Reaching the Garden stage, Jake Xerxes Fussell was seated on stage playing guitar and singing The River St Johns. Press play to hear the end of this song.
Flashes of Orange is an elaborate song lasting over ten minutes and is available for listening below.
As clouds gathered, a move to the The Folly stage marquee seemed sensible. New York City based Slow Fiction were already on stage but there was a vantage point from the far right of the stage. A recording from this point can be heard below with vocals by Julia Vassallo.
Towards the end of their performance, there was a downpour outside visible from the side of the stage and people sought shelter. However 20 minutes later at 4.50pm there was blue sky as the storm clouds receded.
On a short UK tour from Los Angeles / Long Beach, Dutch Interior came on stage at 4pm. A song from their set can be heard below.
The sun was shining on the Garden stage for Vieux Farka Toure (son of Malian musician Ali Farka Toure) and his band who had gone on stage at 4.30pm. A recording made towards the end of the set can be heard below.
With 45 minutes before the next act and keen for a good view, I sat with my back to the stage barrier and took a selfie with my 'Make Americana Great Again' cap. It was an honour when Ant from Bristol chose the space next to me for his vantage point. Ant was wearing an exquisite outfit which included a hat topped by silver birds that could rotate. He recommended the music of Hannah Rose Platt. I was too shy to ask Ant for a photo, perhaps next year!
Based in Bristol, Katy J Pearson had played on the Woods stage on a sunny Friday afternoon in 2021 (3 September). This year she had a later start on the Garden stage for an hour long set from 6.15pm. The set included Tonight and Beautiful Soul (listen to a recording of this song below).
Formed in Brighton and currently based in Bristol, Squid have played at End of the Road festivals previously. They had been playing for 15 minutes on the Woods stage before I arrived to catch some of their music including a favourite - 'The Cleaner' which was recorded from a spot closer to the stage and can be heard below.
By 8pm it was time for something to eat and tonight's choice was Vietnamese street food from Hanoi Kitchen - Noodle bowl with pork (with honey and pepper).
Arriving at the Garden stage half way through the hour long set by Sorry, the music sounded good from a spot near the sound desk and the Roman Temple building with an art installation above the colourfully illuminated rockery and pond of Larmer Tree Gardens.
Sorry are a band from North London with links to Brixton's Windmill 'scene'. Asha Lorenz is the band's singer featured in the recording below.
Keen to see Black Country, New Road from a closer vantage point, it was back to the Garden stage barrier for the 9.45pm start. Starting with 'Two Horses' the BC,NR set included many songs from their Forever Howlong (2025) album, including 'Nancy Tries To Take The Night'. This song, with its long acoustic guitar intro, was recorded and can be heard below.
As both the Garden stage and Woods stage headline acts would finish at 11pm, the opportunity was taken to head to the Woods stage for the end of the 90 minute set by Father John Misty featuring Mahashmashana which can be heard below. The last songs were 'Holy Shit' and 'Real Love Baby'.
Sunday steps: 17,005.
2026 will be the 20th anniversary for End of the Road festival. (3-6 September). See you there perhaps? Let's hope the weather involves less rain next year and more of the sunshine that we enjoyed later on this Sunday in 2025.
Friday 29 August 2025 Miranda Sawyer - Talking Heads stage Talking to Julian Mash about her book 'Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs' 'I love Liam' (Gallagher) , 'I underrated Suede', 'Pop stars should look like cartoons' [ Link to an edited extract from the book from The Guardian ] John Harris - Talking Heads stage Talking to Holly Dawson about his book 'Maybe I'm Amazed: A Story of Love and Connection in Ten Songs' which also features his son James. 'I love Somerset but they all clap on the on beat', 'James played I am the Walrus 37 times a day'. [ Book review by Tim Clare in The Guardian link ] Good Looks - Woods stage Setlist included ' If it's gone ' - click on play button below for a live recording of this song made here. Your browser does not support the audio element. Cubzoa - Big Top stage The setlist of Cubzoa, featuring Brighton based Jack Wolter, included ' Choke ' - cl...
Saturday 30 August, 2025 Having worn wellington boots and carried an umbrella around all day on Friday, these were left at the tent on Saturday for easier movement. This strategy did not turn out well, more about the weather later. Talking Heads stage - Stuart Murdoch It's always a pleasure to listen to writers / musicians talking about their latest books at the Talking Heads stage with views of a field beyond the stage from its wooded setting. Arriving at 11.30am, it was just in time to hear Stuart Murdoch in conversation with Julian Mash about his first novel Nobody's Empire , set in Glasgow , which features three people affected by ME , Stephen, Carrie and Richard. Stuart also read a section from the book and agreed to perform a song. A recording of part of Dog on Wheels can be played below. Your browser does not support the audio element. The Folly Stage - The Sophs, Lily Seabird, Scott Lavene Leaving the Talking Heads stage too late to catch Muireann Bradley ...
Comments
Post a Comment