Happy Listmas 50-26

Well hi there. Miss us? No? Fair enough. Let’s great straight to the point – here’s the first instalment of our annual Christmas countdown.

50. Trips and Falls – The Inevitable Consequences of Your Stupid Behaviour

Cutting lyrics and shonky guitar pop from Song, by Toad’s American imports.

49. Russian Circles – Memorial

Blistering, intricate riffs from monstrous Chicagoan three piece.

48. RM Hubbert – Breaks and Bone

It might not linger as long in the memory as Thirteen Lost and Found, but this was a fine effort.

47. Sigur Rós – Kveikur

A supremely dark set from Iceland’s greatest ever band.

46. When the Saints Go Machine – Infinity Pool

Snyths aren’t just for dancing to, a static thousand yard stare is just as appropriate according to these dreamy Danes.

45. Daughter – If You Leave

One of the UK’s biggest breakout bands of the year. Hugely melodic but with a dark undercurrent.

44. Suuns – Images du Futur

Eclectic Canadians. Serrated guitars bled into throbbing electro throughout this intriguing record.

43. Yo La Tengo – Fade

Comfortably their best record in years, a real mishmash of styles.

42. Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle

Fast becoming England’s national treasure. Possibly her best album yet.

41. Sweet Baboo – Ships

Super-cute quirk-pop from Wales. This was about a billion times better than that sounds.

40. Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action

It was looking like their best days were behind them, but this was like the paddles off a crashcart for their career. *CLEAR!*

39. Joanna Gruesome – Weird Sister

Pun-tastic fuzz-pop. By no means original but a big bag of fun nonetheless.

38. The Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO

Two-minutes cheery, hook-laden melo….. oh wait. Sorry, we meant barely penetrable, spacey epics. We get easily confused here.

37. Public Service Broadcasting – Inform-Educate-Entertain

Built nicely on the cut-up sounds of their debut EP with more samples and pounding drums on their debut proper.

36. Pictish Trail – Secret Sounds Vol 2

Tours with metal bands and a new label made this an interesting year for Johnny Lynch but this is where his 2013 began. Rather well, too.

35. And So I Watch You From Afar – All Hail Bright Futures

Derry’s post rock experimentalists found their inner sunshine on this lively rollercoaster of an album.

34. PVT – Homosapien

Dark, pulsing techno from down under bore fruition on a record that matched their previous best.

33. Conquering Animal Sound – On Floating Bodies

Where Kammerspiel could sounds a little flimsy in retrospect, this cranked up the bass to floor-shaking levels. A real progression.

32. My Bloody Valentine – m b v

Undoubtedly an ‘event’ release and it will surely be a grower. Not quite into classic territory just yet though.

31. The History of Apple Pie – Out of View

2013 was overflowing with scuzzy guitar pop, but this was a genuine treat, awash with cracking hooks.

30. Dutch Uncles – Out of Touch in the Wild

Manchester’s musical boffins found critical and commercial acclaim, and rightfully so with the fully formed follow-up to Cadenza.

29. Rick Redbeard – No Selfish Heart

Who needs the Phantom Band, eh? Rick Anthony’s name was writ large as one of Scotland’s leading troubadours with this gentle near-classic.

28. Steve Mason – Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time

The Beta Band are now surely long-forgotten. Mason’s legacy now lies as much with his solo material than the divisive Fence pioneers.

27. Swearin’ – Surfin’ Strange

A fine follow-up to last year’s self-titled debut. Commercial success also looms in the slipstream of Waxahatchee – but let’s be clear, Allison Crutchfield doesn’t need her sister’s help to make fine records.

26. Future of the Left – How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident

The abrasive Welsh shit-stirrers surpassed themselves here. Nasties lurked alongside pop nous to create some hissing evil.

Out of Touch in the Wild

Album of the Week: Dutch Uncles – Out of Touch in the Wild

Belying Manchester’s reputation for laddishness and/or big beats, Dutch Uncles might be just about the cutest thing we’ve seen come out of Englandshire in years.

If the city’s legacy has a touchstone for the band it’s probably the fey wordsmithery of the Smiths, but musically, the tropical rhythms and neat arrangements of the likes of Fester exist on another plain entirely.

Near-breakthrough album Cadenza from a few years back was stuffed full of giddy, euphoric guitar pop and they play live with no little flair and an obvious sense of enjoyment; but Out of Touch in the Wild feels like a definite step up.

Where Cadenza would start to feel a little same-y after a while, …Wild mixes things up massively, to the point where you’d struggle to pinpoint both the band’s guitarists at points. Frontman Duncan Wallis’ keyboard have a much greater emphasis thrust upon them and ye olde strings get rolled out here and there – although the bounding synths and snaking guitar line of Godboy makes them more than tolerable and they neatly dodge the ‘violin for the sake of it’ bear trap.

Arguably Memphis Industries label buddies Field Music have proficiently laid down this template to Mercury nominated acclaim – you know, soothing vocals, 360 degree time changes, and a huge mix of instrumentation, made largely for the musical intelligensia. Dutch Uncles inject it with genuine heart and aren’t afraid to nudge the listener towards the dancefloor.

Aye, Flexxin (this album shares Cadenza’s taste for nonsensical, single word song titles) could be a future thinking man’s indie disco classic, if that accolade wasn’t a massive contradiction in terms. Memorable intro, huge sense of mood uplift and chorus that you can just about sing along to, we wouldn’t be ashamed to be spotted awkwardly cutting some rug to this one.

And somewhat belatedly, a word with the band!

How do you think the new record differs from Cadenza and your older material?

We wanted to extend the instrumentation beyond the usual guitars, bass and drums – fully extending the use of mallet instruments and strings that we dabbled with in the previous album. The new record is much more of a studio album, recorded mainly in a concentrated 3 weeks in deepest darkest Wales – whilst Cadenza was a more progressive experience dodging university and various other commitments.

What inspired the new songs and do you feel you’ve picked up fresh influences and ideas as you’ve moved along?

Some were personal influences but many were from collective experiences we shares as a band in between the making of the two records. We always like to try and really blur the lines whilst adding depth but our current single ‘Flexxin’ for example simply came from the whole band seeing Prince at Hop Farm Festival in 2011 – we played the same day, Hopefully the joy is represented in the track, at almost stage of the song we would turn to each and start laughing at its ridiculousness, never imagining to could be a single… but think we got away with it.

Many of the songs for the new record were written in 2011 and at the time we had Japan’s ‘Tin Drum’ on repeat along with Kate Bush which were both fairly new to us at the time. Frank Zappa has never been far from the stereo and inspired an already twitchy mallet hand. Although the new influences have already been quite well publicised, Steve Reich still remains hugely influential when we were considering instrumentation and the general feel of the more ambient moments. We’ve always tried to combine elements of minimal music and pop (previously done by literally using a Reich piece) but this record was a further evolution of this idea for much more references thrown into the mix.

What do you think 2013 holds for you?

Definitely a lot of shows, we’re very eager to start playing again and excited about the new songs with some new instruments we have managed to lay our hands on. We’re keen to keep writing and recording, not necessarily a full album but something that allows us to maybe keep experimenting and evolving a little.

The Best Albums of 2011 – 50-26

Yes, it’s that time of year again – absolute heaven for list writers as we try to assemble our favourite albums of the year into a single, ordered list.

We’ve gone for 50 this time rather than 25, although last year we did name our ‘next 25’ (unordered) as well as a further ten that we’d hoped to have listened to more.

We’ve not done that this time, although we appreciate the futily/ridiculousness of a single man assembling no fewer than 50 pieces of listening pleasure into an order of preference; also the fact that if it had been a different day and different mood, the make-up of this list could have been radically different. But sod it.

Here’s a blast through 50-26 with audiovisual context for all these great albums. The next five days will cover 25-1 with a bit more on why the Tidal Wave of Indifference thinks they’re so good. Here we go….

50. The Douglas Firs – Happy As a Windless Flag

A fine effort from the Edinburgh act, exemplified by key songs I Will Kill Again and The Shadow Line.

49. The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo

Who said Kiwis couldn’t do dreamy indie?

48. Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Perhaps not their best, but their always interesting and epic.

47. Friendly Fires – Pala

A decent fist of following up 2008’s debut. Simple pop songs crammed with hooks.

46. The Antlers – Burst Apart

Again, not in the same league as their amazing debut Hospice, but we’ve a lot of time for Peter Silberman and his squad.

45. Driver Drive Faster – Open House

Polytechnic weren’t great but their key figures regrouped for this lovely slab of indie pop, championed by Marc Riley

44. The Field – Looping State of Mind

Mind-warping German shoegaze techno. Nice.

43. Sparrow and the Workshop – Spitting Daggers

Increased momentum from Jill O’Sullivan and co. Every bit as good as their brace of mini-albums from the past few years.

42. The Kills – Blood Pressures

Their best yet? Unlike Jack White, Alison Mosshart hasn’t let the distraction of the Dead Weather get to her.

41. Bibio – Mind Bokeh

Good stuff this, a freaky eclectic album that defied all genres.

40. Dutch Uncles – Cadenza

A more than reasonable attempt at XTC-aping wonk-pop from a young Manchester troupe.

39. United Fruit – Fault Lines

Scotland does Fugazi/Trail of Dead noise. And does it damn well.

38. The Go! Team – Rolling Blackouts

A return to form after a lengthy absence with help from Bethany Best Coast.

37. Elbow – Build A Rocket Boys

They’ll never recapture the magic of Asleep in the Back but it was a darned sight better than their dreary 2008 Mercury winner.

36. Mazes – A Thousand Heys

Joyous, scuzzy indie pop that does exactly what it says on the tin.

35. And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – The Tao of the Dead

A fresh line-up and fresh ambition from the Texans. Big rock songs and proggy madness. 

34. Wye Oak – Civilian

Built mainly on two songs – Holy Holy and Dog’s Eyes – what songs they were.

33. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes

Former pop ingenue took on Jonsí-esque levels of lunacy and created a stunning record of massive tunes.

32. Come on Gang! – Strike a Match

Already much-missed Edinburgh indie-pop three-piece’s first – and last – album.

31. Trips and Falls – People Have to Be Told

Tongue-in-cheek pop from Song, by Toad’s American imports.

30. Adam Stafford – Build A Harbour Immediately

Very much a slow burner. We were unconvinced after his album launch but repeated listens saw this shoot up in our opinion and we’re now converts to his live show too.

29. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo

Sleepy, stoned stuff from the prolific singer-songwriter.

28. Kate Bush – Fifty Words for Snow

Utterly, utterly baffling. Stephen Fry naming (oh yes) fifty words for snow, a song about shagging a snowman and a rare occasion where an Elton John guest appearance enhances, rather than ruins, a song.

27. The Horrors – Skying

The NME still love them, and this is some rare common ground for ourseleves and the increasingly childish music weekly. Where shoegaze meets garage meets dream pop.

26. Low – C’mon

Probably their best album in three years, this was short, sharp and bloody great.

A Tidal Wave of Dead Air

Part two of my radio show on Freshair took place on Sunday night and despite one or two Gremlins, i.e. a presenter unable to use the software properly, it went rather well.

There was live music from Debutant and tunes from Black International, Warpaint, Battles and loads more. You can listen again below, with some niggles helpfully ironed out in the edit by producer Christian Illingworth.

Back on the air on Saturday (August 27), 8-9pm.

Latitude 2011 – The Complete Review

Suffolk’s Latitude Festival prides itself on diverse music, cultural titbits and quality comedy. This is our second trip down and unlike last year, our review will focus purely on the music – and God knows there was enough of it!

FRIDAY

Opening everything up on a scorching day are Canada’s Braids in the Sunrise Arena who pull a more than decent crowd for a late morning slot, though surely because there’s little else on. Each slice of melodic drone-pop bleeds into the next so chat is minimal, but the band express their delight at how receptive the audience at their last European show have been, so we all leave happy.

With the music now firmly underway, Avi Buffalo have new material to test on us, often a bit of a chore at festivals. So it’s just as well that it’s very much in keeping with the distorted Americana of last year’s fine debut album, with upcoming single How Come a particular highlight. But it’s older choice cuts What’s It In For? and Remember Last Time that get the biggest cheers.

Edwyn Collins‘ comeback album Losing Sleep was stuffed full of guests but sadly there’s no Cribs or Drums onstage with him today. We do get Paul Cook behind the kit though, and Collins’ mini-me son William takes Jonathan Pierce’s vocal part on In My Eyes. Rip It Up and A Girl Like You prompt the first big singalongs of the day and it feels like Latitude has started for real.

Continuing on a Scottish tip – with Isobel Campbell and KT Tunstall gracing the main stage we arguably could have filled our day with nothing but kilted types – are the Phantom Band back in the Sunrise. Set-up issues mean they only have time for five songs but they power through A Glamour, O and more with gusto. “Getting to this stage was like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. And boats” moans Rick Redbeard but it feels like it was worth their while. Special mention to guitarist Duncan Marquiss who toppled head over heels mid-song to huge cheers. And laughter.

A little later in the Word Arena, Deerhunter‘s Bradford Cox is complaining of voice problems and seems more than happy to let guitarist Lockett Pundt take the strain on spiralling opener Desire Lines. Cox’s voice holds though, and the band noisily tear through highlights from Halcyon Digest and a handful of older songs. You suspect that the drawn out jams test the patience of the casual festivaller, but that’s half of what this band are about, and this is a quality set.

Caribou‘s Swim album was just about perfect and the presence of Dan Snaith and co in the Word Arena is a terrific piece of booking. Playing as a tight four piece, the tent is absolutely packed for their hypnotic euphoria. After a difficult start they settle into a groove with the chiming Bowls and push energy levels higher and higher until a stunning Sun brings everything to a close, leaving the crowd exhausted but grinning like idiots. Arguably the band of the weekend.

At the other end of the spectrum are Jonny, Norman Blake and Euros Childs’ little country-esque side project. Both are surely used to playing to bigger crowds than this, but they’re unfazed and cheerily charm the gathered faithful, largely by taking the piss out of themselves. Speaking of *ahem* jonnies, our spies over at the Sunrise Arena tell us that Jenny and Johnny are in fine form, all cute couply rhythms and rhymes, but there’s a warning that they may not be doing many more shows together. Aaaww.

“There’s always one Scots cunt ruining it for everyone” sighs Louis Abbot after a misplaced chant of ‘Here we, here we, here we fucking go’. “A nation’s shame.” There’s a definite partisan element to the Lake Stage crowd for Admiral Fallow, but the impressive numbers present can’t be all be Scots. Both band enthusiasts and casual listeners having their tea couldn’t fail to have been moved by a short, heartfelt performance. Old Balloons stands out but the increasingly anthemic Squealing Pigs gets the biggest cheer. Admiral Fallow’s UK fanbase is clearly growing and things are looking decidedly up.

Dutch Uncles‘ debut album Cadenza may have gotten a mixed reception, but it’s a firm favourite at Tidal Wave towers. Their Lake Stage headline set –  their first – is an absolute beauty with the quirkiness of XTC and the edge of Gang of Four. Their similarly articulate Manchester cousins Everything Everything played this slot last year and haven’t looked back, and we fully expect Dutch Uncles to follow suit. What a pity then, that the inexplicably huge Vaccines are on at the same time and annex a large proportion of their potential crowd. Looks like the multi-coloured woolly jumper suppliers that Latitude is famous for, aren’t the only sheep present today.

There had been a few pre-festival doubts as to the National‘s status as main stage headliners. Incredible though they were in the Word Arena a year ago, and with High Violet continuing to rack up sales, this still felt like it could be a step up too far. And yes, it does take time for them to grow into their set. Recent singles Bloodbuzz Ohio and Afraid of Everyone are thrown away early to a muted reception. But half an hour in, Squalor Victoria provokes a mass singalong and the introduction of Annie Clark adds a little extra class to proceedings (although why St Vincent weren’t booked to play if she’s here is anyone’s guess), and come the end, and in particular, the encore of Mr November and Terrible Love, they’re in stunning form.

With lighters already having been aloft for Fake Empire, they’re back out for Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, reduced to a near-unplugged piece for a few thousand hardy souls. Oh yeah, that’s the thing. While the band may have conquered the stage, the crowd was a little lacking in numbers. Shame.

SATURDAY

Saturday brings an altogether different atmosphere – rain. And lots of it. It starts tipping it down well before the gates open, so when they do, it’s a scramble to find anywhere with shelter. The first ever live Never Mind the Buzzcocks is happening over at the comedy tent, a popular enough draw without the need to stay dry, and hundreds are left outside watching it on the big screen. Getting wet.

After finding ourselves in the Poetry Arena listening to some girl whine about what a b!tch she is (easy solution: stop being a b!tch!) something catches our ears from the Word Arena. Something from our childhood…… unbelievably, a post-psychosis Adam Ant playing Stand and Deliver from 500 yards away sounds amazing and we’re drawn over to squeeze into a packed tent alongside the 40-something Mums and dandily-attired uber-fans for an early highlight. The artist formerly known as Stuart Goddard does everything you’d want him to and we get Goody Two Shoes, Kings of the Wild Frontier and Prince Charming – all without signs of the madness that he’s almost now equally well known for. Although a man who wears his own t-shirt does often look a little foolish.

The rain’s still beating down, so we’re in no rush to leave and it’s Villagers up next. Becoming A Jackal continues to shift units by the bucketload and it’s easy to see why – these are unchallenging but beautiful little songs with charm to spare. The full live band adds plenty of ooomph too.

The skies are starting to clear but it seems no-one has told the Walkmen. The snappily-dressed Americans have brought us their tales of angst and woe to keep spirits low. Angela Surf City and – naturally – The Rat are clear highlights but it’s hard not to wonder, for all Hamilton Leithauser’s razor sharp vocals, whether the band would be half as good without drummer Matt Barrick. The man does much more than just keep time, he’s just about the best thing we’ve ever seen behind a kit. Outrageously good.

That’s not something you could say about British Sea Power‘s last record. In fact you’d struggle to say anything good about it at all, but at least in a live setting songs like Who’s In Control and Georgie Ray manage to hold their own alongside singalong anthems No Lucifer and Waving Flags. It’s good to see the fans in high spirits too, with many bringing in scavenged bits of foliage, harking back to the band’s stage sets of old.

The local forest turned out in force for British Sea Power

With the rain off, it’s time for some outdoor music and the Cribs on the main stage will do just nicely. Ryan Jarman is sporting a bizarre purple wig but at least it beats his usual awful bowl cut. Far removed from their indie schmindie roots, they’re now one of the UK’s finest indie-punk bands. With a circle pit in full flow we’re treated to hit after hit – We Were Aborted, Our Bovine Public and Men’s Needs all feature but if pushed on a highlight, Sonic Youth man Lee Ranaldo’s video screen appearance for his backing vocals on the feedback-strewn Be Safe would have to be up there.

All very much a contrast to My Morning Jacket, whose appearance near the top of the main stage bill, where singalongs rather than drawn-out jams should be the order of the day, came as a huge surprise. The crowd haven’t turned out in huge numbers either, and it takes a while for them to generate any kind of movement among the few that have taken the time to come along. Wordless Chorus and Holding On To Black Metal finally get heads nodding but it’s disappointing overall. Good band, but an odd place to put them.

Ex-Beta Bander Steve Mason was here playing acosutically last year and is now back with a full band headlining the Sunrise Arena. As the sun comes down, his beat-laden dream pop is met with rapturous cheers from a sizeable crowd. Tracks from last year’s terrific Boys Outside dominate but fans of older material aren’t left disappointed either.

The slow build-up for My Morning Jacket, isn’t something you could ever say about Foals who get things moving so quickly that opener Blue Bloods has to be stopped halfway through due to a moshpit collapse. Mud, dancing and blitzed teenagers are always a lethal combination, and to the band’s credit they demand that everyone calms down a bit before restarting the song.

The dancing’s a little more tentative but there are no further problems and the Word Arena well and truly gets its top blown off. We’ve never really understood why Foals have such a young audience demographic – they’re basically Gang of Four channelling Battles and Slint, but if this leads kids to discover those bands then all’s well and good. Their last show on the lengthy Total Life Forever tour, Yannis Philippakis and co are on stunning form. Spanish Sahara is a beautiful moment and urgent closer Two Steps Twice is a blur of activity with Yannis throwing himself all over the shop. It’s not just the bairns that leave happy.

SUNDAY

Thankfully it’s not raining as things get moving on Sunday. The cloud-based party pooper does make intermittent unwelcome appearances through the day, but not to the same extent as the sodden Saturday which has left the site a bit of a sludgy mess. But no matter, we have Latitude’s prestigious Sunday lunchtime guest to look forward to don’t we? Well no, not really. The announcement of Belgian girls choir Scala and Kolacny Brothers was met with a massive shrug all round, and while they’re perfectly pleasant, covers of Radiohead, Coldplay and Peter Gabriel are played far too straight for this to be anything other than wallpaper music. Compared to previous incumbents of the slot, Joanna Newsom and Thom Yorke, this is a massive disappointment.

If PJ Harvey taught maths rather than politics and shopped in Morgan rather than the Barking Mad Banshee Emporium you’d pretty much end up with Anna Calvi. Her debut album has been a huge success, but she seems a little lost on the main stage and has about as much chat as Marcel Marceau. Album highlights Blackout and Desire sound good but the performance is a little workmanlike.

What we’ve been lacking so far this weekend is a little apocalyptic post rock, always a favourite round Tidal Wave Towers, so three cheers for These Are End Times who bring precisely that to the Lake Stage. Adding trumpet, harmonium and melodica to the quiet/LOUD post rock sound is a fresh and interesting take on the genre and there are scattered vocals too. Their short set feels like a complete piece of music with a number of ‘movements’ and is certainly something different, not least for the lunchtime diners caught somewhat unawares by the sporadic blasts of noise.

Over in the Word Arena, the Naked and Famous are an altogether poppier affair. The Kiwi five-piece seem set for big things and the juicier cuts from Passive Me Aggressive You justify the hype and the tent – stuffed again, partly due to the rain – is jumping by the time they hit party favourite Young Blood.

Brazilian legends Os Mutantes, very much on the reunion trail, are a fun addition to the Word line-up and after a few technical hitches, spray out some fun psychedelic pop for a fun-sized audience.

On paper Iron and Wine are the perfect Latitude act – sunny-sounding Americana with flashes of pop nous. The bushily-bearded Sam Beam looks genuinely happy to be here and while an over-use of saxophone and needless jams occasionally rankle, Walking Far From Home and Tree By the River reward the patience of those with a shorter attention span.

Despite the awkward nature of their music, Everything Everything haven’t half gotten popular and a stuffed Word Arena is further evidence that they could be on their way to the very top. Opener Qwerty Finger could strip paint and a year on the road has helped hone them into a formidable live act. Last year’s math pop gem Man Alive seems to have yielded hit after hit but it’s the closing salvo of Schoolin’ and Photoshop Handsome that truly gets the crowd bouncing.

Back to the Lake and grunge revivalists Mazes are running a little late and having a few technical difficulties, which is a damn shame, as when they do get going, they’re great. It’s just a shame that much of their vocals are sacrificed for added distortion, when the two sit together in perfect harmony on record.

Oxford’s Fixers are on next and while their synth-y indie-pop is utterly harmless, they don’t do a great deal for us. The band don’t seem to be enjoying themselves much either, perhaps down to the smallest crowd we’ve seen all weekend. Oh well.

Lykke Li has no such worries and it’s a busy Word Arena that greets her stylish but defiantly odd brand of pop. She’s developed from a softly spoken ingenue into a huge performer and with the aid of an excellent, percussion-driven band puts on a storming show. Wounded Rhymes is stuffed full of future classics and unsurprisingly dominates proceedings but Youth Novels highlights get a look in too. The pounding, filthy Get Some rounds things off and we’re wondering if that Gaga fellow may have something to fear if Lykke Li keeps putting on shows like this.

Alas, that’s where Latitude peaks for us. We’d never been big Suede fans but feel equally ambivalent towards Eels whose Word Arena performance clashes with Brett Anderson’s mob on the main stage. They kick off with The Drowners and blast through Trash, Film Star, Animal Nitrate and numerous other biggies early on and shattered from a full weekend of standing in a field, we don’t feel compelled to hang around. We troop off with So Young drifting across the site, by which point Brett Anderson still hasn’t said a single word to the audience.

Once again, a terrific weekend and the discerning festival goer should still consider Suffolk for their outdoor music needs.

PHOTOGRAPHY A MIXTURE OF LATITUDE’S OFFICIAL PICS AND TIDAL WAVE’S OWN. BET YOU CAN’T TELL WHICH IS WHICH, EH?

Latitude 2011 Preview

The Tidal Wave of Indifference got hit with a lot of perplexed questions when we opted for Suffulk’s Latitude as our festival of choice last year. Why somewhere so far away when Scotland is heaving with plenty of great festivals?

Well the reasons are almost too many to mention but in short, we wanted somewhere sunny, relaxed, where Mrs Tidal Wave and ourselves could BOTH have a holiday while having a diverse range of high quality musical entertainment with numerous other distractions. Since the demise of Connect and the (metaphorical) journey southward of T in the Park, Scotland hasn’t had an event to fit that bill.

Our first Latitude, however, was exactly what we wanted, even if the line-up seemed to have nudged towards the mainstream compared to previous years.

So a return trip was pretty much guaranteed. So what’s the script with this year’s festival? Well, the line-up has taken ANOTHER step towards the mainstream, much to the concern of posters on the festival’s official forum.

It’s a great pity and it looks like its unique reputation is being gradually eroded. That said, there are still plenty of excellent bands playing. As with last year’s preview we’re sticking with the music, but don’t doubt that we’ll be spotted in the comedy, film and cabaret arenas a fair bit too.

So who are our tips? We’ll not talk about the likes of the National, Suede, Eels or Foals as you’ll know about all of them already, but here’s a dozen acts on the undercard that come highly recommended by the Tidal Wave of Indifference.

ADMIRAL FALLOW

Ah yes, first up the Scottish contingent. Mitchell Museum sadly didn’t get much of crowd in a similar slot last year, but Louis Abbot’s girls and boys have an album on national release, have attracted radio airplay, sound tracked American TV shows and supported Frabbits nationally. Latituders, get your butts down to the Lake for these guys. Or else.

Where to see them: The Lake Stage, Friday.

AVI BUFFALO

Country grunge? Yes please! In fact, we can’t think of a better non-genre to add to the Latitude bill. Quality pop twang with added effects pedal battering, we’re looking forward to this one alright…

Where to see them: Obelisk Arena, Friday

CARIBOU

We’re expecting a near religious experience as we’ve never seen Dan Snaith’s brand of woozy, yet euphoric beats live. 6 Music’s coverage of Glastonbury, which has included live versions of Melody Day and Odessa has whetted our appetite in a big, big way. Wild horses, or indeed caribou, couldn’t keep us from this.

Where to see them: Word Arena, Friday.

CROCODILES

Doom-y, shoegaze stuff from Caifornia. Arguably not a band well-suited to blazing hot (fingers crossed) outdoor sets, but both their albums are great and they’re well worth a look.

Where to see them: Sunrise Arena, Friday

DEERHUNTER

Easily our 2010 Album of the Year winners, after a great-but-not-mind-blowing set in Glasgow earlier this year, we’re a little apprehensive about how this’ll go in a large tent. But there’s absolutely no doubt about the quality of the songs.

Where to see them: Word Arena, Friday.

DUTCH UNCLES

Cracking little band this. Don’t know an awful lot about them but they’ve harnessed the spirit of XTC, mixed in a wee dodd of Field Music and produced some fine angular tunes. Yes indeedy!

Where to see them: The Lake Stage, Friday

EDWYN COLLINS

Blah blah blah… Orange Juice… blah blah blah… brain haemorrhage… blah blah blah… amazing recovery… seriously, what can I possibly write about the legendary songwriter that hasn’t already been said? It’s simple, go watch him. And with guests on his recent album, the Cribs on site, what’s the bets on a wee collaboration or two?

Where to see him: Obelisk Arena, Friday

ESBEN AND THE WITCH

Ah yes, more wholly inappropriate festival fare. Not unlike These New Puritans who were excellent in their ironic ‘Sunrise’ slot, this three piece promise to bring the gloom to sunny Suffolk. Their Violet Cries album is excellent, but don’t expect any fist pumping festival anthems here.

Where to see them: Sunrise Arena, Friday

JENNY AND JOHNNY

Jenny Lewis is an absolute musical goddess. End of. Ok, so maybe Rilo Kiley let themselves down on their last album, and her solo stuff has been so-so, but last year’s collaboration with long-time squeeze Johnathan Rice has found her at her absolute best.

Where to see them: Sunrise Arena, Friday

IRON AND WINE

Sam Beam’s latest record Kiss Each Other Clean added a rich texture of new sounds to the Iron and Wine sound, with saxaphone and strings enhancing Beam’s beautiful voice and wondrous storytelling. Quite a catch for the festival, we must say.

Where to see them: Obelisk Arena, Sunday

MAZES

Scuzzy, sunny indie pop should suit Latitude’s tiny outdoor Lake Stage just nicely and that’s exactly what Mazes bring to the table. Their debut album A Thousand Heys was an absolute joy and their punchy riffs and rousing choruses should go down a treat.

Where to see them: The Lake Stage, Sunday

STEVE MASON

Incorrectly described by Festival Republic as a ‘rising Scottish star’, the former Beta Band man played in the film arena last year, showcasing a film about the 1980s miners strike with a few songs played acoustically. That fleeting glimpse left us wanting more. A late addition to the line-up, the organisers have done well here.

Where to see him: Sunrise Arena, Saturday

It’s disturbed us a little bit to look back on the above, just how much good stuff is happening on the Friday compared to the other days. There is quality throughout the bill, but Saturday and Sunday just don’t have the same ‘must see’ factor.

Nonetheless, Latitude again has stacks to offer the discerning music fan, with plenty more to boot. See you there, aye?

————–LATE BREAKING NEWS!!!!!————–

Not long before we were due to the publish, Festival Republic announced the near-completion of the bill including the excellent addition of Scotland’s own Phantom Band who’ll be be playing the Sunrise Arena on……. guess what day? A fine, fine addition to the bill but where they’ve been placed will surely see them clash with Edwyn Collins or Avi Buffalo, possibly even both. Some tough decisions may be needed on the day.