riverlodge

Hello all. did Latitude ten years straight 2008-2017 but eventually falling out of love with the lineup as it changed tack after about 2013, then did it last year (good lineup and it beat COVID) and it was fun. Not doing it this year but want to wish everyone well, you'll have an amazing time regardless the lineup and I will miss Henham. A couple of comments (trying to be helpful). PVA were fantastic fun at GM and EOTR (v sweaty) last year, Outpost could be fab. Noticed that Panic Shack might be on that R1 list? They were also huge fun at Green Man on the Rising, if you like guitar and furious 2.5 minute songs. Also last year saw Caroline twice EOTR/GM and then again earlier this year in Cambridge - they might not be 'fun' but its one of my albums of the year, I adore them frankly, and of you can cope with a bit of slowcore their talent is amazing and it ought to be fab in the theatre. Jimmy from them also plays the trumpet for Katy J, and loads of them (and Katy J) also join in the Broadside Hacks crew. Likely to be lots of feel good collaboration around that lot. And I'd be back at Henham in a shot if TN or Arcade Fire were booked again. Have lots of fun.

GM just replied to me on fb saying Low vs DC should not clash (that ignores getting between stages of course) so still some clashfinder issues to come out

Please tell me Low aren't directly clashing with Dry Cleaning 😞

this won't sell out, not with that line up and x3 very similar festivals taking place that weekend. if you are patient, and don't need to buy for a big crowd, you'll pick up resales easily below £200 and perhaps sub £150 in the ten days or so before.

good live, seen them twice supporting, be great for them to have a full set. happy to chat pre / post gig also.

Have to say, really happy right now - that I'm doing EOTR and that I also have GM! Does it put Ezra Furman in the mix for Green Man? Not done either festival post Tim Sandusky.....

GM pluses and minuses [my view,] Mountain Stage GM: glorious amphitheatre setting, terracing making it very 'casual user friendly'. Great acoustics. Loads of adjacent facilities. 10/10 Woods EOTR: actually not a bad long distance view, great bar, easy access. 7/10 Far Out GM: great location, good bar, a good walk though, sonically decent 7/10 Garden stage EOTR: one of the most beautiful places on earth (imo), good slope, tree beauty and follies 10/10 Walled Garden: Cider bar! Lovely setting, lots of busy food outlets and very central. Generally good sound, -1 for access 8/10 Big Top EOTR: effing sweaty pit, brilliant sonics, right in the middle and real ale bar. elephant disco ball! -1 for sweatiness. 7/10 Rising GM: this place really is the nuts. Slightly secret, wonderfully 'MC'd', intense but fabulously curated. Did me and BitF really just stand and chat with Dry Cleaning here only 3 years ago? This place is the future, now. -1 for no bar. 9/10 Tipi EOTR: okay, this gets +2 simply because of the secret sets. It used to be ridiculously wonderful, but is edging towards wedding venue now. So base score 6/10 but secret sets +> 8/10 I'm supposed to be ace at maths but can't be arsed adding up. Chai Wallahs and piano stage to consider. End analysis: we are blessed here 🙂

GM vs EOTR.... I agree with BitF, whichever grabs you first won't ever let you go. But the other gets you eventually so you want both! Have now done x11 EOTRs since 2009 (and those saying Garden Stage is still the headline stage are spot on btw) and now x3 GMs. I wouldn't miss EOTR for all the world, something about heading through the ancient lands at end of harvest round Salisbury to my special place. It also feels as if, maybe, the idea that it was a bit competitive between the two has diminished a bit? Simon Taffe's interview on how hard it was to put on EOTR through COVID mentions just how closely the (truly) indie festivals worked together through the pandemic, and he mentions notably working with GM. So actually, don't they complement each other rather beautifully?

sorry mate, I was facetious and that was unfair. they COVID cancelled ages ago along with all the rest of their dates. it was a stunning festival however 🙂 and I also hope you get to see them soon as 🙏

Yep, nobody at all watched them.

I'm being lazy here and quoting from 'another location' posting. But the cross refs with other festivals might be of interest (at a really dull moment). And I'm definitely of the opinion that Dry Cleaning have leapt forward this summer so much and are right, right up there. The set I saw at Latitude was amazing, but the Big Top set was off the scale. Immense. Here is my festival summer 'best of' list Lots of subjectivity (the time and place and all that) as it should be, but this is what 'felt' good to me. Latitude Top 3: Dry Cleaning, Luke la Volpe, Vlure Remainder of top ten (no order): Anna Meredith, Just Mustard, Goat Girl, Working Men’s Club [BitF might have 'words' with me that they aren't top 3 but hey ho..], CMAT, Black Honey, Los Bitchos Seen and liked: Supergrass, Villagers, Goa Express, Snuts, Stephen Fretwell, Sinead O’Brien, Wet Leg, Stephen Fretwell, Self Esteem, Kyanos, Big Joanie Seen and not bothered: Cool Greenhouse, Kawala, Sea Girls, Weird Milk, Tim Burgess [note: did not see Sunday eve] Green Man [this was almost impossible to cull] Top 3: Lump, King Hannah, Lazarus Kane Remainder of top ten (no order): Mogwai, Shame, Fontaines, Wet Leg, Lounge Society, Liz Lawrence, Goa Express Seen and liked: PVA, Yard Act, Working Men’s Club, Hanya, Home Counties, Surfing Magazines, Nadine Shah, Egyptian Blue, Django, Django, Caribou, Katrin Finch/ Seckou Keita, Emma-Jean Thackray, Newdad, Duski, Crack Cloud, Panic Shack, Golden Dregs, Dream Wife, Seen and not bothered: Lynks, Jockstrap, Nuha Ruby Ra, Boy Azooga (reluctantly), Billie Marten EOTR [pretty tricky here too] Top 3: Lazarus Kane, Dry Cleaning, Anna B Savage Remainder of top ten (no order): John Grant, Anna B Savage/William Doyle/ Laurie (piano), Katy J (tipi set), Caroline, Jonny Greenwood, WH Lung, Squid Seen and liked: Goa Express, Katy J, Sleep Eaters, Just Mustard, CMAT, Bdrmm, Arlo Parks, Lazarus Kane (piano), Anteloper, Anna Meredith, Broadside Hacks (piano), William Doyle, PVA, Crack Cloud, Yard Act Seen and not bothered: nobody in this category That's not a bad haul from chiefly UK / Ireland acts? Roll on 2022....

Nowhere else this summer came as close to the airlessness (word?) and heat / humidity that the Big Top did. Not the 6music at Latitude, not the Far Out - and both were similarly warm to EOTR. Mind you neither of those has the enclosed 'tube' entrances that EOTR does. Is it really simply a function of managing sound bleed linked to licence? And the compromise we make for such a compact site? To be fair sound quality in there was pretty good for me 😛 ps even if you feel okay, getting a PCR test is dead easy, and so much more reliable early on than LFT. It's a slight 'blag' perhaps, but NHS test booking allows you to select without symptoms if you have attended a 'test / research event' (Latitude was actually a formal one), and in my head that's exactly what festivals are .... (Latitude was actually a formal one).

Joined 2 or 3 lively sets (moshpit for Lazarus, a good old dance to WH Lung and the edge of dry Cleaning's pit) and booked a PCR straight away yesterday. Result just back negative, can't quite believe that's 3 o/o 3 negative for a festival summer where I pretty much haven't held back. Double jabbed maybe might have helped, but I sure have #ahem# exposed myself, feeling slightly lucky right now.

apologies to all on whatsapp for my sad guesswork on Goat Girl (it was plausible 😉 ) but thankfully I did get Kary J's secret set.

Think Lazarus always want to 'let rip', Ben did say before they wanted to specifically keep it low tempo though. I have a video of that Nude cover which I'll attempt to put somewhere accessible

Been every year bar one (inconsiderate mate's wedding...) since 2009 and this was right up there. Facilities definitely were tricky but didn't make a difference, it was simply wonderful. And just like at Green Man listing just a top ten bands of my weekend seems faintly ludicrous. What I also love is that people that seem to have had an almost completely alternative festival listening to me also feel the same. I love EOTR, almost beyond the words that I can put to it.

Fact or guess?

'up and coming'. she sold out Margate, and she is current year EOTR royalty (she, Golden Dregs, Billy No Mates and Squid did the live stream festival in Sept 2020 from the Singing stage). she's also on a Lazarus Kane track etc etc.

ya dancer! just want dry, and nothing like Green Man's Saturday am 🐳

Actually it was (excitable) drummer and guitarist, and when then 'tested' on KJP received a bit of a stern look.. So much for avoiding making it public 😛 ?

ooooft thats an opinion 😉 ! nothing against Simz but 'some' of us have equally strong opinions for WH Lung. and doubtless others for the remaining clashees (is that even a word?) as said above, nice problem to face eh.

East India Youth. In some circles (this one) pretty wonderful. And I'm pretty sure he helped managed Anna's album.

Do the piano stage at least once. Look out for flying macaws. Hot cider.

ta. really good playlist, thank you for sharing.

immense piece of work. quite like that I can't stand all the 9/10s 😛