JON DUNN Q&A

Jon Dunn - Latitude's music promoter has offered to do a Q&A.

Please post your questions for Jon here. 

Please read other posts to avoid repeating questions.

Please keep this thread for questions/comments only.

Thanks.

Thanks annie.
 
Can you please ask Jon how difficult it is to compete for US artists that are desirable to both Latitude and Pitchfork? Do we lose out a lot?

Jon's reply:
It’s a problem for sure,but with so many festivals its always going to happen where you’ll want an act but they have chosen another festival and because of the distance they cannot do both,it means that you have to be more competitive and earlier with your enquiry/offer…I don’t think we lose out on too much,and what can quite often happen is that you don’t get the act for that particular year,but the year after.

don't you wonder sometimes
'bout sound and vision

1) Firstly, thank you for another great Latitude Festival. How do you feel, overall, this years festival went compared to others?
Jon's reply:
Thanks for your comment and question,I feel that overall this was the strongest bill we have had musically,it takes a few festivals before you are accepted,and I feel that we really arrived this year.

2) A lot of people have been commenting on the noticable change in 'clientele' this year, stating they noticed a lot more 'drunken posh kids this year'. What is your take on this?
Jon's reply:
I think you're right,it was a ‘younger’ festival this year – I think this is due to the likes of Florence,Vampire Weekend,The XX,etc bringing in a younger demographic,as long as the festivals continues to have a full range of ages then im happy.

3) Not sure if an official answer will be allowed for this question, but, in total, how did the cost of the acts booked compare this year to previous years?
Jon's reply:
Ha,sorry your right – I cant tell you..I work from a budget and try to stay inside of that if I can!

4) I noticed that there were less acts in total this year on both The Word Arena and the Sunrise Arena. What was the reasoning behind this?
Jon's reply:
That’s a good spot,I think it’s a natural progression for the festival,I felt that we were going down a road where maybe there was quantity over quality,I also felt that some of the acts wre being squeezed for time,and felt that giving them all an extra 5-10 mins made sense for them and the audience..Obviously over a day this has a knock on effect with the amount of acts we can do.

5) After the high demand, and eventual booking of an act to play sunday midday, will this slot be booked well in advance for next year, if indeed this slot exists next year?
Jon's reply:
Difficult to say on when will be booked,what I would say is that the Sunday slot is an integral part of Latitude now,personally I really have enjoyed Joanna,Thom and Tom over the last three years.

Again, thank you very much for a very enjoyable festival, and I will hopefully see you next year :)

Only got the one question for now but will edit in as I think of more.

1. The festival seems to be slowly diverting away from world music, with no world music headliners in the last couple of years. Is this deliberate or can we expect more in the future?

Jon's reply:
In truth there just didn’t seem to be the headliners around this year,saying that its depends on whats world and whats not..Rodrigo Y Gabriela?..There will be world acts in 2011.

= What do you think is 'the Latitude sound' i.e. what makes you want a band to play Latitude?
Jon's reply:
Difficult to state a Latitude sound,I think im looking for acts that are slightly out of the mainstream – this doesn’t mean that there wont be these acts,as you will have seen..I think acts like The National,The XX and Wild Beasts sum up Latitude.

= As well as world music, whatever that means these days, there seems to be less & less eclecticism each year. The first one had people like Saul Williams etc but now everything seems to fall loosely into the category 'indie rock'. Has this been a purposeful decision?
Jon's reply:
I hear you here,I think your right,its hasn’t been a purposeful decision,more a blending of the genres over the last few years – its very much on my mind for next year.

= Is there anyone you've been trying to get to Latitude every year that hasn't accepted the offer yet?
Jon's reply:
There are artists that every year I try for,but mainly because they aren’t touring the offer isn’t viable..One day John Lennon will play Latitude.

calhudson


a tactical rub with the tips of the fingers just below the balls usually eradicates shaking of the tent, and makes for a very interesting fap

second question Jon please.
 
maybe this is a question for melvin, but i'd like your take on it - melvin said recently iirc that latitude wasnt ready for the flaming lips. why do you think that is, and has it changed now?
Jon's reply:
Hey,The Flaming Lips are a brilliant band,musically and visually…Would always be welcome at Latitude!

don't you wonder sometimes
'bout sound and vision

Do you pay any/much attention to the suggestions, requests and wishlists posted by Latitude fans on this 'ere forum?

Jon's reply:
Ha,yes I do,although at the same time,if I took all suggestions then we’d have a nine day festival!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5QYijFfOaQ

third question please (im slow ok?)
 
why was florence welch given a 90 minute slot when she has less than one hour of recorded material?

Jon's reply:
The 90 minute slot is a guideline to headline set,not all acts will use the whole 90 mins.

don't you wonder sometimes
'bout sound and vision

On a scale of one to ten, how difficult would it be to have Tom Waits as a headline act next year?

Jon's reply:
6 I reckon.

As you will have noted when you read my 25,000 word festival review on the other thread, one concern I had this year was a number of acts booked for the Obelisk stage, who I thought would be likely to suit a smaller or indoor stage: The Unthanks, Dirty Projectors, Spoon amongst others. In the event, some worked better than others, but to what extent is this a consideration?

Jon's reply:
It can be a little hit or miss,very often it can come down to the draw of the other stages,the timing and more importantly the weather!...Many acts want to play the main stage,and every year there will be an act who garner a large crowd and really break through due to them being on mains stage,the other thing to bear in mind is the nature of the festival in terms of genre of acts,a lot of them can suit the smaller/indoor stage,but then we’d have nothing for the main stage!

I did love listening to a lot of music by performers I had never heard of but I would enjoy one or two more A list celebrity performers. Are they difficult / too expensive to book, or is there a policy to keep them to a minimum and promote bands that are well known to the younger section of the audience or to specialist musos. We did have a great weekend by the way.

Jon's reply:
Good question,which acts were you thinking of that fall under A list celebrity performers?

riverlodge

maybe this is a question for melvin, but i'd like your take on it - melvin said recently iirc that latitude wasnt ready for the flaming lips. why do you think that is, and has it changed now?

SECONDED 

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riverlodge

why was florence welch given a 90 minute slot when she has less than one hour of recorded material?

ALSO SECONDED

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Do you think that the acts you booked this year had any bearing on the noticable increase in groups of teenagers attending
Jon's reply:
Yes,very true..Florence,Vampire Weekend,The XX bought in a younger demographic.
 
When choosing and booking an act, how much consideration is given to the clientelle the act is like to attract or is it largely irrelevant
Jon's reply:
Good question this,I try to not think too much about it,otherwise you could end up booking completely safe acts…I try to have a mix throughout.
 
Would you like to book my band for next year.  We attract all sorts :-)
 
 

one of them new bands you say? Are they as good as daddykane?
http://www.myspace.com/daddykanemusic/

Would you be willing to make any kind of concession on the line ups to stop similar bands clashing? Tokyo Police Club/Wild Beasts probably have a massive audience overlap, same with First Aid Kit/Noah and the Whale.
Jon's reply:
This is one of the most common questions,there’s nothing like going to a festival and then seeing all your bands clashing  unfortunately although there are instances where the demographic is exactly the same,its almost impossible to read everyones mind and asatain where everyone will be..At the top end of the bill,we make sure that there are alternatives.

ps book walkway.

I agree with BlameLarkin - bands like Vampire Weekend/ Grizzly Bear, Crystal Castles/ The Horrors etc... Not that i like the last two though...

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It's pretty bizarre that The National (5 albums) and Belle & Sebastian (8) are given the same amount of time as Florence & The Machine (just the one) and that. I really enjoyed Fever Ray last year who got a full proper set in the middle of the day. Have you considered being more varied in the set lengths bands are given?
Jon's reply:
I think that you have to understand that the Florence album has sold 1.6 million copies,and that she is a genuine headline artist,so her set length would be one of a headliner..I do hear you with set lengths further on down the bill,you may have noticed that there were less acts this year than any other year,this was so that each act could play a slightly longer set.

calhudson


a tactical rub with the tips of the fingers just below the balls usually eradicates shaking of the tent, and makes for a very interesting fap

1; In an interview you did a couple of years ago, you stated that "I think after five years we'll push it a bit more, make it more leftfield". Is this still the case, as we are now at the five year stage and if anything this years lineup was the most mainstream and unimaginative yet.
Jon's reply:
I feel that yes,I would like to have more cutting edge acts within the bill next year,at the same time it depends on how you see things..The XX?
 
2; Following on from that question, is there any chance we could see a wider variety of music at future Latitudes, some hip hop, jazz and rap would be excellent, especially in a prominent position. Wu Tang Clan in Henham Park would be an amazing sight.
Jon's reply:
I do feel that the bill needs to be more varied next year,but also I don’t want to run across countless genres.
 
3; Each year I think Latitude's lineup has great potential and several inspired bookings (Nick Cave, Belle and Sebastian, Joanna Newson, THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART et al) but then each year there also seems to be a huge amount of middle of the road singer songwriter guff. Is this a case of you trying to appeal to as many people as possible rather than establishing a focused identity for the music at Latitude?
Jon's reply:
Richard Hawley,Corrine Bailey Rae,Laura Marling,Lissie,Charlotte Gainsbourg….Guff?

4; How much of your own taste decides what bands you book for Latitude? Have you booked many bands you don't like personally but think would be good for the festival?
  Jon's reply:
I’d be lying if I said my own tastes do not decide a large quantity of the acts at Latitude,at the same time there are several acts that are on the bill each year that I don’t love!

5; I was pleased with the amount of good American bands this year, as they were distinctly lacking in 2009. The likes of Girls, Dirty Projectors, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, etc were all fantastic. Is it harder for you to book these kind of acts due to the clash with Pitchfork festival and the fact they might not be aware of Latitude?
  Jon's reply:
Clashing of festivals always means that you may miss out on something,especially when the competiton is so far away that the acts cant play both,at the same time Latitude is now very much on the radar with these acts,agents and managers.
 
6; Do Word magazine and previously Uncut, have any say in the booking of their sponsored arena or is that still all down to you?
  Jon's reply:
The beauty of having Word or Uncut involved in Latitude is that we very much see eye to eye on acts anyway.

7; How do you decide what stage a band plays on at the festival, obviously some go without saying but to what extent is it negotiated with the band? I remember the rather excellent Twilight Sad a couple of years ago stating they had no idea what they were doing on such a big stage.
Jon's reply:
Its talked through with management,agents and acts as to where they play..It would be something I determine at the beginning on the conversation..It can depend on a number of factors,whats coming up for the act,the sound of the act can also determine this.

8; Personally I would like to see next years headliners shift back to critically acclaimed artists who have been there and done it but most importantly are still vital and current. The likes of Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips and Robert Wyatt would be amazing. Do you still feel these kinds of acts are a viable option for Latitude or do you feel more comfortable taking it down the younger more mainstream route of this year?
Jon's reply:
Good question..It can very much just come down to whose around,in 2009 we had an older headliners and 2010 younger,but this was purely donw to who was around…I like a mix if im honest.

9; Any reason The Fall weren't booked this year? They're playing everywhere this summer, and have released the album of the year. OPPORTUNITY MISSED.
Jon's reply:
I didn’t want to book the Fall,probably because they did play everywhere this year.
 
10; What are your top 5 albums of all time?
Jon's reply:
This is the hardest question yet!..Number 1 is The Manics Holy Bible I know this much!

My Last FM

Questions 1, 3 and 8 are brilliant and MUST be answered

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Hi,  First I must complement you on the rich diversity of acts and their quality at this years Latitude.  I had an awesome time. Frank Turner, Laura Marling, The National and Mumford and Sons all excelled themselves.

I understand that you are aiming to have a broad diversity of music so that many different tastes are catered for and I think that is excellent and it has worked well, with most of my friends being able to find a good selection of acts to listen to despite their differing tastes.

One thing that I did find strange though was the way the acts were placed together - for example, Crystal Castles playing before Bell & Sebastian seemed a very strange choice and there were other similar strange choices throughout the festival.  Was this a conscious decision to put very different acts on after each other? If so what was the reasoning behind it?  

I found that what happened was that people waiting to see the next act, because of the crowds came in during the former act and then as they were not interested in the performance they disrupted it by talking (sometimes shouting and whistling).  Do you not think that a more blended approach would be better and ensure that people in the arenas were all engaged with the music?

Thank you for reading this.
Jon's reply:
This is the best question I have had…I like to mix things up,as people do move around all the time,and the thought of staying in one place to many people doesn’t work…Its also important that people do see acts that they don’t know,I hear you on people whistling,but also you’ll find that people will discover something they woundnt have before and love.

Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it.  
 

HI JON SOME QUESTION
 
  1  When booking bands for latitude this year 2010 did you look back over the forum posts of 2009 and see all the moaning about the older bands and decided to book more  radio1 type bands.
Jon's reply:
Hi,I actually didn’t,its important to read the posts,but not to be dictated by them.
 
2when booking the  obelisk headlines do you have set amount you can spend on them.
Jon's reply:
No,I have a budget for the festival and decide where to spend.
 
3  Do you think there is a band this year that will come from the lake stage or sunrise that will headline the word arena, as THE XX have.   It may well be the VILLAGES ?
Jon's reply:
I don’t know in truth,Villagers are certainly one to watch,as are Everything Everything….I think The XX produced such an amazing album.

Hi Jon,

I may be going against the grain of some posts I've read elsewhere but last year you put on several 'older' acts (Pretenders, Squeeze, Grace Jones, PSB, St Etienne, Magazine, Tricky et al) that gave us old folks a reference point or two when we couldn't find a bolt hole. This year as far as I can tell there was only James. OK I guess Jones the Voice should be included too but he wasn't playing a typical festival TJ set now was he?

A sprinkling of acts of the calibre of Richard Thompson would be good, 'traditional', quality but not over-popular.
Jon's reply:
Yes,I think 2009 I must have had a trip down memory lane!..In truth a balance is what we are looking for,the demographic ranges so much that we do need to cater for the 40 and 50 somethings.

To back up what previous posts have said, in recent years there have been a sprinkle of 'vintage' acts such as Magazine, Squeeze, Pretenders, Blondie etc, what was the reason for not doing this this year? 

Annie forbade repetition, but Maddix has asked the major questions really. Rather than repeating, I'd like to reiterate the missed opportunity to be more challenging and diverse musically. Please give that careful consideration.
 
It's difficult to know the parameters of your remit, Jon, and what to what extent you're free to pursue your vision for the festival. I'd be interested to know how far you're constrained by seniors and your full role.
 
Could you tell us a little about your musical background, and if you are involved in other events at present, or have been previously (which I’m sure you have)?
 
Finally, what is the full reasoning behind the policy of elevating single-album or relatively obscure artists to headliner status, and do you accept that (admirable as it is) it has sometimes negated from quality?
 
Otherwise, please give Maddix85's questions close attention. I would have asked those.
 
Thanks very much for taking the time to talk to us inbreds – some of whom come from the North.
 

Moochoo is no more! Now (rising from the ashes, like a fiery phoenix, and regenerated, as unlike Doctor Who as possible) comes Mr Moochoo. http://www.last.fm/user/MrMoochoo31

Moochoo, I've posted a link below to the interview with Jon that I lifted the quote about pushing Latitude more leftfield after its 5th year from. It gives a bit of info about his background there also so might provide a useful insight for you...
 
http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/news/s-said-Dunn/article-209388-detail/article.html

My Last FM

Hello.

1. Have there been any act over the past five years you were desperate to put in the line-up but were just to expensive?
Jon's reply:
There are always acts that go on to play the major major festivals that we just cant afford..I think you would be able to guess who they were by their size,

2. Have there been any relatively big acts who you have asked and they've said no they don't want to do Latitude?
Jon's reply:
Yes,this happens from time to time of course,most times it happens because they are just too big for the festival!

3. Putting Crystal Castles as "special guests" on the Saturday just one below the headliner IMO was poor judgement. They have a following, granted, but they are just not what I'd expect from an Obelisk Arena special guest. Was this planned, or was it just the only slot left for them?
Jon's reply:
The topic of Crystal Castles at Latitude was very hot..They were there for a reason,that reason being they are a great great act,I liked the way they separated people,music is all about opinions and this they did!

4. Mumford and Sons drew a huge crowd and I was surprised at how low down on the running order they were. Again, did their meteoric rise in popularity since their booking take you by surprise or was their position in the running order planned that way?
Jon's reply:
A bit of both here in truth,I knew they were gaining momentaum but the speed did surprise me slightly,at the same time its good to have a big crowd in front of the main stage at that time of  day.

5. Regarding the Latitude habit of "dribble" announcing the acts in the build up to the festival. Is this really necessary? You leave MANY devout forum members foaming at the mouth every year!
Jon's reply:
Ha,sorry..Truth is it can be a very slow process in booking the right act into the right slot and then getting the full sign off on it from artist,managers and agents..Saying that I do hope to ‘speed’ everything up this year!

6. Please agree with Melvin that the Sunday lunchtime slot is to be permanent. Also, would it be too outrageous to suggest that a musical comedy act could do this slot occasionally like Tim Minchin, Bill Bailey or Flight Of The Conchords?
Jon's reply:
I agree that the Sunday slot is important to the whole make up of the festival…Good idea on musical comedy,love the Conchords!


Thank you.   

Hello

Will you be inviting back those that didn't get to play the Sunrise Arena (Delta Maid etc), due to the partial unexpected slump in one part of the roof's structure on the Friday, I think it was?

Thanks
Jon's reply:
What actually happened with Delta was she got stuck in traffic and missed her slot sadly,at the same time the tent collapsed as if it knew there was to be a break of 40 mins or so..Mad coincidence.

Are you able to share your thoughts on who you are considering for next year? I know it's difficult but I promise not to hold you to anything you say. Go on give us a little tickle you know you want to.

National would be nice again.

Thanks for putting on so much good stuff every year, both big-name and little-known. I would ask though, given that Latitude is supposed to be a broad church, why are some genres still largely excluded? Rap, jazz and world music have already been mentioned, but I'd also definitely add electronica and metal, which only ever get token (if any) representation.

Could the music stages start earlier each day? This would help ease overcrowding in the main part of the arena around lunchtime and allow even more (cheap-to-book) lesser-known bands to get their chance to impress.

Do you think that the tastes of people on this forum represent those of the majority of the Latitude crowd? (Judging by the anti-Florence comments and the multiple calls for bands like Sonic Youth to headline, good though Sonic Youth are, I'm thinking that they probably don't.)

Do you book the late-night DJs? If not, who is responsible? It always seems to boil down to a choice between proper dancey stuff in the woods (which is good) or wedding-reception-style cheese everywhere else (too much of this). How about some danceable indie rock or something as well?

Hi Jon,

When it comes to headliners, once you've booked the first does this effect your approach towards the other two, i.e. would you automatically rule bands out if you consider them too similar in style to who you have already booked?

Also, Crystal Castles; why?  That's actually a general question to everyone.

Jon's reply:
This is a very good question,and very true..I do try and make sure that headliners differ from day to day,best way is to only really offer on three headliners and take it slow,otherwise you end up in trouble!
 
Crystal Castles – lots of debate,I wanted them on the bill,they are a great live act with a devoted fanbase.

Sieben (aka) Matt Howden from Sheffield for one of the smaller stages.  He plays violin and sings, using loops to build up an incredible folktrance sound.

I second someone's earlier suggestion of Robert Wyatt.

Garmarna - a Swedish folk/ambient/rock band with a superb female singer.

I agree with Smokeghost's suggestion for some metal.  I'm not talking Iron Maiden obviously, but I'd love something like Electric Wizard, the stoner doom (!) band from Dorset, or The Warlocks (U.S.A band). 

Dare I say Hawkwind? ;-) 

hi JON
as a latitude regular whose 40, over the last few you have had bands like JAMES, HOUSE OF LOVE , SQUEEZE etc i hope you can keep booking the odd older band to keep us indie britpoppers happy ie  Shed Seven , Embrace , Suede , Manics etc  . But in general keep up the good work and try not to think that just because some of the regular forums guys who ask for the same bands to headline LATITUDE is a general consensus that we all want obscure headliners, as at a festival what we want is to have a good singalong and a dance to songs that most of us know, keep up the good work JON looking forward immensly to next years line up

I acccept I'm in the minority, but just to put a little balance. I'm 50, and slightly mobility challenged and like some, my tolerance of discomfort and lairiness had declined with age. I enjoyed the previous civility of the festival, but not the overkill on morose music. This was my 4th Lat, and musically by far the best.
 
I do happen to like indiepop, and there has not been enough so far for me. VW were a great headliner, and why people should blame a non-chavvy band for causing chavvy behaviour I know not. God forbid we have someone who is currently selling more than 50 records.
 
Nearly every one of my current favourite bands played this year (no Chapel Club unfortunately - a must for next year) and I was thrilled to see Everything Everything, who were by far the best for me. The musical direction has been right, but no further. I second the call for the return of the retro's (though not too many, please). Sparks would be great, for example.
 
To book music on the basis of the type of people it will attract over it's merit and quality would be madness. 

This thread is now closed.  No more questions please.  I will be sending these to Jon and will post his replies when I get them.

thanks for all your questions and comments.

Good idea annie. There's actually only about 5 different questions in the entire thread.

calhudson


a tactical rub with the tips of the fingers just below the balls usually eradicates shaking of the tent, and makes for a very interesting fap

alfisti
 
Sparks would be great, for example.

Too right they would.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5QYijFfOaQ

9; Any reason The Fall weren't booked this year? They're playing everywhere this summer, and have released the album of the year. OPPORTUNITY MISSED. 


 Jon's reply: I didn’t want to book the Fall,probably because they did play everywhere this year.

Yes good question Mr.M and a bit of a prevaricating answer...true the group did play a lot of festivals this year, but only a couple in this country...i had a theory that they were black listed by F.R. but they did do that big one in Irish Republic, so there really seems to be no excuse apart from The Fall being too critically cool and so much better than anything else anywhere ever...
not that i am biased or anything

 http://www.hiveprojects.org/

I'd not noticed these had been answered.

INTERESTING.

My Last FM

maddix85


1; In an interview you did a couple of years ago, you stated that "I think after five years we'll push it a bit more, make it more leftfield". Is this still the case, as we are now at the five year stage and if anything this years lineup was the most mainstream and unimaginative yet.
Jon's reply:
I feel that yes,I would like to have more cutting edge acts within the bill next year,at the same time it depends on how you see things..The XX?

If the xx is as far leftfield as he's willing to push it then **** Latitude next year

I get the feeling from his answers that Jon Dunn has fairly dull taste in music.

My Last FM