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‘End of the road’? Hopefully not.

A surprise day ticket to a festival is always welcome, but having not heard too much about ‘End of the Road’ before I wasn’t sure of what to expect. Enthralled particularly by the prospect of Sufjan Stevens in the evening, I went caring little else about what I did all day. But thank god I turned up early enough to make the most of the rest of what this little festival had to offer. It was the tenth anniversary of the event, set in the quite idyllic Larmer Tree Gardens. The place completely suited the slightly alternative vibe that the organisers were going for. Every so often one would stumble across a peacock, fairy-lit woodland or a meditation session, perhaps by the ‘free bookshop’.

We made it in time to catch the end of Slow Club’s set; a duo who have definitely moved on since their acoustic days of ‘Because We’re Dead’ and ‘Christmas TV’, but still managed to capture the audience with a real stage presence. Before enjoying more of the main stage, we made it to the comedy tent, set in a little glade, to see Phil Jupitus reciting some humorous haikus – a far cry from his ‘Buzzcocks’ persona, with much more solemnity.

The proportion of female artists in the whole lineup, not only as singer-songwriters but also in bands, really impressed me. Just while walking around we heard Stealing Sheep at the garden stage. Apart from one or two tracks, I knew little of this band, but it didn’t seem to matter with the energy their psychedelic pop created so easily. Girlpool’s punk and Saint Etienne’s dance-inducing sound were also great, but the girls that really stole the show were The Unthanks.

These Tyneside sisters’ eccentricity cannot be denied. Their manipulation of traditional Northumbrian folk into a rather haunting (and definitively experimental) storytelling device really drew in the crowds. The set climaxed, not only with a surprise tap dance (of course), but the brass and string accompaniment brought an already captivated audience to a state of palpable jubilance. Their album Mount the Air was released in February, and definitely should be given a listen.

The headline act made the evening. Slightly dubious about how Sufjan Stevens’ sound would translate to a live performance, I would now highly recommend catching what is remaining of his European tour. His multitalented and peripatetic band moved round from keys, to trombone, to guitar, to vocals with ease. The unique vocals he has brought to his records allowed a lot of otherwise sombre tracks to really lift the crowd. The brass element to his earlier works, such as ‘Come feel the Illinoise’, were not forgotten, much to the excitement of the fans, many of whom had initially been drawn in by this atmospheric concept album. Sadly no encore was permitted, much to the dismay of many – really a testament of how successful the set was.

I couldn’t recommend ‘End of the Road’ enough. Slightly more expensive than some similarly sized festivals, it’s definitely worth it. The line up (which included Laura Marling on the Sunday) had an eclectic mix of everything alternative, folk and Americana. And if this doesn’t sell it, the woodland dens and occasional peacock sighting seals the deal for me.

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