May Rainham Mark Social Club, Gillingham 8pm, £5
26th July The Retro Bar, Manchester 4pm doors, £4
8th Aug Maze, Nottingham w/VOODOO GLOW SKULLS 7pm, £9
9th Aug Secret location (just outside Bristol), Boom Town Fair festival w/SONIC BOOM SIX weekend tickets £60

The Tracklisting for ‘True Stories’ is:
1. Ask and it is given
2. A face in the crowd
3. No fear
4. N68
5. The sound
6. That Girl
7. Everyday feelin’
8. What I don’t know
9. Southbound
10. Atlantic Rd.
11. Dark was the night
12. Hazy days

Bonus Disc:
1. N68 (acoustic live)
2. Solid as a rock (live)
3. Sign of the times (unreleased)
4. I don't wanna hear it (live acoustic)
5. We evolve (live acoustic)
6. Knock on your door (demo)
7. Ask and it is given (live acoustic)
8. Fools Gold (live)
9. One in ten (demo)
10. Deeper (unreleased)

10/10 ‘Best album of the year’ – Volume Magazine'A masterpiece'- punkfiction.com (France)'This record is a serious piece of work'- No Front teeth

www.myspace.com/mouthwashlondon & www.rebelalliancerecordings.com
Cat no.REBL006 distributed via code7

Want to know more? Get in touch! Anthea, Griff @ Press Counsel 020 7792 9400 firstname@presscounsel.com

Crazy Arm - Debut album 'Broken By The Wheel'

Debut single ‘Broken By The Wheel’ (Xtra Mile Recordings) Released: 25th May 2009 Debut album ‘Born To Ruin’ (Xtra Mile Recordings) Released: 8th June 2009

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that Plymouth hard-twang roots-punks, Crazy Arm’s debut album has been a long time coming. Not through want of trying, of course. In late-2006 the band headed into a local studio to bang an album into shape. A year later, and with an arsenal of new songs, they decided to scrap the recordings and start again. Another year later, and with another clutch of new songs, they reluctantly called a halt to proceedings and started afresh, for the third time, with Peter Miles (Sonic Boom Six, The King Blues, Failsafe) at the controls. The fact that his newly assembled studio was only 20 miles up the road, in the middle of a beautiful forest that backed onto Dartmoor, sweetened the deal somewhat.

The result is ‘Born To Ruin’. A debut album that sounds nothing like it would have done three years ago when the band were still in the embryonic stages, and perhaps nothing like it would have done if it hadn’t been recorded in such idyllic surroundings, where pheasants strolled around the grounds and vegan curries were mandatory. Not easy to categorise, and all the better for it, ‘Born To Ruin’ is an aural accumulation of years and years of influence and inspiration: rooted in hardcore/punk, ‘60s protest folk and timeless rock’n’roll. Of course, you may not actually hear the likes of Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Hűsker Dű, Crass or Gene Vincent but it’s all in there somewhere, adding weight and depth to songs that are as different from each other as they are from any other self-proclaimed punk band you care to mention.

But make no mistake. This is still a punk rock record. In the same way that ‘London Calling’ by The Clash, ‘The Argument’ by Fugazi and ‘Under The Fog’ by The King Blues are punk rock records. They don’t scream their ideas at you, they’re steeped in inventive melodies, and they spill over into many other styles but they are records that stand out as punk classics because of, not in spite of, their willingness to side-step punk stereotypes. For instance, ‘Blind Summit’ and ‘Broken By The Wheel’ may be dynamic country-punk anthems – all slide guitars and self-confession, but ‘Christ In Concrete’ and ‘Asphalt’ harness the dark brooding tones of 16 Horsepower. ‘Reassure Me’ may pack a melodic hardcore punch, but ‘International Front’ – a slight upon imperialist wars – and ‘Henry Fabian Flynn’ pay tribute to the protest song of Dick Gaughan, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, et al. Elsewhere, live favourites like the galloping ‘Still To Keep’ call to mind the sub-pop sensibilities of Ted Leo or The Replacements, while the title track, and album centre-piece, is an epic celebration of history’s conscientious trouble-makers that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on ‘Physical Graffiti’. All told, ‘Born To Ruin’ is an embarrassment of riches full of stories told from a grass-roots perspective. And for a debut album, it’s something of a true revelation.

The band head out on a UK tour in June (confirmed dates below) to promote the album and are planning a European tour for August. Members are all vegetarian/vegan, atheist, internationalist and support human and animal rights struggles worldwide.

CONFIRMED TOUR DATES FOR JUNE
2nd Cavern, Exeter with NEW BRUISES £3
6th Hobos, Bridgend with A NEW DAY - FREE SHOW!
7th Fawcett Inn, Portsmouth with ASTPAI FREE SHOW
8th TBC
9th Farmhouse, Canterbury with RENTOKILL £5
10th TBC
11th King Alfs, Southampton with NEW BRUISES £5
12th White Rabbit, Plymouth with FAILSAFE - FREE SHOW!
14th Prince Albert, Brighton with LEMURIA £5
15th Norwich Marquee
16th Portland Arms, Cambridge
17th Purple Turtle, London with MISCHIEF BREW £5
18th Evolution, Worcester
19th The Xoo Club, Peterborough with LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF £3
20th White Rooms w/BROKEN FEW + more Sunderland
21st Cricketers w/SOUNDS OF SWAMI Keighley
22nd TBC w/SOUNDS OF SWAMI + more Leeds (tbc)
23rd TBC w/SOUNDS OF SWAMI + more Manchester (tbc)

All doors are at 8pm

www.myspace.com/crazyarm

REVIEWS OF DEMO EP ‘CROSS COUNTRY’
"Here we have a new band that sounds like a grizzled, road-hardy bunch of musicians singing for their supper, such is the inherent power and dirty glory of their songwriting. They should be standing on some huge stages sooner rather than later." punktastic.com "Powerful, progressive, political and inspirational. An immense, energy-fuelled, life-affirming statement of intent yet fragile, honest and heartfelt at the same time." The Fly "Crazy Arm bring hooks and edgy guitars aplenty on 'Cross Country'… I dripped drool all over the keyboard just thinking about a proper full-length." absolutepunk.net "The live energy they muster is immense. Straddling the margins between a punky militancy and folk fragility, they can spit out a tight, snarling, ballsy anthem and break your heart at the same time. Indeed, out of the strong came forth sweetness." 247

Latitude additions - Vivienne Westwood, Sir Peter Blake, Ida Barr, Miss Behave, Jonny Woo...

16th – 19th July 2009
Henham Park Estate, Southwold, Suffolk

ARTS ADDITIONS

LITERARY ARENA
~ Vivienne Westwood ~ Sir Peter Blake ~
~ Patrick Neate ~ Hardeep Singh Kohli ~
~ If:book The Future Of The Book ~

IN THE WOODS
~ ‘Faeries’ An ROH2 commission by Will Tuckett ~

FILM & MUSIC ARENA
~ Molly Nyman & Harry Escott ~

CABARET ARENA
~ Ida Barr ~ Miss Behave ~ Jonny Woo ~ Timberlina ~ David Mills ~
~ London Swing Dance Society ~
~ Dusty Limits ~ Kalki Hula Girl ~ Sarah Louise Young ~ Revealing Eve ~
~ Ward & White’s Karaoke Circus ~ Sounds Familiar Music Quiz ~ Musical Bingo ~

POETRY ARENA
~ Daljit Nagra ~ Aidan Moffat ~ Ventriloquist ~
~ Writers’ Centre Norwich – Kei Miller & Roger Robinson ~
~ Nathan Jones and Wave Machines ~

THE WATERFRONT STAGE
~ DanceEast presents Les Moutons ~
~ Riccardo Meneghini ~

OUTDOOR THEATRE
~ La Prima Donna ~

The pioneering, award-winning Latitude Festival returns to England’s Sunrise Coast for another spectacular year. Taking place on 16th – 19th July, near Suffolk’s stunning seaside town of Southwold, organisers Festival Republic are promising Latitude will be the perfect British summer destination.

LITERARY ARENA

Latitude celebrates the art of the written word and all of its many splendid facets at Suffolk’s now legendary library by the sea. Like all good books, the Literary Arena will transport you to the far reaches of your imagination guided by the storytelling talents of the very best authors and special guests scheduled for the weekend. Discussions, Q&As, stories and comic genius are the order of the day for these book readings with a difference. Immerse yourself in Latitude’s literary world and learn, explore, laugh and discover at the best literary event of the summer.

The grande dame of fashion Vivienne Westwood will be reading from her challenging and thought-provoking manifesto 'Active Resistance to Propaganda' in Latitude's Literary Arena. A collection of essays it is full of ideas about art and culture that claims to "...penetrate to the root of the human predicament and offer the underlying solution." It appeals to every human conscious to help cultivate and rescue the environment while we still can, using art and urging people to make changes in their own lives to help change the world. She will be interviewed onstage and there will also be the chance to ask any of those burning questions in a Q&A with the audience.

Sir Peter Blake will be in conversation with Mark Ellen discussing his life and work. Initially, Sir Peter Blake may have been most acclaimed in the general public’s eyes through his design of The Beatles ‘Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album sleeve (1967), but continued to produce art for the Band Aid single in 1984, Paul Weller’s ‘Stanley Road’ album a decade later and the late Ian Dury tribute album in 2001 who was highly influenced by Sir Peter Blake’s work. Sir Peter Blake has taught in numerous establishments and currently lives and works in London.

Patrick Neate is a respected novelist, critic, scriptwriter and poet whose work has been published in most major UK newspapers and magazines, widely anthologised and broadcast on radio and television. The author of four novels and one book of non-fiction, he has received awards for all but one of his offerings. Across his work, recurring themes include the ability to re-envisage common situations from an alternative point of view, to imagine himself in the mindset of a completely different world and to realise the importance of story in establishing one's self identity.

Scottish Indian writer, presenter and comic Hardeep Singh Kohli has been on our TV screens since the RTS nominated Channel 4 documentary ‘In Search Of The Tartan Turban’ which explored cultural identity and ethnicity. Further TV appearances include regular slots on Newsnight, Question Time and reporting on The One Show. He also writes for the Guardian and Independent and in 2008 he released his first book ‘Indian Takeaway: A Very British Story’, combining his love of food with his search for cultural understanding, both British and Indian. “How deep is Hardeep's love of food? As deep as Loch Ness and as unfathomable as India. ‘Indian Takeaway’ is a very funny and beguiling journey.'” Paul Whitehouse

New to Latitude Festival this year, The Literary Salon is a den of discussions and already boasts acclaimed workshops with The School of Life and Guerrilla Science. Explore the potential for new media and the fate of the old with if:Book as Chris Meade hosts a salon discussion on the future of the book in the digital age. Come and tell him what you love and hate about books or the big screen. Imagine the literature of tomorrow – and experience some of it now. Watch presentations of new media literature. Join the debate about where words go next with guests writers and if:book associates, contribute to a unique networked book: songsofimaginationanddigitisation.net, inspired by multimedia artist William Blake - and have a chance to win your own Sony Reader.

IN THE WOODS

The enchanted woods of Henham Park also have something to offer as art decorates the trees and fairy lights hang from the branches. Exploring the lush foliage and following where curiosity takes you, you will chance upon new experiences, little surprises and terrific treats at every turn. The small and hidden stage will host surreal and intimate performances during the day and music to dance the night away after dark – it’s almost a woodland festival of its own.

From the exciting stable of performances that the Royal Opera House are bringing to Latitude, an extract from Faeries, an ROH2 commission by Will Tuckett will be played out beneath the branches. This delightful family show uses a combination of puppetry by Blind Summit Theatre, dance and old fashioned storytelling to propel its audience into a world of mystery, magic, imps and fairies. Not just for children, adults alike will be enthralled by the beautiful tale of a lost girl set amongst the mysterious and enchanting trees at the festival.

FILM & MUSIC ARENA

Uniting alternative worlds of cinematic wonder, musical splendour and visual brilliance, the Film & Music Arena is an exhilarating and intoxicating centre of creativity. Over the festival weekend the Arena will play host to screenings of award winning films, documentaries and shorts with Q&A sessions plus discussions with acclaimed directors and writers. These will be interspersed with musical treats and stunning, transfixing visuals combining together to create a seductive, sensory playground for all ages.

Famed composers Molly Nyman and Harry Escott will be presenting some of their award-winning music to Latitude audiences. A creative partnership Molly and Harry began working as a team in 2001 and over the past few years they have composed music for a number of award winning and critically acclaimed films. In 2008 they composed the score for Poppy Shakespeare, a BAFTA nominated TV film for Channel 4, and completed the score for the current film ‘Shifty’, for which they received a BIFA (British Independent Film Award) nomination for best score. The film is currently enjoying widespread acclaim since its general release in April 2009.

CABARET ARENA

If you want to experience something entirely different then seek out Latitude’s quirky den of mischief and mayhem; the Cabaret Arena. Inside you will witness comedy sketch shows, burlesque, freak shows, drag queens, sing-a-longs, illusionists and much, much more to be announced. With Vaudeville fun, sharp, incisive wit, camp entertainment and a good ol’ fashioned knees up, the Cabaret Arena positively encourages you to leave your inhibitions at the door and be game for anything and everything. This surreal bordello of surprises and spectacular stage shows is visually rich, beautiful and bizarre and will tempt and titillate in equal measure.

The first and only musical hall singer turned R’n’B rap superstar Ida Barr will be performing at Latitude this year. A hilarious comedy turn, Ida is the people’s pensioner, spitting out rhymes about home-help and flu jabs and covering tracks such as Missy Elliott’s ‘She’s A Bitch’ to name but one. Immerse yourself in the world of ‘the original ragtime girl’ - who rose to fame at the turn of the last century singing ‘A Marrow’s A Banana’s Father’ – in this original, funny and sometimes tragic mash-up drag act. Ida Barr is the creation of Olivier Award-winning character comedian Christopher Green.

Described as a “Betty Boop meets Marlene Dietrich’, Miss Behave, the darling of the underground circuit has been blazing a trail into the mainstream. One of the last surviving female sword-swallowers in the world, her trademark bizarre and quirky acts have become a staple of the Cabaret elite. A cocktail of quick wit, high camp, saucy curves ‘n’ costumes, topped with a tongue as sharp as her blades. Of late she has been splitting her time between starring in the world smash hit ‘La Clique’ as the poster girl and host plus producing and hosting her own ‘Variety Nighty’ shows, which boasts a sell out season at London’s legendary Roundhouse.

Shoulder pads in place and cocktails in hand, watch as the explosive drama and high octane intrigue of 1980s soap opera, DALLAS is re-created in ‘Stark Dallas Naked’. With cult performer and drag act Jonny Woo as the still-drunk Sue-Ellen, David Mills as JR who is just asking to get shot and queen of the alternative scene Timberlina as the even more stupid Pam. A cult underground comedy uncovering a dastardly plot to ruin the Ewing Empire.

Fresh from Stark Dallas Naked - Timberlina and David Mills present the sublime and ridiculous in a collision of your favourite Good Morning TV programme on the last night of the Festival. Hear all the bleary-eyed gossip on what's been happening from your hosts with ‘Good Morning, This Evening’, as they talk to impromptu guests from the Cabaret arena (and beyond) as well providing topical notices, weather updates and handy make ‘n’ do tips for Last Night Revellers!...

Latitude will be hosting tea dances in Pandora’s Playground every afternoon with The London Swing Dance Society who will lead you through a selection from the 1920s to the 1960s with wow-studded performances, social dancing and plenty of fun classes for everyone from Charleston, Lindy Hop, Jitterbug to Rock and Roll, Twist and Hand Jive. Led by dance champions Nigel & Nina, the London Swing Dance Society sizzle with all the glamour and fizz of the Jazz Age, and will keep you on the dance floor all afternoon long! Bring your dance shoes and join us for a journey through Jazz!

Dusty Limits is a singer, comedian and drunken raconteur and one of the leading figures on the ‘new cabaret’ scene. He made his European debut in 1999, and since then has graced numerous stages from London to Dublin to Berlin to New York, where he was described by cabaret legend Steve Ross as ‘a superior, singular artist’. He sings everything from Cole Porter to Portishead, from satire to chansons, often with the words changed. He also sings original songs, frequently with macabre and darkly comic themes.

Kalki Hula Girl will titillate and captivate the Latitude audiences with her mind-boggling hula-hooping skills and dance moves. Combining her long-time love of dance, dress ups, and all things carnival, her acts are performance art meets variety meets comedy using punk-rock-attitude and informed circus skills. Hoops have propelled her around the world several times with hypnotising performances with her dazzling jewelled hoops old-time cabaret glamour, pouting, winking, and smiling, she is a saucy French maid, a dazed bar-fly, a raddled night-nurse, a tragic cheerleader – you’ll be mesmerized.

Sarah-Louise Young has been part of the London alternative scene working with the likes of Dusty Limits, Des O’Connor and Nathan Evans for many years and has regularly performed at Volupte, Madame Jo Jo’s, The Pigalle Club and the Soho Revue Bar as well as treading the boards in the West End. She’ll be bringing three cabaret characters who blend comedy, performance art and song including a country ‘n’ western porn star named Sammy Mavis Jr, a forgotten French diva and a talent show reject.

Famed choreographer and performer Charlotte Eatock brings her stunning production 'Revealing Eve' to Latitude’s Cabaret den. ‘Revealing Eve’ is a short solo about the objectification of women. Originally performed at Stratford Circus as part of Small Dances it is accompanied with music by Camper Van Beethoven.

Since its launch in October, this live karaoke night has gone from strength to strength, attracting the starry likes of Phill Jupitus, Ben Miller, Kevin Eldon, Chris Addison, Isy Suttie and Josie Long, all keen to sing their favourite songs with a live band which boasts Danielle Ward (The Loves) on bass, Martin White (The Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra) on keyboards, Foz Foster (David Devant & His Spirit Wife) on guitar and David Reed from The Penny Dreadfuls on drums. Following a spectacular orchestral edition at London's legendary 100 Club, Messrs Ward & White are proud to bring their Karaoke Circus to Latitude.

London’s infamous Sounds Familiar Quiz comes to Latitude. A fun-filled, laugh-a-minute, the-answers-are-on-the-tip-of-tongue quiz with a difference, brought to you by question-setter DJ Al and MC Quizzical who will freestyle some choons that you will have to try guess who or what the hell he’s on about. In true party spirit they will be teaming up with 80’s dance troupe the Glitterbanditz to bring you the ultimate test of knowledge.

Musical Bingo is the latest interactive event from the Bring & Share crew. It's as simple as it sounds - imagine the kind of bingo grandmas have played since time began, but with songs instead of numbers and a mixed up soundtrack with anything from Johnny Cash to Roisin Murphy and Dizzee Rascal to David Bowie. The sessions have been running with much success over the past 18 months testing musical knowledge and uniting people at The Lock Tavern, The Amersham Arms, as well as many summer festivals. Stop in for a quick game and see if you’ll be the first to call ‘House!’

POETRY ARENA

Positioned enticingly by the banks of the lake at the entrance to the main festival arena, Latitude’s perfectly placed Poetry Arena is a wonderful den of distraction. Curious passers-by are pulled inside by barrels of raucous laughter, pensive silences and fascinated faces, all transfixed by the raconteurs on stage. People find themselves camped out there all day, relaxing in the shade and enjoying a continuous line-up of the very best in comedy sketches, slam poets, spoken word, storytelling, rappers and much, much more. With a full schedule running throughout the whole weekend, Latitude welcomes the following funny, satirical, hard-hitting, absurd, bizarre and witty poets to the largest poetry event in Europe.

Famed award-winning poet Daljit Nagra is bringing a very special performance to the Poetry Arena. Born in the mid-60s to Punjab parents Nagra grew up in London before moving to Sheffield in the 80s where he found it difficult to fit in. The experiences he and many British-born Indians have had are dealt with expertly in his first book ‘Look We Have Coming to Dover!’ touching on racism, arranged marriages, mosques and corner shops as well as more British things such as KFC and Hilda Ogden.. Receiving critical acclaim it won the 2007 Forward Poetry Prize for the Best First Collection and the 2008 Arts Council England Decibel Award. His first published work was the pamphlet ‘Oh My Rub!’ that became the Poetry Book Society Pamphlet Choice and was chosen as one of the Guardian's Poetry Books of the Year. Alongside his own poems Daljit will play some of his favourite recordings by the key poets of the past century

Aidan Moffat, one half of Falkirk’s Arab Strap, will be performing his poetry from the startling and beautiful art package ‘I Can Hear Your Heart’. An album of mostly minute-long vignettes it is a semi-autobiographical musical novel about the adventures, regrets, and dark comedy of being a pissed, chaotic and promiscuous man in his mid-twenties. He paints a sinister self-portrait of the modern male with short stories based around lost love, blossoming misogyny and learning from our mistakes all delivered in a hypnotic Scottish drawl.

Ventriloquist is a performance poet and musician who weaves tantalisingly tall tales from a broad pallet of James Brown concerts, the interconnectedness of all things, journey's via cow trough portals to the centre of the earth and sometimes about getting poo in his eye. His work has been featured on Radio 1, XFM and SKY TV. His new show "Did I Say That Or Think It?" is an amorphous brew of surreal stories, metaphysical explorations and sometimes just some funny stuff that rhymes.

Writers’ Centre Norwich is a literature development agency based in Norwich. Interested in both the artistic and social impact of creative writing, WCN work with writers, readers and diverse communities on a wide range of ongoing and one off projects and events. At Latitude, Writers’ Centre Norwich will be bringing Kei Miller and Roger Robinson to perform their work in the Poetry Arena. Kei Miller divides his time between Jamaica and the United Kingdom, where he teaches Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow. Miller’s short stories, poetry and novel were published to critical acclaim. Trinidadian writer and performer Roger Robinson has performed worldwide and is an experienced workshop leader and lecturer on poetry. He has received commissions from Theatre Royal Stratford East, The National Trust, London Open House and the National Portrait Gallery. His new book Suckle is due to be published in Jul 2009 by Waterways Press.

In 2008, Nathan Jones + Wave Machines launched their collaborative performance project at a series of co-curated events called ‘Wave If You're Really There’, bringing a new quality and cohesiveness to poetry and live music partnership and raising the bar for literature in performance. Poet, performer and producer, Nathan Jones is a resident writer and Creative Director of the Mercy arts collective. His uniquely engaging poetry performances are set to a dynamic soundtrack of synths, vocal harmonies, guitars and percussion. Wave Machines' limited 7"s, 'I Go I Go I Go' and 'The Greatest Escape We Ever Made', realised on Chess Club records, both sold out last year, and saw the band become one of the hottest new bands around at the moment.

THE WATERFRONT STAGE

At last year’s festival, Latitude unveiled the beautiful stage on the lake. People crammed onto the banks to sit and witness fantastic dance and performances throughout the weekend as gondolas rode by and the lake sparkled in the sun. Renamed The Waterfront Stage, this year the stage will once again showcase contemporary, modern dance from the world’s leading companies and choreographers.

DanceEast, based in the East of England is one of the nation’s leading dance organisations bringing world-class dance to the region. They aim to present an eclectic programme of dance performance of different genres, widening the experience of audiences whilst bringing a new and invigorated audience to dance. Taking dance to villages and communities with no access to dance performances they work with acclaimed dancers and choreographers to produce imaginative theatre experiences for new and young audiences. They will be performing Les Moutons on Latitude’s wonderful Waterfront Stage.

Riccardo Meneghini has worked and collaborated with companies such as Russell Maliphant, Scottish Dance Theatre, DV8 Physical Theatre, Opera North, Balletto Teatro Torino. At the same time developing vocabulary in his own choreography working as a freelance performer and teaching contact improvisation, release technique and composition. ‘Spun’ is the result of three weeks residency in Yorkshire Dance (Leeds), supported by Arts Coucil England. It has been part of an evening "Made in Yorkshire" and performed in Italy and then London as part of ‘Resolution! 2009’. Spun examines how affection and love of a life can shift themselves around, and how moving on can sometimes mean skipping forward to the beginning.

OUTDOOR THEATRE

With the involvement of the country’s leading theatre companies, Latitude has established itself as one of the best theatre festivals in Europe. Not to be contained within the confines of the stage, theatre can be found around every corner at Latitude, emerging from the woods, performed on the banks of the lake as well as the Theatre Arena, drawing inspiration from the surroundings. There’s something for everyone so take a chance on an unknown play or watch a critic’s choice at Latitude 2009.

'La Prima Donna' is the new audio-visual performance installation by Hellcat Productions featuring the characters from Caryl Churchill's 'Top Girls'. Presenting fearless Victorian traveller Isabella Bird, passionate Japanese concubine Lady Nijo, valiant Dutch warrior Dull Gret, ever-doting Patient Griselda and courageous cross-dressing Pope Joan. Our five feisty heroines battle the 3D surround sound, manipulating their audio environment; punching the treble, kicking the bass. The piece combines choreographed dance, performative gender and period-shifting costume to explore the contorted ideals of feminine beauty. The piece features live DJing through state of the art 3D surround sound technology invented by the Illustrious Company.

Elsewhere, the very best in film, theatre, comedy, literature, poetry, dance, art and cabaret will be pitching up at the fourth edition of Latitude Festival. LateNightTales will be presenting some fabulous live performances from an eclectic set of bands in the Film & Music Arena; Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Opera House will be showcasing stunning performances on The Waterfront Stage; Royal Shakespeare Company, The Bush, National Theatre, Paines Plough, nabokov plus more will all be coming to the Theatre Arena along with the English Touring Theatre presenting Latitude’s first musical ‘Been So Long’. Also for the first time is the dynamic orchestral brilliance Britten Sinfonia performing in Latitude’s outdoor spaces. The Literary Arena is packed full of top authors including Blake Morrison, Geoff Dyer and Robin Ince’s Book Club as well as workshops from The School Of life; plus stellar poets Andrew Motion, Brian Patten, Jackie Kay and Simon Armitage will be in the Poetry Arena. The Cabaret Arena welcomes Zimbani, Deborah Frances-White, Jessica Delfino, Cardinal Burns and Watson and Oliver plus plenty more exciting performances to announce. With a quite astonishing comedy line-up to be announced and much, much more across all of the arenas, Latitude 2009 is once again a perfect slice of cultural heaven by the sea.

TICKET INFORMATION

Weekend tickets £150 plus booking fees • Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £60 plus booking fee. Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping • Days include car parking only.

Credit Card line: 0871 231 0821
Online at: www.festivalrepublic.com • www.seetickets.com • www.latitudefestival.co.uk

For a full list of national and regional outlets please visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk

For further Press info contact: 020-7792-9400
Charlie Caplowe: charlie@presscounsel.com
Dani Cotter: dani@presscounsel.com
Anthea: anthea@presscounsel.com
Dan Griffiths: griff@presscounsel.com

Latitude - Patrick Wolf, The Airborne Toxic Event, Chairlift, The Mummers...

16th – 19th July 2009
Henham Park Estate, Southwold, Suffolk

OBELISK ARENA
~ Patrick Wolf ~ The Airborne Toxic Event ~
~ Lisa Hannigan ~ Amazing Baby ~ Wild Beasts ~

UNCUT ARENA
~ Chairlift ~ The Mummers ~
~ White Belt Yellow Tag ~ The Invisible ~

SUNRISE ARENA
~ !!! ~ Skint And Demoralised ~ 1990s ~ Animal Kingdom ~
~ Black Joe Lewis ~ Fight Like Apes ~
~ Kurran and the Wolfnotes ~ Juliette Commagere ~

THE LAKE STAGE
~ Bombay Bicycle Club ~ Little Comets ~ Casiokids ~
~ Marina and the Diamonds ~ Speech Debelle ~ Chew Lips ~
~ Django Django ~ Bishi ~ The Agitator ~ The Cheek ~ Not Squares ~

FILM & MUSIC ARENA
~ Mark Lamarr presents: T-99, Chas & Dave, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Prince Fatty ~
~ Birds Eye View presents Salome with Bishi, Zongamin & Neil Kaczor ~
~ Cape Farewell Project ~ Noise Of Art ~
~ Ditto ~ SonVer ~
~ Adam Buxton ~
~ Encounters Film Festival presents Tom Harper & Ivana Mackinnon~
~ Beautiful & The Dammed DJs ~ The Posters Came From The Walls ~

IN THE WOODS
~ The Scaremongers ~

The pioneering, award-winning Latitude Festival returns to England’s Sunrise Coast for another spectacular year. Taking place on 16th – 19th July, near Suffolk’s stunning seaside town of Southwold, organisers Festival Republic are promising Latitude will be the perfect British summer destination.

OBELISK ARENA

The open-air Obelisk Arena has been the stage of some epic performances over the past three years and the line up for Latitude 2009 will continue in this success. Lay out your picnic blanket, bask in the sunshine and get down to some of the best music around.

Avant-garde, multi-instrumentalist Patrick Wolf joins the line-up on the Obelisk Arena. Fusing experimental electro, techno and samples with classical romanticism, Wolf has created new dimensions of music. His new album ‘The Bachelor’ is released this year. Originally a political album, it shifted focus to the depression he had felt during touring of his third album ‘The Magic Position’. However just before entering the studio he fell in love and ended up writing enough material for two albums. The second, ‘The Conqueror’, will surface next year. This wondrously quirky talent seem to have no limits and claims that he’s the new Bowie may be justified.

American rock band The Airborne Toxic Event named after a section of the book ‘White Noise’ by Don DeLillo, incorporate moving and often morose string instruments and keyboards alongside anthemic and epic rock standards. Dividing opinion on both sides of the Atlantic this is a band that refuses to bow to industry pressures and instead write music that’s emotive, intense and when played live is incredibly powerful.

Irish singer songwriter, actress and multi-instrumentalist Lisa Hannigan joins the line-up. Her music has led to a wealth of successes, critical praise, airplay and award nominations in her native land and more recently, in America. But her collaborations with singer-songwriter Damien Rice and duet with Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol are starting to increase her popularity and reputation. Her ethereal voice and beautifully arranged folk music is a welcomed addition to the Obelisk Arena.

Hotly tipped Brooklyn band Amazing Baby are currently putting the finishing touches on their debut album, which they are releasing this summer. From the same scene as MGMT, Amazing Baby produce simultaneously epic and anthemic tunes with a richly detailed sound incorporating psych, folk, prog, funk and pop elements.

Wild Beasts, who come from Kendal near the Lake District, live in Leeds but sound like Antony Hegarty fronting a group of musicians from Mars or Noel Coward warbling aphorisms as Vampire Weekend jam in the distance. Their delightful and romantic music following in the footsteps of White Rabbits or Fleet Foxes.

UNCUT ARENA

The impressive structure of the tented Uncut Arena houses a line-up of alternative, leftfield music; a hotbed of genre-spanning artists all offering something unique. This year will once again host a myriad of musical musts from the fields of folk, world, experimental, electronica, rock, indie and any other musical style you can think of. It’s all on offer at the Uncut Arena.

Brooklyn based Chairlift come to Latitude and bring along their melodic evocations of plinky new wave. The electro pop trio have had a huge hit with ‘Bruises’ from their debut album ‘Does You Inspire You’, and this seems to set the path for the future to come. Lyrical complexities combined with exquisite vocals have established a dreamy, irresistible bed of noise to inspire all.

Self-acclaimed day dreamer The Mummers will play the Uncut Arena. Debut album ‘Tale To Tell’ is a record of fairytales, escapism and quirky quixotic atmospheric pop. Delicate single ‘March Of Dawn’ caresses the listener’s imaginations into a world of fantasia and live their exquisitely otherworldly Bjork-esque pop is sure to be a weekend highlight.

White Belt Yellow Tag are a North-east duo with pounding drums, soaring guitars and impressive harmonies. Debut E.P ‘You’re Not Invincible’ is laced with mechanical fuzz-pop with a huge sound that is sure to have spine tingling results on the Uncut Arena. With falsetto tones and smooth samples they are already causing a media buzz with an album still to be released. Catch them at Latitude before they hit the big time.

The Invisible will be bringing their light-filled, groovily insistent electronic soul-pop to the Uncut Arena. Connecting previously considered irreconcilable genres on ‘Thee Uninvited’ their sophisticated fabulous funkality is conjured up by dexterously rhythmic melodies and unusual layers of music achieved with great success. Ones to watch out for over the weekend.

SUNRISE ARENA

Take a stroll through Latitude’s fairytale woods with art exhibited within the trees and dappled sunlight shining through the leaves and you will stumble across the most exquisite space of all; the Sunrise Arena, home to tomorrow’s biggest stars. With a full schedule still to be announced, this cosy and cherished arena is the place to find the most exciting new talent. Discover the next big thing at Latitude’s stunning Sunrise Arena.

!!! will bring their dance-punk to Latitude’s Sunrise Arena. Acclaimed to be one of the most original and awe-inspiring live acts around, !!! are definitely ones to watch as their music incorporates post-punk bass patterns, spaghetti western guitars, African polyrhythms, spaced out disco and vintage Philly soul. It’s all about the funk, the groove, the bit of music that makes you want to move – be prepared to dance.

Skint & Demoralised is a UK lyrics-based, Northern Soul-influenced pop act fronted by Matt Abbot, who began his onstage career as a stand-up performance poet. Forming a song writing partnership with MiNI dOG that would put music to Abbot’s poetry, the duo would finish writing and recording a demo and upload it to the internet. These demos caught the attention of Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens who played them on their radio show and a record deal with Mercury Record soon followed.

Scottish three-piece 1990s were signed to Rough Trade after only six shows and the band’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Cookie’ caused quite an industry stir. This year saw the band’s return with second album ‘Kicks’, which is another delightful slab of bright sunny indie anthems.

Animal Kingdom’s laid back melodic indie has recently secured them support slots with the incredible Silversun Pickups and Red Light Company. With the band’s debut album out later this year they will be taking their incredible live show to Latitude’s Sunrise Arena and are surely an act not to be missed!

Texan blues outfit Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears are a rich amalgam of primal blues, soul, R&B and funk, a modern-day James Brown. Their album ‘Tell ‘em What Your Name Is!’ establishes Lewis’ deliciously greasy grooves and gritty attitude that the blues demands, and the eight-piece band power home the funk grooves in what will be an incendiary performance.

Dublin four-piece Fight like Apes are causing quite a stir in their homeland winning Meteor Awards for Best Live Band and Best Irish Band. Their spikey paint bomb of electro-punk and synth-laced post-hardcore is delivered in a frenetically unhinged live show that’s as explosive as it is infectious.

One of the most talked about new bands on the scene at the moment, London Kurran and the Wolfnotes have only played a handful of shows, and already their moody Americana-tinged songs are sounding huge. Echoing the likes of Johnny Cash, Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes and Fleetwood Mac this alternative folk band are proving to be a must see this year.

Previously known as the Keytar playing frontwoman of Hello Stranger, the charismatic Juliette Commagere has also played and sang with Avenged Sevenfold and Puscifer. But it’s her solo project – a vividly orchestrated pop-art project – that will be coming to Latitude. Her songs are full of radiant glamour that range from wistful elegies to otherworldly epics.

THE LAKE STAGE PRESENTS
BBC Introducing...
curated by Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens

With the shimmering lake as a stunning backdrop The Lake Stage is an open air hub of rising stars handpicked by Radio 1 DJ and new music aficionado, Huw Stephens. A place for discovery and recognition The Lake Stage brings you the freshest new acts before they even register on the radar of the music press. It is a place for up-and-coming creativity from across the musical spectrum to be unearthed and given a chance to shine. Come witness the next generation emerge at Latitude’s wonderful Lake Stage.

With their long awaited debut album ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ released only a few weeks before the festival, Bombay Bicycle Club are sure to set pulses racing at Latitude’s Sunrise Arena this year. The band won the ‘Road to V’ competition on Channel 4 in 2006 and have been steadily building an army of fans ever since. Make sure you see these titans of the indie scene with their catchy sing-a-long choruses and indie-rock anthems.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne four-piece Little Comets have been wowing audiences around the country with their percussive mix of clanging pans and blues-y indie guitar. Unconventional in every way, they often play gigs in lecture theatres and hang kitchen pots from the rafters, refusing to be pigeon-holed. Expect something very special from this fast rising band.

Old analogue and trashy keyboards, pop melodies and a digital shadow puppet theatre make up the Norwegian electro-troupe that is Casiokids. Often sung in their native language and influenced by afro-beat, techno and out-and-out pop the music draws similarities and takes inspiration from Paul Simon's ‘Graceland’, Ivor Cutler, New Order, Cornelius and Fela Kuti.

Feisty, eccentric and theatrical Marina and the Diamonds is a classy act veering between simple keyboards-based ballads and catchy, quirky new wave, with hollering whooping vocals. Her off-kilter pop is reminiscent of Kate Nash, Kate Bush and Regina Spektor but this Welsh talent has a sound all of her own.

Taking hip-hop into a new direction Speech Debelle’s warm, youthful rapping style is layered over offbeat folky productions that draw the listener in. Her honest and direct lyrics speak of personal demons and make the music all the more heartfelt. Potent and poignant she is a superstar in the making.

London based dance-pop trio Chew Lips have been together for barely a year but have already scored amazing praise from the UK press with the NME claiming “they've already got the capital in their pockets and have produced one of the most exciting singles of the year”. With the band writing ten songs in their first rehearsal and their debut single ‘Solo’ out now, things seem to be moving rather quickly for Chew Lips so catch them while you can!

Formed at the tail end of last year, duo Django Django join the Lake Stage line-up this year at Latitude. Despite their short time together they’ve written astonishing songs, some of the most exciting, weird and clever pop music you’ll hear this year.

The world’s most sensational singer/sitar player Bishi is confirmed for the Lake Stage. Solo artist and multi instrumentalist Bishi blends traditional, ethnic musical qualities with upbeat, electronic beats. Unique and definitely one to catch over the Latitude weekend.

The Agitator are a duo who are all about no holds barred music; direct, visceral, uplifting and loud. Stripped back music, with no gimmicks, just a powerful voice and driving beat, they are generating a buzz worthy of their stunning live performances.
The Cheeks, formally Cheeky Cheeky And The Nosebleeds may have shortened their name but lost nothing in their sound or style. Their brand of energetic, hook-heavy pop rock is still as catchy as ever but with a moodier and sleeker tone.

Belfast four-piece Not Squares bring visceral, jagged kraut-punk and repackage them with obtuse, leftfield ideas and make songs you can dance to. Two bassists, four vocals a mix of exciting squawks and yelps creating intriguing disco, thrash to jump around to.

FILM & MUSIC ARENA

Uniting alternative worlds of cinematic wonder, musical splendour and visual brilliance, the Film & Music Arena is an exhilarating and intoxicating centre of creativity. Over the festival weekend the Arena will play host to screenings of award winning films, documentaries and shorts with Q&A sessions plus discussions with acclaimed directors and writers. These will be interspersed with musical treats and stunning, transfixing visuals combining together to create a seductive, sensory playground for all ages.

Radio DJ, presenter and all-round music connoisseur Mark Lamarr will be presenting his legendary God’s Jukebox. “My dream list of Gods Jukeboxes favourite live bands is a joy to compile each year when the Latitude folks come a calling and it's with the usual light heart that I can announce that this year’s line up is as strong, and definitely more diverse, than ever before. Obviously my dream list is slightly tempered by the fact that Sam Cooke and Howlin’ Wolf are still dead, Aretha don't fly and Tom Waits doesn't do tents. Those four notwithstanding, the delights of Holland’s alternative bluesmasters T-99 (the greatest gig I saw last year) are on offer alongside Denmark’s soon to be enormous Asteroids Galaxy Tour (their ‘Sun Ain't Shining No More' single gave indie a good name last year). For the traditionalists we have the original line up of The Flirtations whose 1969 album ‘Sound Like The Flirtations’ is perhaps the highlight of British Soul, even if they are American. Back when I did the Reggae Show on Radio 2, I'd often give over an entire hour show to a specifically worthy artist, and THREE of those artists appear in the line up of the wonderful Prince Fatty Revue (Winston Francis, Dennis Alcapone and Little Roy if you're interested. And you should be.) Finally a late night knees-up courtesy of not only Chas but also Dave (and Mick). Due to a Bill Bailey joke a lot of people assume Dave is dead. Not true, he just doesn't move much.”

Birds Eye View will be presenting 1920s Vamp film Salome, based on the Oscar Wilde play and starring Russian lesbian Hollywood icon Alla Nazimova. The fabulous and award-winning Bishi will perform live, collaborating with Japanese indie artist Zongamin and composer, sound artist and performer Neil Kaczor. Birds Eye View celebrates and supports international women filmmakers through its annual festival and year-round development projects.

Latitude is not only committed to minimising its own impact on the environment, but to increasing awareness about the impacts of our collective lifestyle on the world at large. Sharing this commitment and outlook, Cape Farewell brings to the festival an exciting group of artists and their climate-focused work. Created by artist David Buckland, Cape Farewell pioneers a cultural response to climate change, bringing together leading artists, writers and scientists on expeditions to the wild, yet fragile High Arctic. Together they have mapped, measured and been inspired by this rapidly changing environment and have returned with stories and artworks communicating on a human scale the impacts of climate change. In the Film & Music Arena, Cape Farewell and David Buckland host live performances from Shlomo, Marcus Brigstocke and a Q&A with very special guest.

Noise Of Art celebrates the convergence of musical and visual disciplines brought about by the digital age. The mix will include electronic music, silent films, DJ’s Severino and Serge Santiago (Horse Meat Disco), Ben Osborne, interactive artworks and Piccadilly Nites - whatever the source material; Noise of Art will delight in splicing it up. The concept is ‘Vampires’ so expect a dark and eventful night.

ditto is a collaborative approach to film, music and performance bringing artists, audience and the public closer together. ditto stretches the experience of events – working in advance of the performance with on-line collaboration, blogs, viral communication and social networking culminating in a one-time live experience. ditto are inviting the Latitude audience to contribute short films, music, photography and writing based on the themes of Enchantment & Disenchantment. The best entries will be included in their performance in the Film & Music Arena.

SonVer are a London based instrumental band, formed in 2004, featuring electric cello, guitars, and percussion. SonVer's music draws on diverse influences from across the globe to create the group's unique blend of ethereal and emotive ambience, other-worldly soundscapes and contemporary, uplifting sonic walls; the result of which has seen SonVer build a loyal fanbase in the UK and abroad. SonVer present ‘The Alchemy of Man’, an audio-visual collaboration between the musicians and seven independent filmmakers exploring alchemical transformation. Their performance in the Film & Music Arena is performed to specially created films, and includes tracks from their 2008 album ‘Luz del Abyss’.

Launched in April 2007 at the BFI Southbank in London, BUG is about giving big screen exposure to the most awe-inspiring, innovative and downright brilliant music videos being made around the globe today. Hosted by Adam Buxton (of Adam & Joe fame) – comedian, writer, actor, and music video director himself – the events have become an essential forum for aspiring film-makers and fans of music video alike. BUG is about new creativity, new talent, and the new democracy of filmmaking that means a great little film can be made by a 17 year old with a stills camera, or by Michel Gondry. This special edition of BUG at Latitude 2009 promises more brilliant clips rarely seen on a big screen (or even a TV screen) and some incredible online discoveries – with insightful and hilarious contributions from Adam.

Encounters Short Film Festival is an annual short film festival based in Bristol and is billed as one of the most important festivals for short film and new film talent in the UK and Europe. Last year their Best of British prize went to Bristol based filmmaker Esther May Campbell who then went on to win a BAFTA for her film September. At Latitude, Encounters will be presenting a discussion between filmmaker and producer. Award winning short filmmaker Tom Harper has recently travelled a journey few short filmmakers ever travel and has completed directing his first feature film, developed by FilmFour, The Scouting Book for Boys (starring Thomas Turgoose - This Is England/Somers Town). Harper with producer Ivana Mackinnon (Slumdog Millionnaire, Eden Lake) will discuss the journey a short filmmaker goes through to become a feature filmmaker. There’ll be extracts from his award winning short films and a sneak preview of The Scouting Book for Boys trailer due out in the autumn.

DJs Miss Red and Dickon Edwards present The Beautiful and Damned, the timelessly stylish dress-up night. Armed with silent movies to light up the dance floor, these aloof flaneurs concoct a riotously toe-tapping mix of the vintage and the pastiche. Expect lashings of the Charleston, Sinatra (Frank & Nancy), Peggy Lee, Doris Day, Gilbert & Sullivan, showstoppers from Bugsy Malone, Cabaret & Chicago, and easy listening for difficult children.

The film, The Posters Came From The Walls, documents stories of faith and devotion, a fascinating and inspired study of Depeche Mode fans from around the world. In Russia and countries of the former Soviet Union, the band’s music has been treasured since it was only available on illegal bootlegged cassettes in the 1980s, fans in Tehran take huge risks in listening to their music in a country that has banned all Western music since the Cultural Revolution and closer to home, in Cambridge, the church of St Edward King and Martyr holds services where they play Depeche Mode records. Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller and collaborator Nicholas Abrahams tell these and other stories of faith and devotion from around the world in this fascinating and inspired documentary about fandom, which is at turns bizarre, funny, sad and often touching.

IN THE WOODS

The enchanted woods of Henham Park also have something to offer as art decorates the trees and fairy lights hang from the branches. Exploring the lush foliage and following where curiosity takes you, you will chance upon new experiences, little surprises and terrific treats at every turn. The small and hidden stage will host surreal and intimate performances during the day and music to dance the night away after dark – it’s almost a woodland festival of its own.

Huddersfield based band, The Scaremongers, have just released their long-awaited debut album ‘Born In A Barn’. Never ones to be rushed, the songs were written by non-poet laureate vocalist/lyricist Simon Armitage and multi-tasking guitarist Craig Smith over a period of twenty years. The seven piece snowshaker-pop-rock band performed their first ever gig on the BBCs Culture Show in 2008, and follow it up with their Small But Perfectly Formed Tour of 2009, including Latitude Festival.


Elsewhere, the very best in film, theatre, comedy, literature, poetry, dance, art and cabaret will be pitching up at the fourth edition of Latitude Festival. LateNightTales will be presenting some fabulous live performances from an eclectic set of bands in the Film & Music Arena; Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Opera House will be showcasing stunning performances on The Waterfront Stage; Royal Shakespeare Company, The Bush, National Theatre, Paines Plough, nabokov plus more will all be coming to the Theatre Arena along with the English Touring Theatre presenting Latitude’s first musical ‘Been So Long’. Also for the first time is the dynamic orchestral brilliance Britten Sinfonia performing in Latitude’s outdoor spaces. The Literary Arena is packed full of top authors including Blake Morrison, Geoff Dyer and Robin Ince’s Book Club as well as workshops from The School Of life; plus stellar poets Andrew Motion, Brian Patten, Jackie Kay and Simon Armitage will be in the Poetry Arena. The Cabaret Arena welcomes Zimbani, Deborah Francis-White, Jessica Delfino, Cardinal Burns and Watson and Oliver plus plenty more exciting performances to announce. With a quite astonishing comedy line-up to be announced and much, much more across all of the arenas, Latitude 2009 is once again a perfect slice of cultural heaven by the sea.

TICKET INFORMATION

Weekend tickets £150 plus booking fees • Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £60 plus booking fee. Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping • Days include car parking only.

Credit Card line: 0871 231 0821
Online at: www.festivalrepublic.com • www.seetickets.com • www.latitudefestival.co.uk

For a full list of national and regional outlets please visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk

For further Press info contact: 020-7792-9400
Charlie Caplowe: charlie@presscounsel.com
Dani Cotter: dani@presscounsel.com
Anthea: anthea@presscounsel.com
Dan Griffiths: griff@presscounsel.com

Latitude - Arts Additions - Jo Brand, Dave Gorman, Janeane Garofalo...

16th – 19th July 2009
Henham Park Estate, Southwold, Suffolk

ARTS ADDITIONS

COMEDY ARENA
~ Jo Brand ~
~ Dave Gorman ~ Tim Vine ~ Janeane Garofalo
~ Stephen K Amos ~
~ Phil Nicol ~ Charlie Baker ~ Miles Jupp ~ Matt Kirshen ~ Seann Walsh ~

LITERARY ARENA
~ Jeremy Hardy ~ Jonathan Coe ~ Kate Williams ~ Keith Allen
~ Rupert Thomson ~ Brian Chikwava ~ Emmanuel Jal ~
~ Bernie Katz ~

CABARET ARENA
~ Lenny Beige ~ Kirsten O'Brien ~ Bourgeois And Maurice ~
~ Tommy And The Weeks ~ Wanderlust ~ Helix Dance ~

THEATRE ARENA
~ Say Hi To The Rivers And The Mountains ~
(written by Jonathan Coe and The High-Llamas)

The pioneering, award-winning Latitude Festival returns to England’s Sunrise Coast for another spectacular year. Taking place on 16th – 19th July, near Suffolk’s stunning seaside town of Southwold, organisers Festival Republic are promising Latitude will be the perfect British summer destination.

Now in its fourth edition Latitude continues to inspire and innovate offering the very best from the worlds of music, film, comedy, theatre, cabaret, dance, poetry, literature and art. With stunning individual performance spaces dedicated to each of the arts, the arenas are treasure troves of talent, with open doors and inviting atmospheres. Sit back and be entertained by over 700 performers or participate and learn a new skill in the many workshops on offer, there are new experiences round every corner. Latitude encourages you to open your mind, embrace the unknown and try everything; a fun-filled, cultural adventure by the sea; the ideal weekend away.

COMEDY ARENA

Welcome to one of the biggest and best comedy festival in Britain positioned on the hill overlooking the luscious landscape of the Latitude site. The Comedy Arena is one of the biggest draws of the weekend; bursting at the seams as everyone sits back and enjoys the stellar stand up performances from the cream of the comedy circuit. A programme of the biggest names and the newest rising talent will ensure continuous laughter throughout the weekend.

Britain’s best female comic Jo Brand is the latest addition to the all-star Comedy line-up at Latitude Festival. Brand rose to fame in the ‘80s pioneering the burgeoning alternative comedy movement. Her stand-up routines, delivered in her distinctive monotone drawl, poked fun at her weight and men, a self-deprecating style with radical feminist tendencies. Although her humour has slightly softened her explicit over-sharing honesty is still her trademark and has helped earn her the inclusion in the Observer’s 50 funniest acts in Britain and a must-see contestant in everything Comic Relief throws at her. She has been a guest on Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and is a regular on the fantastic panel show QI; as well as hosting her own TV programmes including ‘Jo Brand’s Commercial Breakdown’.

Film-maker, presenter, writer and of course stand-up comic, Dave Gorman joins the comedy line-up. Famed for his award-winning previous shows, ‘Are You Dave Gorman?’, ‘Googlewhack Adventures’ and ‘America Unchained’, he has just finished a stint on TV with his brilliant ‘Genius’ show which was transferred from BBC Radio earlier this year. But it’s a return to the more traditional stand-up routine that will keep Gorman busy this summer and through to next year. After showcasing his new routine at Latitude he will then begin the first part of his tour travelling to and from each gig around the country on his bike taking in 32 venues.

Once the world record holder for most jokes told in an hour (499) Tim Vine is a master at word-play, puns and quick-fire one-liners. He has performed many times at the Edinburgh Festival as well as his own shows such as ‘Tim Vine – Live In Concrete’ at Shepherd’s Bush Empire and appeared regularly on TV including BAFTA winning The Sketch Show, Mastermind, Countdown, Spelling Bee and Comic Relief Does Fame Academy.

Hollywood film and TV star, political activist, writer and stand-up comic Janeane Garofalo is bringing her observational wit, fire and passion to the Comedy line-up. Her strong, left-wing, atheist beliefs have led her to take part in many marches, debate shows and co-host The Majority Report on Air America Radio Network. Famed not only for her film and screen roles in Reality Bites, The Truth About Cats and Dogs, 24, The Larry Sanders Show (for which she won two Emmys) to name but a few – Garofalo first started out as a stand-up comic emerging in the late 80’s - early 90’s alternative comedy scene in L.A. A rare and wonderful outing for this phenomenal comic before her London show in September.

British stand-up comic and comedy circuit favourite, Stephen K. Amos will be coming to Latitude. He has performed at Edinburgh Festival every year since 2003 and has also appeared on Live At The Apollo and the 2007 Royal Variety Performance as well as TV shows Mock The Week, The Wright Stuff and Have I Got News For You. His amiable style has earned him a Time Out Award for Comedy in 2004 and a Chortle Award for Best Compere three times, in 2004, 2007, 2008.

Canadian comic, singer-songwriter and actor Phil Nicol was first known as the guitar playing member of top musical comedy trio 'Corky and The Juice Pigs'. Phil's solo performances have earned him huge critical acclaim and many awards. He is a Tasmanian devil with a guitar, wickedly funny songs and superb improvisational skills that will be showcased in a string of dates in Edinburgh and at the London Comedy Store before he joins the Comedy Arena at Latitude.

Having been in the entertainment industry since a young age, Charlie Baker's experience shines through with his energetic and irrepressible show. This versatile star, with enthusiastic audience banter and interaction, plus a hidden wealth of musical talent as an accomplished, highly acclaimed Jazz singer and musician (solo, and with The Charlie Baker Band) is set to rise fast.

Kids may know him as Archie the Inventor in Balamory but Miles Jupp is also an award winning funnyman with live performances and appearances on Paramount Comedy TV’s ‘The World Stands Up’. He won two new act competitions in 2001 – Channel 4’s ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ and the Leicester Festival of The Year Award and in 2003 he was nominated for the Perrier Best Newcomer for his show ‘Gentlemen Prefer Brogues’.

Youthful and witty, Matt Kirshen is best known for his appearance as one of the top 10 finalists on the NBC talent show ‘Last Comic Standing’ and for his hilarious breakthrough Channel 4 show ‘RudeTube’ - a six-part guide to the wonderful world of the web. But it’s the perfectly timed gags and sarcastic sense of humour that is his winning formula.

Brighton-based newcomer Seann Walsh is already building up a strong profile after being proclaimed Winner of the Leicester Comedy Festival in 2009 and runner-up in the ‘So You Think You're Funny?’ New Act Competition in 2008. Walsh has the special talent of delivering punchy fresh humour with a natural and appealing charm prompting Time Out to declare: “Walsh is this generation's Dylan Moran, with the looks, gags and charm to become something quite special.”

These additions join an incredible comedy line-up that includes Ed Byrne, Mark Thomas, Adam Hills, Sean Lock, The Early Edition hosted by Marcus Brigstocke, Sean Hughes, Andrew Lawrence, Rufus Hound, Jon Richardson, Russell Kane, Shappi Khorsandi and Jessica Delfino ~ plus many, many more.

LITERARY ARENA

Latitude celebrates the art of the written word and all its many splendid facets at Suffolk’s now legendary library by the sea. Like all good books, the Literary Arena will transport you to the far reaches of your imagination guided by the storytelling talents of the very best authors and special guests scheduled for the weekend. Discussions, Q&As, stories and comic genius are the order of the day for these book readings with a difference. Immerse yourself in Latitude’s literary world and learn, explore, laugh and discover at the literary event of the summer.

Comic, writer and political activist Jeremy Hardy is one of Britain’s most well-established ‘alternative’ stand-ups, unafraid to mix his socialist politics into his act. Although best known as a regular on Radio 4 panel games such as The News Quiz, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue and Just A Minute, Hardy was also a regular columnist for Guardian and has written two books, ‘Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation’ based on his Radio 4 series of the same name and ‘When Did You Last See Your Father.’ He was nominated for the Perrier Award in 1987, and won it the following year, and has appeared at Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival as well as numerous tours of the UK and Ireland.

British novelist and writer Jonathan Coe brings his acclaimed satirical work to Latitude. His award-winning novels include: ‘What a Carve Up!’ which reworks the plot of an old 1960s spoof horror film of the same name and is a caustic satire of British life in the 1980s, and won the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (France). The Dwarves of Death (1990), a cult murder story filmed as Five Seconds to Spare in 1999 and The House of Sleep (1997), which won the Writers' Guild Award (Best Fiction) and the Prix Médicis Etranger (France) and recounts the adventures of a group of former university students. His work usually has an underlying preoccupation with political issues, although his serious side is always served with a clever wit and comedy. Coe has also written the narrative piece ‘Say Hi To The Rivers And The Mountains’ with rock innovators, The High Llamas, which will be shown in the Theatre Arena.

Kate Williams has brought the past to life with her fantastic historical novels ‘Becoming Queen’ (2007), about the passionate youth of Queen Victoria and Princess Charlotte, the Queen who never was, and ‘England's Mistress: the Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton’ (2006). Her first book was 'Book of the Week' on Radio 4, shortlisted for the Marsh/ English Speaking Union Biography Prize, and a ‘Book of the Year’ in the Times and Independent. But it was the BBC2 Timewatch special programme based on ‘Becoming Queen’ called ‘Young Victoria’ that had 2.2million captivated.

Comedian, musician, artist, author and actor Keith Allen will be performing his forthcoming spoken-word album, the vividly cinematic and thought-provoking ‘2 Pikeys On A Mini Cruise’ that he worked on together with musician and producer Pablo Cook. A powerful, passionate journey through reggae, funk, folk, disco, rock n roll and so much more.

Described as a ‘twisted British fabulist’ by the San Francisco Chronicle, Rupert Thomson published his first, critically acclaimed novel ‘Dreams of Leaving’ in the late 80s and has since published seven more novels including the award nominated ‘Air and Fire’, ‘The Insult’ and ‘Death of a Murderer’. Thomson’s style is hard to define as his novels’ subjects range from the gap between reality and perception to the male masochism.

Currently living in South London but originally from Zimbabwe, Brian Chikwava is part of a new generation of African writers and activists. The eclecticism of his work ranges from poetry, public discussions and music performances. His short story, ‘Seventh Street Alchemy’, was awarded the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2004 but it is his first novel, ‘Harare North’ - a witty and suggestive but yet effortlessly dark comedy set in Brixton – which he will be bringing to Latitude.

Sudanese former child soldier Emmanuel Jal has received worldwide acclaim for his African-style of hip hop spreading half-spoken, half-chanted messages of peace and reconciliation. His political lyrics have lead him to perform at the United Nations in New York as well as Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday concert last year. But it’s his autobiography: ‘War Child: A Boy Soldier’s Story’ that will hold the Literary Arena captivated and move the crowd to tears.

The son of a gangster who was shot dead in front of his eyes when he was young, Bernie Katz has a very different story from most novelists. Katz considers himself a night owl who made the glitz, glamour, dirt and sleaze of Soho his life. After a job as front-of-house for the media’s favourite Groucho Club for over 15 years, Katz put pen to paper in a gripping tell-all, dish-the-dirt, book called ‘Soho Society’ about rent boys, film executives, drug addicts and other debauched Soho misbehaviour.

The Literary Arena already boasts a fantastic line-up including: The School Of Life, Robin Ince’s Book Club, Blake Morrison, Geoff Dyer and Tibor Fischer.

CABARET ARENA

If you want to experience something entirely different then seek out Latitude’s quirky den of mischief and mayhem; the Cabaret Arena. Inside you will witness comedy sketch shows, burlesque, freak shows, drag queens, sing-a-longs, illusionists and much, much more still to be announced. With Vaudeville fun, sharp, incisive wit, camp entertainment and a good ol’ fashioned knees up, the Cabaret Arena positively encourages you to leave your inhibitions at the door and be game for anything and everything. This surreal bordello of surprises and spectacular stage shows is visually rich, beautiful and bizarre and will tempt and titillate in equal measure.

King of cabaret Lenny Beige, infamous for his London West End club The Regency Rooms which started life in 1995 and sold out every one of its 10 seasons, has became a cult hit with regular appearances on TV chat shows and Channel 5’s ‘Night Fever’. His energetic all-singing, all-dancing comedy extravaganza has won him a legion of fans including Matt Lucas and David Walliams, Sacha Baron Cohen, Armstrong and Miller, Terry Wogan and Chas & Dave!

TV Presenter Kirsten O’Brien brings her bubbly, fun personality to the Cabaret Stage at Latitude this year. Her show Kirsten’s Topless Ambition debated whether she should change her innocent image from BBC children’s Smart! presenter to a more sexy, lads mag’s one in order to become a primetime starlet. She will certainly have a lot to tell about this experience! One not to miss.

Bourgeois & Maurice will share their healing and easy listening powerpop neo-cabaret with us. They will take you on a musical journey through the 21st century pop culture with original songs and dazzling films and frocks you'll just die for! They have rapidly developed a cult following after shows at venues as diverse as Sadler's Wells, the Astoria 2, Vauxhall's legendary Duckie and 93 Feet East and at a Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club performance which was unashamedly littered with in-the-know A-listers including Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Rupert Friend.

Regulars on the London Sketch scene and appearances on BBC 3's comedy shuffle, Tommy and the Weeks are Tom Bell and Ed Weeks, papery indie waif and 80s power-suited lothario. Together they produce comedy so good your mind will think it's won a prize. "Few since Spike Milligan have had Weeks and Bell's ability to flip us into unexpected comic universes." The Guardian

In Wanderlust, an interactive, theatrical show, the ten foot tall, faux-Bavarian powerhouse, Hilda, administers your dose of beauty and pain. The show bursts with circus, kabaret, projections, masks, a massive skirt, a video marionette, a parachute and two drinkable vodka puppets. In this fairytale story, Hilda (a.k.a. Jessica Weinstein) attains her extraordinary height by obtaining a brew from a witch in the Black Forest. Also featuring the mute Gretel on violin, piano and ukulele,, Hilda delightfully whips you, the audience, along from a storybook Bavaria through an outlandish Eastern Europe to an apocalyptic, booty shaking Jerusalem.

Isobel Cohen founded Helix Dance, a dance-theatre company based in Cambridge in 2005. Since then she has toured her originally choreographed productions both regionally and nationally and for Latitude she will be bringing her understated twist dance sensation 'The Great Escape' to the Cabaret Arena. She has also been selected for an Escalator for the Performing Arts, a pioneering initiative by Arts Council Englan:d East to support young artists in the region. As a dance-maker, Isobel believes in multi-discipline theatre, where dance, music and text play equal roles.

The Cabaret Arena also welcomes Zimbani, Deborah Frances-White, Holly Walsh & Sophie Black, Jessica Delfino, Cardinal Burns and Watson and Oliver plus plenty more exciting performances to announce.

THEATRE ARENA

With the involvement of the country’s leading theatre companies, Latitude has established itself as one of the best theatre festivals in Europe. An auditorium has been specially designed to perfectly present a full schedule of contemporary, physical, classical, performance and local productions bespoke to the festival. Not to be contained within the confines of the stage, theatre can be found around every corner at Latitude, emerging from the woods, performed on the banks of the lake as well as in the Theatre Arena, drawing inspiration from the surroundings. There’s something for everyone so take a chance on an unknown play or watch a critic’s choice at Latitude 2009.

‘Say Hi To The Rivers And The Mountains’ is a new show written by best-selling novelist Jonathan Coe and indie-pop innovators The High Llamas. Set on a brutalist 1960s housing estate, the story touches upon themes of community, adolescent love, growing old and above all, the inexorable rise of consumerism. The High Llamas will play live on stage, providing a continuous soundtrack as the story unfolds. Combining Brian Wilson-inspired pop symphonics, Tropicalia, German electronica and Italian soundtrack music, they are responsible for a series of acclaimed albums from their debut ‘Gideon Gaye’ through to the now-classic ‘Hawaii’, ‘Snowbug’ and most recently ‘Can Cladders’. Led by Sean O’Hagan, he is one of the most significant Irish musicians to emerge from the post-punk period and has since gone on to develop a major career with The High Llamas (with Marcus Holdaway, Jon Fell, Rob Allum, Dominic Murcott, Pete Aves) and has collaborated with some of the leading artists spanning the progressive music scene.


Elsewhere, the very best in film, theatre, comedy, literature, poetry, dance, art and cabaret will be pitching up at the fourth edition of Latitude Festival. Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will be headlining the Obelisk Arena plus Doves, Editors, Magazine, Gossip, Pretenders, Spiritualized, Ladyhawke, Little Boots and Bat For Lashes are also confirmed to play the music stages. Top theatre productions presented by The Bush, Royal Shakespeare Company, nabokov, and National Theatre to name but a few will be running all weekend in the Theatre Arena. The stunning Waterfront Stage will host fantastic dance performances from Sadler’s Wells and Royal Opera House as well as the dynamic orchestral brilliance that is Britten Sinfonia and The Irrepressibles. The Literary Arena plays host to some incredible authors including Mark Steel, Tibor Fischer, Afternoon Tea with Stuart Maconie with special guests and of course Robin Ince’s Book Club; and the Poetry Arena will house yet more breathtaking performances from some of the top poets around: Jackie Kay, Simon Armitage, Andrew Motion, Luke Wright and Jeffrey Lewis. Jeffery Lewis is also in the Film & Music Arena along with Mark Lamarr’s God’s Jukebox and LateNightTales who will be presenting some fabulous live performances from an eclectic set of bands. The Cabaret Arena welcomes Zimbani, Deborah Frances-White, Holly Walsh & Sophie Black, Jessica Delfino, Cardinal Burns and Watson and Oliver plus plenty more exciting performances to announce. Latitude Festival is the perfect cultural slice of heaven by the sea.

TICKET INFORMATION

Weekend tickets £150 plus booking fees • Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £60 plus booking fee.
Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping • Days include car parking only.

Credit Card line: 0871 231 0821
Online at: • www.festivalrepublic.com • www.seetickets.com •
• www.latitudefestival.co.uk •

For a full list of national and regional outlets please visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk

For further Press info contact: 020-7792-9400
Charlie Caplowe: charlie@presscounsel.com
Dani Cotter: dani@presscounsel.com
Anthea Thomas: anthea@presscounsel.com
Dan Griffiths: griff@presscounsel.com