“It’s rebirth, after birth, all in one big salad” wailed King Khan of King Khan and the Shrines followed by a mind warping reverb soaked “nya haa haa”. There we were, back at End Of The Road festival for another year lapping up the vibes at another late night Tipi Tent secret set. The End of the Road Festival is indeed one bountiful boutique ‘salad’ of bands, beer, burgers, and many things beginning with the letter ‘b’ all packed in to a small festival.  

We could again wax lyrical about the range of great bands that were hosted by EOTR, and indeed they were excellent, but this time we won’t. Instead, we are going to serve you up a small taste of the wider festival experience this fabulous small and perfectly formed indie festival has to offer.  If you want, however, to know what the music was all about pour yourself a large festival style mug of cider, look up the 2013 line up and then hit Spotify and absorb the brooding post punk purrs of Savages (wildly charismatic on the Friday night), the psychedelic deconstructed hair rock of Bo Ningen (the band most likely to be confused for Cousin It) and the sweetest country trills of Caitlin Rose (a wonderful Sunday afternoon antidote to the post-Saturday hangover).  

So, on to one of the most important topics: the grub. This did not disappoint and in our opinion EOTR are top of the boutique festival tables when it comes to the range and quality on offer. Mexican street food, Goan fish curries and Moroccan souk dishes were served along the likes of more conventional fare such as the fabulous fish and chips from Sea Cow. Mornings were made a waking pleasure by fresh and filling breakfasts from the red vintage tea bus and Soho’s trendy Breakfast Club. For those with a sweet tooth there was even a stall this year serving elderflower and blackcurrant frozen yoghurt made on site topped with honey. Even those of a vegan tendency were catered for by a wonderful café located within the secret garden healing retreat area. In terms of booze, we were once again spoilt by the range on offer including everything from ciders through to Frozen Margaritas.  

So, after stuffing your chops with food and drink, where to next? Definitely the winding wooded walkways surrounding the Garden stage. This element of the festival is particularly unique with evergreen trees and thick hedges creating a wondrous adventure playground for activities, art and music nestled amidst the trees. Within the woods a Forest Disco which ran till 3am each evening and included a surprise set from Pavement’s own Jarvis Cocker.  An outdoor flock wallpapered piano lounge encouraged impromptu sets and accompanying rousing sing-alongs from passers-by. There was even a games area with ping pong tables and an outdoor library hosting daily talks by up and coming poets and authors. A tunnel of twinkling fairy lights through the densest part of the woods provided space for those who prefer to spend the evening lying amongst the trees possibly freaking themselves out with deep philosophical thoughts about how we are all just on a tiny planet, listening to music, while hurtling through the galaxy at high speed. Heavy man. 

So, what about kids? Well, judging by the number of attendees seen hauling their kiddies around the festival site in rentable 4 wheeled trolleys between bands and activities, little Tarquin won’t have time to get tired or bored One could even argue the calories burnt from hauling the kids around like an Egyptian slave could be traded for a nice ale or two later on. From our observations kids (little and large) loved the movie tent situated amidst the beautiful gardens which filled to the brim with kids and parents watching cartoons on any given morning.  Next to this situated on a small green was a children’s activities area featuring craft, creative writing, games, storytelling, and face painting. There was even a free Tai Chi class in this area perfect for parents wishing to find their inner chi whilst their kids tore up the adjacent craft area. 

After two days of festival frolics we were in need of some down time. The secret garden healing retreat provided just the antidote with its very Zen chill out space offering a cornucopia of alternative therapies including Thai head massage, osteopathy and even shamanic healing. I opted for a deep tissue massage from Wellspring Massage and came out feeling revived and rejuvenated having had the camping-on-a-hill cricks kneaded out of my spine.  

So what about the camping facilities? As with previous years, the camping and campervan areas were based within lovely green fields within a 10 minute walk to the main festival zone and had plenty of space to spread out. There was as previously also quiet camping and family camping areas. Even with a bit of rain on the Friday night, the areas remained mud free and a pleasant space to chill out in the mornings. So, what about the toilets? Lucky for you, that wasn’t one of the bands playing this year. Did they smell like a colony of seals after a week-long binge on stale bycatch? Fortunately not. In fact, they were so well maintained you could almost eat your dinner off the seats, although we refrained. The showers. No, they didn’t play this year either but they were present near one of the main festival entrances and despite some queues in the mornings were a welcome and well maintained provision.  

Overall, EOTR is still one of our favourite festivals ever. Its scale makes it a stylish, hassle free experience with stages, activities, gourmet food and beverages such a short hop away from the green mud-free camping areas. The setting of the festival within the Larmer Tree Gardens is truly something special from the forest disco through to the art installations and the chill out spaces. The music, although we chose not to focus on this this year, is outstanding and EOTR truly stand out as supporters of independent record labels and an array of highly talented new and established artists. We will certainly be gracing their festival with our presence again next year.  

Review: David Wilson and Catherine Yong.