Headliners 2015 - Wishes, rumours, my mate knows someone who knows someone that says...

[Amy Lawn]

That's the norm for medium-large sized festival's I would of thought, in fact that's good going.

Doesn't make it any less of a poor show

[thetime]

Doesn't make it any less of a poor show

Totally agree, although there isn't to many female fronted bands that are big enough.

[dentalplan]

Latitude does a better job than most other festivals but as said, there isn't really enough bands big enough. You could blame the music industry for not creating them but when you think about it even the bands at the lowest level doing tiny gigs mostly seem to be male orientated. Just the way it is.

[Amy Lawn]

Latitude does a better job than most other festivals but as said, there isn't really enough bands big enough. You could blame the music industry for not creating them but when you think about it even the bands at the lowest level doing tiny gigs mostly seem to be male orientated. Just the way it is.

I have to disagree with your last point there, out of the gigs I have coming up in the new year, there's a solo/all/fronted female:male ratio of 7:1, glancing at listings, the ratio as a whole isn't balanced by any means, but it's not as nasty as you'd think. I'm not saying the industry isn't hostile to women, but it's better than a grand total of 3 in 9 years.

[dentalplan]

I have to disagree with your last point there, out of the gigs I have coming up in the new year, there's a solo/all/fronted female:male ratio of 7:1, glancing at listings, the ratio as a whole isn't balanced by any means, but it's not as nasty as you'd think. I'm not saying the industry isn't hostile to women, but it's better than a grand total of 3 in 9 years.

I don't get how your gig going preferences - although I trust them - work against my point. What I'm saying is there is a poor ratio of female based festival headliners to male based festival headliners but it probably just about correlates with female based acts to male based acts right through from stadium bands to pub bands.

[Amy Lawn]

I don't get how your gig going preferences - although I trust them - work against my point. What I'm saying is there is a poor ratio of female based festival headliners to male based festival headliners but it probably just about correlates with female based acts to male based acts right through from stadium bands to pub bands.

And I agree with you, but it's Sunday night and I'm not reading things properly or thinking about what I type in replies. What I was getting at, in a roundabout way, is there are female headliners to be found, it's an uneven balance, but I don't believe it's as uneven as the gender ratio of past headliners (probably what I was getting at, I don't fully remember now). I think we can all agree that Portishead should be headlining, that the real issue here, isn't it?

Oh, and Paulo Nutini is rubbish, that's another important point that I definitely want to make.

[justanothername]

I have to disagree with your last point there, out of the gigs I have coming up in the new year, there's a solo/all/fronted female:male ratio of 7:1, glancing at listings, the ratio as a whole isn't balanced by any means, but it's not as nasty as you'd think. I'm not saying the industry isn't hostile to women, but it's better than a grand total of 3 in 9 years.

7:1 is something quite impressive and has also made me realise that of all the gigs I've been too the headliners have had not one single female member in them, and only two of the support acts did. Festivals did fare a bit better but then again I only saw 6 bands with females members in them (I think all but one were fronted by a female). To put it like that makes it more shocking about these sort of things as I didn't realise at all. So on that note Portishead should now defiantly headline

Edited December 8, 2014 by justanothername

[Gucci Piggy]

If justanothername says "defiantly" instead of "definitely" one more time I'm never going to post again.

And when thetime posts saying "good" I'm going to ignore it because it's 99% coming.

[justanothername]

If justanothername says "defiantly" instead of "definitely" one more time I'm never going to post again.

And when thetime posts saying "good" I'm going to ignore it because it's 99% coming.

How do you I was meant to say definitely? It is still grammatically correct (I think) so Portishead could *insert the word here as I don't Will to stop posting* headline that main stage.

[Amy Lawn]

If justanothername says "defiantly" instead of "definitely" one more time I'm never going to post again.

And when thetime posts saying "good" I'm going to ignore it because it's 99% coming.

Maybe he meant "defiantly" and used it correctly? Portishead should headline, in defiance of Paulo Nutini.

[Gucci Piggy]

Because it's been happening for a long time when the posts are clearly supposed to say "definitely".

I actually don't care, my drunken self just seemed to want to pick up on it.

It actually happens on all forums I post on; it's a strangely common spelling mistake.

[thetime]

Well latitude should buck this trend of non females headliners and make a stand. Lets get Portishead, Bjork and PJ Harvey to headline.

That will do.

Edited December 8, 2014 by thetime

[Uncle Liam]

I'm totally sober (in fact, I've been in work for four hours) and yet I cannot understand why Latitude seem to think it's acceptable to book Nutini as a headliner.

People who want that shite have their own festivals, they are called V and Isle of Wight. I thought Latitude was supposed to be an alternative to mainstream nonsense. Yet here we are- again- on the verge of having MOR mainstream pap headlining.

It doesn't matter to me as such, I'll just go wherever Interpol are playing, I'm just getting a bit sick and tired of festival lineups being filled with crappy DJ's and even crappier singer songwriters without as much cutting edge as a plastic spoon.

[eFestivals]

and yet I cannot understand why Latitude seem to think it's acceptable to book Nutini as a headliner.

because he's pone of the most popular acts in the UK, and has been for a number of years?

Who'd have thought it, eh? A festival booking a band that people want to see.

Just because he might not be to our own tastes doesn't negate his suitability as a headliner for what is a very mainstream event.

[Uncle Liam]

Is Latitude really a mainstream event though, in the same ilk as V, IOW and I suppose now to an extent, T?

This is a festival that two years ago had Kraftwerk headline, had Grizzly Bear second from top, and clearly markets itself as an alternative festival, especially with the spoken word literature elements.

In fairness, it probably will have a relatively alternative lineup across the board, but having a distinctly MOR artist headlining, just three years on, is actually pretty sad.

Could be worse though, could've been Snow Patrol...

[eFestivals]

Is Latitude really a mainstream event though, in the same ilk as V, IOW and I suppose now to an extent, T?

Yes.

After all, it's not like it's full of alternative types (tho so few festies are nowadays).

[dentalplan]

I don't know how it can be argued that the first returning headliner doesn't fit the festival.

[retromoz]

because he's pone of the most popular acts in the UK, and has been for a number of years?

Who'd have thought it, eh? A festival booking a band that people want to see.

Just because he might not be to our own tastes doesn't negate his suitability as a headliner for what is a very mainstream event.

Oh YEAH!!! Latitude is SO mainstream!!! Like when it had Kraftwerk & Grace Jones headline. And how it has some acts curated by a Late Junction from Radio 3 (a radio station with fewer listeners that 6 music). Or how they have ballet productions from Sadlers Wells. Or how they have Q&A's with renowned directors (this year was the FAB Peter Strickland). OR, even this year, they had a collaboration of artists celebrating the work of African Synth pop guy William Onyeabor.

OH yeah. You get to see ALL THAT at ANY mainstream festival!!!

[retromoz]

in the words of Homer Simpson...."By the way, i was being sarcastic".

[eFestivals]

Oh YEAH!!! Latitude is SO mainstream!!! Like when it had Kraftwerk & Grace Jones headline.

They were mainstream in their day.

Why do you think they've suddenly become non-mainstream?

And how it has some acts curated by a Late Junction from Radio 3 (a radio station with fewer listeners that 6 music). Or how they have ballet productions from Sadlers Wells. Or how they have Q&A's with renowned directors (this year was the FAB Peter Strickland). OR, even this year, they had a collaboration of artists celebrating the work of African Synth pop guy William Onyeabor.

OH yeah. You get to see ALL THAT at ANY mainstream festival!!!

Yes, it has a diverse range of stuff on.

But it's still all very mainstream. I've no idea why you don't think it is.

[retromoz]

And i cannot comprehend why you think those examples of diversity ARE 'mainstream'

As for the previous headliners, you could argue lots of acts are 'mainstream' due to them being popular 'in their day'. Thats like saying Silver Sun (band from the late 90's) are a 'mainstream' act due to one of their songs getting to number 20 in the hit parade.....

[eFestivals]

And i cannot comprehend why you think those examples of diversity ARE 'mainstream'

because the examples you named are pop artists that had hits in the charts in their day?

If pop hits aren't mainstream, what is?

[retromoz]

OK..

Either there's a joke happening at my expense (in which case...ha ha ha. Richly comical). OR......there is some........wilful niavety going on.....

William Onyeabor has, i believe, never been in the hit parade. Sadlers Wells ballet has, as far as i know, NEVER been on a mainstream TV channel like ITV. Peter Strickland most well known movie (the BRILLIANT Berberian Sound Studio) has, i believe, a WOEFUL total of box office takings.

But, hey, if this is mainstream, maybe i should give the top 40 & itv a listen/watch again.

Im not even bothered if Paulo Nuttini IS one of the headliners (i realise the economics of a festival. Someone popular to bring the punters in etc). BUT, to say Latitude festival AS A WHOLE is 'mainstream' is, to my eyes/ears, a bit ridiculous.

But, as B*Witched once said (a mainstream act), "C'est la vie"

[eFestivals]

Either there's a joke happening at my expense (in which case...ha ha ha. Richly comical). OR......there is some........wilful niavety going on.....

yep - tho it might be unwilful of you, i don't know what's going on in your head.

[retromoz]

see, to be so personal isnt nice, is it?