Florence & The Machine @ Latitude Festival 2010 photo: ryanmasonimaging.com

The Latitude Festival is much more than a music festival with a broad range of arenas, stages and tents offering theatre, poetry, film, dance, literature and music.  But for this review I will concentrate on my Latitude Festival 2010 music highlights.

As with previous years, many festival goers and keen campers began to arrive on the Thursday, but more so this year, possibly caused by the late additions of Nigel Kennedy and Tom Jones opening the Latitude Festival with Thursday performances.  Unable to attend I can only go on what I heard.  The festival was noticeably busy and Nigel Kennedy’s set on the Lake Stage was well received whereas many were disappointed as they couldn’t get near the small Sunrise Stage, set in the middle of the woods for Tom Jones’ midnight performance; and furthermore were bemused when the set introduced songs from his new album and did not include any of his classic hits.

With seventeen stages, tents, arenas and other impromptu performances over four days it was always going to be difficult to timetable seeing everything we wanted to, even for two reviewers; and some attractions were so popular, such as the Inbetweeners press conference and screening of Four Lions followed by a Q&A with writer, director and comic genius Chris Morris that we couldn’t even get into the Film & Music Arena to review!

Of the music stages I mainly frequented just three: the Obelisk or Main Arena, the Word Arena and deep in the woods, the Sunrise Arena.

The Obelisk Stage is big and open and on Friday night was headlined by Florence & the Machine.  It was their first major festival headliner and Florence’s performance, voice and stage presence was very warmly received.  At the same time The National headlined the Word Arena.  Set under canvas, in a more confined space the music was darker, deeper and altogether more compelling.  The audience was clearly divided between pop mistress and the broody baritone vocals of Matt Berninger and the post-gothic but surprisingly upbeat sound of The National.  For me, The National won the day with a great set including songs from their new album, High Violet.

One of the highlights of the whole festival was witnessing The National perform of their current single, Bloodbuzz Ohio.  More than merely watching or listening, this was all about ‘being there’. The sound, performance and atmosphere were perfect.

Before Florence & the Machine, Empire of the Sun gave a larger than life performance on the main stage complete with dance routines and various costume changes. While the Sunrise Arena hosted a lively performance from the wonderful Tokyo Police Club who were well received by a large crowd, many of which were familiar with songs from their 2008 debut Elephant Shell and the new album, Champ. They finished the set with a seismic version of Your English Is Good.  At times Tokyo Police Club remind me of Luna, The Pixies and The Strokes.  And yes, they are that good!

On Saturday the main stage played host to the return of Belle & Sebastian, though The Word Arena won the battle of the stages with performances from Noah & The Whale, The Horrors and The XX.  I was looking forward to seeing The Horrors after missing a low key show in June.  But I have to say the sound let them down; an engineer who had too much bass vibration and not enough vocal or noisy guitar in the mix.  That said The Horrors still put in a good performance.

The problem with the full-on bass was accentuated with The XX.  One of my sons decided not to stay for The XX.  He explained afterwards that he had left early because the bass was so loud it was stopping him from breathing!

The Word Arena was too small for The XX and the crowd was heaving and not helped by a constant stream of drunken teenagers constantly pushing through and treading on my toes.  As far as I saw, The XX played to the largest crowd in the Word Arena, while the biggest crowd for the main stage goes to Mumford & Sons for their massive performance on Sunday afternoon.

The Gentleman’s Dub Club played a late midnight set on the Sunrise Stage in the woods with a great energetic dub reggae set with some good time ska pick-me-ups.  It drew a large crowd of all ages. Teenagers’ pogoing to the up-tempo ska beats while middle-aged men reminded themselves of the skinhead moonstomp, from back in the day.  A great performance, coupled with a perfect sound.  Pockets of strange smelling cigarettes kept people smiling and dancing well into the wee small hours.  Loving dub reggae as I do, Gentleman’s Dub Club was a real highlight for me and a band I must go and see again, soon.

By Sunday I was becoming weary and needed something light and easy listening.  For that, Midlake performing their 1970s flavoured laid back country rock was a perfect anecdote; and was a pleasant surprise as this was an introduction to their music.  But before them were Mumford & Sons followed by Dirty Projectors.

I can only assume Mumford & Sons were booked to play Sunday afternoon way before their success blossomed.  I knew they would attract a crowd but the main arena was solid. They played songs from their Sigh No More album and the crowd jigged and sang along.  Their contemporary brand of English folk music was appreciated as much as the cider and was loved by pretty much everyone present.

Always looking like drawing the short straw, The Big Pink played the Word Arena while all but a handful of people crammed in to watch Mumford & Sons.  They were plagued by sound and technical problems and though they were making an impressive noise, the songs appeared lifeless and empty of quality.  Something was missing, and it wasn’t just an audience!

Following the folk and cider sing-a-long of the Mumford & Sons set was never going to be easy, but could not have been more of a polar opposite than the challenging anti-pop music of Dirty Projectors.  I have to be honest the album didn’t do much for me at all on first listen and so was not given a second; and I was only here as I was at a loose end and a friend was keen to see if they could pull it off live.  And they did.  The crowd may have dwindled to about a third of Mumford & Sons but that was to be expected.  They gave a stunning performance, considering.

Dirty Projectors are an experimental rock band from based in New York and led by Dave Longstreth. The music is best described as Captain Beefheart in its complexity and multi-faceted cacophony of simultaneous rhythms.  While the guitarist and main singer Dave Longstreth showed nervous twitching mannerisms of Tom Verlaine and the deranged stares of a young David Byrne, vocals also come from the three female voices of Amber Coffman (vocals, guitar), Angel Deradoorian (vocals, keyboard, samples, guitar, bass) and Haley Dekle (vocals).  The Dirty Projectors line-up is completed by bass and drums. Looking back on the weekend this performance, along with Midlake was two of the best for me as I had no expectations.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart didn’t disappoint.  I love this band.  Four young kids from New York who admit to have listened to jangly 1980’s British indie pop until they were able to perfect the sound of the debut My Bloody Valentine album.  Their set at the Sunrise Arena was another lesson in perfect pop. Three minute bubblegum pop led by thrashing buzzsaw guitars, manic drumming and sugar-coated twee vocals with boy- girl harmonies.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart mixed a couple of new tracks in with songs from their much-acclaimed self-titled debut album which appeared in many end of year ‘best albums of 2009’ lists.

They were my music highlights from the fifth Latitude Festival. I don’t have much to say about the other main stage headline acts Belle & Sebastian or Vampire Weekend.  I’ll leave that for someone else.

On reflection the festival was as good as ever if not at times too busy and soured by the constant stream of pissed teenagers that appear to have come with mummy and daddy, only to be left to wander round the music stages treading on toes and pushing through attentive crowds while their parents were probably in the literary or poetry tents sipping wine.  It was also shocking to hear while driving away from the festival that the police were investigating two charges of rape on 17 and 19 year old girls, felt not to be connected.

Each year Latitude is a success it becomes more popular.  But personally I believe the festival organisers, Festival Republic, should consider what will be lost if the best small festival in the UK outgrows that category.

This week sees the release of the latest album from Matisyahu,  Light,his first full length for three years.  Featuring the excellent single One Day, already a wonderful reggae anthem, the album takes the listener on a journey through a variety of musical genres  from reggae to dancehall, ska-inflected new wave, pop rock and acoustic folk.

While One Day is a stand out radio sensitive track, it also fits nicely into this powerful collection of songs. A deep and meaningful songwriter, Matisyahu is also a master of writing catchy melodies and infectious beats selling his heavier messages in lighter very acceptable bite size pieces.

The album content is about as diverse as it is possible to get from ballad to ballsy rock, R&B, pop and everything in between including of course some top reggae and ska-inflected tracks.

R&B star Akon is featured on the bonus remixed version of One Day, the final track on what is a remarkable album of strong songs, intricately produced with a message of peace, hope & understanding in a style that could only be Matisyahu.

Matisyahu – One Day

Dour Festival 2010

Dour Festival in southern Belgium has released its full line-up! This excellent festival for fans of alternative music in whatever genre you can think of has 200 bands over 4 days on 6 stages and music from 12am to 5am.

Recently awarded the prize for the best medium-sized European festival, the line-up this year really reflects its stock as one of the leading European festivals.

Band to particularly look out for include Faith No More’s reformation, De La Soul & Rhythm Roots All Stars, Simian Mobile Disco, Gwar, A-Track, Calvin Harris, The Maccabees, The Futureheads, Dave Clarke, Benga feat. Sgt Pokes, Skream, Archie Bronson Outift, Spoon, The Raveonettes, Devendra Banhart, Paul Kalkbrenner, Atari Teenage Riot Gui Boratto, Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Etienne de Crécy (Beats’n’Cubes), Brother Ali feat. Bk 1, Mayer Hawthorne, Third Wold, Mr. Vegas, DevilDriver, Shining, Fucked Up, The Very Best, Dum Dum Girls… the list goes on and on, so have a look here for more info.

Travel to Dour is easy either with Big Green Coach from London, to nearby airports or by Eurostar to Brussels or Lille, and for the price of the ticket (€93 + €17 camping) for 4 days of live music, even with travel it’s a bargain compared to UK festivals.

For those who don’t know the festival, Dour is in the French speaking part of Belgium. It is a very European, broad and open-minded festival that welcomes not only different nationalities, but a broad palette of different musical styles.  It has a capacity of roughly 40,000 people a day so is very humane in its size when spread over the six stages.

Here is the Dour Festival site.

Here is the Dour Festival Facebook group.

Here is the Dour Festival Twitter feed.

Follow me on Twitter.

Dreadzone Live at at The Forum, Tunbridge Wells

Dreadzone Live at at The Forum, Tunbridge Wells on Thursday 20th May 2010.

Converted public toilet, The Forum in Tunbridge Wells, is a unique and extremely intimate venue to experience the eclectic dub, reggae, techno fusion sound of Dreadzone.  From the minute they arrived on stage the band were undoubtedly enjoying the gig as much as their fans, which makes a huge difference to the atmosphere when watching a live performance. The unmistakable vocal talent of MC Spee and his charismatic stage presence further captivating the audience.

As this latest tour is to promote their new studio album EYE ON THE HORIZON, which was released on 26th April 2010, their set included several of their new songs all of which were very well received by the audience.   ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’, ‘Changes’, ‘Gangster’, ‘American Dread’, ‘For A Reason’ and the slightly more rock influenced and aptly titled ‘Beyond A Rock’.

The audience appreciation for the new single ‘Gangster’ was encouraged by MC Spee who was waving his crutch (not crotch) in the air like some crazy conductor.

Old favourites ‘Lion Shirt’ and their closing track, the iconic top 20 hit ‘Little Britain’, from the 1995 Album Second Light… whipped  the adoring crowd into a hot and sweaty dance frenzy and only left us wanting more.

And more we got, the encore song was a rendition of ‘Captain Dread’ which had MC Spee goading the crowd into Ahoying their hearts out and ensured we all left on a high.

The new Dreadzone studio album EYE ON THE HORIZON is OUT NOW through Dubwiser Records. Founder member Greg Roberts and bassmaster Leo Williams, the unique MC Spee,  Studio One vocalist Earl 16 alongside Chris Compton on guitar and Chris Oldfield on technology make up the current team of Dreadz.

Dreadzone played their first live date at Folkestone’s Quarterhouse; a venue I had not visited before now.  But what a great little venue it was.  With a capacity of 500 people it was no surprise Dreadzone was a sell-out.

Dreadzone were formed in 1993 and their new album, Eye on the Horizon, is their sixth studio album.  It’s fair to say their commercial popularity waned after peaking in 1996 with their only UK Top 20 hit single, Little Britain.  But live they still command a fanatic fan base and tonight the crowd were a mix of generations ranging from original ravers to teenage students; all were friendly and ready to have a good time.

In true rock n roll tradition, the band left the audience waiting after a stirring DJ set of dub-heavy underground dance tracks.  But when the four musicians took to the stage, it was well worth the wait.  The sound was good and the music was very tight – drums, samplers, guitar and bass.

I couldn’t help noticing how Greg Roberts (drums) was not using a click track.  Which, considering the amount of samples that were being used, was very impressive indeed. Add to this two vocalists, and the Dreadzone faithful were mad for it.

The music doesn’t quite fit into any one style but is best described as a mix of dub, dance, reggae, with a hint of trance and a sniff of folk.

The set list included tracks from the forthcoming album, Eye on the Horizon and a selection of live favourites from their previous 17 years, culminating of course with a great rendition of Little Britain. And tonight in Folkestone, the screeching seagull introduction seemed more apt than ever before.

If I’m being honest, I like the older tracks much more than the new material.  Those old rave dub tracks still cut the mustard!

Dreadzone may have fallen far away from the commercial radar.  But tonight showed they have a solid and loyal live following; and that quite simply is because, live they rock!

fighting fiction

Fighting Fiction release their debut EP A Lesser Of Two Evils on November 16th through Dead Planet Records, a collection of songs written in anger and sung with passion.

Described as a powerful collision of indie rock guitar riffs, reggae tinged punk and socially aware lyrics the EP will doubtless draw comparisons with London Calling era Clash with the lyrical wordplay and vocal delivery of Billy Bragg.

Borne of a mutual passion for live music and energetic performance, Fighting Fiction formed in late 2007 in Bristol when the four lads met at University. Drummer, Rob Ballingall explains why the group clicked. ‘Going to gigs together when we were getting to know each other just got us talking about what we enjoy about music…  a massive part of it is crowd participation, we love hand-claps and sing-a-longs, call and response… It’s just a rush to get the audience involved’.

The band have completed a 30+ date tour across the UK this summer, supporting the likes of This Town Needs Guns, Laura Marling, The Automatic and securing slots at both the Isle of Wight and Isle of Man TT festivals.

The debut EP ‘A Lesser Of Two Evils’ is released on the 16th November 2009, available on iTunes and Limited Edition CD.

Fighting Fiction can be seen at the following venues:

October
29th London Kings Cross Cross Kings £5
31st Cheltenham The Walk the line festival £9.50/£14.50
November
09th Plymouth The skiving Scholar £5
11th Glastonbury The Riflemans Arms Free
14th Gloucester   Wired Showcase Guildhall   £6.50
16th Bath Weir Lounge Free Entry EP launch Party
18th London Shoreditch Bar Music Hall Free
27th Swansea Milkwoodjam £4

For more information check the Fighting Fiction mySpace page.

Sonic Boom Six to play The Camden Rocks Festival

Sonic Boom Six will be opening the Main Stage at this year’s Reading Festival.

The band are also performing at this weekend’s Camden Rocks festival alongside a whole host of acts at four Camden venues (The Underworld, The Barfly, The Monarch and Prince Of Wales) including Carl Barat, Pete Doherty, Ginger, Nine Black Alps and Subkicks.

The Camden Rocks Festival will be raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Sonic Boom Six have just completed a successful City Of Thieves album tour when they were joined on stage last Sunday by Itch from The King Blues.  Their genre-fusing music covers punk rock, pop, hip hop and reggae.

Listen to the new Sonic Boom Six single, The Concrete We’re Trapped Within, due to be released on 6th July and see if it reminds you of The Rezillos.

Sonic Boom Six – Saturday June 6th – Underworld – 3pm (for 30 minutes)

Franz Ferdinand to release dub album

Franz Ferdinand have announced details of the release of Blood, a dub version of their recent album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand which was released in January of this year.

Blood will be available for general release on 1st June 2009 through Domino Records.  Blood was mixed by Dan Carey, the producer of Tonight: Franz Ferdinand.

The album will be available (on 1st June) on CD, vinyl and digital formats.

Dan Carey’s CV includes an ‘apprenticeship’ with legendary south London dub specialist The Mad Professor, owner of Ariwa Sounds, one of the UK’s premier reggae labels.

Blood was originally featured as part of the box set & double disc versions of Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, though the new version will include the additional song, Be Afraid, a version of Dream Again.

Franz Ferdinand are currently on tour in the US and head to Japan before returning to the UK in the summer for a number of festivals including T in the Park & Glastonbury.

Franz Ferdinand are: Alex Kapranos (vocals/guitar/keys), Nick McCarthy (vocals, keys, guitar), Paul Thomson (drums/guitar) and Bob Hardy (bass).

Band rehearsals have been going on for some months now, with the band previously saying that they were prepared to perform again if they felt they had something to offer.

“Seven 50-year-old men together in a room is not very pleasant, no matter who you are. But we’re getting on great and that’s all you can hope for, really.” said lead singer Terry Hall.

He added that The Specials will only play small UK venues, as arena’s and sit down theatre’s “would be weird. I think we should carry on where we left off.”

Here’s a clip from 1979, The Specials – A Message To You Rudy