During a day there were a whole host of comedians all worthy of type space in this review, but alas, there is so little time and so much to do, so I have mentioned some of the highlights of the day.

The first comedian I caught was Robin Ince. If you are a fan of Mark Thomas then this guy is for you, perhaps less scathing than Thomas, but with an equal wit. A reoccurring theme throughout the day is that many of the comedians today show disdain for the Daily Mail, and all seem united in showing that, Ince is no exception. Roaring through at breakneck speed it almost seems like Ince can’t keep up with his own train of thought, but the audience respond well to his quick fast paced brand of Tony Benn inspired comedy.

Next up was Simon Day, the tent at this point was at breaking point with people desperate to see ‘Fast Show’ favourite.  For this performance Day resurrected his character Billy Bleets, a council flat residing, daytime TV watching social observer. Laughs come especially from his strange form of poetry and Bleet’s own play, which is set in a chip shop. Slightly off the wall for many of the punters in the tent, especially those with children, but this respected comedian receives a warm reception.

Daniel Rigby went down a storm, especially with his unethical take on Sainsbury’s ‘Taste The Difference’ advert campaign. Even his more offensive jokes are taken with a pinch of salt by the crowd who heckle and interact with the comedian.

 For me the surprise of the day was Arnab Chanda, who many in the crowd were not aware of, but benefiting from a packed tent (everyone saving a spot to watch Ross Noble) he quickly turned people over to his childlike observations, including “games you can play to mess with people’s minds on the tube’. Some college slacker humour mixed with high doses of self depreciating ensures that Chanda has found some new fans at Latitude.

 The highlight for everyone though was Ross Noble, his performance from the start was a never-ending stream of thought from his mind, from Jedi-Worms to how to overcome a vegetarian. The set culminates in Noble leading the audience in a rendition of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and then forming a giant Conga line which snaked its way around the site eventually landing hundreds of people smack-bang outside on of the vegetarian food stalls. Noble proceeded to launch himself upon the masses, crowdsurfing his way to the end of an undeniably memorable set. 

 The last act I caught was the only female comedienne of the weekend, Lucy Porter. Not fitting in with the ‘I’ve got something to prove’ mentality of many comediennes, Lucy flows through her set with a charm that captures many people’s laughs this evening. Taking in issues such as Thai translation books with a darker side all the way to changing her bank account security question to something much more amusing (you’ll have to ask her!).
 If this is the standard that we should expect on Saturday and Sunday then the people here at Latitude are in for a treat, laugh after laugh, I’m sure we’re all going to have stitches by Sunday night. 


James Farrelly