£rd Headliner - Place your bets ....

[bennyhana22]

Welcome back DK - where've you been?

Ben

[Sipperana]

OK, I was being polite.

Let me be clearer.

"Girl on stage with harp, possibly the quietest instrument in the world other than a banjo"

Sounds dismissive, sexist (would you say "boy on stage"?), stupid and wrong. You play an acoustic guitar and I'll play a banjo and lets see who gets heard.

Pointed enough?

Edited March 18, 2011 by Sipperana

[perfectpassion]

More room for me down the front

Edited March 18, 2011 by perfectpassion

[DragKnuckles]

Welcome back DK - where've you been?

Ben

[bennyhana22]

In the case of Sipperana vs Bikergroover...

Dismissive: guilty. I don't like her.

Sexist: if merely referring to someone's gender without a qualifying adjective counts sexist, guilty.

Stupid: not proven. The plaintiff's word against the defendant's.

Wrong: not proven. As per "stupid".

Louder than a banjo: not proven. An upright bass banjo may be capable of pumping out greater volume of sound waves than a small travel guitar, but our expert witness on acoustics is currently unavailable.

Giving a flying one: not guilty.

Case dismissed.

[bennyhana22]

JUST started listening to Drum Eyes '50-50'. Well that's already a set I'll be watching, I would say. Nice and trippy, soundscapey, drummy, yummy.

Ben

[bikergroover]

Nice reposte, Counsel. Now play nicely, you two. Don't make me count to three...

Ben

[GTG]

Oh.

Like many here, I think, I was stunned by her Latitude performance and can't quite say why I really struggled to stay until the end of her set at the Sage last year. At Green Man, as Arkle said, the elements weren't in her favour and I opted for getting soaked with Simone Felice outside the GM pub instead.

DragKnuckles: '81' is everything I like about her in one song but I don't feel like she has enough of those.

Sipperana: they have amplifiers and speakers on the Garden Stage nowadays.

Still, I look forward to seeing her tear up the Tipi with a late night set of death metal cover versions. I'd also be happy if she managed to cajole Roy Harper into playing his first festival since ........ ?

[GTG]

I'm in it too, my two festies this year are shaping up very nicely.

[ljsawyer]

The Cambodian Space Project are even better than I could have imagined!

[thespiral]

OK I have had all day for it to sink in ..........

....and I'm still sooooooooo disappointed.

I'll be honest - I really think they have dropped the ball with the headliners this year - really lacking any WOW factor.

If I didn't know EOTR was such a great festival, those 3 names would certainly not be doing much to attract my attention.

[GTG]

The Cambodian Space Project are even better than I could have imagined!

[fogged]

Nope, that's me out.

This line up just isn't doing it for me unfortunately, gutted.

[seadragon]

I was very happy with the first announcement, but everything since has been a bit underwhelming.

[Neville Street]

I know what you mean about the underwhelming headliners, although I do like Beirut. But I am happy with lots of the other stuff, the return of The Leisure Society, Emmy the Great, John Grant to name a few. I am not as "well listened" as many of you, but this will be my third EOTR, and so far I have loved both of them having only been familiar with a couple of bands each time.

I also find that the music I listen to all the time ends up being EOTR music, which must say something for the bands they book. Since starting to go to EOTR I have really expanded the range of music I listen to. Favourites that EOTR are responsible for include Phosphorescent, The Low Anthem, The Hold Steady (although I had seen them before), Explosions in the Sky, Neko Case, The New Pornographers, actually the list goes on quite a lot so I'll stop!

Anyway, we all know it will be great, and I am sure will find "new favourites", see you in September

[GTG]

Well, I for one (and not the only one here, no doubt) hope there are a few Dodos-esque announcements to make you change your mind!

[ljsawyer]

Talking of Cambodians, didn't Dengue Fever promise they'd turn up this year after their late withdrawal in 2010? New album out next month .......

[andy55]

Sorry. I love EOTR having done the last three years, but the line up so far is just so underwhelming. PJ Harvey or The Decemberists would have swung it for me...or Band of Horses or My Morning Jacket. I think Latitude is getting my money this year.

[shoebox]

The negativity over the headliners is starting to do my nut in! Whilst I myself have stated that I am unimpressed with both Beirut and Mogwai, I've just accepted that they're not to my taste. EOTR haven't dropped the ball at all, they've just picked three artists to headline a festival that has 80-odd other artists on its bill, that just don't appeal to SOME people. The way that Mogwai and Joanna Newsom were trending on Twitter after their respective announcements shows that are both a massive draw to a lot of people.

It's going to be an amazing festival this year. There is a lot of diversity on the bill and a whole host of new things to discover.

Those people who aren't coming this year because of three bands out of 80-odd, well, I have to say that I hope someone who appreciates the whole bill gets your ticket and enjoys every second of it.

Sorry for the rant and this isn't a personal attack on anyone.

[geofelgie]

Is this a typo?!? What are you doing for the rest of the summer/year?

[SweepingTheNation]

The negativity over the headliners is starting to do my nut in! Whilst I myself have stated that I am unimpressed with both Beirut and Mogwai, I've just accepted that they're not to my taste. EOTR haven't dropped the ball at all, they've just picked three artists to headline a festival that has 80-odd other artists on its bill, that just don't appeal to SOME people. The way that Mogwai and Joanna Newsom were trending on Twitter after their respective announcements shows that are both a massive draw to a lot of people.

[airwaves]

Having seen JN at her Royal Albert Hall show (with Roy Harper doing Stormcock in its entirity as support), her 12 noon show at Latitude (when she forgot the words during a couple of the songs) and Green Man last year I can't - in my personal experience - think of a finer setting than the Garden Stage for her to play. I'm sure it will be magical (so long as those at the back keep quiet!!).

And, ever the one with eclectic tastes, I'll be at the front too for Mogwai, one of my all time faves.

So that leaves Beiruit, about who I know very little. But then for me that was the same with The Hold Steady a couple of years back and now I play their cds endessly.

So, as always, looking forward to it thoroughly.

Edited March 19, 2011 by airwaves

[bennyhana22]

There is this culture of moaning seeping into festival forums and Facebook walls these days, whether it's due to the self-proclaimed right to respond - everyone talks about the sense of constant anger that pervades the Latitude forums, but look anywhere and you'll see people who seem to believe they have a god-given right to influence a hugely successful festival enterprise's organisation. Plenty of people outside this forum seem more than happy with Newsom and the headliners, yet reading much of the last four pages you'd think they'd booked James Blunt as opposed to a hugely critically popular figure who entirely suits the booking policy. Going "you didn't book the Decemberists, I'm not coming", unless you have written proof that they weren't considered or offered it, is just jumping up and down hoping to be noticed. End Of The Road is a 5,000 capacity festival. For the whole bill it already punches well above its weight.

[wackojackohighcliffe]

My feeling is that I have voiced my lack of interest in the headliners but not in the festival. EOTR is not great just cos of 3 bands (unless they get Springsteen) but due to the whole line-up and the whole experience and the whole ethos. I have never felt less threatened outside - apart from at 16:00 in some Spanish village. And I've rarely felt more involved in something great.

I know people have been reacting more negatively than me but for my part it's fair enough to note concerns about the headliners - ultimately it's still gonna be great again and there are no bands on this years bill I would actually go out of my way to see yet, really, but I'm sure I'll find 20 new bands to fawn over by the time I've left.

[ljsawyer]

Decemberists my arse.