Saturday, September 17, 2016

END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL (Larmer Tree Gardens, 01/09/16-04/09/16)



Yes, it rained. A lot. Yes, it felt there was a slightly higher proportion of twats in the audience than in the past (although maybe that was just due to the ubiquity of the guy from MONEY). Yes, I still hate camping with a passion that burns brighter than seven suns. But at the end of the day, it was another fantastic weekend filled with good music, good people and good hot dogs slathered with melted raclette cheese. Highlights:

- Broken Social Scene: Hearing "Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl" performed live for the first time since 2008 made me cry. The rest of it was alright too.
- Ezra Furman: Three separate sets, three stunning performances - although Thursday's all-covers set incorporating Madonna, The Arcade Fire, Springsteen, Jackie Wilson, The Clash and Beck was my personal favourite.
- Jeffrey Lewis: No comic strips, but more rockage than usual from the New York "anti-folk" veteran. Always a pleasure.
- Joanna Newsom: WHY DOES SHE ALWAYS PLAY MONKEY & BEAR RATHER THAN EMILY, GODDAMMIT?
- Whitney: Some much-needed summertime vibes on a desperately grey day.
- Anna Meredith: One of Britain's most inspiring, eccentric composers, bringing something a bit more left-field to the EOTR mix.
- Martha: Riotous, tongue-in-cheek lo-fi punks from Yorkshire trigger the most middle-class crowd-surfing experience ever witnessed at a live music event.

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