Bringing a swagger and bass-licked breath into the BBC Music tent, Formation are a band with a point to prove. It pulses through every flick and move they make, a gorgeous dive through debut album ‘Look At The Powerful People’ in all its shimmering glory. Opener ‘Drugs’ arrives like a strong shot of caffeine to the system, drenching the tent in an uncompromising glow, whilst early favourite ‘Hangin’ morphs into a monster of rhythm and soul. Every track is an all-encompassing drive, whether it’s ‘Powerful People’ and the stadium sized heights it aims for, the raw punk spit of ‘Back Then’ or the dazzling closer ‘Ring’ and its spiralling moment of euphoria – Formation are unstoppable.
In a set that sees frontman Will Ritson twisting, swinging microphones in the air and pouring himself into every eruptive moment of release – Formation prove something far more meaningful than the mid-afternoon sun gives them credit for. As a unit, it’s a coming together of power, grooves and emotion, and a wrestle to the throat if anyone dallying along the sidelines.
Fall in Formation? They’d rather lead the way, and it’s exactly what sways through Latitude today.
Photos: Poppy Marriott / Dork