Latitude 2025

By markontour, August 8, 2025

Four music-filled days in the idyllic grounds of a Suffolk hall, spent with many of my oldest and dearest friends – Latitude 2025 was, unsurprisingly, a joy-filled experienced. This was a year to particularly enjoy discovering new bands (a large chunk of the best of whom hailed from Ireland), although one headline act served up surprise euphoria. As usual, Latitude also delivered so much more than music, including stimulating nature and science stages, world-class acrobatics, and a space-faring puppet dog. Here follows markontour’s review of Latitude 2025.

Thursday

Chris Packham talking to Helen Czerski and Robin Ince, Cosmic Shambles Forest
Traffic congestion forced Chris Packham to walk the final few miles to the festival and, given his self-defined “obsession” with nature, it was a miracle he didn’t get distracted in the woods on the way. Once he’d shed a few layers (does he always dress for a night of badger watching?), Packham eloquently took us through the language of trees (try moving under different species during heavy rain and comparing the sound of the raindrops, which will change according to the density of the canopy, the size and texture of leaves etc); retaining joy and wonder (when you see an animal or plant pretend it is your first time and see it anew); why naturalist can’t ignore genocide in Gaza; disappointment in the Labour government (Ed Miliband aside); and his new campaign to ban fossil fuel company advertising. Along the way compere Robin Ince and Packham also shared stories of being neuro-divergent, and turning feelings of inadequacy into understanding of super-powers. A perfect start to the festival.

Gravity and Other Myths / Wright and Grainger, Waterfront Stage
Mouth-agape acrobatics from a laidback Adelaide troupe, accompanied by earnest Yorkshire storytellers and musicians, Wright and Grainger. The part of the routine where a woman stood on the shoulders of two other people and then proceeded to walk across the shoulders of two other double-height couples, was genuinely astounding, as was the graceful way they dismounted – the highest acrobat serenely falling to one side, to be nonchantly caught and swung around as if she were a doll.

Friday

Can Nature Really Make You Feel Better? With Martha Kearney, Melissa Harrison and Patrick Barkham, The Bookshop, 11.15am
“Yes”, was the unanimous answer. Although, prompted by a question on the controversy now surrounding ‘The Salt Path’, all panellists were quick to point out that there is no evidence that simply being around trees can cure major illnesses. Along the way I noted the advice to look out for Purple Hair Streak butterflies, which should be darting around oak trees this summer, and was touched by Patrick Barkham’s poignant anecdote of taking his Alzheimer-suffering, nature-loving father out for a scooter-ride into nature.

Westside Cowboy, Sunrise Arena, noon
Lovely alt-country harmonies from the Manchester four-piece who looked like they were still on a high from winning Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent competition. It was hard not to draw comparisons with the equally brilliant Nottingham band, Divorce. They did a fantastic acoustic / acapella number at the end. I will be waiting for an album release.

Cliffords, Sunrise Arena, 2.25pm
An eagerly awaited (by markontour) Latitude debut that lived up to the hype. This was indie-pop by a band that are confident while exuding humility, dynamic but organised. Part of this year’s Irish takeover of Latitude, Cliffords were the stand-out of all the bands markontour saw for the first time at this festival. They appeared to have what it takes to become very good and very big.

Billy Bragg, Obelisk Arena, 4.30pm
Time was when I would sing along at a Billy Bragg performance at least three or four times a year, often as part of some demonstration or a benefit event. Back then, as Bill himself recalled, “no-one went to a Billy Bragg concert for the singing”. Nearly five decades on from his debut and owning the main stage at a big festival, Billy’s voice is chocolate- cake rich (nurture overcoming nature, according to the singer), and there’s less irony to the wink when he sings Woody Guthrie’s Ain’t Nobody Who Can Sing Like Me. The Latitude versions of She’s Got a New Spell, Life with the Lions, and Levi’s Stubbs’ Tears were achingly beautiful, enhanced by classy slide-guitar and drum. New England remains a fixture in my ever-changing putative Desert Island Discs list and was all the better for a full-throated crowd choir accompaniment. A finale of Great Leap Forwards suggest that, thankfully, Billy Bragg will be mixing pop and politics for a long time to come.

Sprints, Second Stage, 7.15pm
Vying with Cliffords and Big Sleep for ‘Best Irish Band at Latitude’, Sprints served up exciting, fast-paced, rock guitar music. Promising to use their platform to stand up on issues that matter, lead singer, Carla Chubb, gave a succinct, sharp reminder why everyone should do something to try and stop the genocide in Gaza. A large crowd lapped it all up and – on instruction from the Sprints front-woman – released a big chunk of energy into a pulsating mosh.

Basement Jaxx, Obelisk Arena, 8pm
If Sprints were all raw energy, Basement Jaxx got a large main-stage crowd dancing by combining a visually stunning sci-fi stage set with a back-catalogue of bangers. Performing from something that resembled a spaceship, the Basement Jaxx duo fist pumped from a DJ booth on the bridge, while dancers and singers, all attired in celestial silver, emerged onto a slanting stage that sloped down towards the crowd. Magic.

Sting, Obelisk Arena, 9.30pm
I’m glad I have seen Sting now because The Police were one of the first bands I listened to obsessively, but some genuinely classic songs weren’t sufficient to overcome the excess of ego, unaltered creepy lyrics, and lack of any real warmth or empathy with the crowd. We were there to provide adoration, so I took a break to get a beer while the bars were empty.

Masseoke, Comedy Tent, 11pm
There’s something about a 5,000 person sing-a-long that is always heart-lifting. Masseoke has the additional zip of an incredible live-band, word perfect on any guilty pleasure of a song. Nineteen years in to enjoying Masseoke at Latitude, we pretty much know what is coming next and yet even the Bohemian Rhapsody finale sparkled.

Saturday

Disco Yoga, Waterfront, 11am
Sorting out the inevitable festival aches and strains, this year’s Disco Yoga had just the right combination of jumping around and lying on your back, fooling yourself that you’re doing exercise.

Lake swimming, the lake, noon
The water was cool enough to banish any thoughts of a disco-nap, but warm enough to enjoy half an hour splashing around accompanied by the sound of Jazmine Banks drifting through the trees from the Sunrise Arena.

Jade Bird, Obelisk Arena, 2pm
UK-Americana, full of songs about love and heartbreak, by a singer who seemed so unendingly warm and likeable that I wanted a least one song where she revealed how well it had turned out in the end! Instead we got a cracking cover of Lily Allen’s ‘Not Fair’, an acerbic swipe at relationship imbalance. Goes in the ‘to-buy’ list.

Sophie Duker, Comedy Tent, 3.10pm
I loved Sophie Duker on Taskmaster, and live on stage she was just as cheeky, cheerful, and irreverent. Vowing not to use Botox she observed, “The beauty ideal now is to have a totally static face where only the eyes move – like a scary painting in Scooby Doo!”

Maggots, Mullards, Manatees and more, Cosmic Shambles Forest, 4pm
Dr Helen Czerski and friends regaling us with stories of the Ne Ne geese that grace St James’ Park London; why that cute thing cats do when they rub their head on you is scent-marking you as their property; how whales hear through their chins but nevertheless produce enormous quantities of redundant wax in ears that evolution forgot to discard; plus the desert midges that desiccate themselves for a decade or more, waiting to be rejuvenated by rain. What I most loved, however, was the map of the world’s oceans without the landmass.

Arthur Hill, Second Stage, 4.45pm
If you wanted to know where all the teenagers had gone.. Poppy, cheerful, and jumping around in his football shirt, Arthur Hill was hard not to like.

Big Sleep, The Alcove, 5.30pm
Another part of the Irish takeover, this Dublin band looked the real deal already, despite having only released the odd EP. I could understand why comparisons are made to The Cure (in poppier form), and loved the insouciant brilliance of the lead guitarist as she jousted with the bass player. Great lead singer too – swagger without arrogance.

Neckbreakers, The Alcove, 7.30pm
A band of siblings who, indeed, sounded like they had been playing together all their lives. Gorgeous harmonies, polished musicianship, and magnificently dressed. It feels curmudgeonly to record that the lad on lead guitar was a little bombastic at times (a mini-lecture on living in the moment) and I am curious to read some lyrics because I have no idea what they were singing about, but I’ll definitely be going to see them again.

Public Service Broadcasting, The Second Stage, 8.15pm
PSB just seem to be getting better and better and are now unrecognisable from when markontour was first mesmerised by them performing in an an arts centre in Lake District. Back then, a 1960s cathode-ray television was their only prop. Now Wrigglesworth and J. Wilgoose are complemented on stage by a bass player / crowd rouser, the beautiful voice and keyboards of Eera Hreindottir, and a dynamic brass trio. ‘GO!’ has never sounded better and was a clear crowd favourite. The virtual Last Flight set (a cockpit instrument panel) looked amazing. I spent most of ‘Sputnik’ ruminating on how that little pioneering satellite met the William Morris test that everything must be both functional and beautiful. ‘Everest’ brought things to a momentous end, as always.

Fat Boy Slim, Obelisk Arena, 9pm
The stand-out performance of the whole of Latitude, playfully mixing something approximating to a dance-beat over the 6 Music playlist. ‘Praise You’ in the middle of the set felt right, in a way that would never be the case if, for example, Elbow tried to slip in ‘One Day Like This’ before the end of their set. I’ve seen Fat Boy a few times but never left feeling as euphoric as this.

Anthony Smirzcek, Lavish Lounge / BBC Introducing, midnight
The kind of surprise appearance you get a text about 15 minutes before showtime and we just happened to be in the right place. Smirzcek’s sparky, poetic, rapped lyrics to jump-up-and-down beats really made me want to listen more to the album I bought months ago.

Sunday

Laika the Space Dog, Cosmic Shambles Forest, 10.30am
The early start should have told us this puppet-show story of the first dog to go into orbit was intended for kids, but it was also a good intellectual level for hungover adults, and everyone appreciated the a-historical happy ending.

Son Mieux, The Second Stage, 11.45am
This Dutch collective are now very high on my list of bands to listen to post-festival. They delivered an uplifting, fun and dancing-shoes-on pre-lunch set to a growing crowd. I couldn’t tell you what it was all about, but there were violins, trumpets, and a very energetic front-man.

Hamish Hawk, The Second Stage, 12.55pm
As the summer showers gathered in intensity, the late-blooming Hamish Hawk soothed a large festival crowd with his happy-angst – the ear-worm melodies and introspection of The Smiths, but with self-deprecation rather cutting observation in the lyrics. There was a song about the Mauritian badminton doubles champions 1973 and an ear-worm of sage advice that “To draw a cathedral / You need a ball-point pen”. And linking it all together was a stylishly white-trousered Hamish Hawk, providing quirky banter and enticing us to allow ourselves to enjoy the moment as much as he clearly was.

Jen Brister, Comedy Tent, 2pm
A serendipitous half hour of laughter as they had rejigged the running order to make space for the women’s European Championship finals. I missed Bridget Christie later as a result, but laughed a lot at Brister’s acerbic description of her 19 year relationship.

Pale Waves, The Second Stage, 4.10pm
A tardy costume change (mirrorball suit for evening-wear, obviously) meant we only caught the tail end of this Cure-influenced Glaswegian band, but I loved it all the same.

Lionesses – Champions of Europe, Comedy Tent, 5pm
Part of the buzz of live music is the pleasure of enjoying something along with your close friends and hundreds/thousands of other people right here, right now. There’s no other form of entertainment that comes close to that high for markontour, but an iconic sporting moment, featuring a gutsy comeback and a nail-biting finish comes close.

Elbow, Obelisk Arena, 7.30pm
Poor Elbow apparently had to stop mid-song twice in the early part of their set, as most of the field were distracted by the end stages of the Lionesses victory. But by the time we arrived, Guy Garvey was back conducting the crowd through a series of sing and whistle-alongs, until the glorious, life-affirming climax of ‘One Day Like This’. I will truly never tire of seeing Elbow.

Lambrini Girls, Sunrise Arena, 10pm
I’m really glad the Lambrini Girls exist and are so clearly adored by a growing band of fans of their break-neck punk and anarchistic polemics. But after three songs we concluded that other people should enjoy the Lambrini Girls without us needing to be there.

Britpop disco, The Woods, midnight
The perfect way to see out Latitude 2025, with a set that mixed the obvious Britpop classics (Oasis, Blur, Elastica, Pulp etc), with bands that may have been influenced by that era (Fontaines DC among them). Slightly mis-judging the mood of the dancefloor, the DJ seemed to determined to play the extended version of everything, but maybe he just thought his audience would need a little rest between songs?