Ahhhh, it is here too soon…The final day of lovely Latitude 2025. But no tears as there’s a mouth watering menu on offer of the bands and artists across many stages today.
Following Friday’s headliners Sting and Basement Jaxx, and Saturdays feast with bill toppers Fatboy Slim and Kaiser Chiefs, today is the turn of Snow Patrol and Elbow to close the day and the festival in style. Plus a spectacular set from Mika, and stacks more.
Sunday our team caught excellent sets by: Mika, Elbow, Doves, Alison Moyet, Air, Pale Waves, Lambrini Girls, Catty, The War and Treaty, Palace, and Lapsley.
Latitude’s Suffolk site has a capacity of 45,000 for each of the three days of the celebrated music and arts festival run by Festival Republic. It began in 2006 in Henham Park near Southwold, Suffolk where it has been based ever since – running for 18 years, as 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Family-friendly Latitude is always a very eclectic line-up and offers up the big names, but never forgets the new and upcoming acts too. That old saying, “Something for everyone” is pretty factual in this case.
Many stages to keep happy those needing to get their steps in, and for those of us who have FOMO when it comes to the smaller stages and the bands and artists that are starting to get traction on the radio and in the media we feel might well be the next big thing.
There are the whispers of big names doing so-called secret gigs at any festival, and Latitude is no exception. The small Trailer Park stage a 15 or 20 minute walk from the main stage, was the place to be to catch a bunch of top bands doing word of mouth sets over there. Friday it was Feeder and The Royston Club. Saturday it was the turn of rising stars Kingfishr.
No secret gig slots on Sunday because……………..the big TV screens were out for thousands to watch The Lionesses beat Spain in the final of the Euros football tournament. It’s coming home…………..
Marvellous Mika blew the roof off of Latitude 2025 – well “roof” is metaphorically speaking, as his 6pm slot was on the main stage under the sky as a canopy. He was brilliant.
The giant lollipops in the crowd gave a clue as to one of his big hits the fans wanted to hear, and they got that track, as well as all the others. Some stayed by the TV screens to watch the Lionesses win the Euros, but Mika still had a huge crowd for his superb set.
He bounced onto the stage in a pale blue suit with this summer’s must-have fashion accessory: a pair of giant feathery wings. Opening the show with “Origin Of Love”, he asks: “Are there any people not afraid to show their love in the crowd?…Burning hearts of Latitude follow me,” as the band struck up the hit song, “Love Today”.
Later he left the stage for a costume change, into a hot pink suit. Sat on top of the piano to tell a story of the legend of the girl in pink, which lead into the fabulous “Lollipop”. At one moment in the set he climbed off the stage to the BSL translator to give a high five for their sterling effort.
After the songs “Ice Cream” and “Relax, Take It Easy”, came the next costume change; a pale green tropical suit for “Big Girls You Are Beautiful”. He told the fans the the best way to sing at a festival is where you can be seen and heard better from being sat on a pair of shoulders. Many following instruction and getting up on the shoulders of others in their group.
During “Big Girl You Are Beautiful” Mika gets into the audience and spends majority of that song moving around in the crowd. The cameras for the big screens lost him in the crowd at one point.
Latitude is one of Mika’s favourite festivals he says, after performing there early in his career – in a tent and small stages, and recalling dancing in the woods until the early hours.
To close the 11-song set, Mika gave the crowd two bangers: “Grace Kelly” and then “Love Today”, and he was done; his last UK show of the year.
Quite possibly the best and most enjoyable performance of the day, if not of the entire festival. That man has sparkling star quality by the bucket load, and the smiles on his face for the whole show confirm he loves every second of his job. Bravo.
The War and Treaty on the Second stage are US husband and wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, who started their musical project in 2014, and are now one of the most electrifying new acts in American music.
They were nominated for the Best New Artist and Best American Roots Song at the 2024 Grammy awards, and have also been nominated for Duo of the Year at the CMA Awards two years in a row, and for Vocal Duo of the Year at the ACM Awards.
They have won two Americana Music Awards (both for Duo/Group of the Year) and have received additional nominations and recognition from CMT Music Awards, Folk Alliance International, People’s Choice Country Awards, as well as from the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the Grand Ole Opry.
Guy Garvey and Elbow are one of the best known and most successful bands to come out of Manchester, and their faultless 7.30pm set on the main stage on Sunday more than proved why.
Guy is the most recognisable member of the BRIT and Mercury award-winning, arena-filling, Mancunian musical institution (as they must surely now be regarded), and a top radio DJ with his show on BBC6 music too.
Elbow have released 10 albums in 22 years and are still sounding relevant and still making wonderful music. Latitude loved ’em.
French duo Air, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel delighted with their 8.15pm slot on the Second stage on Sunday……………
Låpsley graced the Second stage at just gone 3pm, five hours earlier than Air’s slot. Telling the sizeable crowd she recently released her fourth independent album.
28-year-old Holly Lapsley Fletcher, known by the stage name Låpsley, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Her debut album “Long Way Home” was released on 4 March 2016. Three more LPs since the debut; the latest being “I’m a Hurricane I’m a Woman in Love” which dropped in May this year.
The Obelisk arena had become a sea of chairs and picnic blankets for Alison’s Moyet and her band’s set, but they had hellish sound issues during their main stage set at 4.40pm, and had to go off stage after aborting the opener, “Fire” to let the techies try to fix it.
But….the on-stage monitor issues continued and prompted Alison to cheekily tell the crowd, she and the band were having to be “avant-garde”, and were trying to carry on regardless.
She then performed the Yazoo song “Nobody’s Diary” and ended the song before stating, “we are having a pig of sound issues up here”, and that she still could not hear her monitors. “If I’m in the right key, bonus. If not, think of it as jazz”, she quipped.
A lovely rendition of the timeless, “All Cried Out” for song # four of the set, and a few songs later, Yazoo’s “Only You” sounding fab. Third Yazoo song of the set, “Situation”, before the final two: “Love Resurrection” and fourth Yazoo track, “Don’t Go”.
Manchester band Pale Waves on the Second stage at just gone 4pm, playing to a rammed tent, asking the crowd “who’s going to watch the England match”, stating they would be watching it.
Catty opening the Sunrise stage on Sunday lunchtime. The sun is out after a downpour. Catty is not making it a lazy Sunday afternoon; she’s full of beans and high energy, dancing around and head banging; interacting with her band members.
She says that her/their music “tends to talk about everyone who’s done us dirty in any kind of way”.
Three in she delivers “I Don’t Miss You”, saying this song is about realising she doesn’t miss her ex-boyfriend at all, but misses his mum more!
Bursting back onto the scene in 2024 with her powerful pop sound, she debuted “I Dated A Monster” at the Eventim Apollo during Dylan’s UK and Ireland tour.
With more more than four million Spotify streams and in excess of 41 million more across co-writes, she’s a fast rising star. Her debut headline show sold out in 15 minutes, and she has supported artists including Stevie Nicks and Shania Twain, performing at iconic venues BST Hyde Park and Eventim Apollo. Future star alert?
Doves took the 6.30pm slot on the Second stage on Sunday. Formed in Cheshire in 1998, six studio albums so far; the latest “Constellations For The Lonely” out in February this year – 25 years after their Mercury Award-nominated debut.
London band Palace began their Second stage set 20 minutes after England’s Lionesses and Spain kicked off the Euros final in Basel, Switzerland. That is Palace the band, not Crystal Palace the footie team by the way!
Back in February 2025, Palace, who formed in 2012, set out on their biggest and most expansive tour of the US and Canada, taking in 23 cities and finishing up at LA’s Hollywood Palladium at the end of March. The tour came off the back of the group’s acclaimed fourth album, 2024’s “Ultrasound”, and stunning debut sun-set performance at Coachella.
10pm on Sunday night on the Sunrise stage, there was a hurricane, tornado and whirlwind all in one; Lambrini Girls had arrived! The venue was rammed, many forgoing Snow Patrol on the main stage.
The Lambrini Girls sweary rants are not exactly child friendly, but there were a fair number of kids there with their family. Not judging; just saying!
Er, their soundcheck began with a scream into the mic, and a question: “Who’s ready to F*ck?” Then: “I don’t think you’re ready, so I will ask you again, are you ready to f*ck?” Cover your ears, kids! That’s over with, and they start the set with………….”Big Dick Energy”. A few parents looking a wee bit anxious by now.
The guitarist jumps off the stage and into the crowd and creates a mosh pit and encourages the fans to use it, and gets back on to the stage and the crowd duly oblige that instruction. Some leave, but are immediately replaced with more people incoming.
There is a rant about genocide in Palestine, and the crowd are told that they either support Palestine or to f*ck off to go and see Snow Patrol. Followed by another rant about hating big corporations… and that “the queer community are not represented properly.”
After three days of music and late nights, many had a look on their face that this was not how they wanted to end the festival and to get on with the music – which is bloody good by the way – and save the fire and brimstone speeches for another time.
Brighton-based duo of Phoebe Lunny (vocals/guitar) and Lilly Macieira (bass) are the core of Lambrini Girls, and their debut album “Who Let The Dogs Out” is a belter. Live they are always an incendiary act. But with their angry x-rated language outbursts, I cannot see them being invited on to live TV or radio anytime soon though!!! [lol]
Our team on the ground’s favourite performances of Sunday: Kerry our writer, and our snapper Liam, both agreed on Mika. Writer Steve was torn between Mika and The War and Treaty.
**** Check out our coverage of Friday & Saturday in the “Live Zone”…
Sting and Basement Jaxx the two main headliners for Friday. Fatboy Slim and The Kaiser Chiefs on Saturday.
Photos by Liam Battersby
Words by Kerry Louise & Steve Best
