Latitude 2014 began with a bang yesterday and sunny Suffolk was more than ready to start enjoying the weekend after the Thursday night buzz.
Kicking off the day was the always wonderful and enthusiastic duo Slow Club. Rebecca Taylor sarcastically jokes about the nature of their sad songs against the ever so sunny sky which only further enhances the charm that these two possess. Their latest album ‘Complete Surrender’ sounds as haunting and fully flesh as one would expect of the pair from Sheffield. Ending their set by wishg the crowd an enjoyable festival and hoping that they all do “lots of snogging with each other!” seemed perfectly apt for what is an incredibly charming festival.
Hozier brought his own brand of indie soul to the 6Music tent and delighted audience members with his strong and affectionate voice. ‘Like Real People Do‘ sounds masterful and receives an enthusiastic response from the crowd, amongst a set that contains unheard songs from his forthcoming debut album. Needless to say, judging by the cheers at the end of the set, the appetites of the audience have been sufficiently whetted.
As Latitude is more than just a music festival however, there were plenty of fascinating talks that Fortitude managed to hear in the Literary Tent such as a talk on Dystopian Fiction given by authors including Meg Rosoff, Laurie Penny and Toby Litt. With the scope of books ranging from Kafka to The Hunger Games, the talk presented by the NewStatesman proved to be fascinating and thoroughly engaging.
Kelis took to the Obelisk Arena and exuded sass and funk the moment she walked out. With a larger than life stage persona, Kelis managed to throw may the crowd into a frenzy with every triumphant hand gesture she threw. Even though, some songs in her set-list aren’t as well known as her hits, Kelis still manages to force the crowd to sing along to every single track. But of course, the moments that everyone was waiting for (namely ‘Bounce‘ and ‘Milkshake‘) were indisputably fantastic.
Bringing the sunniest atmosphere to the Main Stage however was the magnificent Crystal Fighters. Clad in flamboyant traditional costumes from the Basque region in Spain, their enthusiasm is highly infectious and their positive messages go down a treat with the audience. The group consistently preach to the audience throughout their set that love is the most important thing on this planet, which plasters huge grins on the crowd’s faces, making Crystal Fighters’ set one of incomparable happiness.
But a true highlight of the day was the secret show from Rudimental that took place on the Obelisk Arena. The East London quartet are as chaotic on stage as their crowd is. Playing hit after hit, there is not one dull moment whilst Rudimental are on stage and more noticeably there is not one chance to stand still. It becomes evident then that Rudimental are one of the best acts to have at a festival this summer and the punters at Latitude are exceptionally grateful for the secret set living up to the hype.
Ending the evening was headliner Lily Allen who had replaced the originally intended headliner Two Door Cinema Club at the last minute. Paying homage to the group, Allen covered their summery hit ‘Something Good Can Work‘ while giggling at the end that the chorus is a bit of a tongue twister. Allen’s trademark loud-mouth and extroverted nature are more than enough to earn her the right to headline tonight. Old classics ‘Smile‘ and ‘The Fear‘ are chanted at the tops of lungs by every person watching this evening but new hits ‘Hard Out Here‘ and ‘Our Time‘ are just as enjoyed proving that Allen’s comeback has succeeded in every way. Suffice to say, Latitude 2014 started off with a bang.