The singer-songwriter wrote on his Twitter that he was “Gutted to announce that unfortunately I’m no longer able to play Tramlines or Latitude this week as I’ve recently contracted COVID, I’m currently recovering in isolation dreaming about the rest of the wonderful gigs that we have in store for you this year!” 

Gutted to announce that unfortunately I’m no longer able to play Tramlines or Latitude this week as I’ve recently contracted COVID. I’m currently recovering in isolation dreaming about the rest of the wonderful gigs that we have in store for you this year! See you soon- Alf

— alfie templeman (@alfietempleman) July 22, 2021

With live music attempting to get up and running again, the fact that we’re still in the middle of a worldwide pandemic still can’t be ignored. As can be seen, this is something that’s already having an impact at Latitude, with two acts already dropping off this weekend’s bill. The other act pulling out is Fontaines D.C., which told fans that during routine testing, one of the band members tested positive for COVID-19. meaning the band and crew now have to self-isolate.

Headlining Latitude this weekend are The Chemical Brothers, Bastille, Bombay Bicycle Club and Wolf Alice, while Sheffield-based festival Tramlines will see The Streets, Royal Blood and Supergrass top the bill who replaced Richard Ashcroft as headliners. Ashcroft announced that he would be pulling out of his headline performance at the event as it is set to be part of the government’s Events Research Programme.

Data from the first stage of the ERP was published recently and confirmed that just 28 people who attended pilot events researching the impact of large-scale gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic tested positive for the virus.

After being involved in talks with the Government, Benn – who is also managing director of Festival Republic and is organising Download’s pilot event – is confident that Latitude will go ahead as planned: “It’s been a long week after the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday and while I was disappointed in the immediate aftermath of the statement, on reflection, I think it actually gives much more certainty of Latitude being able happen than if he had loosened things on Monday because the country will have strangled the variant’s ability to spread to a greater degree through increased vaccination than if we had opened fully this coming Monday”, he stated on the festival’s social media pages.

He continues: “So, for much of the week I have been in conversation with the Government on Latitude in particular and I’m very confident after those talks that Latitude will be allowed to go ahead. There will be more detail on the specifics next week but with this in mind, we will be announcing even more artists and day splits tomorrow as a demonstration of my confidence. More details will follow but we’ll 100 per cent keep you updated every step of the way. We’re very excited – it’s really happening!”

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Hence, the Download pilot event happening this weekend is crucial in understanding what would be the future of UK festivals this summer. The event will be headlined by Bullet for my Valentine, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Enter Shikari. The three-day campaign is part of ongoing research for a safe return to live music.