Hi
A short report back on the Latitutde Festival, Suffolk, July 12-15.
Music stages entwined with huge marquees featuring comedy, literature, theatre, film, cabaret and poetry, together with installations and events in the woods and fields by a lake. Over 20,000 attended this festival in its second year.
The Poetry Tent featured over 55 hours of 'stand up' poets attended by audiences from 30 to 300, depending on the poet or stream. Headliners included Simon Armitage, Lemn Sissay, McGough, Hegley and Murray Lachlan Young.
Organiser and lead poet Luke Wright (of Aisle 16) was a breath of fresh air but what struck me was the number of post-John Cooper Clarke young poets performing and reading socially worthy but entirely predictable poetry. I don't know if this is the cosequence of British Slam or what, but I so wanted Johnny Clarke in their place!
Brilliantly, Armitage collapsed this bubble - Murray Lachlan Young (advanced £1 million by EMI ten years ago) merely fed it. 'Bubble?' I think I mean that the poetry tent was the most 'clubby' place across the Festival. I think this directly relates to the aforementioned predictability. Of course, there were good poets who cut across this predictability (Simon Miles and Joe Dunthorne, to name two).
Also, I felt 'poetry' was elsewhere. With The Royal Court and the Bush Theatre hosting the Theatre Stage, here was a chance to catch the Nabokov Shorts and a host of intimate performances with poetic elements. Otherwise, to catch Bill Bailey and others on the comedy stage was impelling. Film too and Cabaret (from Bollywood dancers to Gay Speed Dating).
And of course the music. Yes, Arcade Fire and all on the big stage but I was drawn to the young 'edge' bands. 'Edge' is obviously the opposite of 'predictablility,' so I found more poetry here than in the Poetry Tent. Does that sound bad? Isn't meant to be. I think this Festival is fantastic and deserves its rave reviews. I just think if the poets take away the tent (physically and metaphorically) exciting things can happen.
Best, Rupert Mallin
www.mallin.blogspot.com
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