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EOTR 23 Arrived as mizzle descended for my 14th EOTR - even in such dreich conditions all was lovely. However, the weather gods shone upon us from Friday and the sunshine was glorious Stopped off at Emporium on way in to the music for merchandise - £28 for a t-shirt but they’d already sold out of many sizes! Was worried prices would be similarly inflated throughout but was pleasantly surprised by bar and food costs overall Managed to miss all the Thursday ents due to cider bus shenanigans but did see Wilco who were immense as usual Unfortunately missed most of Last Waltz in Cinedrome (I blame the cider again) but manage to catch much of Alien - still stands up so well. Tent was packed as little other stuff happening, but nice to see it so busy. The curation over the weekend was exemplary - I could have spent 3 days here if the music wasn’t also so good. Awoke bleary eyed late am and headed in for the usual bacon sandwich from the lovely Tea Bus and a Bloody Mary from the airstream. The queue was too big so slummed it with a couple of tins (very good BTW) we’d brought and a cheeky g&t from the gin bus. Saw a bit of Friendship, much of Royal Otis, and headed to Big Top for FatDog. Had seen them do the early hours set at GM which was excellent and they were on point again for this much earlier set. The tent was oppressive though due to heat/humidity (referenced by the local food vendor who said their food was hotter than the Big Top at OverMono) so listened to the majority outside, and headed to Garden for Horse Lords. Cacophonous but focussed they were excellent. Daniel Norgren followed (lovely) then Mary Wallopers. Narrowly avoiding the threat of a fall into a Irish hokey/theme band they delivered a blistering set of funny and poignant folk punk, repeated again for the first secret set later that night. Caught the end of Cass McCombs which was lovely, and hung around for Angel Olsen who was sublime Gutted to have missed Part Chimp, we popped over to Talking Heads for Lou Sanders (such a lovely stage) and ended up in Folly for secret sets (Mary W and Bring your own Pet). Latter were serviceable but loved hanging out in the back /bar area. I found the sound in the Folly for the late night sets a bit muddy, though that have just been my mind generally Didn’t love the fact they removed the urinals however which seems unfair on everyone. Even by Friday, many seemed to be missing locks/seats/handles and the lack of lights was dumb. Do us all a favour next year and bring the pissoirs back, as well as the Green Man female squat urinals please. That said, the efestivals thread on the matter is very entertaining… EOTR stack cups would also be nice - so much easier to carry and less likely to topple in grass Ended up outside cider bus with chips until everything closed, distracted by random conversations with passers by Saturday, woke late as usual, headed to boat for Three Spoons - just lovely. The Boat was one of my favourite stages this year, beautifully curated and lovely to hang out. Over to Garden for beautiful doom folk from John Francis Flynn, stayed for all Avalanche Kaito (extraordinary), and the start of Caroline. They started late and were ponderous at best after they started. Lovely on record, it didn’t translate live. Many I met disagreed, but equally the crowd thinned out significantly as it progressed Back to the Boat for The Courettes (fantastic) and then 75 Dollar Bill - transcendental. Luckily the former also did a later Secret Set which was possibly even better - maybe my find of the festival. Didn’t fancy Future Islands (Vic Reeves singing New Order as it was memorably described) and thought Arooj Aftab might be too earnest. She was extraordinary though and held the crowd spell bound throughout Secret sets were The Courettes and PVA. Although I’d ‘seen’ the former at the Boat (couldn’t get in the tent), I hadn’t appreciated their sound was from just 2 people - extraordinary. The singer crowd surfing on her back playing Duane Eddy licks was amazing. PVA delivered the last set of the night with some pulverising, tent shaking techno Once more into the breach for the final foray Sunday am. Saw second half of Divorce which was great, a tiny bit of the ever charming Sweet Baboo and headed to Boat for Whitney K. Apart from providing welcome respite from the sun, the set was sublime. Strolled over for the Joan Shelley set next at the Garden - so beautiful - then pegged it over to Charley Crockett for maybe the set of the weekend and headed back to layer up for the final push. Heard a fair chunk of University from the van (sounded great) and back in for Caitlin. Always magical, love seeing her always. Allah La’s were nice enough albeit slightly samey, but the evening was all about Ezra really. How amazing was she? Had hoped she would do the last secret set (remember her covers set from years ago?!) but it was not to be. Saw NY old school hip-hop Infinity Knives (not bad) and the surprises turned out to be Hot Wax (no idea) and Personal Trainer. I’d heard positive things for the latter from those who had seen them the previous day and they didn’t disappoint - that said I was possibly too dishevelled to fully appreciate their intensity Lovely to catch up with friends and spend the weekend with a young ‘un there for the first time - reminded me of when my children came a lifetime ago and how magical the Gardens and festival are. So nice to see it through the eyes of someone experiencing it for the first time. The Stick competition may be the best 3 day distraction for children (and thus parents) ever Overall, just beautiful as ever. Early Birds are sorted, see you back next year Food consumption: Hippie Chippy x 3 - early hours staple, miss the curry sauce though Bacon and Egg x2 - only way to start a day Philly Steak Cheese x 1 - great, but soooooo much bread Vietnamese Noodles - lush but tepid unfortunately Smoking Joe burger - smash burgers rule Crispy duck - spring rolls, noodles, loaded fries - worked our way through the menu. Best concession by far Cheese and Ham Toastie - meh Highlights Ezra Charlie Crockett Courettes Joan Shelley Avalanche Kaito Mary Wallopers Horse Lords

Excellent, TVM. Here's where it led me, all 20 pages of it 😂 Picture attached for reference

Saturday 1. The Courettes 2. PVA minus Ella 😞 Sunday 1. Hot Wax 2. Personal Trainer

Dying to hear the Twix story now - do share please. The old GM forum had a great thread called All Night Disco ruined my Weekend (or something similar) - was much fun 🙂

Thanks all. Very Kafkaesque, glad we sorted that one out 🙂

I've just put a Settlers Camper on Fanatics if it helps 🙂

Hi, anyone know which is the official reseller this year please, is it Twickets or Scarlet Mist again?

Just noticed this, is there another?

Has anyone been before? Line up looks strong but I've read reports that you can't take food/drink in which seems over zealous?

Another lovely EOTR, my 13th since 2008 - it just gets better every year I think. Although I still miss the early days when there was so much more Americana/folk etc, it makes sense that they've moved with the times (plus it’s introduced me to so much good music I may have otherwise missed) Thursday We arrived early Thursday pm very excited as per, set up and and headed straight out Joe and the Shit Boys were the best Faroese queer shit punk band I’ve seen in years (well ever) - just what I needed to kick things off. Funny, punchy and rude AF - songs like Drugs are for Children etc brought a smile to the face Sudan Archives was extraordinary And Khruangbin sucked me right in - loved the medley of covers at the end too Made a vow not to go too large on the first night and ending up suffering on the Friday again as we do every year. As usual, this went out the window when we started on the Hot Ciders and listened to the DJs in the Tipi until the early hours. Friday Woke up Friday feeling murky, but nothing an early Bloody Mary (or two) wouldn’t fix Missed the procession but loved Shovel Dance Collective’s modern take on traditional folk Saw the end of Naima Bock who was nice enough Then Golden Dregs who keeps getting better each year Anais Mitchell was sublime, wish I’d managed to catch her HadesTown musical when it was over here Rushed over for last half of Durand Jones, who helped ease my troubled self with his sweet, healing soul music Rushed over to the Boat for Snapped Ankles who were amazing, not that anyone could see anything due to the set up Caught a bit of Fleet Foxes, but headed to Garden for one of my highlights of the weekend. Black Midi, who were ferocious and smashed it out of the park (Garden) Audiobooks always put on a good show, and then stayed for the secret sets - Mandy, Indiana & Beak. Former was fun, but Beak just fab as ever. Can we have them back every year please? Saturday Despite staying until everything was finished at 3am on Friday, thankfully Saturday morning arrived with less (self-inflicted) pain More Bloody Mary, then a beautifully curated afternoon of folk etc at the Garden Stage Yasmin Williams was entrancing, but deserved more than 30 mins, Margo Cilker was a lovely dose of pure country and Alabaster de Plume (of whom I knew very little) turned out to be one of my highlights. I’m not sure if he’s played with his band before, by the way he was directing them between each song, or if he was playing with the arrangements on the fly, but the combination of sax and voices was incredible. Quote of the weekend - When in Doubt, Yes! Wave Pictures were a welcome last minute addition and as joyous as ever, Weather Station also lovely but Kevin Morby was amazing. Loved his gold cowboy suit and probably the best I’ve seen him. Harlem River was a great finisher I’ve liked Magnetic Fields for years but never managed to catch them before. Wow, just spellbinding, albeit impacted by the terrible noise bleed from the Pixies and the Big Top Managed to catch last 30 mins of the Pixies including Here Comes Your Man and Where is my Mind, but looks like most of the hits were front loaded Rushed to Tip for last sets of the night Grove bass was so deep the entire Helter Skelter shook throughout (we were parked there for her set). I was worried the resonance might lead to it imploding, but luckily there were no casualties. Apart, that is, from the disgruntled landlords on the What’s App group which was great fun. After much abuse, someone asked 'what time are The Landlords playing? ‘ - ‘You never know, they turn up unannounced’ was the reply….. This continued all weekend, causing much hilarity but also many disgruntled Landlords leaving the group Los Bitchos were funky and fun Loved (again) Alabaster de Plume Sunday Sunday came, much too quickly, and spent the entire day at the Garden again, but could easily have spent it at the Woods Katherine Priddy was lovely and folky Jake Xerxes Fussell has been on my must see list for a long time and didn’t disappoint Cassandra Jenkins transported me over the ocean and Ryley Walker was fun, but missed the end to see Hurray for the Riff Raff. Rockier/more synthy than I remember but the lead singer (and band) were amazing. Settled in to the Woods for Kurt Vile (languid, louche and so cool) and finally Bright Eyes. Conor Oberst was the first headliner I remember seeing at the Garden stage in 2008, so it felt special already, and he blew me away again this time. It was a bit like watching a car crash at times and (to mix a metaphor) I wasn’t sure if the train would stay on the tracks, but he somehow kept it together for a glorious performance - humble, self-lacerating, vulnerable, honest and sometimes shambolic, it was life-affirming and brilliant. Hope he gets the help he needs soon Plus. the performance was enhanced by the continuous bursts of lightning throughout the sky around the stage - what a glorious way to frame such a show. Weather wise, we’d dodged a bullet all weekend but when the heavens opened, boy did we know it. The Tipi and Big Top were evacuated and some dodgy advice from Security (‘Go home now, all stages are permanently closed’) meant many missed the last two amazing sets of the weekend in the Tipi (and Yard Act in Big Top). We ignored the advice, more in hope than expectation, and Ural Thomas was sensational, as were his band. I’m not sure what’s he drinking but to be so on the ball in your 80s is amazing, and finished with Bug Club who may have been the most fun I had all weekend! Foodwise, the offerings were much the usual, but enjoyed the Fish Finger roll and Indonesian Rendang. The Burger from the shack at midnight in the monsoon was something else too. Prices seemed more reasonable than Greenman but there was not a lot in it TBH. I do wish they’d bring back the Goat curry/Jamaican shack again though. Best value was the mixed bhaji/samosa/ pakora etc bowl for £4 from the Curry Shed, though the bacon and egg roll from the Tea Bus sorted me out at least once. Just realised I’ve used the word ‘lovely’ throughout - says a lot in itself (other than I need to expand my vocabulary) Gutted I Missed All of the Comedy. Although I had been frequently reminded this was meant to be a ‘music festival’, some of my favourite memories previously were catching the late night shows whilst suitable immaculate All the films except for the last film of the festival - Near Dark - which was a great way to see things out in style. The curation for the Cinema was exceptional throughout - just wished I could see more All the secret Piano Stage sets - sounds like there were some corkers All of the music performances on the Comedy Stage Shockingly, we didn’t go to the Big Top at anytime (probably for the first time ever) - not because the curation was suspect, more the choices elsewhere were so strong Fruit Bats Porridge Radio Darron Hanlon Gwenifer Raymond James Yorkston Party Dozen Perfume Genius Lee Patterson Willie J Healey Robert Stillman The Chisel DeathCrash Cola Purling Hiss Hailu Mergia Lucy Dacus Aldous Harding Top 5 Black Midi - get better every time I see them. I think the first time was a late night Secret Set a few years ago and I didn’t know what to expect. Tightest and most ferocious band of the weekend Kevin Morby - such a great songwriter, hits the groove and what a voice Bright Eyes - see above - nonpareil Beak - would be an announced headliner at most other festivals. Funny, dry and absorbing as ever. They wanted more volume but a colicky horse put paid to that apparently… Alabaster de Plume - revelation of the weekend, nicest man in pop clearly The biggest problem now is having to wait 12 months to do it all again!

Greenman 2022 Another beautiful festival overall but chinks in the armour seem to be appearing. 13th now I think (poss 14) and been going since my 2 daughters were pups. They’re all growed up now and came with their partners which is surreal. So lovely to see them all having a great time (first time for their partners) and nice to be able to send them to the bar now for a change... Arrived for Settlers just as morning rain arrived, usual niggles with wifi not working and ticket exchange etc but was set up just in time for the deluge Rain was torrential and bitterly cold for some of the afternoon but we’d already set up so could observe whilst sheltered with a pint of Mango Growler (or two). That said, Greenman is the only place I know where there can be blue sky and sunshine whilst also simultaneously chucking it down Gentle Good had cancelled due to Covid unfortunately, but Gareth Bonello had curated a great day of music. Highlights were No Thee No Ess and Katell (K-Tel!) Keineg on the main stage. Lowri Evans on Acoustic stage was lovely as was Cara Ludlow. More music in the afternoon would be nice at Settlers but appreciate I’m asking a lot Ended up watching the Pride film about Gay and Lesbian support for the collieries during the miners strike. Sounds over earnest, possibly, but was life affirming and revelatory. I had a tear in my eye by the end Tuesday was a bit damper overall but nothing to spoil the mood. Food offerings were great. Urban Indian terrific, Settlers Bar/Cafe, very good (albeit pricey) but didn’t try the pizzas due to the queues. I do think a couple more food outlets would be nice as we’re there for a week Music was nice throughout Tuesday but no specific highlights jumped out. Finished off with Silent Disco - much fun as always and great to be able to see the colour coded channels on the headsets Cashells were amazing as ever, offering the best selection of meat, cheese and veg, plus amazing sausage rolls and warm scotch eggs. Steak sandwich was a winner too. They even brought in some sparkling water when I asked for it - top notch all round Had to leave site Wednesday but arrived back early evening. I’d never seen Settlers so busy as it had to accommodate all the early birds who’d arrived due to the train strike. Was still great though and lovely to be back with the family. Can’t recall any music as too busy catching up One of the pleasures of Settlers is everything has already been set up, so Thursday is now a day for kicking back and soaking up the atmosphere. Lovely to have the whole site opened up for the first time - hope it’s not the last Thursday: Gentle start, enjoyed potty mouthed Gretel Hanlyn, also enjoyed Papur Wal and El Goodo in Walled Garden. missed much of the other music due to catching up with friends but caught a bit of Allergies plus Metronomy who were great and finished off at Chai Wallahs until closing Friday: In early for the usual Bloody Mary and set up a base at the Mountain Stage with a restorative bacon and egg roll John Francis Flynn was lovely but found it hard to give him the focus he deserved on such a big stage Mdou Moctor were one of my treats of the weekend as was Cassandra Jenkins Saw a bit of WITCH but I find it hard to appreciate the Far Out unless I go in deep. That said Viagra Boys smashed it Enjoyed PSB, great setting for them, but found Kraftwerk failed to suck me in. 3d visuals seemed gimmicky and the crowd thinned noticeably after a while. I heard lots of people raving about them afterwards though so it’s always subjective Loved Cate le Bon afterwards, missed Scalping, then wandered randomly and settled into Chai for the last burst - £12.50 for an Usain Bolt is taking the piss though surely?! As ever, stayed to end and wandered back crabwise sporting a big grin Saturday Bloody Mary, obvs, then no real recollection of anything until Pictish came on who were as charming and fun as ever. Loved the weird head costumes things Popped into Cinema tent for the film quiz which was fun (albeit poorly organised due to them only expecting a few people and hundreds turning up) Frazey Ford was sublime And loved Katy J Pearson, everyone had a huge grin on their face What about that huge bomber that flew over, dipping it’s wing as it did so - jaw on the floor!? Arou Aftab were great in Walled Garden, but probably busiest I’ve seen it and it felt uncomfortably claustrophobic Caught end of BCNR who I love, but were very different since singer left. Not worse, just different. It will be fascinating to see where they go next, but I’m sure it’ll be good 'Kids' and famalam found the ‘secret’ cabaret/drag tent and stayed there for most of the evening - they just loved it there. They revisited the next night but the shows were the same as before, so adding a few more acts could be a winner Arab Strap, are, well Arab Strap, and middle age men singing about getting pissed and chasing women pales after a while. I think I prefer their solo work now TBH Beach House were sublime and Bicep smashed it Off to Chai for another night cap - my bones were starting to feel it though Sunday How can it go so quickly (and I've been here for a week!) No Kedgeree - boooo! Carwyn Ellis/Rio 18 on MS was my find of the week - what a lovely way to start the day, just loved it. Not often Welsh/Brazilian Bossa nova is played with a huge orchestra! Was really looking forward to Katherine Priddy but didn’t leave much of a memory in the end - my bad no doubt Gruff/Imarhan were great but not a necessarily a 20th birthday treat, then was torn between Steven Baboo in Group Listening and Valerie June. Former won as I like anything he does and it was suitably sublime. Caught last bit of VJ and I just wished I had a time turner - seems unfair the way clashes work sometimes… Murder Capital were great in FO, saw a bit of Ezra who is always amazing but headed over to see Ty who I’ve not seen before - sucked me right in Swerved Kiwanuka and stayed for Parquet - bouncy, gnarly fun as ever, but I got distracted by the amazing balloon trapezes so missed the last few songs The greenman itself (one of the best) burned with a flaming bow and thus another one bit the dust Saw a bit of Nia Archives from the periphery but daughters' told me the front was full of teenagers on Ket (that’s what Reading/Boardmasters is for surely?) but finished off with KOG at Chai - just phenomenal Security guard presence was obtrusive again but makes sense after reading the news. That said, a young couple were sitting outside by the tree in the dark, minding their business inconspicuously rolling a spliff, when a guard came and made them hand it in, along with their stash. Seems heavy handed at best - live and let live surely? Gutted to have missed: Rhodri Davies John Mouse WunderHorse Modern Nature Ural Thomas Balimaya Project Mary Lattimore Marisa Anderson/William Tyler Sugar Candy Mountain Willie J Healey Valerie June All the Woodland art installations Gutted Low and Buffalo Nichols had to pull out too Gripes • Much, much busier than before - surely it cant take any more people? • Mix of crowd seemed less chilled than usual and security more obtrusive. The latter may have been related to the awful news about an onsite rape that occurred. • Class A drug use seemed more evident including lots of coke taking and the twattery that is associated with it. Thefts seemed up, as well as 'teenage’ prickery like stealing scooters from accessibility in the early hours. • Surely costs cant keep increasing - £6.50 for a pint and £14 for a small, undercooked cheese and tomato pizza is taking the piss. • On Sunday, much of the food seemed to run out. I wonder if it was due to the extra crowds and lack of understanding about the impact. Kedgeree sold out and the Caribbean shack was closed by the evening. It’s my favourite eatery and queues are usually small. Goat curry rules as ever. Even Usain Bolts had sold out by the evening despite costing £12.50 • Lack of branded cups. Trivial but generic stack cups on the 20th anniversary seems a little churlish. Also, £2 per cup seems excessive, mainly because I’m useless. I always end up leaving the one/s I’ve bought back at the van so end up having to buy more • I love Gruff and I love Irmahan but was expecting more for the 20th big surprise Top 5: Mdou Moctar - best looking band of the weekend and amazing saharan blues. Drummer was something else Frazey Ford - her voice is just special, and I slotted into her groove in seconds Cassandra Jenkins - woozy and sublime. Her lyrics and voice transported me Carwyn Ellis - what a fun way to start the last day. Wasn’t expecting it to be so good KOG - last set of the weekend at Chai - most fun possible with your clothes on etc Overall: • Toilets - I like the compost loos personally. Smell is better and they seem less claustrophobic than the chemical loos. I quite like the breeze around ones nether parts too, but probably shouldn’t admit it. Female urinals seemed well received and much overdue • Weather proved to be wonderful in the end. I must learn to stop looking at the apps as they’re always wrong • Beer/Cider festival - always great but they do sell out in a heartbeat often, I especially liked the Black Sea Night IPA • It’s Greenman! Arguably the prettiest festival location in the UK as well as the best curated. That said I was surprised how many long time attendees we know said they would swerve next year for smaller events and alternatives such as EOTR etc.That said, i'm sure i'll be back in 2023 because there's no where quite like it

This is on the EOTR site, may help https://endoftheroadfestival.com/information/accessibility

Sold in two minutes sorry

Sold in two minutes sorry

Just popped one on Tixel https://tixel.com/u/6374329

Just popped one on Tixel 🙂 https://tixel.com/u/6374329

Mesmerising. His last album was played on a harp of horse hair/parts and was lovely . It was inspired by 13th century Welsh texts. He also shreds his other harps which is equally absorbing

Weather was awful but Sunday was nice I recall. Ate the Welbeck Abbey ploughman's watching Trembling Bell's in the sunshine. It had lots of flaws but I remember it fondly and was gutted when it didn't come back for a sequel. Dirty Three were great.

Fond memories of hearing Violent Femmes Country Death Song for the first time

Interesting Nal. I always assumed a discreet, sealed piss bottle was acceptable when camping alone....? I am a male of a certain age though so averse to multiple visits in the night. I take your point about pissing in a pint pot though - there are limits 😉

Got pinged today, but lateral test was negative and didn't spend a lot of time in busy tents

Arrived on Thursday excited beyond belief and headed in for first band on the Woods Stage, Blood Wizard. How the organisers managed to pull it out of the bag so remarkably is astounding. To complain about anything not being perfect (eg toilets) would be churlish at best, Any impact from Covid was minimal and apart from the absence of US/African bands, it was much like any other year - ie fantastic Blood Wizard were fun, followed by Kikagaku Moyo and Stereolab. KM were entertaining but always seem like they could go up another gear. Stereolab played for 90 minutes and were phenomenal. Ended up working our way through the Spice Girls and drinking way too many ciders from the bus - getting back was hazy. Headed in on Friday for a Bloody Mary, only to find the Airstream bus gone and the replacement still setting up at noon. Bleary eyed we headed to the Tipi to see if they could rustle up an alternative. There was no queue but only cans were available which, although acceptable as a substitute, were significantly enhanced when we asked for Tabasco etc which the kindly bar manager procured from elsewhere at speed. Katy J Pearson was fun at the Woods, as was Balimaya Project. CMAT at the Garden Stage was a revelation - what a voice she has. Enjoyed Teleman, less so Damon Albarn. The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur (boom boom) , as we met long absent friends who’d never been before, and ended up careering through the fairy lit, art filled beauty that is Larmer Tree. The oasis that is the woodland library seems to hold an extraordinary number of different Andy McNabb books - who knew he’d written so many!? Many stops at various bars were punctuated by a spot of stargazing (well, listening) and glimpses/snippets of Hot Chip, John Grant and Warmduscher. Random encounters with strangers in the disco delights of Effing Forest produced a new limerick I’d never heard (who know there were so many rhymes for ‘Birmingham’, including ‘sperm in ‘im’?!) Saw a bit of KJP in the Tipi but unfortunately missed out on Bo Ningen. Left our friends dancing til closing in the Cider tent and headed back via a dimly recorded and less than direct route. The real ale tent was a treat throughout, but we were especially pleased with the 8 grain porter which became a firm friend. Highlight food wise was the Singapore Noodles (massive portions) followed by the crispy duck and roast potatoes. Saturday was a bit calmer thankfully, and began with Golden Dregs (lovely hypnotic baritone) in the Garden Stage. Bloody Mary’s were still tantalisingly out of reach due to the queue, but a gin and ting from the Gin Bar did the trick, as did the Steak flatbread from the Persian concession. H Hawkline was great as ever with lovely patter, then over for Modern Nature and Hen Ogledd on the Woods. Both were very good but I tend to prefer them when they do evening sets. Squid were phenomenal back at the GS. A quick sprint over to Woods for Comet (ferocious and relentless), quickly back to GS for the end of Anna Meredith (wish I’d caught more) and finished off back at Woods for Sleafords. Seen them many, many times but they’re always captivating - great to see political ire front and centre still, along with cutting lyrics and fantastic beats (now supplemented with singing occasionally). Tried to wander over to TH for Simon Amstell but the queue was crazy so caught a bit of Romare (trippy), back to Tipi for more hot ciders plus Chubby and his gang (phenomenal) and Giant Swan (bonkers but great fun) as late night secret sets. It always goes too quickly and Sunday was upon us already. Junior Brother (plus more gin) were interesting at Woods, then we spent the afternoon basking in the sun (well, shadow) at the Garden Stage. Beautifully curated for the last day, there are few better places to watch music. Charlie Cunningham was charming, Jim Ghedi absorbing and Shirley Collins blew the bloody doors off. She might have had the best reception of the weekend and the Morris dancer was great (as were the pre song intros explaining the 400 year plus origin of many of them). Caught a bit of Porridge Radio who created a lovely racket, then over to Garden for the final couple of sets. Arab Strap were incredible (great lyrics, candid cynical subject matter, ferocious music) though Richard Dawson was the highlight. He played for 90 minutes but it went in a heartbeat - with songs of 14th century ogres and soldiers butting up against contemporary mental dislocation and the banality of existence. Loved the drummer too. Darren Hayman finished off the published line up and was as enjoyable as ever. Great intro (‘Graham, who the fuck is Darren Hayman?)’ and all-round loveliness thereafter. He should play every year. Final two secret sets were Black County (loved them) and then an off kilter choice of Horsey (I think). Possibly the brother of King K, they were a (kind of) punk garage, glam cruise ship combo. King Krule came on to do the final number (wish I managed to see his main set TBH) and that was it for another year. As ever, all was beautiful - customers, staff and crew were charming, ales were scrumptious, weather glorious, (even at night), music amazing and I’ll be back again for the dozenth time in ’22 - can’t wait x Top 5ish Stereolab Squid Shirley Collins Arab Strap Richard Dawson Darren Hayman Bubbling under Golden Dregs H Hawkline Hen Ogledd Black Country Chubby and the Gang Jim Ghedi Gutted to have missed Fortitude Valley Jane Weaver Jonny Dillon Vanishing Twin Trash Kit Sarathy Korwar Melin Melyn Caroline Drug Store Romeos Sorry Girl Ray Dry Cleaning Dana Gavanski Pan Amsterdam Yard Act

Loved that set, didn't realise they'd just got married 🙂

You can pay when you get there 🙂