Latitude 2013: Five minutes with... Local Natives

Local Natives are a funky little beat combo from Los Angeles, who'll be bringing their afro-pop influences and general, all-round groove to this year's Latitude

Which latitude are you on right now?

41.1667° N (Porto, Portugal). I've been here for Primavera festival; we were in Barcelona last week. 

Sum up what you do for us in one sentence for anyone who might not know…

Turn things into songs; then play them as often as we can. 

If you could give us one hot tip for who to see at Latitude what would it be?

Well you've curated it, so I don't think I can tell you anything you don't already know, but my top artists to see are James Blake (already saw him at Coachella, incredible), Junip and Sinkane (friends from New York)

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

We do, but I can't divulge unfortunately.

What’s your best festival story for us? The stranger the better! 

I've got a sad one and an awesome one. The first time we played in Zurich was at a new festival that was not very well organised. We were the first band of the day on this huge outdoor stage, and when our set time came up they hadn't even opened doors to let the fans in. They said they couldn't push the schedule back though and we had to play to get our fee [it's really expensive to get a whole band to Switzerland for a show] so we started our set playing to a single janitor sweeping past the floor of the festival grounds. By the end of the set there were about a hundred kids running up to the stage to see us close with Sun Hands. It was a really awesome moment for us and those kids, but it was really weird.

The first festival we ever played was Latitude in 2009. It was our first time to the UK, and we didn't know what to expect. Before the show we were really nervous, but when we took the stage the tent was overflowing. That show was over in a flash and it was one of the greatest feelings I've ever had on stage.

Tell us a something you’ve never told an interviewer before… 

I love Abraham Lincoln. I'm reading an extensive book about his life and political career called team of rivals. He's known as a legend, but I wasn't aware how much he deserves it and even more. 

What’s your signature cooking dish?

Green Juice. Living on the road there's not a lot of cooking to be done, but we brought a juicer along last tour and I can make an amazing juice to cure what ails you; lots of ginger. 

What book/film/record etc. changed your life and why? 

The Wind Up Bird Chronicles/There Will Be Blood/Songs of Leonard Cohen. They made me see things about life that I had never thought before, and they made me want to write songs. 

Knock knock, who’s there?

Me...

And, lastly, summarise Latitude in three words

Wet and awesome