A Guest post by the virtual pen of Helen Dixon

Entering its 17th year, End of the Road festival has earned its place as something of a mainstay of left-field music. There is a sense amongst the bands on the lineup that they are, genuinely, delighted to be there; for many this year, the festival has been a cornerstone of their careers. Here lies the formation of Wet Leg, the come-back of Caitlin Rose, the musical upbringing of Caroline, and a rockin-good-time for a sell-out crowd of festival goers.

Beneath a hazy blue moon, the weekend kicks off with guitar music heavyweights Wilco headlining the Woods stage. This is a band that knows exactly what the audience wants, and they bring it in spades, indulging in tender ballads peppered with soaring solos, ricocheting back to earth in time to join the crowd in an adoring chorus of ‘You and I’.

Elsewhere, Thursday night’s silent disco is in full swing, a heady combination of first-night cheer and two to three beers affords a certain mania to the room’s rendition of Charlie XCX’s ‘Boys’.

End Of The Road is great at nurturing small, memorable moments. As the sun comes up on Friday, a tiny secret stage curated by The Line Of Best Fit sees headliner Angel Olsen appear in front of a crowd of surely no more than 100 passers-by. She announces “I’m not sure I know how to play this one”, before launching into a flawless cover of Tucker Zimmerman’s “Slowin’ Down Love”.

Over at the Big Top, electro-folk musician Okay Kaya’s solo performance treads a delicate path through chaos, with no clear sign of a setlist. Her tales of a complicated past are navigated with a brilliant and touching sense of humour: “You can peel an orange however you please in the psych ward”, she sings. “In the psych ward”, the audience cries.

Katy Kirby takes the Folly by storm: her cutting lyricism shining through laid-back indie-rock arrangements; her song ‘Portals’ bringing a restless tent to a standstill. Cass McCombs’ unique brand of Americana graces the Garden Stage, his brilliant songwriting tainted only by a slew of lengthy jam sessions, while Greentea Peng serenades the sunset-drenched fields with her signature positivity, despite a bout of tonsillitis.

Back for her second show, but this time to upwards of 10,000, Angel Olsen is every bit the rockstar that we need. Her set is all killer, no filler, grounded in a self-assurance that she is up there with the best of the best.

With the weekend in full swing, Saturday sees newcomers Tapir! perform the set of their lives, with Ike’s vocals stunning against a backdrop of tumbling guitar riffs. Aptly named ‘psych-folk’, the audience is transported into a world of modern dance, narrative interludes, and giant red paper maché heads.

A 7-strong Caroline take to the Garden Stage, giving a spellbinding performance. Their music is uniquely sparse, every note deliberated over and delivered with intention. The audience gradually thins out, and we are left to suppose that this much time for quiet deliberation is not for the faint-hearted. Reinstating some good old verse-chorus hits, Samia’s indie pop is hyperbolic and heartfelt, speaking the mind of a generation of 20-somethings.

One might wonder whether secret headliners Wet Leg and their whiplash-inducing rise to fame would cause some division among a crowd of grassroots music fans, but it seems that nobody can deny themselves a good time: chants of ‘on the chaise longue’ can probably be heard all the way across Salisbury Plain. Blending jazz fusion and indie pop, Arooj Aftab follows with a breathtaking set, her band made up of just a bassist and a harpist. There is an electrifying chemistry between them, punctured only by her withering-New-Yorker stage chat.

By Sunday, a collective daze has set in. A man camped nearby comes to, fully clothed, shoes still on, tent wide open. Divorce brings this spaced-out assemblage back to earth, their punchy songs instant feel-good classics. They may be opening the main stage for now, but it seems that they will be topping the lineup in years to come.

Indie folk icon Joan Shelley’s dulcet tones soothe some sore heads at the Garden Stage, but it is Alogte Oho & His Sounds Of Joy where the afternoon peaks. Their music is like liquid sunshine, the joy from the band infectious, and it seems that all at once, the crowd comes back to life.

Caitlin Rose returns to the festival for the first time in 10 years, the initial show in a run that will mark a fresh start for her career, while Ezra Furman announces mid-set that this could be her last. This revelation, along with her signature impassioned guitar solos, leaves the audience in tears. We are mourning an ending: of a great band and of a great weekend.

End Of The Road is set apart by its minute attention to detail: messages are hand-carved into Magnolia leaves; intricate installations are everywhere you turn; a giant flowchart proffers which bands you might like to see based on your personality. But it’s the line-up that seems the most carefully considered of all. Every slot, from headliners to lunch-timers, is selected with the same intention, bringing together the very best in alternative music.

End Of The Road 2024 is on sale now – for more information on the festival and to secure your tickets visit https://endoftheroadfestival.com/.

Helen Dixon is one half of the fantastic London indie-folk duo lilo for more information on lilo visit https://linktr.ee/liloband.