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Presents |
Pictures from some recent gigs we've hosted:
29 March 2013 - Brixton, London
Viv Albertine, VuVuVultures, Left Leg, Mickey Gloss, Big Wave, No Cars, Arthur Gunn, Simon Love ( Pictures)
8 March 2013 - Lexington, London
R.Ring, Golden Grrrls, Slushy Guts and Equinox ( Pictures)
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| On
Our iPod |
 Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold (album)
Antony Harding - Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear (album)
Black Angels - Indigo Meadow (album)
Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin (album)
Still Corners - Strange Pleasures (album)
Savages - Silence Yourself (album)
Mikal Cronin - MC II (album)
Can’s Ege Bamyasi played by Stephen Malkmus and Friends(album)
Victoria and Jacob - Festival 7"
Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City (album)
Sauna Youth - False Jesii Part II 7”
Lightning Bolt - Oblivion Hunter
Robyn Hitchcock - There Goes The Ice (2x 12") |
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End of the Road Festival 2011 Sunday
Midlake, Josh T Pearson, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Woods, The Fresh and Onlys, The Staves, Lightning Dust and others
Article written by
Various Writers - Sep 22, 2011
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Lightning Dust
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It’s the final day of the festival and the greyish skies match our somewhat downbeat mood – by the morning of Day 3, it’s the usual combination of fatigue and the sad realisation that another superb weekend of music is reaching its conclusion.
Last year Amber Webber & Joshua Wells were filling the Big Top with blisteringly loud Prog-Rock with the rest of Black Mountain; now they’re opening the Garden Stage with the softer, more melodic, side-project Lightning Dust. Having to take centre stage, Webber cuts a very shy figure and pretty much leaves all the between-song talk to Wells, but when the music starts it’s difficult not to be transfixed by her warm, slightly warbling, vocals. The duo have brought another two musicians with them (both on string duty) and it’s a masterstroke, providing a richer sound from which the likes of ‘Take it Home’ and ‘Dreamer’ benefit hugely. The music is rather wistful but at the same time re-assuring - perfect for this occasion – and by the end, the sun’s shining too. Wonderful.
Fresh and Onlys
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There are four men on the Big Top stage appearing like an unholy alliance of hairy slackers and greasy truckers - it can only be The Fresh and Onlys. They may look like they’ve lost the hygiene wars but they can churn out garage-rock gems seemingly at will. Three albums already under their belts, the band have no problem filling an hour with quality material; it’s just a shame they don’t fill the tent with the sizeable crowd this music deserves. For those who are present, it’s a thrilling set and a weekend highlight; Tim Cohen’s near-montone voice carries the melodies perfectly, Wymond Miles spins and struts like the best guitar-hero, and in the charging ‘Waterfall’, the sprawling ‘Tropical Island Suite’ and the anthemic closer, ‘Peacock & Wing’, they have the tunes to brighten any festival.
Kurt Vile
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From a rather sparsely populated Big Top to one that’s heaving and sweaty with anticipation – Kurt Vile certainly has his admirers in healthy supply today, and it’s easy to see why. The wall of noise he and his Violators create here turns the murky mood of his recorded work into one both cosmic and seductive. So much so that, halfway through, those clearly preparing to leave for Laura Marling are having second thoughts – and the majority opt to remain. You can still hear traces of his former band (The War on Drugs) but Vile seems intent on marrying this hazy rock with a more hook-laden sound; appropriate, then, that he should round everything off with a quite astounding cover of Springsteen’s ‘Downbound Train’.
Josh T Pearson
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The rain has returned and the driest place at the Garden Stage is the stage itself....something Josh T Pearson is only too glad to remind us. Introducing himself as “funny as fuck” and throwing more jokes into his set than songs - bear in mind each tune lasts around ten minutes - he’s a master at enthralling spectators with the epic intensity of his music but providing enough humour to prevent it all from becoming a draining experience. There aren’t many people who would perform something like the dark & rambling ‘Woman, When I’ve Raised Hell’ then giggle themselves silly when trying to remember a punchline (whilst spending an age tuning the guitar) and NOT be told to “get on with it!” by an agitated crowd; Pearson’s affable & relaxed persona seems to stub out any dissent. His rambling, finger-picking style may not be to everyone’s taste but there’s no doubting he’s a unique entertainer. (by Pete W)
Three days of solid drinking and by the time I stumble into the Tipi Tent I fear I’m seeing, not just double, but treble. Luckily it turns out that the trio of cloned young females on the stage are Jessica, Camilla and Emily, The Staves sisters from Watford. The tent may have been sparsely filled at the start but it quickly fills out, with most latecomers happy to stay to enjoy the lovely interlinking three-way folk harmonies. Most enjoyable, like a Hertfordshire equivalent of Mountain Man. (by Paul M)
Tinariwen
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Lucky Pete’s reviewing most of the best bands today. Of the others, Lanterns On The Lake make dinner party mood music on the lines of Sigur Ros, meaning they build and build the tension without ever reaching the spunking point. Yawn. The invigorating Fresh and Onlys dispel that particularly cobwebby taste, and then it’s out to the Garden Stage to see Woods. Their set splits between pop gems like ‘Pushing Onlys’ and longer-form psychedelic adventures from recent album Sun & Shade. Some people get all V Festival and demand to hear only the hits but this is a festival, and what people do at festivals is to find a festival groove and lie into it, sometimes for 15 minutes. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea perhaps but when you’re at the helm of one of the coolest American independent labels like Jeremy Earl, you can play Guitar Hero for real when the fancy takes you. Mojo Man is much in evidence in the crowd for Tinariwen, who take the prize of having the most colourful stage presence (narrowly beating Tune-Yards). Their African blues is soothing and gently noodling, but they’re more a treat for the eyes than the ears. Thank Christ for the medicinal dose of noisy guitar pop in overdrive from Kurt Vile and the Violators.
Later, I take a little diversion to see whether all fuss about Laura Marling is justified. And I’m left wondering; in three songs I hear facsimiles of Joni Mitchell and Dolly Parton and some of that fake-folk practiced by the Mumfords and I suddenly notice lots of new clothes sellers who have been endorsed by emperors. Then we’re in the Big Top to hear the chiming Cure-isms of Wild Nothing (think Three Imaginary Boys and you’re there), and all of a sudden the weather breaks. Damp people wander in and start steaming while the band play the most gorgeous filigreed indiepop. The shimmery, jangly, dreamy guitar-and-synth pop from Jack Tatum and pals sounds stunning, but the melancholic chills embedded in the DNA of the songs are mirroring the temperature outside now.
Midlake
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It’s drizzling badly when we go to see Midlake, whose gloomy demeanours don’t lift the spirits. I loved the Courage of Others but, live, they’re not eye-catching performers and the amount of flute-age in the songs is decidedly depressing. We hear ‘Roscoe’ and a couple of Van Occupanther gems and then we take the decision to escape the driech weather and seek a more snug refuge in an olde worlde pub offsite. So, stopping only to grab a splendid burrito, we squelchingly say adieu to an excellent EOTR for another year, but vow to return in 2012. (by Ged M)
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