Cabaret – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Presentation Review: Piers Atkinson

Christopher Shannon burst back on to the catwalk on Menswear Day at London Fashion Week in typical chav-luxe fashion. Menswear day was a bit hot and cold this season – some of the shows were extremely busy, information pills but when I arrived at Christopher Shannon’s there didn’t seem to be that many attendees, no rx so I plonked myself on the front row and fiddled with my iPhone in a bid to look belonging and important. I even adjusted my crumbling posture (which is hella difficult after the cruel strains of back-to-back slumping at shows).

Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

The show soon filled up, viagra sale mind, and I was squashed along the frankly miserable BFC benches. Shannon’s infamous taste in music with which I wholeheartedly side (Rihanna’s What’s My Name and Te Amo being this season’s choice tunes) began the show, and out popped the street-cast models we’re familiar with. Some of them look terrified, some achingly nonchalant, but all are suited to Shannon’s unique take on menswear.

All photography by Matt Bramford

A mix of jersey sweatshirts, scarves and oversized rucksacks started the show – each with a Shannon twist. Shirts were cut through the middle to mix up the patterns – this time with a more ‘worldly’ influence. His obsession with sportswear derives from the fact that wherever you go, ‘there’s always sportswear’ – too true – and Shannon has drawn upon the variations of sportswear in different cultures for this ‘Hold Yer Head Up’ collection.

Illustration by Oscar Rubio

Bolder prints – abstract forms that have a more biological feel (influenced by his affection for David Attenborough!) make up the body of designs. Later came shirts separated down the middle in varying ways – sometimes texture, sometimes colour. Some shirts had woven-blanket details with different kitsch embellishments – a surprising move but a welcome one nonetheless.

Shannon’s clean nylons were spiced up with some frou-frou details this season – I wouldn’t be seen dead in any of this (mostly because my friends would snort, point and laugh) but I think the aesthetic of it is just fabulous. The lights, imposing over the catwalk, bounced in between each ruffle to give a shiny, futuristic look. A colour palette of navy blue, black, grey came with splashes of colour from the woven elements and bits of baby pink to remind us that this is still sportswear. Flat caps and flashy vibrant trainers complimented each outfit.

Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou

Much preferred the Eastpak collaboration rucksacks this time – again, the woven blanket details showed up and looked ace.

But, in spite of all this, I’ll forever remember Christopher Shannon’s A/W 2011 outing for those incredible Frank Sidebottom-esque hair-dos and embellished eyebrows. Why, you might ask? Because this is FASHION, darling.

See more of Krister Selin and Michelle Urval Nyrén’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!

Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

On Saturday 19th February I wandered down a rainy Frith Street to see milliner Piers Atkinson’s A/W 2011 collection.

Atkinson has an interesting background having originally studied graphic design, viagra before becoming involved with millinery he worked in PR for Zandra Rhodes, Mandi Lennard and Blow. He then became fashion editor at Disorder magazine before establishing The Daily for London Fashion Week. To ‘let off steam’ during this time he produced a small series of hats that would become his debut collection.

Illustrations by Joana Faria

Presented in Franny’s Pop Up Gallery opposite Ronnie Scott’s, the restaurant venue didn’t really give an indication of what would be on display, but Frith Street (just off Old Compton Street) was the ideal location given the themes in the collection.

Illustrations by Karolina Burdon

Atkinson drew on 1930s Paris for inspiration for Autumn Winter 2010, taking his cues from cabaret, bygone opium dens, drag queens, showgirls and back alley romance. Familiar base shapes in a palette of navy, aubergine, black and gold were adorned with eccentric oversized fruits, giant pom poms, glitter and ostrich feathers. The range of avant-garde pieces would make Lady Gaga proud; she is already one of Atkinson’s high profile fans having worn a piece constructed from telephone components.

Illustrations by Ankolie

Also on display were photographs of Atkinson’s infamous acquaintances along with some of his lesser-known friends. Mostly shot in Dalston back streets after dark, they could just as easily have been taken in 1930s Paris.

Obviously hard-to-miss were the eye-catching berets topped with neon lights, while classic shapes in suede were punctuated with gold plated studs. Veils were accented with diamantes… and glittering aubergines with 24 carat gold leaf. ‘Les Fruits de la Nuit’ featuring ‘hyper cherries’ and Atkinson’s signature lips embroidered on a tulle veil was a real winner, too!

More hyper cherries, this time in 24 carat gold leaf:

Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

‘L’Heroine’ with fab ‘chinchilla coque feather overdose’:

Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to the party in the evening, but apparently whilst guests watched a performance by Anna Piaggi, two of the hats were stolen, but luckily for Piers and his team they were returned just as promptly as they disappeared.

See more of Joana Faria and Michelle Urval Nyrén’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!

Written by Naomi Law on Thursday March 10th, 2011 11:02 am

Categories ,1930s, ,A/W 2011, ,Ankolie, ,Blow, ,Cabaret, ,Cherries, ,dalston, ,Diamante, ,Disorder Magazine, ,Drag Queens, ,Frannie’s Pop Up Gallery, ,hats, ,Joana Faria, ,Karolina Burdon, ,Lady Gaga, ,London Fashion Week, ,Mandi Leonard, ,Michelle Urvall Nyrén, ,millinery, ,Naomi Law, ,Opium Dens, ,paris, ,piers atkinson, ,Presentation, ,review, ,Zandra Rhodes

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Presentation Review: Piers Atkinson

Illustration by Krister Selin

Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

All photography by Matt Bramford

Illustration by Oscar Rubio

Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou

Much preferred the Eastpak collaboration rucksacks this time – again, the woven blanket details showed up and looked ace.

See more of Krister Selin and Michelle Urval Nyrén’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!

Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

On Saturday 19th February I wandered down a rainy Frith Street to see milliner Piers Atkinson’s A/W 2011 collection.

Illustrations by Joana Faria

Illustrations by Karolina Burdon

Illustrations by Ankolie

More hyper cherries, this time in 24 carat gold leaf:

Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

‘L’Heroine’ with fab ‘chinchilla coque feather overdose’:

Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

See more of Joana Faria and Michelle Urval Nyrén’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!

Written by Naomi Law on Thursday March 10th, 2011 11:02 am

Amelia’s Magazine | Stars of the Cabaret: Review of the Boom Boom Club

This Is The Kit by Kayleigh Bluck
This is the Kit wriggle out the restless

I’ve always loved France, visit this harbouring an intention to learn the French lingo for many years. I’m not being frivolous, try I can assure you. I am able to testify to my desire through my ginger cat, whom I named Francois and my half French boy. Oui, j’adore France! Kate Stables wanted to learn French too, so she moved to Paris. Always an observer of life’s idiosyncrasies, she found her vision could stretch even further when she left Bristol’s borough and sat within a caffeinated artery of France. Stables, the singer/musician/protagonist in This Is The Kit, defines the music they create as ‘Screamo/Emo/Flamenco’. Which in a sense it is. A feisty, heart dancing, spirited, emotional flounce. Folky but not in the jingly sense, more soulful and with minimal instruments.

This Is The Kit by Kayleigh Bluck

Stables is an endearing, dark Rapunzel locked figure. Her voice shoots through you like the first sip of wine after a slog of a day, trapped in an unlit cave. You will find This Is The Kit will gently waft along on a gondolier, tell you it’s all ok, then fighting off the cave bats with their melodies, take you outside to some weeping willow adorned fairy land. She beholds a sound similar to Mary Hampton and Martha Tilston, but more girl next door in pronunciation, realness and the simplicity of lyrics. See: Two Wooden Spoons and Our Socks Forever More. The latter, sang with an acoustic guitar and ukelele, is about wanting to take off your shoes and socks forever more. ‘One of these days’ going to make it back ‘to your mattress’… but ‘I have a thing about sound sufficiency’. It’s a haunting, touching song about decisions, desires and, ‘that someone’. Moon has to be the most splendid of songs about first breath romance. After being lost in the skies, the couple come down, gasping for air and hit by reality. It has only a few lines, but manages an upbeat yet serious undertone feel to it. ‘We had the Moon’ says all it needs to.

This Is The Kit by Kayleigh Bluck.

It’s nice to be sitting down when you listen to This Is The Kit, with some Pear and Apple cider preferably, or indeed a cafe au lait, if you want to make it French. At many of their relaxed, low key shows (such as Village Halls) you can do this. However, This Is The Kit have also played with big Folk heros like Jeffrey Lewis in their time – so you’ll probably be somewhere bigger, without sitting potential and Maureen and Agnes’ tapestry collections festooning the wooden walls (shame). Multitalented Stables plays guitar, banjo, trumpet and percussion. Often she is joined on stage by her musical friends including Rozi Plain, Jim Barr and Francois and The Atlas Mountains. Tres Bon. Their latest album, Wriggle Out The Restless, on Dreamboat Records, was produced by long term collaborator, Jesse D Vernon, who also often plays on stage as a two piece with Stables.

Continuing to flit across the Channel, This Is The Kit are worth seeing whilst they are this side. They encourage the celebration of the pure and simple things in life. The joy from another person and the beauty right out there. French people will tell you about this: I quote Chamfort, the 18th century French playwright: “Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live.” Think about this, at a time when most of the world belongs to some form of networking site. Encouraging self evaluation, we discuss our loves, losses, diets and determinations into the abyss. France and This Is The Kit say: look out and to the people we care about.

This Is The Kit released their latest album Wriggle Out the Restless last week on Dreamboat Records. They are also touring at the moment. Catch them in London during mid November.

BoomBoomClub_burlesque_by_Natasha_Thompson
Illustration by Natasha Thompson

This is an odd place for a cabaret, buy information pills I thought as we cleared the little church yard only to find a gritty-looking chain pub and a wall of glass office buildings. The map on the phone screen yielded little clue as to where this Bath House place was, online but a second look around revealed a tiny kiosk covered in colourful tiles. Free-standing between the tall corporate buildings, erectile it looked like a doorway to the past, originally built as a Victorian Turkish Bathhouse. The building didn’t seem big enough to house a café, let alone a vaudeville troupe, but stepping inside it became clear the entertainment happened under ground, and the topside was just a teaser. The tiles continued down the stairs and into the lavish dining room, with marbled mosaic floors, elaborately decorated columns and candles everywhere. The original features were interspersed with modern artwork of elegant skeletons, human and animals, with an overall effect of elegant decadence. As the Boom Boom Club cabaret stars jostled behind the curtain, diners finished up their sticky puddings, shrugging off concerns of work in the morning and ordered a fresh round of cocktails for the main event.

Dusty_Limits_by_James_Ormiston_tricolor
Dusty Limits by James Ormiston

Our host for the evening was the dazzling Dusty Limits, who immediately had us wrapped around his finger. Shimmying onto the little stage with his bleached-blond hair and dark eye make-up, he assured any animal rights supporters in the audience that the neck fur he kept stroking was indeed real. The performer, a leading figure in London’s neo-cabaret scene, entertained us with his at times macabre and downright filthy wit, not afraid of stealing drinks from the audience during his musical numbers. While hosts chatting during set changes are often just a filler in anticipation of the real entertainment, Dusty Limits is a true attraction in his own right. It’s not for delicate souls, as the words ‘Jesus’ and ‘dogging’ were indeed heard in the same sentence. This sort of thing can easily sound crude coming from a mediocre comedian, but I dare say Dusty Limits has enough charm and talent to get away with saying pretty much anything.

While the host is a staple of the Boom Boom Club every Thursday, the rest of the ensemble may vary slightly between each time. Last Thursday the curator of the burlesque performance, Vicky Butterfly, was absent, but instead we had Miss Miranda and Roxy Velvet charming us with their routines. In true burlesque tradition their clothes came off, but the added theatrical flair made the acts stand out. Especially Roxy Velvet put on a literally flaming show, with burning swords and a sparking gun – ahead of which the front row was prompted by Dusty Limits to ‘please lean back’. The burlesque starlet also wowed the audience by stubbing out a cigarette on her tongue – I have no idea whether this was a trick, but if it was, it is possible she’d been taught by magician duo Barry and Stuart. Entering the stage in unassuming, geeky suits, the well-tuned act started slow with a theatre-inspired magic act before making the crowd squeal and squirm in their seats as they added a touch of the macabre. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but the lady in the audience did confirm the nail was real.

BoomBoomClub_skull
Boom Boom Club ensemble courtesy of The Bath House

The one element of the night which neglected to completely enthral the audience was possibly Adam One Man Destruction, a highly skilled one-man-band act. The artist played three instruments and sang at the same time – maybe it was Adam’s fault for making it look so easy, my friend pointed out. After all, our own co-ordination skills proved miserable as we failed at the old kids’ trick of tapping our thighs with one hand while stroking with the other at the same time.

Enthralled, however, is probably the right word to describe the effect Kaiki Hula had on her audience. Practically falling onto the stage in her ‘Madonna in the bad-ass years’ outfit, smeared make-up and empty booze bottle, she proceeded to literally rock her hula hoops along to Run D.M.C.’s jumping track ‘It’s tricky’. One hoop at first, adding more and more until the tiny girl, still in her boozy bad girl character, had at least seven hoops twirling in perfect control all across her body – not counting the two around her wrists. I have seen acrobat performers at cabarets before, but trust me when I say Kaiki Hula wipes the floor with them. For five minutes last Thursday, a hula hooper was the coolest girl in the world, twirling to abandon in front of a mesmerised audience with their jaws on the floor.

The Boom Boom Club entertains on Thursday nights at The Bath House. Find it at 7-8 Bishopsgate Churchyard, London EC2.

Written by Jessica Furseth on Wednesday October 27th, 2010 8:15 pm

Categories ,Adam One Man Destruction, ,Barry and Stuart, ,Boom Boom Club, ,Burlesque, ,Cabaret, ,Dusty Limits, ,James Ormiston, ,Kaiki Hula, ,Madonna, ,Magic, ,Miss Miranda, ,Natasha Thompson, ,Roxy Velvet, ,Run D.M.C., ,The Bath House

Amelia’s Magazine | Truck Festival

No two festivals are the same. Which is lucky since we would be stringing our genitals up by the linings of our straw hats if they were. Truck Festival, however, seems to hold a beautiful sense of naivety about it, pretty impressive considering its 11 year jog since its first outing in 1998. What seems to set it apart is its strong sense of community spirit. Throughout the weekend many of the acts expressed their respect and admiration towards Truck organisers, Robin and Joe Bennett. And with ice cream supplied by the vicar and food from the snowy members of the local rotary club, you can’t help feeling you’re a part of it.

Following an early morning sprint from the more fresh faced end of the car queue, I managed to make it to the heavily odoured cowshed for Oxford’s pop darlings, Alphabet Backwards. Headed by the eccentric James Hitchman with his merry entourage, from appearances you may be excused for thinking you’re in for another melancholy strangling of your sanity with tales of first loves and heartbreaks. Thankfully not. Alphabet Backwards’s brand of energetic lo-fi poptro found the entire cowshed transfixed as we were taken into the rather alternative musings of Hitchman’s brain box. ‘Disco Classic’ was a particular favourite with its synth heavy, building intro. ’80’s Pop Video’ was one of the most involving tracks of the entire festival with the crowd taking over, to ad lib a bizarrely synchronised clapping solo, halfway through. Looking around found many a laughing face or tapping foot whilst the 5-piece bounced around the stage. In the words of Alphabet Backwards themselves, “pop’s not a dirty word”. Thank god for that.

After aimless wandering, I found myself back in the cowshed for the highly anticipated, Youthmovies. It’s hard to argue that they don’t know what they’re doing but amidst the thrashing guitars, flashing lights and smoke machines, it’s also hard to see much else beyond that. The proclamation that we were watching the best band in the world found me wondering whether the farm fumes had projected me to a mediocre parallel planet. If you’re into turned backs and guitar noise you’ll get on well with it but I couldn’t help feeling it was a bit like watching other people eating food when you’re hungry. Strong cheekboned lead singer, Andrew Mears, who was once involved with ‘math rock’ tyrants, Foals, is clearly a talented soul, confirmed after I later heard him deliver a rather intricate poetry reading possibly to an audience that didn’t understand. But there certainly wasn’t enough water around Youthmovies to go floating any boats. Or trucks for that matter.

These New Puritans, with skinny-framed Jack Barnett emerging in a shimmering gold roman-esque shirt, which seemed rather fitting considering the thumping drums which at times, sounded like a call to arms. As Barnett delivered his rap-esque vocals I couldn’t help think this is what Linkin Park would sound like if they were from the UK and just a bit more cool. Don’t let that put you off though. In fact don’t even use it as a comparison. ‘Numbers’ played on our human desire for repetition, perfectly wrapped up in a stupidly named parcel of electronic nu gaze. Whatever you call it though, I dare you not to be stirred at least a little.

Truck isn’t exactly spacious but preceding Noah and the Whale, it was chlaustrophobic madness. Crowd control had to make a forceful announcement that if people didn’t move, they were out. Fun fun fun indeed. After a 25 minute wait they finally arrived. Following the onslaught of skinny kids with 80’s haircuts, the cutesy summer strawberry pop was hideously refreshing. Exactly what you’d want to listen to before taking off all your clothes and dancing in long grass with a childhood friend. Naturally, ‘5 years time’ was a favourite, sending limbs all over the place although it’s a good idea to not write them off as some kind of one hit wonder hippy outfit. A lot more lies beyond the band than just a youth celebratory summer anthem. Frontman, Charlie Fink, holds faint similarities to the early Johnny Cash with his collected swagger, well groomed hair and waistcoat/tie combination. This mixed with the love heavy vibe and modern mish mash of jazz and folk rock made me wonder why I’d want to be anywhere else.

I was starkly unimpressed by all the bands named as headline acts. Lemonheads were uninspiring and I would of been equally entertained had someone just stuck a CD player containing their album, centrestage and pressed play. After seeing ‘It’s a Shame about Ray’, I had to go and flog a dead horse for a while. Camera Obscura delivered gentle sugary pop melodies to a laxidasically sprawled audience. Coming across as completely inoffensive in the good sense. But it was within the smaller acts that the most exciting, raw and breaking performances came.

Pivot delivered the most lip biting, mind blowing set of the weekend. Not an attack you’d usually experience at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon. Seemingly gentle chaps turned into thrashing electronic noise warriors, pulling at the very bottom of the hairs in my neck before tearing them out. Comparisons could be made to a heavier Metronomy or a more broken Soulwax but it would be a weak attempt at pigeonholing something than shouldn’t be. Richard Pike tribally howled his way through a few sections whilst brother and drummer Laurence pounded at the quaking drum kit with such force that I thought a heart attack was only a matter of time. Definite highlight. Their album ‘O Soundtrack My Heart’ comes out August 20th although it’s hard to portray the passion and power that they play at, through a disc or music file.

Young hearts, Orphan Boy, a 3-piece from Manchester were one of the most exciting and promising of the weekend, only stumbled upon whilst I tried to find the person who had my plastic cup of warm cider, which rapidly paled into insignificance. There were few bands at Truck you could claim had any relationship with progressive post punk, but Orphan Boy more than made up for the lack of it. Thrashing their guitars into their vigorous yet half polished anthemic delights, they had the controlled arrogance of musical greats, creating a sound similar to The Fall if you stuck them in a pan and mixed them with a pinch of Arctic Monkeys. I couldn’t help feeling they weren’t getting the reaction they deserved but the few that were there shared my appreciation.

It was then time to put away my dog eared notebook and effeminate pen and get involved in a good ol’ game of wallet fishing before jumping in a skip, picking up paralytic drum and bass kids and then passing out in someone elses shirt. Holy truck. Ouch.

Written by Jacob Denno on Wednesday July 23rd, 2008 12:19 pm

Amelia’s Magazine | Festival Preview: Latitude

Alternative Fashion Week Day 5 2010 Viveka Goyanes

All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Kim Seoghee may not be Flemish (I’m gonna bet he isn’t) but his work sure as hell feels the touch of Belgium. With a team of skinny stoney faced pretty boy models and ethereal girls, visit web Kim showed us a classic example of the sulky European genre. Eyes emphasised with kohl, visit this the models lined up to show Another 7th Day, prescription a pick ‘n’ mix collection in black, grey and cream. Amongst the upbeat surroundings of Alternative Fashion Week their cool collective attitude stood right out, but they’d fit right in at Paris or London fashion weeks proper.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 5 2010 Kim Seoghee

Kim Seoghee with his models.

Laura Panter showed a clever collection – ‘This collection cries adolescent’ – God knows what being a teenager had to do with it though. The clothes were a curve enhancing mix of pastel chiffon and wool with bondage inspired straps and belt features.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 5 2010 Laura Panter

Laura Panter.

She was followed swiftly by the work of another Laura. Laura Fox had put together a cute series of outfits inspired by ‘British Heritage, Harris Tweed and Oilskin’ – with the aim of promoting manufacturing in the UK. Her love for classic British designers such as Christopher Bailey for Burberry were clear in what I thought was a sweet and mature collection, and that was before I discovered that Laura is wheelchair bound. She has a good web presence with a Carbonmade website and a twitter feed so she clearly hasn’t let a little thing like a disability stop her from keeping busy. And my friends over at Creative Boom have also blogged on her here. Dead impressed.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 5 2010 Laura Fox

Laura Fox had business cards to hand: the way it should be done!

Sarina Hosking showed a couple of pieces titled Beauty and the Beast. I have to say I’m not surprised by the title – during a week when titles often bore abstract relevance to the collections they were attached to (at best), this did exactly what it said on the tin. The girl that really got all the photographers salivating was a sexy grown-up version of Little Red Riding Hood, complete with red lacy veil. An elegant gent in wolf mask looked on. They were a distraction from the rest of the collection but heck, why not mix and match your fairytale references? According to her myspace Sarina is principally a theatrical designer, so it all begins to make sense.

Transform by Elizabeth Wilcox was described as ‘Sportswear creating capsule wardrobe’. It was certainly sporty but I am not sure I was feeling the marl grey highlighted with neon sculptural thing.

Viveka Goyanes put together cutesy cream printed shirts with carefully styled black and white tailoring to present a mature collection called Brummella the Dandella. I particularly loved all the little touches, like the ripped and accessorised socks. It always pays to look down!

The first festival I ever had the fortune to attend was Latitude 2007. Still a fresher at university, page still fresh-faced and just a little naïve; a small hatchback, viagra order four friends, and every nook and cranny jammed with our camping equipment. We were green, and we didn’t know that you wouldn’t need six sets of clothes, nor a full foldable mattress, nor (as one of our group, bizarrely, thought) a full set of crockery. It was only due to our general keenness that left us arriving early and managing to snag a camping spot both close to the site entrance and (crucially) within 600 yards of the car park. That was, I discovered, exactly the limit of my stamina for being able to carry my own weight in paperbacks and camping stoves (three!) and several pairs of shoes. Oh, idle youth! These days I can take five nights of living in muddy squalor like a medieval serf in my stride, but that’s only down to training myself; I had to ween myself off such modern luxuries as soap, razors, and fresh underwear.

But I digress – this is meant to be a preview of Latitude 2010. The background: Latitude occurs every year in July in Southwold in Suffolk, and operates under the banner of Festival Republic (formerly Mean Fiddler), that gargantuan promotions company with fingers in many pies and still perhaps best know for the carnival of the damned that is the Reading and Leeds Weekender. Latitude is something of a pet project for Festival Republic, who felt that British festivals had lost track of what made them so culturally important in the first place – not just the bands but the atmosphere, the vibe, the performers on stilts and the chance meetings in the dark under the boughs of some off-to-the-side willow. Glastonbury has become something of a behemoth, but it used to be a small and intimate affair; Latitude’s raison d’être is to mimic what Glastonbury is suppose to once have been. My verdict, taking my experiences of 2007 into account, is that they have succeeded admirably, though it would be churlish to say that it’s exactly as the same. Many of those ideals that the hippies celebrated at the solstice three decades ago – appreciation of the earth, appreciation of humanity – have arguably seeped into the larger (regular) festival-going public, but these days we’re much, much better at recycling.

Capacity is relatively small, as far as festivals go these days, capped at 25000 since 2008, and the wondrous thing about Latitude is that you can go the whole weekend without seeing a single band. There’s a strong lineup of comedy acts, theatre performances, literature talks and other cultural oddities that mark it out as unique in the British festival scene. I’ll run through some of the things to look forward to this year, for those that are going, and if you’re not then be quick, because it’ll sell out soon.

There are several music stages scattered about the site. The largest is the main Obelisk Arena, this year headlined by Florence & the Machine, Belle & Sebastian, and Vampire Weekend. Other artists worth seeing include folkster Laura Marling, indie legends Spoon, insanely talented Mexican acoustic duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, gorgeous melody act Dirty Projectors, and even a recently-reformed James. They’ll probably sing that song about sitting.

Move across to the second stage and you’ll find the Word Arena, headlined by the National, the xx, and Grizzly Bear. The first is one of the best bands in the world, without question, and if you go you’ll probably find me there too, undergoing some kind of trembling transcendental spasm attack. I love that band. Oh god how I do. The xx are an interesting choice of headliner as their music, so heavy with meaning and yet so utterly minimal, might struggle to hold a headlining slot on a festival stage. I’ve seen them live before and they were bloody fantastic, so I’m sure they’ll be fine; I won’t be seeing them at Latitude, though. My reasons involve a broken heart, a worn mixtape, and shattered promises – I won’t burden you any further than that, but know that it was horrid. Grizzly Bear are sick, and will absolutely suit the beautiful site that Latitude is situated within. Also playing the Word Arena are Wild Beasts, Richard Hawley, the Horrors, and Yeasayer, etc. etc..

Then you’ve got your Lake Stage, which is (no surprises here) situated next to a lake, as well as the Sunrise Arena deep in the woods on the edge of the site. Exactly who shall be playing where on these stages hasn’t been announced yet, but what is know is that artists and bands such as the Big Pink, Black Mountain, Girls, These New Puritans, Tokyo Police Club, and a bunch of others. I’ve been looking back through past years and Latitude 2010 looks like being potentially the best ever with regards to the music acts (though 2009 was also pretty sick – Nick Cave!). But it’s not all about the music, of course, otherwise it wouldn’t be quite as sweetly unique as it is.

In the Comedy tent there are sets from Richard Herring, Emo Philips, Rich Hall, Phill Jupitus, Mark Watson, but also many smaller acts such as Mark Oliver and Doc Brown. In previous years this tent has had a propensity towards overcrowding when the bigger names have appeared, but hopefully they’ll have ironed out the creases there. We’ve already covered the Literature tent on Amelia’s Magazine, somewhat, but I’ll add that Jon McGregor is also giving a talk. He’s the author of If Nobody Speaks Of Remarkable Things, a novel that is in itself extraordinarily remarkable and one of the finest examples of prose-poetry I’ve read in the past decade. Also of note here is that Dan Kitson, who probably blushes when he gets described as, “perhaps the finest standup comic of his generation,” all time, will be telling a story for an hour every night at midnight on the Waterfront Stage. His work is rarely available on video as he doesn’t like the idea of his shows being pirated, so please take this opportunity to see him in the flesh.

John Cooper Clarke is in the Poetry tent – one of the towering figures of modern performance poetry in this country should be reason enough to raise some curiosity there, but there are also appearances from important figures on the British poetry scene like Luke Wright and John Stammers. Eddie Argos, of Art Brut fame, will also be doing a set – if you’re familiar with the man then you’ll know that’s an intriguing prospect.

I’ve barely scratched the surface here – there’s a Cabaret tent that parties on into the early hours of the morning, there’s the Film & Music Arena showcasing some unique new audiovisual shows (as well as more irreverent stuff from the likes of Adam Buxton and the Modern Toss crew), and there’s also a chance to wander into the woods to find both the opera performances and the In The Woods area, a woodland clearing set up for late night raving. There are numerous plays put on at the Theatre Arena, including performances from the Royal Shakespeare Company and Everyman Playhouse. There’s a huge childrens’ area that’s almost like a playground.

Hell, the whole thing is like some gaudy carnival from the middle ages transported through time for our enjoyment. There’s a parade at some point, there’s giant painting projects, you can row boats in the lake, you can watch a jazz band play all day on a floating stage on the lake, and so on, and so on. The beauty of the site just completes the package, and thankfully the Latitude team are very good at maintaining it. They’ve got a well-developed set of environmentally-friendly policies that have managed to recycle most of the waste from past festivals, including designated recycling bins, bags handed out to campers for sorting their recycling, and everything you can buy on site is sourced so that it won’t damage the environment both getting there and if it’s thrown away. Sorted.

So that’s Latitude 2010. Three days almost doesn’t seem enough, does it?

Written by Ian Steadman on Wednesday April 28th, 2010 5:45 pm

Categories ,2010, ,Adam Buxton, ,Art Brut, ,Arts, ,Belle & Sebastian, ,Black Mountain, ,Cabaret, ,comedy, ,Dan Kitson, ,dirty projectors, ,Doc Brown, ,Eddie Argos, ,Emo Philips, ,environment, ,Everyman Playhouse, ,festival, ,film, ,Florence & the Machine, ,girls, ,glastonbury, ,grizzly bear, ,ian steadman, ,James, ,John Cooper Clarke, ,John Stammers, ,Jon McGregor, ,latitude, ,Latitude Festival, ,Laura Marling, ,leeds, ,Luke Wright, ,Mark Oliver, ,Mark Watson, ,Modern Toss, ,music, ,Nick Cave, ,opera, ,Phill Jupitus, ,rave, ,Reading, ,Rich Hall, ,richard hawley, ,Richard Herring, ,rodrigo y gabriela, ,Royal Shakespeare Company, ,Spoon, ,Standup, ,the big pink, ,the horrors, ,The National, ,The XX, ,These New Puritans, ,Tokyo Police Club, ,Vampire Weekend, ,Wild Beasts, ,Yeasayer

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