Two more bands that amazed me...

British Sea Power were, as I have already mentioned and had also been led to believe, simply terrific live. What I did not anticipate is that I would soon feel the same way about two other bands, both of which come with at least some kind of reputation that might possibly have presaged a disappointment.

Foals - live on the Obelisk Stage @ Latitude 2008.

While Foals have been hotly tipped since they first appeared, and never more so than for their live performances on which their reputation is built, it does predispose one to worrisome thoughts. Their set was, however, one of the best I have ever heard and I now understand what all the fuss is about! If this is what "math rock" really means then I'm a convert now...

I have mentioned acts on the Lake Stage (BBC Radio 1 - Huw Stephens - Introducing...) before and I spent a great deal of time there at Latitude 2007. While I did not spend as much time there this year it was, regardless, the venue graced by the last of my "top three" bands!

The Beep Seals live @ Latitude 2008 on 19th July 2008.

The break-down to the final track of the set was just incredible - in both scope and disciplined execution - and without doubt it takes a lot of practice to make such apparent ad lib chaos so perfect...
They did it, with no second thoughts, and it was quite simply AWESOME.

Latitude 2008 - a festival update...

I got my ticket over a month ago, which is why I'm willing to share this! Tickets are still available I believe and this, in my opinion, is just getting better and better.

A band that has been going thirty years is something that I'd usually be ambivalent about seeing at a festival. If there were one exception - and a band that I really regret never having seen live - it would have to be Blondie. That said at Latitude 2007, while the top-link artists were headlining, some of the things that made the most impression on me were acts that I would never have heard live or, in many cases, I had never even heard of until I bought the guidebook on Thursday evening! I may well be better prepared this year but I really don't think that I will be any the less surprised and I can see that the choices between which acts to see will only be more difficult the second time around.