Latitude Festival

Latitude Festival Fan Review #2

Here’s another fan review of doves Latituide Festival set. This time sent to us by Paul, who won our recent competition for Latitude tickets.

It was the competition for me: answer the question, ‘who was the stunt cyclist featured on the Winter Hill video’ to find a free way to the Latitude Festival. I answered correctly (Danny MacAskill, in case you’re wondering) and promptly sped the short distance up the A12 to Henham Park.

The first thing that strikes you about Latitude is its clientele. There are no Hackett-clad, shaven-headed Neanderthals dragging their knuckles through the mud here. No, this is a family-friendly festival that welcomes Barbour-wearing, Range Rover types with curly-haired children called Fifi and Trixibell.

Negotiating my way past several pastel-hued sheep, performing androids and the ‘Lake Stage’ (a postage stamp pontoon in the middle of a pond, if you will), I spotted former barrister and TV presenter Clive Anderson lolling at a picnic table. You won’t see that at the V Festival, I thought.

The comedy arena is something else you won’t see at V either (unless you catch Oasis in August); but with over five hours to kill before Doves’ performance, I made a beeline for Latitude’s very own titter tent and sprawled under its canvas.

I spent the next two hours in varying positions of discomfort. Firstly, wetting myself at the toilet humour of Carl Donnelly; then squirming at the awkwardness of US comedian Janeane Garofalo (who could neither compete with English humour, nor the noise coming from the Obelisk Arena); before doubling up at the manic depiction of Ed Byrne’s marriage proposal.

Feeling suitably invigorated, I ricocheted between the bar and Obelisk Arena in readiness for Doves’ set. First, though, I had to spend the next 60 minutes standing my ground whilst being brutally attacked by gormless teenage crowd-surfers. Yes, I steadfastly endured White Lies’ pubescent mosh/ball pit.

Thankfully, order was restored at 8pm. Doves and Martin Rebelski rode to the rescue as ‘Jetstream’ echoed across Henham Park. Finally, all was good with Latitude again.

They galloped through ‘Snowden’, ‘Winter Hill’ and ‘Pounding’, stopping only for Jimi to comment on the plethora of wigs and “lovely vibes” that Latitude exuded. He was right. Even the young girl next to me (let’s call her Saffron; a toddler from the White Lies club) was bedecked in pheasant feathers that jabbed me in my left nostril every few minutes.

Around ‘10:03′, things changed. It’s clear the boys enjoy playing this belter of a song; and as a Doves aficionado, I’m prone to a bit of freaking out myself. But poor ‘ickle’ Saffron couldn’t handle the intensity of it all and desperately sought some protection from an obliging security guard. I could only assume it was because of my incessant whooping and not Andy Williams’ rumbling beat.

Luckily for me, help was at hand in the form of a mature, sensibly-dressed female who suddenly appeared out of the blue to ruffle Saffron’s feathers. She proceeded to pogo her way through ‘Kingdom of Rust’, ‘Black and White Town’ and ‘The Outsiders’, using Saffron’s shoulder as leverage. That’s more like it, I thought; a kindred spirit.

I was very happy now, despite ‘The Cedar Room’ almost reducing me to tears (I half-blubbed as I lovingly mouthed “you could be sitting next to me and I wouldn’t know it” in the sensibly-dressed lady’s ear). Mercifully, she understood precisely where I was coming from and didn’t request any protection. She just looked at me in an ‘ah bless’ kind-of-way.

And that was it. During ‘There Goes the Fear’ we occasionally glanced across with a nod and a wink and swayed in rhythm to Jez’s looping chords. Then we launched into pogo-mode at the end. Like you do. Everytime.

So, Latitude? I may not have enjoyed every minute of you (dropping my £4 half-eaten hotdog whilst being bothered by a wasp was a particular low point). But for one hour, it was all good. Thanks to Doves.

Thanks Paul! We hope to have another comp soon for some signed goodies.

Latitude Festival Fan Review #1

Here is a review of doves Latituide Festival set, as sent to us by Si.

For those that don’t know it, Latitude has a very different feel to the other UK festivals. Nothing is ever too crowded, but everything draws a great crowd, no-one is ever that wasted, but plenty of ale is sunk, and everyone is polite and happy, even when it rained. It brings to mind an extremely well organised village fete, and I loved it.

It is hard to imagine a more perfect place and time to watch Doves than a summer’s evening in 2009 at the friendly and chilled Latitude festival.
Cheated out of a headline space by Grace Jones, Doves set out to show this welcoming Suffolk crowd how it’s done. As expected, Jetstream is the opener, and with the limited 40 minutes or so for the set, it is based primarily around the newer material from ‘Kingdom of Rust’, with the classics ‘Pounding’ and a predictable, but great closeout from ‘There Goes the Fear’.

Throughout, Jimi seemed charmed by one of the biggest crowds of the weekend, acknowledging with some pride the number of kids in attendance, and gently joking about the proliferation of wigs and the petite wasps flitting around the arena.
This was very much a ‘best of’ set for Doves, which meets the first rule for a festival crowd (remember you have come to their festival, they are rarely there just to see you). Fortunately for Doves, ‘best of’ brings such a quality and range of songs that any absence of hidden gems to satisfy the more informed Doves fans does not weaken the performance.

Doves finish as the sun goes down and leave the stage politely for Grace Jones. She was late, and was eventually cut short by the curphew. Somehow, you know that Doves wouldn’t disrespect the audience like that.
At a festival you always have a choice, and at Latitude the wise chose Doves (oh, and Spiritualized instead of Gracie).

Simon Lay July 2009.

Thanks Si!

Latitude Media Reviews

Here’s a selection of media reviews from doves Saturday appearance at Latitude.

Picture from uncut.co.uk

From the Uncut Latitude blog:

DOVES PLAY EUPHORIC SET AS SUN GOES DOWN AT LATITUDE

Doves, too, are part of this big music idea I’m kicking around. But, conspicuously, there’s a lot of difference between them and White Lies. Although they, too, deploy a similarly epic sweep in their songs, there’s something far more interesting bubbling away under the surface. As they race through “Jetstream”, “Winter Hill”, “Kingdom Of Rust” and “Two Of Us”, I’m struck at how broad and impressionistic their songs are. They don’t particularly subscribe to the notion of traditional songwriting. By which I mean, their songs are defined more by textures, than verse-chorus-verse-chorus-break-chorus. It’s perhaps understandable, considering the House music background of Jimi Goodwin and Andy and Jez Williams; a genre which privileges feeling and momentum over conventional pop constructs or dynamics.

As it goes, Doves deliver a wildly popular set, Jimi himself a particularly avuncular figure, dressed in a long sleeve grey shirt, who has a good line in between song banter. “It’s nice to see so many kids and babies here,” he deadpans. “It makes us feel like a hip and relevant band.”

They finish with a storming “There Goes The Fear”, by far their best song, just as the final shades of colour leach from the skt.

Doves Obelisk Arena slot also drew a huge crowd who were able to bask in the sun as the Manchester band ran through a set that relied heavily on new album ‘Kingdom Of Rust’.

Before playing 2002 single ‘Pounding’, a sunglasses-wearing Jimi Goodwin made reference to the crowd’s fancy dress attire.

“What’s going on with all the wigs man?!” he said, referring to the afro hairpieces that many people were wearing. “I’m just seeing wigs everywhere! You…you, oh no, sorry not you, that’s real!” he continued, adding: “Ok, this next one’s called ‘Pounding’, and we’d like you to pound!”

Goodwin rounded off the band’s well-received set by paying tribute to Latitude. “What a beautiful, beautiful festival – lovely vibes,” he beamed.

Indie survivors Doves are widely tipped to scoop this year’s Mercury Music Prize with their latest album Kingdom of Rust. Occupying the same Saturday sundown slot in the Obelisk Arena as Elbow did last year – who then went on to win the coveted award a couple of months later – maybe some of their luck will rub off on them.

Doves’ solid tunes are well suited to the sunset – the set opened with the epic Jetstream and they didn’t stray too far from the script, delivering lots of jangly guitars and uplifting melodies. Highlights of the show included Winter Hill, the melancholy Black and White Town and There Goes the Fear.

Doves were up next on the main stage. I love Doves. Their songs just sound so strong and solid, like a well-built house. You know exactly what you’re going to get. Dermot O’Leary, standing just a few feet away, seemed to be enjoying it too, when he wasn’t signing balloons for children or posing with drunk, but still very polite, festival-lites. The drum bit at the end of There Goes The Fear was amazing, as always.

Win Tickets To Latitude

The website of U.K. newspaper The Daily Mirror, currently has a competition to win a pair of tickets for this year’s Latitude Festival, worth £150 each. Doves are performing at the festival’s Obelisk Area, on Saturday July 18th.

Mirror.co.uk

Win tickets to the greatest and most varied festival of the summer, which takes place at Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk on July 16th-19th 2009.

Latitude Festival is a brilliant hybrid of music, comedy, literature, poetry, theatre, cabaret, film and dance.

We guarantee that you’ll be able to answer the question, to enter the prize draw. Click here, to enter the competition.

The competition closes at noon BST on June 1st.

Doves To Play Obelisk Arena At Latitude Festival

The Quietus has announced that Doves are to play the Obelisk Arena at this year’s Latitude Festival, taking place in Southwold, Suffolk, between July 16th and 19th.

The Quietus

Doves and Editors have also been announced to appear at the Obelisk Arena where Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will be headlining.

For more information about the Latitude Festival, visit the official site, here.