Mud, music and magic at End of the Road festival 2025
On Thursday night at End of the Road, the couple in front of me in the queue for food turned to each other and said: “We’re back in the best place in the world.”
A handful of other festivals might complain, but there’s no doubt that EOTR is vying for the crown of the UK’s best festival. And despite the weather, the 2025 edition was another triumph for the sell-out crowd.
The line-up provided an amazing variety of genres from around the world while also nurturing the latest generation of British art-rockers, punks and folk bands that are the festival’s traditional speciality. There’s truly something for everyone at Larmer Tree Gardens
Run-down
Sharon Van Etten, making her first headline appearance in the UK, kicked off the festival on Thursday in style with her new band The Attachment Theory. Her set combined pulsing bass lines, undulating synths and delicate vocal harmonies masterfully. “Women can headline festivals,” she said.
Hayden Pedigo was first up on the Garden stage on Friday with his expansive guitar sounds inspired by the wide open spaces of Texas. “We have a joke there that if your dog runs away, you can see it running for three days,” he said in a gentle southern drawl. It works a treat on the garden stage, which is flanked by the woods and a 19th Century folly. Our camp neighbour, a festival goer since the late 1960s, described it as the best stage to watch music in Britain.
Later on the main stage, Goat’s wall of swirling guitars and shrieking vocals got the crowd jumping, encouraged by the pair of masked front-women – the high-priestesses of psych rock. Caribou, blessed with the friendliest face in music, capped off the night with a series of warm and catchy hits, which it was almost impossible not to dance along to.
The weather could hardly have been worse on Saturday, with the rain setting in before lunch and hanging around until after dinner. “You soggy, soggy bunch,” multi-instrumentalist Emma-Jean Thackray said. But it was not enough to prevent the crowd from grooving along to her funky guitar playing. Fortunately the skies cleared for Self Esteem’s headline set, which was crammed full of power-ballads, innuendo and elaborate dance routines. She was made for the headline slot.
The sun finally reappeared on Sunday, shining on the Garden as Vieux Farka Touré’s sun-soaked guitar tone coaxed the crowd into some low-key bopping. Eccentric crooner Father John Misty provided a fitting finale on Sunday night with a mammoth one hour 45 minute set. Despite its length, the set never dragged and the crowd sang along jubilantly as he strutted about the stage.
Secret shows and late night
Secret shows are something of a speciality at End of the Road, with a number of bands – including Squid and The Orchestra (For Now) – doing stripped back and unlisted performances at the tiny piano stage.
Each night there’s also a few surprise shows at the Folly, a relatively small tent at one end of the site. WU LYF, the enigmatic Manchester band which reunited this year after a 13-year hiatus, made their first UK festival appearance on Sunday night. “Who knows, maybe next year we’ll be on a different stage,” front man Ellery Roberts said.
The late night offering also offers plenty of surprises, with a number of micro-parties alongside the main offering at the Boat. If funk and disco are your thing, then head to the cider bus. There’s booming techno in the craft beer bar and this year a new garage shed hidden down one of the festival’s winding paths.
And as you wander through the woods or dance in The Boat, its size (13,500 people this year) means there’s a good chance you’ll bump into friends you’ve made in the course of the festival, or even from previous years. Many of the people at EOTR are regulars. Early bird tickets for 2026 have already sold out.
The artists can also often be seen wandering around too. Playing to a sodden crowd on Saturday evening, Mount Kimbie said “we’ve been standing in the rain all weekend too, so we’re right there with you.”
Music lovers
EOTR provides a vital stage for the next generation of British bands, and there’s no shortage of talent. Mary in the Junkyard and Man/Woman/Chainsaw both played to big crowds in the Big Top having not even released full albums yet. The New Eves, who released their first album at the start of August, were first on the main stage on Saturday, and looked right at home. It is a challenge just to keep up with the pipeline of new bands.
EOTR brings together a crowd of people genuinely passionate about listening to live music with some of the most exciting acts in the UK and around the world. It’s a heady mix. Although many of the artists are fixtures on the festival circuit, you get the sense they look forward to playing at EOTR. “They don’t make them like you,” Father John Misty said, as he brought the weekend to a close.