News

Belle and Sebastian, Florence and The Machine and Vampire Weekend Set To Headline Latitude

• 10th Mar 2010

Latitude Festival returns for an incredible 5th Edition on 15-18th July 2010 set in the beautiful countryside of Henham Park Estate on Suffolk's Sunrise Coast.

Celebrating its fifth year, Latitude continues to lead the way as a bold and pioneering festival cherry-picking the very best from the worlds of music, theatre, comedy, literature, film, poetry, dance, art, fashion and cabaret and bringing them together for one glorious weekend. It is a place like no other; an intimate world away from reality that encourages you to be all that you've ever wanted to be whilst indulging in the spirit of exploration and discovery.

Building on its reputation as one of the most respected and highly anticipated events of the season, 2010 promises to be an inspirational and entertaining, sophisticated and scintillating weekend. Day and night, Latitude will boast an eclectic array of acts spread throughout the site with all manner of unexpected pleasures hidden around every corner. With over 700 performers to be announced over the coming months and a wealth of other weird and wonderful delights to be discovered – it is shaping up to be another spectacular slice of unadulterated cultural fun and adventure.

Festival Republic Managing Director, Melvin Benn says:
“Five glorious years on and Latitude Festival continues to be everything I wanted it to be. The breadth and calibre of programming across the arts and music consistently astounds me and I am delighted that Latitude has earned its place as a festival of choice for many. With an incredible wealth of talent joining us at Henham Park year on year, Latitude holds its unique position in the festival season.

It is indeed a very special weekend.”

Showcasing a wealth of diverse musical talent, Latitude's four dedicated arenas provide a unique and perfect soundtrack to the weekend's festivities. Across the Obelisk, The Word and Sunrise Arenas and the Lake Stage, the very best in both emerging and established bands and performers will play throughout the weekend. In the past Latitude has seen such spellbinding performances from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Tindersticks, Sigur Ros, Arcade Fire, Blondie, Amadou & Mariam, dEUS, Glasvegas and has helped propel up and coming acts like The xx and Marina & The Diamonds into the spotlight. Across the four arenas, audiences can expect everything from rock to pop, indie to folk, electro to dance and world to jazz – whatever your taste, Latitude has it all.

Jon Dunn, Music Arenas Booker says:
“Year five! The first four Latitude festivals have left me with many highlights..Antony & Johnsons, Patti Smith, Arcade Fire, The Rapture, The Mars Volta, Blondie, Foals, White Lies, Thom Yorke, Joanna Newsom and Sigur Ros

I'm excited and honoured that such acts as Florence and the Machine, Belle and Sebastian and Vampire Weekend will be headlining our main stage, meanwhile I feel that in The Word Arena we have the real essence of Latitude in The National, The xx and Grizzly Bear, acts that carve out their own niche and journey and who are taken on the brilliance of their music..”

The Obelisk Arena has been the focal point for many of Latitude's most memorable performances. Thom Yorke's mesmerising Sunday noon set, Grace Jones' blazingly colourful headlining slot, Regina Spektor's whimsical elegance and Doves' epic street-swept triumph are all highlights from last year's main stage line-up. Once more you'll be watching this year's exceptional cast assembled under the sun or the stars, which lends to the natural ambience so many have come to expect from Latitude.

This year Latitude's music headliners are:
Florence + The Machine, led by flame haired songstress Florence Welch, had an incredible 2009. Beginning with winning the Critics' Choice award at the Brits, Florence won the coveted South Bank Award, graced NME covers and was a constant visible presence throughout the year at festivals and other award ceremonies. Her stunning debut album Lungs released in June last year was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and has since won another Brit for Best British Album. Lungs reached Number 1 in January this year, having been in the Top 40 since its release. On a heady wave of popularity that shows no sign of stopping, her effortless rise sees her top the bill on Friday night at Latitude 2010 in what will be Florence and her mighty Machine's very first festival headline performance. With her potent, soaring anthems and confident stagecraft, Florence will light up the Obelisk Arena.

With barely contained excitement, it's a pleasure to announce the end of these legendary Scottish heroes' hiatus. Belle and Sebastian haven't played live together since September 2006 and it's been a long four years without them. The quirky and humorous songwriting of this indie collective is widely celebrated and the band is highly revered by their fervent fanbase. They were voted Scotland's greatest ever band via a poll by The List magazine back in 2005, assuring their beyond-cult status. With a brand new album, the follow up to 2006's The Life Pursuit, soon to arrive, 2010 is bound to be a big year for Stuart Murdoch and co. It's sure to be topped off, no doubt, by their Saturday night headline slot – one of Latitude's most highly anticipated performances so far.

Literate New York quartet Vampire Weekend have exceeded all expectations with the release of their second album Contra, in January. It did the unthinkable and reached the top of the US Billboard Chart, a phenomenal success, coming only four years since their inception. Their afro-beat inspired tropical jangle, synonymous with a new breed of intelligent collegiate pop, has now reached mainstream success. With two inspired pop records under their belt plus a reputation for scintillating live shows, Vampire Weekend have earned their headline slot and we are proud to announce them as Latitude's Sunday bill topper.

Luke Steele's electronic synth-pop outfit Empire of the Sun has been embraced by a wide range of fans, young and old, with its timeless and infectious feel. Taking time away from his usual day job, The Sleepy Jackson, Luke has crafted a debut album of futuristic carnival ditties with elegantly crafted melodies and warped keyboard soundscapes. Empire of the Sun's slot on the Friday night is sure to entice and enrapture with selections from their debut, Walking on a Dream.

Brighton's finest The Maccabees join the Obelisk Arena's line up for Saturday night. This indie-rock five-piece have gone from strength to strength in the three years since their debut album Colour It In hit the Top 40 charts. Their youthful and vibrant music has won them a legion of fans and their recent second album Wall of Sound released last year earned them critical acclaim from Steve Lamacq, Zane Lowe and NME.

The spellbinding musical brilliance of Rodrigo y Gabriela comes to Latitude Festival, to play the Obelisk Arena on Sunday night. Specialising in fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars, Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are masters of fret-board wizardry straddling both world and rock with obvious Hispanic influences. Passionate yet melodic, the fire in their playing comes from their life-long love of metal music and they often cover Metallica and Led Zeppelin in their live performances. Gaining a burgeoning cult following since their inception in 2001 their recent album 11:11 has pushed them further into the mainstream prompting appearances on American TV and Jools Holland's Hootenanny. Their performance at Latitude will be an absolute must!