Sunday was clearly the warmest day of the festival – not a single cloud in the sky. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the busiest day as even around mid afternoon the main stage was relatively empty. A lot of this was down to it being a much older crowd in general, which meant a lot of people arrived fashionably late. With the likes of Father John Misty, Jamie XX, Rosin Murphy and The National on show, it promised to be a great days music.

Rusangano Family

It’s a pity that there wasn’t a bigger crowd for Rusangano Family at the Heineken stage, because they certainly deserved it. MuRli and God Knows are consummate performers and make it their mission to get the crowd involved. Near the end of the set God Knows took off  into the crowd to elicit a response.

Behind them was their DJ mynameisjohn who laid the canvas for their energetic performance. Propelling them forward with some hard hitting drum and bass, yet also had some more subtle touches in his arsenal. The incorporation of mbira samples certainly spiced things up and added more originality to the music.

Some of the highlights from the set were Lights On which has a discernible hook, but also an important message about identity, and Politricks which showed that they’re a socially conscious group. Even though Rusangano Family were cut off at the end during Heathrow, it didn’t matter because they had already left their mark.

Courtney Barnett

For Australian rocker Courtney Barnett, Longitude was a chance to see how her star has risen in Ireland in recent times, having followed her since The Double Ep: A Sea of Split Peas a number of years ago.

Things got off to a slow start, as much of the early setlist consisted of songs that failed to capture the crowd but after a while things really kicked off.  Surprisingly, it was one of the softer moments in the set that really captivated the crowd. The melancholy number Depreston clearly struck a chord with the crowd, as they sang along to every word. Then, like a flick of a switch she turned things up full throttle for Pedestrain At Best, which was one of the best live songs of the weekend.

After the show Barnett even took time out to hang out with some die hard fans. In the end what you see is what you get with Courtney Barnett and that’s what makes her so endearing.

Father John Misty

Father John Misty looks like somebody who was born on a stage; when there is an audience in front of him he just comes to life. At times a bit overindulgent, but it’s all part of the package.

Drawing a much older crowd than most, as the main stage was the place to be on Sunday evening. A lot of his material can be self deprecating and satirical, but the beauty is that you don’t know when he’s being serious.

Bored In The USA is the perfect example of this as he speaks of his useless education and sub-prime loans, but it doesn’t stop the crowd from singing along. Holy Shit, another highlight of the set and shows clearly for us how it’s the fact that Father John Misty is a damn good songwriter that draws us to see him live. The onstage antic is an entertaining bonus.

Jamie XX

If you asked most of the people at Longitude on Sunday who they were there to see, chances are most of them would say Jamie XX. Ever since the line-up was announced, his name was one of those that stood out on the bill.

It was very clear early on that he isn’t the sort of  DJ that tries to pump up the crowd, he lets his music do the talking. He skilfully mixed the old with the new on the fly as well as fusing modern with old school.

The real magic, is how he puts his own material into the mix, moving seemlessy across from the verse in Loud Places and transitions to another song. Then twenty minutes later, just when you least expect it, he re-introduces the chorus as the crowd suddenly found their voice.

For the likes of Good Times, a more uptempo version of the song keeps the crowd guessing. One of the only songs he didn’t mess with was The Rest of Noise which gloriously captured his brand of future garage.

Roisin Murphy

Never have we see as many wardrobe changes for a live show as Roisin Murphy treated us to. She makes Lady Gaga look like Gok Wan by comparison, it really is a sight to behold.

Style is a part of her show but her music certainly it the substance of it. Her band produce and eclectic mix of pop and electronica. An excellent rendition of Dear Miami showcased this mix of styles. The crowd in fine form, this was a homecoming for Roisin Murphy. After leaving Arklow for Manchester at an early age, Murphy was back home, and she even let out a wry smile as the crowd chanted her name.

One of her newer cuts Ten Miles High, from ‘Take Her Up To Monto’ went down a treat. It was fitting so that she closed The Heineken Stage, as all weekend it showcased the best Irish music had to offer, both old and new.

All Tvvins

Ahead of the release of their debut album, pop-rockers All Tvvins play a stormer of a set at the Heineken tent.

The stage is swarmed by the considerable following they’ve built up since emerging on the scene – onlookers are enthusiastic and responsive throughout the set, seemingly to the lads disbelief.

Darkest Ocean gets the biggest reaction -undoubtedly because of the unprecedented coverage the song was given due to its feature on a Fifa soundtrack – with Thank You coming a close second.

Too Young To Live has the catchiest hook heard in recent years, and translates unbelievably well to a live setting. There’s an excitement in the air knowing that the lads are merely on the cusp of an incredible journey.

Vic Mensa

One thing that the organisers of Longitude can take away from this weekend is how well represented hip-hop and rap were at the festival. More often than not, the artists associated with these genres put on the most rip-roaring shows.

Vic Mensa is exemplary – exuding serious power as both a performer and a rapper. There’s a couple of serious close calls involved crowd surfing and the standard bottle of Hennessey – with that said, his set was never slated as being low-octane.

Free Love, his track dedicated to the LGBTQ* community, drew praise and criticism in equal measures upon release, but is received extremely well at the Heineken stage. It’s probably the only sensitive or slow portion of the show – and sticks out like a sore thumb otherwise. It’s a nice sentiment, though there could be truth in the argument that he’s potentially pandering for pink money.

Liquor Locker – the strongest track on his new EP ‘There’s A Lot Going On’ – makes a welcome appearance. But it’s his Kanye collab that sets the tent alight – Mensa’s energy multiplies as he feeds off an equally frantic crowd. Metal-esque moshpits assemble with every chorus drop.

Mensa brings an intensity his peers have taken years to hone – but to him, it pretty much comes naturally.

The National

The National’s entire musical output perfectly compliments the setting of Sunday evenings proceedings. As it gets dark and gloomy, while still being intensely warm, the band arrive on stage to little – actually, make that zero – fanfare.

The set remains largely unchanged in comparison to the last time they played here in 2014, so the added new material is much needed. The Day I Die is the familiar ‘National’ sound – it’s unclear how original or innovative their imminent album will be.

The band struggle to hold the thinning crowd’s attention – gorgeous, but stilted slow burners Hard To Find and Pink Rabbits don’t help matters.  Songs like Terrible Love should not be screamed and choked through. Even Mr. November becomes a stuttering mess, as Berninger paces and pants in frustration, much to the obvious chagrin of his bandmates.

The National truly are a terrible love – usually a phenomenal live band with an incredible repetoire of songs, tonight wasn’t quite what we’ve come to expect of them.