1It’s quite a genteel setting
Canoes drift sleepily along the Lake, which you can also take a dip in. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “What’s the most middle-class way to die?”, the
answer is being cut up by a canoe as you swim in the lake at Latitude. Waitrose (there’s a branch on-site) will cater your wake.
2Glass Animals shook their pineapples
Gold projections of the spiky foodstuff floated by on the video screens adorning the band’s sweet main stage performance. Their indie-pop is almost as sweet as the fruit itself.
3Goldfrapp brought the glamour
Alison Goldfrapp and co. delivered a classy early Friday evening show that concluded with the shimmering electro-pop of ‘Ooh La La’.
4The 1975 got a bit #political
Outspoken frontman Matt Healy was on form during the band’s slinky, louche Friday night headline performance, calling out prejudice and leading an “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn” chant. I wanna shout out all of the communities that are misrepresented and maligned,” he said. “So, the Muslim community, the black community, the LGBTQ community. I wanna say that we stand with you and we fucking love you.” Preach!
5Huw Stephens brought the bangers
Hi Huw! The long-time NME Awards host spun indie hits and more into the wee hours on the Lake Stage. We danced ourselves silly, if not quite clean.
6Even the livestock looks dreamy at Latitude
Just get the feeling that these well-dressed sheep are Goldfrapp fans, y’know? Except that dude at the back, he likes Black Sabbath.
7“Mum, you said we could go to Download this year”
Don’t worry, darling, Astroid Boys are on the Lake Stage later.
8Declan McKenna invaded our space
The little scamp dived into the front row during his mid-afternoon set. Call us needy, but we loved it.
9Latitude, of course isn’t all about the music
Far from it. In fact, music isn’t even half the story here. From literary talks to comedy to ‘Disco Yoga’ and more, there’s something for everyone’s tastes, and if your tastes happen to extend to a podcast about one man’s father’s penchant for writing smutty literature, the My ‘Dad Wrote A Porno’ gang were on hand to satisfy your burning desire at The Speakeasy poetry and literature tent.
10Even bloody Adele showed up!
Oh, no, wait, sorry, that’s Adele impersonator Jane Adams on the Comedy Stage. As you were.
11Mumford and Sons got by with a little help from their friends
Actually, they did way more than just get by. This was a barnstorming Saturday night headline slot on the main stage (aka the Obelisk Arena). The band chose a lot of the acts across the festival on Saturday – it was billed as a takeover by Gentlemen of the Road, the name under which they hold their Stopover Festivals – and then said acts, including Leon Bridges and Maggie Rogers, joined them to close the show with a singalong of The Beatles’ ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’.
12Senegalese sensation Baaba Maal joined the Mumfords for a few songs
He appeared on their 2016 EP ‘Johannesburg’ and his soaring, brilliant vocal cut right through the band’s stadium bombast.
13It was double trouble with Ward Thomas
The country duo from Hampshire, who somehow sound a bit like they’re from Nashville, asked if anyone in the audience were, like them, twins. The result was surprisingly affirmative. NME didn’t notice any identical pairs of people at Latitude, but we have no reason to doubt Ward Thomas fans.
14Astroid Boys brought destroyed the Lake Stage
The Welsh grime-punks soundtracked a punishing circle pit with the likes of bruising fan favourites ‘Dusted’ and ‘Foreigners’. If you thought Latitude was all about hummus tasting and poetry recitals, sorry, you were misinformed, and that little kid from earlier is running right at you.
15Praise you, Fatboy Slim
20 years into the game, the superstar DJ show no signs of slowing down and turned the BBC Music into a teeming superclub. Latitude’s mantra: eat, sleep, rave, have a nice lie down by the lake for 10 minutes, repeat.
16Fleet Foxes brought the festival to a blissful end
The gentle neo-folk beardies were the perfect band to close the (largely) easy going festival – and one couple even got engaged onstage in the middle of the show. Congrats, guys!
17Latitude, it’s been real
You’re a uniquely picturesque festival, with a mind-boggling array of performances and experiences on offer. If this were a weather report, we’d say you’re “chill, with occasional showers of Astroid Boys.”