Dancers Stand Very Still

My first (and likely only) time at the festival. Toilet queues did look horrendous - I've got an Airbnb nearby so avoided the worst. I heard some people saying an hour later in the evening. Its obviously easier for men with the urinals, but even then some were going against fences and in the crowd (why do people think that's acceptable?!). I really feel for the women though - there were groups creating barriers around each other so they could go in private as they couldn't wait any longer and some were attempting to use the urinals. The toilets have come straight from Green Man, a festival a quarter of the size (I had no idea Victorious was this big). Apparently the bar selection is crap too? I didn't brave the queues to find out. Some locals told me there used to be local beers too, but now it's all mass produced lager. The sound quality on the Common Stage is only any good in front of the mixing desk, but to get there is tricky. Lots of jostling and a general hostility last night between the (generally) older folks there for Madness and younger crowd who just wanted to get drunk and be boisterous. Madness we're great fun though 😊 I'm hoping it'll be better across the weekend with more stages and hopefully some hidden corners. World music already seems to have a good vibe. I think I'll be dipping in and out of the festival though at this point.

I only caught the second half of their set and couldn't really get near enough to enjoy it properly. Did Martha Skye Murphy join them for Narrator? They finished with that at Latitude and it was a level above an already impressive set. I'm hoping MSM will pop up at EotR due that reason. That's why she's one of my picks for a surprise slot.

Maybe. Its a bit longer (85 versus 58 pages) than what became the main thread in 2019 but we've had an extra year to make it so. It's pleasantly busy this week though! I love the speculation and anticipation the week before that we're all feeling 😊

They're the times from 2019 I added a few weeks ago as a placeholder when I created the Clashfinder. I think Swashbubbler (who's done most of the leg work) may have adjusted a couple to fit in the bands as they appeared on the poster, but they are definitely not (as the print advisory of '5 - do not even think about' hopefully suggests) the final times.

Current Top 10 most-highlighted on the Clashfinder so far (clashfinder.com/s/eotr2021): Stereolab Squid Dry Cleaning Black Country, New Road Hot Chip Damon Albarn The Comet is Coming Warmduscher Arlo Parks Little Simz All the usual caveats apply about the this not being representative of the whole festival etc. Having said that, any surprises there?

Can anyone remember if the camping supplies shop on site sell (screw on) gas canisters?

Hadn't realised they had those support slots. I reckon it's just about possible they could do the support in London on the Friday, finish by half 8 or 9 and make a 2am slot at EotR? I vaguely recall a band doing something similar in 2018, I think. Perhaps someone has a better memory!

They close and reopen it every few minutes to manage the flow of people and prevent overcrowding. Tends to lead to a fair old queue (10-60 minutes from my experience depending on how early you get away). If you walk to Bow Road instead and go one stop on the Hammersmith & City / District, you'll be at Mile End and inside the station and therefore will have circumvented the queue. Trains themselves from Mile End never seem to be that busy due to the crowd management at the entrance.

It was just him. I was lucky enough to be one the few at the Barbican that day and his GM set this weekend. Both exceptionally beautiful, but quite different set lists. I won't spoil the set list in case it's the same, but to to hold a main stage crowd on stage solo like he did takes some doing.

My suggestions in the main thread from a week or two back were: Wet Leg, Soccer96, Do Nothing and Martha Skye Murphy for acts which aren't on the bill. Soccer96 have now indeed been added to the Tipi late in an evening, so won't be a surprise. I'm going to add The Cool Greenhouse, Prima Queen, VLURE and Home Counties to that now as further possibilities. Of those already on the bill, PVA are very likely in my opinion. I can also see Melin Melyn going down a storm too. Modern Woman and The Golden Dregs are on EotR Records so that may be a pointer, but neither strike me as 'exciting' enough for that slot.

Glad that came out today! Really helped with a couple of split decisions I had at GM. Cheers Swashbubbler too for updating the Clashfinder 👍 Looking forward to having a proper look next week.

The Thursday (RagnBone Man) and Friday (James) events this week at Kenwood House have been postponed at the last minute due to safety concerns because of ground conditions. Saturday and Sunday still on as things stand.

Yep. DICE mentioned The Streets too. Probably a similar situation to APE in 2018/9 when pretty much everyone who entered seemed to win tickets.

Tickets for the Supergrass day now up on Central Tickets for £6.50.

I'm mainly fussed about the splits as any clashes may inform one or two decisions of who to see at GM this week. Having said that, and usually really wanting to plan, I wouldn't be against a one-off year where I only find out reading the programme in the tent on Thursday afternoon! Although that is mainly due to the lack of 'otherwise difficult to see' acts this year and that I'll have seen 50 or so of the line up in the month before the festival. Back to normal next year, please!

I was convinced it was going to be this week! They seem to do things on Thursday's (I think?) and a reasonable amount of their crowd will be at GM next week, so they might lose some traction there. No idea how important these things are at this point to a sold out festival. I'm beginning to think they might just let us all find out when we arrive! 😮

Imyreferring to the official covid pass certificates you get in the post from the NHS rather than the vaccination card. They're the paper alternate to the app, complete with QR code.

100 %. I queued for hours to get my second dose after 4 weeks and keep a paper copy of my certificate in my wallet these days, just in case! Far less anxiety-inducing than having to test for every single event.

Not sure, but if you were to take and register an LFT just before entering first time around wouldn't you, in theory, be able to use that same proof again within 48 hours? i.e, if you arrived an Thursday, you could pop to get supplies on Saturday morning and show the same text/email/app.

Judging from the 80 odd live sets I've seen since 19th July, I very much doubt more than 5-10 % of people will stick to masks in the Big Top / Tipi (even with an EotR crowd). They'll both be better for ventilation though than most indoor venues. It's not ideal if the bands you want to see are tented, but at least there are enough outdoor stages with great music if tents feel too much of a risk. They are very safe. The biggest covid risk then is likely toilet cubicles, but waving the door a few times will recycle the air (and have other benefits!). It'll all feel fine once we're inside. I hope everybody finds their personal balance between risk and enjoyment 😊.

Covid details and FAQs here: https://endoftheroadfestival.com/information/covid/ As expected, I think.

Cheers. Good knowledge! On a broader note, do they still appear to be applying the 'can't play twice in a row' rule with the exceptional circumstances?

Definitely one of my tips for a late night Tipi slot too. Who else do you reckon? I'll go with Wet Leg, Alabaster Deplume and/or Soccer96 and Martha Skye Murphy for acts which aren't on the bill. (Maybe The Orielles, Jockstrap, Porridge Radio, Working Mens Club, Do Nothing or Goat Girl if they're going for anyone more established.) Extra sets from those already on the bill, I'll go Modern Woman or The Golden Dregs as they're the two bands on their own label. Maybe PVA, Yard Act? What about the traditional Sunday mash up? BC,NR and Squid would be outrageous!

I'm as bad as the rest of you for checking these sites out of sheer excitement, but from a professional point of view it's all quite meaningless at this point. As with most of the fests I attend, I'll do a forecast just before for my own use and will share here too. Let's not let that stop the rumouring and sharing of obscure resources though as its all part of building that anticipation!! 😊

I know a fair few people on this thread were off to Gorillaz and there were questions about support. I just spotted this in the corner of a photo they shared from tonight. If you're off tomorrow, this could help! Looks like a DJ early doors and then they're playing for two and a half hours: 20:15 - 22:45!