It’s funny how quickly everyone becomes an amateur meteorologist when they face the prospect of having to spend hours outside under intermittent showers. The repeated tableau of friends gesturing towards the sky, speculating on cloud colour and wind direction could have become the defining memory of End Of The Road 2025 – if the performances hadn’t been so uniformly exceptional that they washed away any reminder of the dampness that pervaded the four day extravaganza.
Thursday
The gods were kind enough on Thursday afternoon to hold off on the rain and present glowing late summer sun while attendees set up camp. This set up things perfectly for a Daraa Tribes and Westside Cowboy on the Woods Stage, whose resplendent guitars echoed across the campsite.
Youth Lagoon
By the time Youth Lagoon took to the stage the evening was turning to a beautiful purple, i.e. a perfect hue for Trevor Powers’ delicately hallucinogenic alt-pop songs. Drawing largely from his last two records, Youth Lagoon delighted the audience with their smalltown tales of loneliness and longing, before diving deep into the back catalogue for “hits” from the band’s early 2010s discography that itched parts of my brain I haven’t accessed in way too long.
Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory
The first headliner of the weekend was Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory. Around the same time that Youth Lagoon was putting out those early albums, Van Etten was still a rising singer-songwriter, so to see her now confidently and bewitchingly leading an almighty rock band is quite a sight – and a testament to her self-belief and vision. Shifting through 80s-indebted and synth-imbued rockers – augmented by their simple but alluring stage setup – the Attachment Theory were utterly mesmerising. They also dipped into Van Etten’s back catalogue, breathing new life into songs like the acidic “Serpents” and the roaring “Seventeen”, finishing it all off with a glorious rendition of “Love More”, for which they were joined on stage by Angie McMahon. Even a sudden downpour doesn’t impact the performance’s impressiveness and the audience’s rapture.
Friday
By the next morning, the weather has us in a hokey-cokey type dance with our waterproofs, switching between glorious sun and sudden rain spells with gleeful abandon.
Hayden Pedigo
Regardless, time seems to stand still for Hayden Pedigo’s early set opening the Garden Stage. The Texan guitarist speaks of his stage fright and shock at the number of people who have shown up to see him play, but then puts on an absolute spellbinder of a show, with the audience all hanging on to every note – a pin-drop audible during the pregnant pauses. Pedigo’s appreciation for the audience and their attention was palpable in his between-song banter, which the audience returned handsomely with their rowdy applause and whoops.
Florist
The gentle pitter patter of rain through the sunshine turns out to be the perfect setting for Florist as they take to the Garden Stage next. Appearing as just a duo of Emily Sprague and Felix Walworth on this occasion (rather than the usual quartet) presents them with the opportunity to play some songs that they don’t often get to play. “Time Is A Dark Feeling” from Emily Alone is a particular highlight, its soft meditation harmonising with the inclemency of the afternoon.
The Orchestra (For Now)
Though they only have one EP released so far, word has evidently got out about The Orchestra (For Now), as they drew a big crowd down to the Garden Stage in the early evening. The onlookers were not disappointed as the young septet ripped and roiled through their melodramatic rockers, strings soaring over jagged guitars while Joe Scarisbrick’s voice surfed it all. Not only did they play all four songs off their debut EP, they also gave us a glimpse of what’s to come on the next one – and it’s extremely promising indeed.
Dame Area
That intensity was amplified greatly over in the Big Top where Spanish upstarts Dame Area delivered an absolutely thunderous set. The duo’s combination of hard-hitting techno production and chant-along slogans absolutely destroyed the minds of the masses who had gathered in the large tent to take a peek at this emerging force. Their hypnotically tense performance left all with the same message, no matter if they speak Spanish or not: now is the moment, there is no future.
Mandy, Indiana
That same political furor and sonic intensity continued on The Boat stage, where an intimate club-like atmosphere served Mandy, Indiana perfectly. Even with one of her eyes covered due to a recent surgery, vocalist Valentine Caulfield was unguarded and unerring in her delivery, while the band delivered their churning, unique take on modern industrial rock. Caulfield leaping into the crowd shortly after declaring “I can’t see shit” will surely go down as one of the moments of the weekend, as will her full-throated support of Palestine (one of the few acts to explicitly decry the genocide over the course of the weekend).
Caribou
Following a little time to catch breaths and take necessary bathroom breaks, Caribou took to the main stage as the headliner for the night. I’m not sure there is a more reliable festival act in the world than Dan Snaith and his troupe, and their power has only grown as they’ve ascended up festival lineups to the top. Even those on the fence or unaware of Caribou can’t resist their airtight, infectious take on modern house music, produced miraculously by four machine-like music-making men. Whether playing cuts from more dancefloor-focused recent records or digging back into the slightly more psychedelic sounds of the band’s past, it all comes out sounding like audio gold. Combine that with a simple but hypnotising set of visuals and you have yourself a full on rave in the middle of a field that could easily have gone well past the band’s allotted 90 minutes.
With plenty looking to continue their body shaking post-Caribou, the Big Top reached capacity before techno master Joy Orbison had even taken the stage.
Adam Buxton Band
Those who decided to try their luck elsewhere, i.e. the Folly, would have come across a surprise set from Adam Buxton Band. The comedian was due to host a live episode of his podcast later in the weekend, but with his debut musical album dropping this month it seems he took the opportunity to debut his new songs live, which was quite a treat. Backed by the majority of Metronomy, Buxton’s songs swung from Devo-esque pop rockers to Gilberto Gil-style bossa nova interpretations, each a humorous look at life as a middle aged man and father. A particularly touching moment was when his two sons joined on stage for the penultimate track. His enjoyable set was capped by an effervescent cover of Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love”, which went off like a bomb.
Saturday
Saturday came and with it brought endless grey skies and plenty of rain. No need for amateur meteorology here: it was going to be a long and wet one.
The Sophs
This may have been a bonus for those acts playing in the covered stages, such as new Rough Trade signees The Sophs who took to the Folly early in the afternoon. The California sextet may not have brought their home’s weather with them, but their boisterously creative takes on indie pop staved off the wetness all around and made us feel comfortably at home with their vocal ingenuity. They certainly put themselves on the radar of many new fans.
The New Eves
One act who undoubtedly relished playing in the elements, however, was The New Eves who assailed the main stage with aplomb. Still riding high off the release of their debut album, the Brighton quartet unleashed a series of howling, jagged and primal tracks that harmonised with the drizzle to call upon spirits of the earth and give strength to the huddle who had amassed. It was a performance that seesawed gracefully between beauty and edginess that will have earned them many new fans.
Black Fondu
London-based experimental rapper Black Fondu saw a mass of bodies squeeze into his set at The Boat while the rain lashed down. You wouldn’t have known that it was actually quite cold by looking at him, as he writhed around shirtless delivering stabbing vocals over his excoriating production. For some, even heading into the rain was preferable to listening to his confrontational music, but the mass at the front surged and delighted in every peak of sonic emotion.
Titanic
Those who escaped the rain by heading into the Folly in the middle of the afternoon were treated to one of the most unique sets from South/Central American experimental quartet Titanic. Led by partners Mabe Fratti and Hector Tosta (I La Catolica), the band played tracks from their new album HAGEN that are completely unpredictable and ooze in unique shapes. The audience was begged for their patience and attention by Titanic’s strangely amorphous tunes and those who gave it to them and grounded themselves in the moment were rewarded by something quite transcendent.
Sofia Kourtesis
A fellow South American, Sofia Kourtesis, took to the Woods Stage not long later to deliver her irrepressibly infectious house jams. Even as the water continued to plunge from the sky, the field gradually filled, lured in by the Peruvian maestra and her energetic stage presence. Filled with love and creativity, Kourtesis is always a joy to behold on stage and on this occasion she picked up the baton from where Caribou had left it the night before, turning a miserable afternoon into an utter celebration of kineticism.
Emma-Jean Thackray
Emma-Jean Thackray’s recent album Weirdo is all about overcoming tough times and finding positivity to guide you. While being soaked through is nothing compared to what she has been through, her music worked as an uplifting balm in the circumstances – especially as she and her band played so tightly and effusively. Thackray spoke charmingly between songs about her struggles, managing to bring levity to her pain, which was then redoubled through her singing, trumpet playing and guitar riffing while her band strutted perfectly behind her.
Geordie Greep
Former black midi vocalist Geordie Greep is no stranger to End Of The Road, but this edition he returned with his new band and did much the same as he has done before: rocked the fuck out with mind bending levels of technicality. Adopting a strange American persona between songs only served to heighten the bananas nature of he and the band’s epic jamming. Every time one of the extended songs seemed to be running to its conclusion, Greep would pick up his guitar and extend it a little bit longer with a guitar solo of his own. The definition of scorching.
Self Esteem
Undoubtedly one of the most eagerly anticipated sets of the weekend was Self Esteem’s saturday night headline appearance and, wouldn’t you just know it, the rain stopped in time for Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s commanding performance. It wouldn’t have stopped her anyway. Any thought that she might not bring her A game out into a wet field in Dorset was quickly dismissed as she and her group of musicians and dancers surged through a series of bangers from recent album A Complicated Woman in their theatrical fashion, culminating in the all out hilarity party number “69”. A dip into Prioritise Pleasure tracks, including the electrifying title track, was most welcome too. An undoubted highlight among a set of all highlights was “Cheers To Me”, which had everyone bouncing along with the sudden appearance of bonkers sky dancers on the stage, attempting to follow along with the TikTok-primed routine. Ever the curator, Taylor knew how to bring the mood back down to earth in epic fashion with the closing trio of “Focus is Power”, “I Do This All The Time” and “The Deep Blue Okay”, ensuring that nobody left without at least a little ache in their hearts.
Sunday
Jake Xerxes Fussell
By the next morning there certainly would have been some sore heads, but the End Of The Road programming always delivers a tonic for such a thing. On this occasion it was the honey voiced Jake Xerxes Fussell whose mellifluous reinterpretations of folk songs floated down in heavenly fashion on the sizeable crowd at the Garden Stage.
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band
The next stage in the get-up-and-go process was Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band on the Woods Stage. The Kentucky troubadour and his posse rattled through whisky-soaked and thought-provoking jams from recent album New Threats From The Soul as well as reaching back to debut record Dancing On The Edge. The band displayed their tightness throughout, but recreating the skittering break-beat asides on “Monte Carlo / No Limit” was a definite highlight. They could have easily played on much longer than 45 minutes – and some lucky festivalgoers might have caught their surprise set on the much more appropriately intimate Boat later in the afternoon.
Miso Extra
Flipping the script entirely was Miso Extra, who brought a level of assuredness to her performance in the Big Top that belied her relative newness to the scene. The British-Japanese pop auteur’s slinky beats were a unique style among my experiences over the weekend and her effortless coolness – switching between her two native languages – ensured that this was a low-key standout.
Mabe Fratti
Shortly later in the same tent was Mabe Fratti’s second performance of the weekend. With a slightly reconfigured quartet from the Titanic show of the previous afternoon, the Guatemalan cellist delivered a monstrously beautiful performance, her cello roaring and arcing up to the Big Top’s peaks. The multi-faceted creativity of her music was on full display, perhaps best exemplified by Tosta’s supreme vocoder work, turning his voice into another synth-like element in the psychedelic sonic landscape.
Blawan
While remaining in the Big Top it was another hard left turn with the arrival of techno wiz Blawan on the stage. End Of The Road has gradually added more heavy electronic music over the years and the audience is certainly there for it, as Blawan’s set demonstrated. Listening to pounding Berlin-transplanted beats on a Sunday evening isn’t for everyone, but there were certainly plenty of people writhing and jumping along to the onslaught of industrial noise over the course of a mind-expanding hour.
For Those I Love
Irish artist For Those I Love followed along not too much later and reshaped that atmosphere with his own take on techno-pop. Icing it with his viciously demanding brogue of a voice and heart-wrecking tales of youth and violence, the performer delivered one of the most impactful hours across the whole weekend.
Father John Misty
Presented with the task of delivering the Sunday night headlining slot, Father John Misty and his band did not flinch. Opening with the full eight and a half minutes of “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All” gave us a taste of what was to come across the 100 minute performance: maximalist art rock of the highest order. Josh Tillman clearly knows what a festival audience wants as, while playing almost all of last year’s excellent Mahashmashana album, he also rolled out more than half the tracks from fan favourite record I Love You, Honeybear, with the truly epic “Holy Shit” being an absolute showstopper. A born entertainer, Tilllman prowled the stage throughout, ensuring everyone was engaged as he delivered his paeans on mental health and all the shit that’s wrong with him with inimitable style. Concluding the night on a party-like note with “Real Love Baby” was just showing off, really, but it was a true cherry on top of a magnificent performance.
WU LYF
End Of The Road was not quite done there, though. There was plenty still happening in the Effing Forest where punters were belting out karaoke tunes and DJs were spinning dancefloor favourites. Just after midnight over in the Folly there was also a reemergence to WU LYF, the short-lived cult act who are on the rise again some decade-plus after their collapse. Combining tracks from their beloved debut album with entirely new tracks, the act also threw forwards to next year’s edition of the festival, saying they’d hopefully be back on a more accessible stage and slot.
Exhausted, muddy and aching, it was undoubtedly the end of an astonishing weekend. But I let my mind drift to a year from now and smiled at the thought of doing it all again.
