Thom Yorke delights fans at Latitude with rare solo set
Latitude 2009 review
Tuesday 28th July 2009
The last day came round much earlier than I would have liked from the chatter of the 17 year olds in the tent next to me. Apparently, This is England is a great movie, is beautifully crafted and incredibly shot. Personally, at 4.30am I couldn’t care less, but for two hours or so, it certainly seemed like I really should have done. Anyway, finally it was morning and I had Thom Yorke to look forward to at midday. Therefore, my revenge would have to wait.
I made my way to the Obelisk arena about 11, a little too excited for words at the prospect of seeing such a legend without the rest of his incredible band. Over the next hour, the amount of Radiohead fans slowly started to group on the Arena and at 11.55, it was packed with what was probably the biggest crowd of the weekend.
Yorke arrived on stage in jovial mood. He joked with fans and seemed very much at ease with being on stage alone. The set had it all, songs from solo album, The Eraser as well as a number of Radiohead classics for good measure. 'Weird Fishes / Arpeggi' was brilliant and stunning 'lost' tracks 'Follow Me Around' and 'True Love Waits' were real treats for fans of the band. 'Harrowdown Hill' and 'Black Swan', in which he recorded himself on the guitar and then looped it to allow himself to finish the song on the keyboard, showed that he is as capable without the band as he is with the rest of Radiohead around him.
He left the stage to rapturous applause but returned moments later to play a two-song encore of 'There There' and of course 'True Love Waits'. As he left the stage, it allowed the crowd to reflect upon the rare treat they have just witnessed. Beat that anyone!
St Etienne were next up in the Uncut Arena. Maybe it was because of what I had just witnessed but they didn't really set the place alight. The set was enjoyable but that was about it - just nice, indie-dance pop. The band seemed to be enjoying themselves and a certain amount of people in the crowd were equally having a great time. On an open air stage, in the sun, this would have worked perfectly. However, there was something missing in a dark, gloomy tent. Still, it was time to soldier on and catch The Rumble Strips...
Recently The Rumble Strips have been catapulted into the media glare, probably because they've had super-producer Mark Ronson on board for their second album and one listen to these live and you'll see the influence. The band have added even more trumpets to their original trumpet-filled sound and a certain amount of strings for a Scott Walker-esque polished finish. It's a solid set. 'Girls and Boys in Love' is great fun and starts the set perfectly and 'Welcome to the Walk Alone' is perfect summer indie-pop – Great for a sunny festival evening. This is a band on the up. The confidence they have in their material is clearly evident and they seem to be having the time of their lives and it is reflected in the crowd's reaction.
On the Sunday evening, it was time to catch Editors. Like White Lies from the Saturday, they have been pretenders to Interpol's throne for some time now, but have never really delivered music on the same level. Could this performance sway me? Well, yes, in a way. The singles 'Munich', 'Smokers Outside The Hospital Door' and 'Papillon' are strong and have the crowd dancing and delivering a set that was spread equally across all three of their albums, it was impressive stuff for a band I have always dismissed a poor man's Interpol. They show that they now have a strong setlist and can put together a very decent live show with their ever increasing and consistent back catalogue. Will they ever be as good as Interpol? I doubt it, but they’ll give it a bloody good go!
And it was with this that I left the festival for another year. Certainly a weekend that never disappoints, Latitude I'm sure will be back with a strong and diverse line up to compete with any major festival next year. I for one can't wait!
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