Festival Review: End of the Road 2024
Festival season closer continues to smash expectations with another year of stunning performances.
Being the last major festival before the end of the sunny season, a lot of weight is put upon the shoulders of this relatively new festival. Despite the obstacles in its way, including the last-minute announcement that headliners Fever Ray would not be able to join, End of The Road surpassed all expectations yet again.
Starting in 2006, the WIltshire-based festival has always been a go-to for lovers of the alternative scene in the U.K, having the bragging rights of hosting many major artists before they turned into a worldwide sensation.
This year’s lineup looks to stay in line with this tradition, with a vast mixture of genres for all sorts of music lovers as well as many other activities taking place around the stunning Larmer Tree Gardens where this yearly celebration of some of the most fascinating aspects of modern culture takes place.
Thursday afternoon kicked off with the incredible Laetitia Sadier on the Woods stage, one of the most talented French songwriters having previously worked on Stereolab. The same stage then hosted two of the most exquisite folk songwriters in Richard Dawson and Bonnie Prince Billy, as well as incredible sets aimed at the heavier-leaning listeners at the neighbouring Folly stage with the likes of Plantoid, MSPAINT and NewDad.
The opening of four more major stages on Friday assured a lot more to come, with the likes of Hello Mary, James Holden, Sextile and HotWax putting on display the increasing variety of musical talent on display.
The evening was initiated with a stunning performance by the up and coming pop phenom CMAT, with an incredible rendition of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”. This was soon followed by the smooth compositions of Welsh songwriter Gruff Rhys, the electric brilliance of guitar duo Sleater-Kinney, and the sparkling jazzy sound of Alabaster DePlume.
A tough choice faced the crowd as the headline slots drew closer with the gritty punk and art-rock of the effervescent Idles playing on the main stage, whilst the sublime Irish-folk tunes of Lankum were being performed at the Garden stage, two of the most anticipated acts throughout the festival which did not fail to turn their unique charms into masterful performances.
Saturday morning saw the infamous Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin perform a surprise set at the Garden stage, followed by the groovy soulful tunes of Curtis Harding, the retro guitar sound of The Lemon Twigs and the intricate, heartwarming indie-pop of Camera Obscura.
Another star-filled evening included the forward-thinking art-pop of London-based duo Jockstrap, the laidback songwriting of Phosphorescent, the wildly energetic modern hip-hop artistry of billy woods, and the psychedelic electronica of four-piece Flamingods.
The shoegaze virtuosos Slowdive lit up the main stage with an incredible set, which included an extended version of “Golden Hair” as an encore, as former Pulp member Richard Hawley stunned the Garden stage with the incredible guitar songwriting that has previously seen him nominated for two Mercury Prize awards.
Sunday’s highlights included a powerful display by modern-soul prodigy Jalen Ngonda, who delivered a beautiful set to an awe-struck crowd early on at the main stage, shortly followed by Ichiko Aoba with her intricately designed acoustic ballads which have rightly earned her a prestigious spot amongst the world’s best when it comes to modern-folk.
French heavy-psychedelic trio Slift tore apart the Big Top stage with a fiery one-hour set, whilst Nation of Language brought their synth-pop prowess to the main stage in a performance which saw the crowd alight in a burst of lively dancing.
The last four hours were a true display of some of the world’s best musical talents kicking off with Dutch-Turkish eastern-psychedelia five-piece and their innovative take on psychedelic rock, a touching solo-acoustic set by the infamous Ty Segall who performed here for the third time since its creation, and the post-punk extraordinaires English Teacher and Snõõper put on display their red-hot songwriting.
Replacing Fever Ray on the main stage were the legendary Yo La Tengo, who started off loudly before settling down on their well-known smooth ballads such as “Autumn Sweater” and “Stockholm Syndrome”, whilst their replacement on the Garden Stage was an ecstatic modular electronic performance by Floating Points who blew the crowd away with every twist and turn throughout his set.
Truly a festival which simply does not miss a beat, End of The Road curates its’ artists so swiftly and precisely that even a headliner dropping the day before its beginning doesn’t put the tiniest dent in the spirit of its loyal and loving crowd. The mood was as great as ever, and the audacious amount of talent around only pushed it higher.
Words by Jay Cohen
