Yoss

Once you reach a point where people expect it to sell out quickly then that in itself produces the effect - already seems to have happened with Green Man. Once you get close to that tipping point it may be that only a relatively small extra bit of demand makes all the difference between selling out in a week or two and not selling out until next summer. Which will be great for them, of course, if we do get to that point, though I hope it never gets anything like Glastonbury where demand already outstrips supply on the first morning.

It is indeed a pity, being the festivals most akin to one another, that they're so close together. One nearer each end of the season would be perfect. I say give the double-header a go anyway. Or you could grow some balls and tell these so-called friends of yours where to get off.

Didn't he cancel?

I'm a massive hypocrite - I think the rates of infections reported from other festivals in recent weeks are, on the one hand, higher than we should probably be allowing from a national perspective; but on the other hand within the risk limits I personally am willing to take, at least as a one-off, given the importance of End of the Road to me, this year especially. (I'm not actually worried about getting covid myself - what will be will be - only about spreading it, and I plan to be supercautious, if not completely isolate, for a week or so once I'm back.) Also, as others have said, the risk isn't necessarily random, some of it may be coming from crunch points such as the travel, and even when there there may be useful mitigation measures that can be taken. I'm not sure I can make a blanket rule of staying out of the indoor tents altogether - the Tipi in particular would be difficult - but I'll see how things look and feel when I get there. Sure a great festival could still be had at the outdoor stages only if it comes to it.

I will give my answers a week on Monday. But if I had any clues at all as to who might exceed or fall below my expectations at this stage then I would, pretty much by definition, be adjusting my expectations accordingly.

Yeah, definitely her. I recognise her in this interview, in which she talks a bit about making the transition from one to the other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpd_dYk0QdU

That was worth the listen, thank you.

Wait! What? Rhain is in Wet Leg? I remember her, saw her in the Tipi that year. Extraordinary voice. Completely did not recognise her, visually or vocally. Not that I'm doubting you but we are certain about this? (NB I saw Slow Club twice nine years apart and didn't even realise it was the same band until another couple of years afterwards.)

The majority of secret sets are bands who have are already playing at the festival. There's generally the odd one who isn't - but unlikely to be anything that high profile. (Though covid might of course change things further this year - chances are there will be more drop-outs and replacements on the main bill yet too.)

There was a bar there before it was Beavertown's.

I don't think the van access opens any earlier than the rest of the site, no.

I can't really argue with that, but they have their redeeming features to be fair to them.

I mean, I see the attraction, there's something lovely about stumbling across something great at the time it happens - but as someone who went to my first couple of EotR's knowing nothing about most of the music, I'm gonna say I've got more out of it, musically, since I started looking at the line-up and doing some research first. Also I look back at those first couple of line-ups now and I'm like omg, all these great bands were there and I didn't see them because I didn't know about them. (And because the cloth-eared people I was with failed to give me the right recommendations.)

No idea. Never seen any AA presence, but then I wouldn't look or notice. All I would say, if it's of any help, is that there's a sort of hippy vegan cafe place in the woods at the far side of the Garden stage which is a good place to chill out and feels well away from the bars and the booze. I usually go there for my cups of tea on Sunday afternoon once I've stopped drinking in preparation for the drive home.

Confirmed. Noted, thanks for the heads up.