Emma LeeBoasting a huge back catalogue of hits spanning 20 years, Mancunian indie legends James were the perfect candidates to get the Latitude party well and truly started on Saturday.Emma Lee

Boasting a huge back catalogue of hits spanning 20 years, Mancunian indie legends James were the perfect candidates to get the Latitude party well and truly started on Saturday.

Fronted by singer Tim Booth, they formed nearly 30 years ago, and found mainstream fame in the early 90s, when the music press set its compass for the north and created the 'Madchester' movement.

And they're still going strong.

Great writing stands the test of time - and James' songs are still as exciting when you're stood in a field in 2010 as they were in an indie disco in 1992.

The opening chords of the classic, Sit Down, still send a shiver down the spine.

And Tim Booth, famed for his crazy dancing, is as agile as ever.

They're not just on the nostalgia circuit either - they're still writing and recording and debuted some new material.

It's hardly surprising that with so many songs at their disposal they ran over their allotted time - they departed the stage when the following band on the bill, the Maccabees, were due to be going on.

But they still managed to pack in the haunting Sound, Ring the Bell and Tomorrow. For the finale, Laid, they were joined by their supporters who had been watching from the wings. But thinking about it, they barely touched their enormous back catalogue.

Hopefully they'll return to Latitude - and for longer next time.