End of the Road Festival is the only music event I know where real peacocks sit smugly on buildings watching human beings dancing badly to bands.
Our favourite bespoke annual gathering of groovy people descends upon the idyllic countryside of Dorset once again. This year’s End of the Road Festival is once again unmissable and feet achingly fabulous.
Fortunately no usual end of summer West country biblical weather events plagued us. Our tents didn’t blow away, in what historians will in future call a Reading event.
Despite a little rain on the Sunday we were spared from the unpredictability of UK weather.
Arriving Friday we were told Bonnie Prince Billy had been great on the preceding day, as with lots of festies nowadays Thursdays play host to some four day schedules, anyway we heard it was good, which you would naturally expect from the Bonnie.
Our Friday started with a crowd confusing line up change, we were wanting to see Somaliland singer Sahra Halgan, but due to schedule changes her set was delayed so we went for a wander came back later and caught only three numbers, really nice up tempo grooves.
Sahra Halgan
The Neonfiller spaceship was temporarily delayed but now primed and ready for takeoff.
We headed to the Folly stage for two fabulous bands. The first up being the hottest next big thing award nominee Wine Lips from the USA.
Wine Lips
They looked like 1980s porn stars playing 300mph blues punk rock and the crowd went ballistic. In fact we had to retreat to preserve life and limb (and beer).
Life changing event number 839 came at 5pm with our first time seeing the second of these fabulous bands, RVG. They hail from Australia and are fronted by Romy Vager on guitar and gut wrenching emotionally charged vocals.
RVG
The band give it their all in an all too short set, just check out their third and most recent album Bloodworms, it overflows with great tunes and not a little angst.
Romy’s vocals are the real deal, at times I was close to tears but that might have been the warm cider, but I know it wasn’t.
Idles are a force of nature, a cliche but true, a visually exciting powerhouse of politically motivated anger, I don’t think they like Tories, but who does?
There was much consternation that Idles and fellow headliners Lankum were on at the same time.
Lankum performed in the Walled garden and continued to take folk music to another planet, challenging, atmospheric and rather like Idles ground-breaking, in their own special way.
Lankum
Next up Victoria sponge, which isn’t a band, tea, banter, bed, knackered, very cold.
Trying to get a signal at a festival is the most frustrating thing in the world, basically, don’t bother even trying.
End of the Road Festival look to rectify this with their unique onsite postal service. You put your message in an envelope, put the name and a description of the person(s) on the envelope and they try and find them for you. Sadly we had no luck. Next year I’m bringing a pair of homing pigeons.
On Saturday we heard some random sounds emanating from the big top, a band called Masterpiece (shit name, change it guys) on closer inspection a wonderfully indie pop vibed pop band. Short, punchy sing along tunes. They would make an ideal support band for the Oasis’ dynamically priced tour.
Modern Woman
Modern Woman were too groundbreaking for me. I had to go for a sit down and think about what to write next.
The Lemon Twigs
The Lemon Twigs are so bloody cool. Power pop with Beach Boys harmonies, with a hint of The Byrds. Just glorious despite ominous but fortunately fleeting cloud cover they played a blinder. A highlight.
Long time pioneers of the much maligned shoegaze era of the early nineties Slowdive were majestic with a capital M, despite a few technical issues, wave after wave of gorgeous guitar fx laden dreampop intertwined with Rachel’s vocals, it all made for a stunning end to another great day.
Before you realise it, Sunday arrives and hits you on the head with a wet kipper.
A nice surprise came in the afternoon, we went to see a much touted band called Thus Love, who didn’t play. Instead Sahra Halgan, who had obviously stayed for the weekend delivered a whole set. Absolutely brilliant stuff, and that moment when you look behind you and see a thousand happy, delirious fans going bonkers batshit. That is what makes festivals such a joy.
From one extreme to another as French trio Slift turned it up to eleven as they delivered one of the heaviest and loudest sets Dorset, and it’s surrounding environs, has ever witnessed. You feel the late Lemmy would approve wholeheartedly.
Another crunching gear change as Joanna Sternberg charmed us with their simple, yet affecting tunes.
Joanna Sternberg
Sternberg’s delightful singing voice and self deprecating humour won us all over. Thinking back, their set might well have been the most emotional tear making moment of the weekend, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the Walled garden pretending they had something in their eye.
This weekend will eventually cost me (and probably a few others as well) a small fortune as we buy up various back catalogues.
And if all the acts mentioned weren’t enough. We also saw great sets from Phosphorescent, Bill Ryder-Jones and Richard Hawley.
Richard Hawley
Farewell peacocks. Farewell cider. Farewell eclectic music writ large. EOTR 2024, another killer year.
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John, it was a pleasure meeting you and chatting about the frustrating lack of signal among many things. I agree, The Lemon Twigs were definitely a highlight, and I’ve got to mention ML Buch was another personal favourite of mine. Was a great weekend and I’m looking forward to next year already!