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