Entertainment For Lively Minds
End of the Road 2011
Wonderful, wonderful festival, and none more Word, no? This was my fourth one and it just gets better. The music - Beirut, Joanna Newsom, Okkervil River, Gruff Rhys, Lykke Li, Josh T Pearson, JOHN GRANT and dozens of smaller delights to be uncovered. Such a beautiful setting - Tune-Yards going gooey over baby peacocks was a highlight. Stunning food as always (yay for PieMinister, Goan fish curry and the Somerset Cider Bus). Loads of family-friendly activities, and Pucket looked like fun, but with that line-up who has the time?
The capacity has increased slightly but the addition of the Woods stage, the disco under the stars and the Tipi tent marquee meant it could more than cope. Plus, after tales of declining ticket sales nationwide, good on Simon and Sofia for bucking the trend.
Oh, and John Grant.. I didn't 'get' him before, but what a star. So charming, and genuinely chuffed to be there. The audience responded, and on a cold night it was a warm hug of a set.
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And M Ward...
...and Jolie Holland, and Timber Timber, and another vote for Beirut and Okkervil River (astoundingly loud) and Laura Marling, and, and...In terms of sheer festival pleasure, though, my top four were Tinariwen, Leisure Society, Diagrams (bubbles and balloons!) and, most unexpectedly, Steve Smyth, an Aussie singer-songwriter with the pure, soaring voice of a Jeff Buckley and the wacky stage moves of an Ian Anderson. Brilliant. He doesn't seem to have an album, but he's on YouTube (take care not to confuse him with heavy metal widdlemeister of the same name).
Another big up for the food and drink (Bhatti Wraps and Doom Bar ahoy!)and the organisation in general (bogs excepted, as always). Another up for whoever it was decided we needed to listen to the Ink Spots at 11 every morning, and for the stewards, who didn't seem to know the answer to any question asked of them, but revealed their ignorance with such charm you just thought, oh, maybe I didn't need to know that anyway...
Diagrams!
Wasn't he wonderful? My find of the weekend. Giddy happy funk-Tunng with £15 worth of pound shop party balloons and a small bottle of vodka. Other highlights - Tune-Yards and Willy Mason are musical heroes of mine and didn't let me down.
Just investigated Steve Smyth, though I did for a moment confuse him with the widdlemeister... Very lovely, very Jeff Buckley, thanks for the tip.
Another highlight...
... the man who plonked his pint down in front of me, sat down and solemnly announced that some band that had just played (can't now remember which one)were 'the poor man's Hawkwind'. Still having trouble getting my head round this one, seeing as how Hawkwind are the poor man's Hawkwind, I'd have thought.
Breakfast With The Inkspots
Hello Mike
I was the one who decided you/we should hear the Inkspots!
here is my facebook group and I am only getting my s**t together when it comes to this in particular, (i don't want to set the world on fire) so nice to see someone enjoying it
http://www.facebook.com/BreakfastWithTheInkSpots
keep on keeping on
And The Unthanks.....
and Lanterns on The Lake and Bob Log III and The Fall....
My 4th visit too. I thought the increase in capacity was handled pretty well, although I wouldn't want it getting much bigger. As usual the whole layout and vibe of Larmer Tree Gardens sets it apart from others. When the sun shines, as it did, there is no more beautiful setting for a festival.
The Somerset Cider Bus was parked-up waiting to greet me, and the Curry Shed had spicy veg.curries to die for. Perfect!
The organisers are starting a new festival No Direction Home in early June, at Welbeck Abbey in Sherwood Forest. Should be worth checking it out.
Early bird tickets for 2012
have nearly sold out already... I'm currently out of work (if anyone in the London area needs a cheerful, overqualified PA for tea and music chat etc...) but heck, it's tempting.
Thanks
for the ticket tip. Well worth the investment. I would echo the comments above and would add how much I enjoyed the set by Doug Paisley. So much so that having only nipped in to have a quick listen, I stayed for his whole set and missed Midlake as a result. This was my fourth year in a row and although a little perturbed by the new 'path' from the car park - at one point on Friday morning there was so much trolley wreckage scattered along it that it looked like the Basra Road - it was good to have another good sized stage. other highlights for me were Megafaun, The Walkmen, The Leisure Society and Okkervil River. John Grant was a fitting close to the event. On my way to the exit I wandered past the stage where Joanna Newsom was playing. Marmite to me unfortunately. An interesting selection of food outlets and a sufficiently varied range of real ales to be 'evaluated'.
knickers to it
I've gone and bought an early bird ticket.
You may have made the right choice re: Mr Paisley. We gave up on Midlake after ten minutes of prog flute and made our way to the Tipi. Altogether a nicer place to be.
And I forgot to mention
Kurt Vile, how did he slip by me? If I wasn't working tonight I'd be off to the Fleece to see him play again