Latitude 17th - 20th July 2008

The Music Arenas

Latitude boasts four Music Arenas; The Obelisk, The Uncut, The Sunrise and The Lake Stage, spanning a wide range of genres hand-picked for the festival; bands and artists are chosen with the essence of Latitude in mind. More established bands play in harmony alongside the freshest new acts.

“The programme of music at last year's festival ranged from the emotionally charged, with the melancholic yet uplifting The National, the rousing Rodrigo Y Gabriela and the most remarkable band of last summer the mighty Arcade Fire, to music press must-sees such as Bat For Lashes, Patrick Wolf and New Young Pony Club, then add to this the blues man Seasick Steve with his worldly tales and two string guitar.
Now in its third edition Latitude has defined its musical personality. It’s music that is interesting and exciting; great bands, brilliant artists and the music that I love. I’m excited with our headliners for this year’s festival and looking forward to announcing further great acts over the forthcoming weeks. Franz Ferdinand will be phenomenal, Interpol will rock and captivate and the beautifully ethereal and epic Sigur Ros will soar.”
Jon Dunn musical curator

The Obelisk Arena :

At this year’s event on the main Obelisk Arena, Latitude is delighted to announce another fantastic music line up that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end!

Franz Ferdinand

Scottish art-rock heroes Franz Ferdinand will bring to Henham Park their catchy sing along hits in one hand and an array of exciting new material in the other. After taking a break to record their much anticipated third album Franz Ferdinand return with a mesmerising live show that you simply cannot miss.

Sigur Ros

The majestic and quite incredible Icelandic Sigur Ros who have stolen hearts all over the world with their eclectic mix of melodic, classical and experimental post-rock. Whether you are familiar with their diverse and extensive back catalogue or if you just happen to recognize a tune from the BBC trailer, a magical evening will be had by all as the sun sets over Henham Park.

Interpol

New York titans Interpol will close the Sunday night with their unique brand of soaring, inventive Indie rock. With three albums worth of stunning material, the kings of cool will have the adrenaline pulsating through your veins and live long in your memory after the night is all over.

British Sea Power

Joining the ever growing list of brilliant bands gracing the Obelisk Arena is British Sea Power. Having recently released their third album ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ to critical acclaim, the Brighton four piece have drawn from many influences in their career being compared to the likes of The Cure, The Pixies and Joy Division. With a distinguished sound that sways between epic guitar pop hooks and visceral, angular alternative rock, the bands 8 year career has produced hits like ‘Carrion’, ‘It Ended on an Oily Stage’ and latest single ‘Waving Flags’. Winners of the Time Out London Live band of the year award in 2004, British Sea Power have a reputation for their elaborate and captivating live show. Their performance will ensure a magical Friday night at Latitude 2008.

Foals

The Obelisk Arena will also be host to one of Britains most exciting new bands – Foals. After bursting onto the scene in 2007 with underground hits like ‘Hummer’ and ‘Mathletics’ it wasn’t long before Foals were in the spotlight with record labels scrambling for their signature and the NME putting them on the cover. More hits in the shape of ‘Balloons’ and ‘Cassius’ followed before they released their eagerly anticipated debut album ‘Antidotes’ in March of this year reaching number 3 in the UK album chart. Their sound has been described as everything from ‘technical math pop’ to ‘indie punk’ but whatever the genre – their catchy songs will have you dancing on the Sunday.

Death Cab for Cutie | Elbow | The Breeders | Amadou and Mariam | M.I.A

Also confirmed to play Latitude are the charming Death Cab for Cutie. The Washington four piece will take to the stage to perform heart-wrenching Indie pop from their back catalogue of gems as well as new material from their hotly anticipated sixth studio album due for release in the summer. They will be joined by the superb Elbow who’s critically acclaimed fourth studio album came out on the 17th of March. Expect sincere, innovative soaring rock music of the highest order from the Mancunians who can name R.E.M and U2 as fans. Alt rockers The Breeders have had a career spanning 20 years and are back with an exhilarating new album due out in April – their first studio work for 6 years. Founding member Kim Deal of Pixies fame has been the bands continual member through various line up changes and Latitude are delighted to have them performing some of their fantastic back catalogue of killer hooks and quirky pop rock. And the remarkable Amadou and Mariam also come to the Sunrise Coast. The duo met in Mali at an Institute for young blind people and found a shared love of music. Producing effortlessly catchy songs that incorporate hints of reggae, Jazz, Blues and rock Amadou and Mariam have been dubbed “Africa’s funkiest band” by the Evening Standard. Mathangi Arulpragasam or M.I.A as she is better known had an amazing 2007 with the release of the critically acclaimed album ‘Kala’ which was named album of the year by Rolling Stone magazine. Fusing grime, hip-hop and electro pop M.I.A is a breath of fresh air and definitely one to look out for!

“The programme of music at last years festival ranged from the emotionally charged, with the melancholic yet uplifting The National, the rousing Rodrigo Y Gabriela and the most remarkable band of last summer the mighty Arcade Fire, to music press must-sees such as Bat For Lashes, Patrick Wolf and New Young Pony Club add to this the blues man Seasick Steve with his worldly tales and two string guitar. Now in its third addition Latitude has defined it’s musical personality. It’s music that is interesting and excites, great bands, brilliant artists and the music that I love. I’m excited with our headliners for this year’s festival and looking forward to announcing further great acts over the forthcoming weeks. Franz Ferdinand will be phenomenal, Interpol will rock and captivate and the beautifully ethereal and epic Sigor Ros will soar."
Jon Dunn musical curator

The Uncut Arena

The tented Uncut Arena will once again host a myriad of musical musts at this year’s festival. Over-looking the stunning festival site from its hillside position the Uncut Arena is the place to stumble across some of the best in eclectic and leftfield bands and artists, discovering entire genres music and witnessing acts that you would never normally see. Latitude's past years have seen perfect performances by Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Tinariwen, Charlotte Hatherley and Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys as well as talent from the fields of folk, world, experimental, electronica, rock, indie and any other musical style you can think of. It's all on offer at the Uncut Arena.

"Tented Arenas of this size are great to work with. When the right band and the right audience come together in a tent the feeling can be heady and euphoric. My ambition when booking bands for the Uncut Arena is enable almost a synergy between the bands and the crowd."
Jon Dunn

Blondie

Legendary New York trailblazers Blondie will be playing on the Sunday night. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of seminal album Parallel Lines - which spawned many of their renowned hits including ‘Heart of Glass’ and ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ - Blondie will cut a cool swathe through the Suffolk countryside. Their set promises to be a veritable romp through their classics as they belt out some of the best new wave hits in musical history such as ‘Atomic’, ‘Rapture’, ‘One Way Or Another’, ‘Maria’ - the list is endless. 600 million album sales to date and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006, Blondie’s legacy is unmistakeable and their slot at Latitude will no doubt be a festival highlight.

The Lake Stage Presents: ‘BBC Introducing’ curated by Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens

In a beautiful lakeside setting sits a stage of discovery and enchantment, characteristics that underpin the whole of Latitude Festival. The Lake Stage, curated by Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens, showcases the freshest and most critical new acts before they begin to bubble in the conscience of the music press. From the poetic ramblings of Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip to the upbeat infectious indie of current favourites Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong and a memorable mid afternoon performance from a little known band named Scouting for Girls who recently went to number one with their debut album; 2007 saw plenty of new talent from all sides of the musical spectrum springboard from the Introducing Stage to great success.

“Latitude, as well as being in an idyllic location with so many different things going on, has a huge emphasis on quality new music. It's to be found on all the stages in different ways, but the Introducing music on the Lake stage is like the first crop of new music, freshly squeezed and a lot of the time playing a festival for the first time. The emphasis is on quality, ideas, freshness and making sure it is an intriguing mix of the good stuff”.
Huw Stephens

The Sunrise Arena

Deep set into Latitude's beautiful woodland and perhaps the most exquisite arena of all, the small and intimate Sunrise Arena will be once again be showcasing the very best in emerging talent. This inspiring hotbed of up and coming music has seen incredible performances by media favourites New Young Pony Club, Howling Bells, The Rumble Strips and Pete And The Pirates to name but a few. This cosy and cherished arena is the place to see exciting and upclose performances by some of tomorrow’s biggest stars.

"The Sunrise Arena is a truly amazing space which transforms from day to night. It's a powerful environment that almost dictates the music I programme on it; singer songwriter type of acts earlier on in the day to listen and chill to and then as the Arena changes form and comes alive in the evening, stuff that makes you want to move and have a dance."
Jon Dunn

Crystal Castles

Latitude offers the very best in up and coming bands, giving the festival go-er the opportunity to see tomorrow’s star’s up close and personal. Deep within the beautiful woodland and perhaps the most exquisite arena of all, the small and intimate Sunrise Arena will once again be showcasing the very best in emerging talent. The first band to be announced for this stage is current indie/punk favourites Crystal Castles. This Toronto-based duo have been declared “the most exciting and original band in the world right now" (Loud&Quiet) and consist of multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. Their experimental use of unusual instrumentation such as placing an Atari 5200 sound chip inside a keyboard serves to create a completely unique sound of bombastic beats, bleeping samples and Alice’s trademark vocals. Together with their remixing skills recruited by the likes of Bloc Party and Klaxons – this duo are essential viewing.