Latitude Claws Back Credibility

A few months ago, I wrote a blog about how, in my humble ‘pinion, disastrously shit the headliners for Latitude are. I got a load of abuse off Latitude fans – who the fuck is a “fan” of a festival?! – but my theory (despite the comment Dkka posted on my blog: “Go and watch fucking Turin Brakes when Grace Jones is on…”) is watertight – why would would punters who’ve enjoyed seeing the likes of Arcade Fire, Sigur Ros, Interpol, The Good, The Bad & The Queen and Mogwai over the past few years want to see Pet Shop Boys and/or Grace Jones? They just wouldn’t.

I finished off my blog by saying that Latitude would really have to pull something special out the bag – as in raising Jimi Hendrix from the dead – to get their line-up back on track. Well, this week, they did. Sort of, anyway. On Monday, they announced that Thom Yorke would be playing a special Sunday morning set, following the triumphant precedent set by Joanna Newsom at last year’s event. Just how cool it is that Latitude have got Yorke to do this is immeasurable to Radiohead fans, though; Radiohead might be headlining the Reading & Leeds Festivals just over a month later, but Thom Yorke playing a proper, pre-announced solo show is a first. Previous Yorke appearances have consisted of one or two songs at anti-war, Friends Of The Earth or trade rallies, a few acoustic well-known Radiohead numbers (‘No Surprises’, ‘Karma Police’, etc…) next to some newies (‘Last Flowers In The Hospital’ and ‘House Of Cards’ got early airings at such unplanned appearances). But this promises to be a proper half’n’hour set, at least, and it marks Yorke’s first solo appearance since the release of his ace of fucking spades solo album, ‘The Eraser’, in 2006.

Anyone whose seen the performances of him doing ‘Cymbal Rush’ on Henry Rollins’ US TV show, ‘Analyse’ at the Mercury Music Prize or ‘The Clock’ on Jools Holland won’t doubt that this set will be something very special indeed, especially if, like on ‘Cymbal Rush’, Jonny Greenwood joins him for the spooky-haunted bleeps’n’beats guy role. Added to which, surely they’ll some Radiohead songs will feature in the set, too. It promises to be Sunday morning bliss – and, maybe, make up for the fact the previous two night’s headliners have been woeful…