There's wooden pirate ships attached to trees, hidden fun fairs, animatronic dinosaurs... Words: Steven Loftin. Photos: Georgina Hurdsfield, Sam McMahon.
It's that time of year again. But going by the Latitude lineup, it could be any year. With a bill stacked on the squiff (as the Suffolk locals would say, the 'huh') from Hollywood stars (Damian Lewis, David Duchovny) to yesteryear sensations (Duran Duran, Keane, Rick Astley) to local heroes (The Darkness), but there's still plenty of bubbling energy on offer that lifts the proceeding weekend at Henham Park.
Following a Thursday celebration of all things Transgressive Records, Waxahatchee does a noble job opening up the Obelisk arena on Friday. With her sullen flavour of alt-country, literally at the drop of a yellow trucker hat (into the crowd), the swing hits wonderfully, taking the rest of the Suffolk afternoon with her.
But it's out in the dark woods where the fun truly begins. The F word is on everybody's lips. No, not that one, it's Fat Dog - and for good reason. Unbridled chaos with confrontational weirdness, the Sunrise stage jolts to life with a declaration of "We're fucking Fat Dog, baby!" The living embodiment of the Super Hans' doom note and running with it, they're deft at getting the wilds of the party started and BBC 6 Music dads jumping like teens again.
Caity Baser is another fresh voice for the Friday afternoon. As sunny as the blistering heat, the newest pop girl goes about achieving her hyperactive dreams out on the Obelisk, unapologetically herself, including a bold Abba cover ("I'm gonna be real I don't know the words so let's see how this goes."), and warts 'n' all songs, it's a whimsical afternoon.
Following on, the likes of The Vaccines - always a fest triumph - and Future Islands are also amongst the evening's entertainment, yet it's hard to argue but wish there was something a little more today than yesteryear.
