My Latitude 2012 - Friday

Despite Latitude Festival being many weeks gone now, I thought I'd recap my Latitude experience of the bands that I saw (and some I wanted to see but didn't quite manage to). The post would be too long if I listed all 3 days worth so I'm going to write up each day individually. Here goes... (links to youtube videos are in blue)

Friday 

This was my 3rd Latitude festival and I think probably the first year I was mature enough to fully appreciate it. I got there on the Thursday morning without trouble, the tent was pitched, the cider was ready and I had my list of bands I wanted to see. These are the bands I saw on the 1st day:

The first band of the festival that I saw was a Scandinavian punk-rock band called 'Ice Age'. There had been a lot of hype about the band and their 'onstage energy', and someone even telling me they had been compared to Joy Division, an interesting prospect. As it turns out I had a right to be sceptical, as for me, and for a lot of people there it didn't live up to the hype. There was some energy onstage but no more than you'd expect from a punk band. The music itself was heavier than I would listen to out of choice but I stuck around for the full set non the less. But, for me it just sounded like noise, loud, critically acclaimed noise. However one thing in the program about them which amused me, was the anecdote that their debut album was 24 minutes long in 12 tracks.

Ice Age - Total Drench

'The Silver Seas' were a band that I just happened to stumble across on my wanderings around the main arena. The atmosphere inside the tent of the Word arena was very welcoming and the band themselves gave a nice set of listenable songs that the whole tent seemed to enjoy, and as it was not very full, there was plenty of space to get in. The band for me were the definition of easy listening but at the side of many of the other bands I saw, not gripping or compelling enough to inspire me to go home and download/buy an album.

The Silver Seas - Dream Of Love

This is one of my dad's favourite bands and out of a sense of duty I went along to watch the set with him. I've never had much time for Destroyer even with numerous tries and I've always found listening to it a challenge, one that I haven't yet thrown myself into, so I was a bit approaches going into it. The songs didn't grab me, no fault of the band, but it just wasn't my thing. However I could clearly see that they were a SERIOUSLY good band and had a very good following of dedicated fans. Sadly I left early to go and see another band but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. I gained a lot of respect for the band later after learning that they were in the crowd to see both Kurt Vile and Dexys, nice to see even musicians of their level still goes to watch bands with us 'mere mortals'.

Destroyer - Leave Me Alone (New Order cover)

Before Latitude I had only given The Antlers a brief listen, in hindsight I should have payed so much more attention. Their set at latitude was one of the best live experiences I've ever had, the sound was massive, expansive reverbed guitars, floating and captivating vocals, deep bass tones and an overall effect that left me speechless. After the festival I went home and bought 2 albums immediately and found that their live sound was so different to that on the albums, in my opinion better live but still very, very good on the albums. This was one of the highlights of my weekend and provided a lot of musical inspiration for the band.

The Antlers - Putting The Dog To Sleep

I'd been told about Punch Brothers by a mate before I came down to Latitude and they seemed an interesting one to watch, by no means your conventional folk band or even your 'indie trash folk' such as Noah and the Whale, they did some far more avant-garde stuff such as a brilliant and inspired acoustic version of Kid A by Radiohead. I was amazed by the electronic and incredibly unconventional and un-acoustic sounds they got out of their instruments. They also did some very good feel-good folk songs, akin to 'Bellowhead' at times.

Punch Brothers - Kid A (Radiohead cover)

I watched Glen Hansard with my tea that day, before I went of in search of bands I'd made plans to watch, and only really chose to stay and watch because of  the convenient chairs nearby. I was initially a bit hesitant as at first he seemed like a typical dreamy-eyed, dreamy-voiced Irishman who was a bit like Ed Sheeran. Thankfully he had much more to him than that and gave a very compelling performance, single-handedly knackering his guitar and his hand in his cover of 'Astral Weeks' by Van Morrison. I particularly enjoyed his more rocky, band-orientated songs, such as those he played when he was part a big Irish folk-rock band 'The Frames' and another band 'The Swell Season'

The Swell Season - High Horses

When I initially heard Metronomy I thought they were a bit dull, more like better than average elevator/lift music than a good indie band. However after a bit of persistence I started to enjoy parts of their album 'The English Riviera". They had were only behind Bon Iver on the bill for the main stage so I had high hopes. I think what happened next was the most disappointing performance I'd ever seen. Firstly they started off with a slightly bad-taste "Its nice to play to a crowd who can understand you", but for me worst of all was that they turned up pissed, not just pissed but absolutely mashed and gave an awful performance. And this pissed me off, as someone in a band I'd like to think I'd give my audience the common decency to give a half decent show and not turn up off my tits, yes I know it's a very 'rock 'n roll' thing to do, but let's face it, they're not a rock band, they're a little indie band from Torquay that sound like their music should be on 'The Sims'.

Metronomy - The Look

Bon Iver: Probably THE reason I was exited to come to Latitude this year, and as it was their only UK festival date this year, it was likely to be very very special. I'd always thought they seemed an odd headliner for the main stage, possibly more suited to the Word arena tent, but any doubts I had went immediately. The crowd were brilliant, nearly everyone knew all the words and sang along, even glares to stop singing and embarrassing myself and him didn't stop me. The sound was beautiful, the songs were so expansive and epic it was hard not to be moved. Even songs from his more lo-fi debut album had been given a reworking into (in my opinion) even better songs. That had a great contrast to when Justin came to the front with his guitar and sang 'Skinny Love' and 'Flume' to an ecstatic crowd. I think this will be one of the gig experiences that I'll always look back on with a lot of fond memories as by the rate their ascension is going at the moment, they'll be too big for me to see again.

Bon Iver - Blindsided

Bands that I missed

White Lies: I was so annoyed to find out probably my two favourite the bands of the festival were on the same billing, but in the end I wasn't going to turn down the chance to see Bon Iver.
White Lies - Holy Ghost

Alt-J: Luca showed me some Alt-J a couple of days ago and I remember seeing them on the program for Latitude. Sadly I was somewhere else, I can't remember where but I'm sure it was something important....
Alt-J - Tessellate

So that was my Friday, a brilliant start to the weekend and it only got better...

Mason.

The National - An appreciation

Welcome to our new blog, 'Villainous Folk'. Just to kick things off here's an appreciation of 'The National' that I did a while back:

The National - An appreciation

They’ve only recently become big in the UK but in the US they are massive, even backing Barack Obama on his presidential campaigns. I only really discovered them this year when I saw them live on the main stage at Latitude festival over the summer. 5 albums, each a different beast entirely, from folky beginnings of their debut, to the grand sweeping magnificence of their latest, each is something to be enjoyed.

It took me a while to get their sobered up indie rock but I really just haven’t stopped listening to them since then and I think they must be my favourite band at the moment. What really struck me with their songs is how they get so much atmosphere and purpose with the songs without the use of any real catchy riffs or instrumental brilliance, not to say that the musicianship is bad, in fact it is so delicate and intricate it often goes unnoticed.

But for me the thing i most love about them is the vocals and the lyrics. The vocals and especially the vocal melody give the structure and drive behind many of the songs and the voice is just amazing, the deep baritone Matt Berninger gives the songs their slightly darker side that sometimes comes right out with full-on rage fuelled verses. The lyrics are something I really admire about the band, they constantly churn out deep, sophisticated lyrics album after album and they never become cliched or tiresome.

However the album of theirs I want to share is their latest album, High Violet. This for me showcases The National as a band and gives the best example of what they do as well as every song on the album being brilliant in its own right. The vocal melodies in this album are brilliant and makes up for any missing riffs guitar-band lovers might want. Bloodbuzz Ohio gives the album a very strong single and leading song and the rest of the album builds around it and for really only the first time in my life I’ve found an album without one song being out of place.

These are a few songs of the National that I think showcase the band and High Violet:

• The National - Brainy. This song for me shows why I love The National so much, the drums, the voice, the guitars, the intricate musical accompaniments swirling in the background, perfection.

• The National - About Today. This song I only discovered recently on The National's 'Cherry Tree EP' and I'm so glad I did. Its simplicity and short brutal lyrics really struck a chord with me at the time, something this band seems to do all too often!

• The National - Available. One of the only national songs with a strong riff in it, the angry vocals at the end feel really genuine and cutting.

• The National - Cardinal Song. The lyrics are beautiful and so profound and make anything I write seem like cliched garbage. “Never tell the one you love that you do, save it for the deathbed when you know you kept her wanting you.”

• The National - Fake Empire. A beautifully constructed song and so grand and classy.

• The National - Mr November A rock song, the chorus beautiful, angry and heartfelt. "I won't fuck us over! I'm Mr November! I'm Mr November! I won't fuck us over!"

Songs from 'High Violet':

 

• The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio. For me is a culmination of everything the National have achieved and stand for.

• The National - Afraid of Everyone. This is probably my favourite song by The National, the lyrics are beautifully constructed, the rip of the guitar through the song is really felt and emotion just pours out of this song in bucketloads.

• The National and Bon Iver - Vandelyle Crybaby Geeks. The beautiful closing track of the album, full of sweeping brass, heartfelt lyrics and here joined onstage by the haunting voice of Justin Vernon from Bon Iver.

• Mumford and Sons - England. One of my other favourite bands Mumford and Sons have done a cover of a brilliant song off the album, England. Here’s the original as well. The National - England.

Anyway that’s why I love the National, I urge you to give them a listen and if you ever get the chance go and see them live as it was what really got me into music because of the way they made me feel and I wanted to do the same for other people.

By Mason Boycott-Owen