Latitude remains kingpin of the multi-arts festivals, trumped only by Glastonbury in girth and line-up. That it was steeped in showers took away some glamour, but this proved a handy diversion from chat of last year's festival which, though sunny, was marred by violence.
Friday kicked off with warm weather. Deerhunter were on peppy form, matched by a beguiling performance from Avi Buffalo, both at the Word Arena. Saturday, however, brought rain. The fortunate among us sought shelter with author Alan Hollinghurst as he read erotic excerpts from The Stranger's Child. Less fortunate was the clashing of Spector and the Cribs. Both were brilliant but low down the bill which highlighted the slightly lacklustre performance from Saturday headliner Paolo Nutini. One alternative was to lie prostrate under artist's Jenny Edbrooke's smalls-constructed skirt as she delivered a history of underwear in Pandora's Playground.
Sunday brought the Misfits for a Q&A at the Bafta tent and queues of shrieking, kohl-eyed girls. Rock choir Scala & Kolacny Brothers were a pleasant respite, as was the poetry tent where the excellent Julian Sands read Pinter. One suspects the largely female crowd weren't there for dramatic pauses.
Anna Calvi bewitched us into silence on the Obelisk stage while Sadler's Wells, the weekend's real heroes, performed Fela! in shallow water. Lykke Li was suitably haunting, but plaudits go to the crowd at Suede , who embraced the Dunkirk spirit to watch perhaps the only musical coup of Latitude's line-up.
Best act The Cribs
Best discovery Sea of Bees proving that country-folk hasn't yet reached critical mass.
Overheard One tween reacting to Robert Sheehan's absence from the Misfits: "OMG, where the fuck is Nathan? I've paid £200 to see him."
