Latitude Artist Interviews Round Two: The Black Sheep

• 18th Jun 2008

While many festivals are falling to their deaths Latitude is on top of the world. Now a complete sell out Latitude has again molded the line-up of the summer full of talent and variety. The event held July 17 – 20 at stunning Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk is but a month away and to whet the whistle we have the second part of the interviews with a variety of Latitude's weird and wonderful performers. What is your favourite colour sheep people? Mine is nice pink lamb.

BILL BAILEY (Comedy Arena)

1.) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this year's Latitude festival across the Arenas and why?
Elbow, Sigur Ros, Interpol, Phil Jupitus doing Porky the Poet, Mark Lamarr doing God's Jukebox, Rich Hall. John Hegley, Elbow, because they are wonderful, Sigur Ros cos I love the grandness, the huge sounds, the slow build. Interpol cos they continue the spirit of guitar indie punk that I grew up on, Phil is doing poetry again, which is great, what he did before anything, his first love, Mark is playing records – what he loves – and Rich Hall is doing Otis, but also just stand-up – we've toured together, and it's always good to hear what he has to say. John Hegley is performing who was an early inspiration.

2.) What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
I love the mix of stuff, the great bands, and the fact there is a Poetry Arena. Good vibes all round.

3.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
I will bring my Bouzouki-Saz Hybrid and I will act on the impulse of the crowd.

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
Holding up shells to my ear.

5.)What is your favourite colour Sheep?
Blue

MIKE GAYLE (Literary Arena)

1.) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this year's Latitude festival across the Arenas and why?
Elbow because they sing the line: “I guess that what I'm asking you is to back a horse that's good for glue and nothing else.”

2.) What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
That when you get bored of music there's poetry when you get bored of poetry there's cabaret when you get bored of comedy there's Literature!

3.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
The first public reading of my first foray into non-fiction!

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
Sitting at home wishing I was there. Southwold is an amazing part of the country.

5.) What is your favourite colour Sheep?
Red. Is there any other?

THE LAST TUESDAY SOCIETY (Music & Film Arena)

1.) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this years Latitude festival across the Arenas and why?
Simon Warner presenting J.M.Lavater as I love the 18th century.

2.) What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
I love pretty girls and there are thousands of them.

3.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned? A tiny touch of madness and that would be telling.

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing? I'd be in Brazil.

5.) What is your favourite colour Sheep?
Any colour as long as it's pink is my moto in life

ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER (Poetry Arena)

1.) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this year’s Latitude festival across the Arenas and why?
Porky the Poet. I met him in the early 80s, not long into my 28 year long career as Attila, when I organised the 'Ranters' Cup Final' poetry event in Wapping and he came along as a punter. He had started writing poetry too and soon was performing – as Porky the Poet. We gigged together lots, became really good friends, then he stopped being Porky the Poet and became Phill Jupitus, comedian, while I carried on with my ranting verse mission. We fell out in the early 90s after I had a go at him for appearing on a TV game show with Bernard Manning and have barely spoken since. I'm really pleased he's doing poetry again and hopefully the hatchet can be buried at Latitude, since he's a lovely bloke actually and I'm sad about what happened.

I shall certainly be checking out Simon Armitage and Mark Thomas as well, and maybe Julian Cope (since we were born on the same day and I wrote a poem about that) and my wife and I will doubtless spend quite a while looking for exotic creepy crawlies by the lake. Brilliant festival. Shame Rancid and The King Blues aren't playing though!

2.) What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
The diversity of everything that's happening, the lack of crap indie bands and unlistenable doof-doof music and the Woodforde's Wherry (beer!)

3.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned?
My wife, my mandola, my new book of poetry 'My Poetic Licence', my loud, acerbic, unreconstructed social surrealist verse and songs and maybe my pet corn snakes Napoleon and Josephine (on second thoughts, that's not a good idea!)

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?
Either at another festival (probably Tolpuddle) or mackerel fishing off the end of Shoreham harbour arm listening to Test Match Special.

5.What is your favourite colour Sheep?
Black. I've been one all my life.

THE ALIENS (Obelisk Arena)

1.) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this year's Latitude festival across the Arenas and why?
The aliens will probably be hanging around the comedy tent, picking up tips for our new album. Seen Bill Bailey a few times over the years and always thought he was smashing.

2.) What aspect of Latitude Festival interests you the most and why?
The poetry/comedy/theatre stages.

3.) What can people expect you to bring to the festival and do you have anything special planned? We are bringing a tent full of psychedelia and a fridge full of funk.

4.) If you weren't doing this what would you be doing? The dishes.

5.) What is your favourite colour Sheep?
Wool coloured.

For the latest line-up and all the important information visit the official Latitude website here: link