End of the Road's 10th anniversary was nothing short of magnificent, with the artists seeming to have as good a time as the crowd- Samuel Herring of Future Islands couldn't seem to stop himself from admitting how much fun he was having between songs, Laura Marling described it as 'the most beautiful festival' and the War on Drugs expressed how they were so glad that 9 years after first being asked to play the festival, they were proud to finally have made it to Larmer Tree Gardens. The End of the Road crowd itself is revered for how calm, relaxed yet appreciative it is, so much so that artists such as Midlake in the past have referred to it as one of the best and most enjoyable festivals to play.
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| Andrew Combs' set was gorgeous on Friday afternoon |
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| The War on Drugs on Sunday |
The tiny comedy stage situated in the middle of the woods, surrounded by benches and hay bales, doesn't often disappoint with comics such as Robin Ince and Phill Jupitus creating waves of laughter among the trees.
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| Palma Violets kicked off the festival, headlining the Tipi on Thursday |
The ambience of My Morning Jacket's reverberating harmonies inspired, Laura Marling's stunning vocal and guitar seemed to silence, Tame Impala's bassy psychadelic haze took us all to a different, colourful world of hypnotic backdrops and lighting. Nadine Shah's deep vibrato-heavy vocal filled the Big Top tent, which also housed the wonderfully weird Fat White Family. Mac Demarco's sliding guitars and sense of humour drew a large crowd to the Garden Stage, and Alvvays' pretty, lyrical songs of love drenched with reverb seemed to fit in so perfectly with the last of the afternoon sun before the punchy synth and highly entertaining dance moves of Future Islands hit the Woods Stage. It was a weekend of wonderful, new, alternative music.
End of the Road seem to be so ahead of the game in their line-up- there is no doubt that some of the bands further down the line-up are set to find exposure over the following year, predictions including Hooton Tennis Club, Crushed Beaks and Kevin Morby. Also working as a festival of discovery, the beautifully simple yet happy tones of Andrew Combs and his band and mellow easygoing guitar melodies of Ultimate Painting have already found their way onto my playlist.
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| Laura Marling had the crowd absolutely still |
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| Future Islands was complete with the deep throaty tones and spectacular dance moves from their frontman |
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| Tame Impala's set also featured a hypnotic light show |
-Squirette
{all photos belong to Ella Squire}
