Great weekend.

[gigs]

My 1st time at EOTR and definitely not my last. My lads went early on thursday and set up camp, and i joined them on friday lunchtime (thanks to Chris who was pitched next door for the loan of the cooker when our gas got temperamental). A great weekend vibe which started with an evening at the Bella Union bash (John Grant, Midlake, Low anthem all superb), interspersed with some great comedy from Patrick Monahan and Tony law (who was excellent). Saturday... Pucket! Couldn't seem to walk past without being dragged in for a game of pucket. The bands were excellent again, especially the impressive Alt-J in the tent, Deep Dark Woods, Alabama Shakes and the mighty Grizzly Bear. Sunday started slowly, with a bit of drizzle and the tents packed for a quick getaway after Grandaddy. Brekky at the big red bus, then a day of treats. Meeting Alabama Shakes in the field, and Jason Lytle at the back of the Garden stage ( why do your powers of speech desert you when you meet an all time hero..) a great set by Graham Coxon, Sublime Justin Townes Earle, and an excellent Patti Smith. AND the mighty Grandaddy, who were excellent. I had waited 9 years for this, having last seen them at Pompey in 2003 and they didn't dissappoint. Simply beautiful.

Anyway, mighty big thanks to everyone concerned for a great weekend.

[Yokel Again]

Definitely a great weekend.

Enjoyed it more than last year, having had time to come to terms with the changes and capacity increase. I think I still prefer it 'how it was' (sorry!), so will probably try NDH next year from the things I've heard about it being similar to old EOTR.

Family camping was in a great location. Would have preferred some grass under foot, but you can't have it all. Nice and spacious and quiet. Lots of lovely people including a very friendly and chatty family camped next to us.

Was disappointed with some of the bands I love and had seen before at EOTR, but all the groups who I was seeing for the first time were AMAZING - Alabama Shakes being the highlight, but First Aid Kit and Perfume Genius stood out. Cashier No 9, Doug Paisley and Grizzly Bear all really good. A very tired little one and the rain meant we left before Patti Smith unfortunately, but we did get to hear her secret reading in the woods, which was awesome to feel part of.

A top weekend, the little one loved it walking around Helloing and Goodbyeing everyone, which most people were very receptive too.

Unsure about next year, but only due to cost, we might do NDH instead as it ticks the small festival box alongside Glasto abit better now perhaps, anyway, will look forward to seeing the line up and making a decision!

Also - EOTR has a really really great crowd. Talked to some lovely people.

Oh, and the pies aren't as good as Piemininster!

Off to wash down the tent :-)

[poppins]

A very tired little one and the rain meant we left before Patti Smith unfortunately, but we did get to hear her secret reading in the woods, which was awesome to feel part of.

[liarliar]

Hah...you're talking of Bristol's own Big Jeff!

It might surprise you that there's even a documentary about him! Search "Big Jeff Bristol" on youtube.

C.

[SweepingTheNation]

Indeed, Big Jeff is so feted in gig-going circles the Frank water people tweeted a picture of him with one of their team over the weekend.

There's no real need to go on about the atmosphere again, so just a list of standouts in no particular order: Grandaddy (I trust due to the overrunning setup they didn't come back out after He's Simple...? I know they've been covering Pavement's Here on tour before finishing with that), Grizzly Bear, Poor Moon (like Fleet Foxes gone badly warped), Toy, Islet, Perfume Genius, Jeffrey Lewis (and his Sonnet Youth project), Savages, I Break Horses, the Low Anthem (Charlie Darwin was one of those silent field moments EOTR specialises in), Willis Earl Beal, Porcelain Raft, Patti Smith's reading, Tindersticks (despite the lack of virtually anything not from the recent album), meeting Robyn Hitchcock and Simon Raymonde, the dancefloor at night, the hanging figures in the trees (as I heard someone say, possibly tipping the balance over into Blair Witch territory)

Some little points, while I'm here:

- The information page about the festival has always emphasised the likelihood of bands playing secret sets all over the place and collaborating, but this year I don't recall any of the latter (bar Abigail Washburn with Hitchcock) and the only daytime piano sets I recall were Smith and Abi Wade, though someone's tweeted a picture of Patrick Watson doing so late last night.

- how come the Peter Broderick pullout didn't get mentioned anywhere on site or on social network platforms by either festival or label, given the replacement band (Pale Seas, whose single is actually on Communion but it seems BU are interested) posted details on Sunday?

- Was it necessary to use a drill on the pub sign right outside the Tipi while Alessi's Ark was on? Also, who thought taking a big flag into that tent (for Pinkunoizu) was a good idea?

Edited September 3, 2012 by SweepingTheNation

[wackojackohighcliffe]

Patti Smith, Alabama Shakes, First Aid Kit and Midlake were great. Food was worse than I remember from '10. Woods Stage is a crap main stage. The woods are still nice and comedy is much improved. Lineup was lacklustre but I already knew that. Dance floor played some good music and was absolutely thronging Friday. Everybody's still lovely. Grizzly Bear were rubbish. GM 2011 was better. A really nice festival but a lot of the magic is gone. Needs to pick it up somehow.

[formed a band]

First time for me , pretty good. I met a lot of nice people, tolerated my drunken buffooning.

Midlake

Dirty three

Veronica falls

Still corners

Francois and the atlas mountains

Jeffrey lewis

Grham coxon

Woods

Too much dawdling in the shower que

[ljsawyer]

As the festival was pretty similar to last year for me in terms of atmosphere, food, layout etc, I'm just gonna go ahead and rate every single band because I like rating things!

Friday:

Horse Thief - 8/10 - the first few songs and the last few were phenomenal, got to hear my favourite song at the moment (Warrior). Great start to the festival.

Leif Vollebekk - 7/10 - great voice and such a nice guy, definitely one I'd like to see with a full band at some point.

The Acorn - 7/10 - wasn't expecting a solo set and we only got half an hour because of the steam fair traffic, but was pleasantly surprised, especially getting to hear Crooked Legs.

Still Corners - 8/10 - saw them on a whim after Peter Broderick failed to turn up, but enjoyed them a lot. Very hypnotic.

Jonathan Wilson - 7/10 - perfect vibe, perfect band for the Woods stage. Not a massive fan of his record but liked the set a lot.

My Sad Captains - 6/10 - they were alright. Not sure about the lead singer's voice and they could have done with it being a bit louder (felt that this was a problem in the Tipi at times)

John Grant - 7/10 - not quite as captivating as last year and I think Midlake should have joined him for Marz or Where Dreams Go To Die rather than the cover they did. No Chicken Bones either But still a wonderful voice and a lovely guy.

Dirty Three - 8/10 - This one pretty much speaks for itself so not much to say about this one apart from getting to hear The Zither Player (one of my all-time favourites)!

Zun Zun Egui - 9/10 – completely bonkers as expected but brilliant at the same time. Is there a more fun live song than Fandango Fresh?!

Midlake - 8/10 - wonderful set from these guys. We didn't get Young Bride (unless they played it right at the beginning as we got there a bit late) but the new stuff is sounding brilliant, and it's not often I say that hearing it for the first time at a festival. Only negative was that there were A LOT of people talking around where we were standing.

Saturday:

Creature With The Atom Brain - 5.5/10 - Meh. Good but not great psychedelic rock.

Abigail Washburn - 8/10 – could have listened to her stories (and her Chinese!) all day. Also got to hear my first banjo of the weekend, was starting to feel like something was missing....

Deep Dark Woods - 7/10 - (see other entry)

Francois & The Atlas Mountains - 10/10 – probably the most fun I had all weekend. Their album is my the best I've heard all year but seeing them live is a completely different experience. Love the African vibes and love the choreography.

Dark Dark Dark - 6.5/10 - Well their set was pretty much new song after new song but it was all pretty nice. Daydreaming was great but where were Celebrate and Heavy Heart?

Perfume Genius - 9/10 - a pretty much silent crowd was essential for this one and that's what Mike got. Love him.

Anna Calvi - 7/10 - Great guitarist and amazing Edith Piaf cover but her voice takes some getting used to. Bit too much wailing a la Florence Welch for me.

Tindersticks - 9.5/10 - would have been a 10 had the set included a few more classics and slightly less of the new album, but apart from that they completely nailed it. So many highlights in this set - the climax to Chocolate & crowd reaction, a great version of I Know That Loving and Stuart & co. seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot.

Grizzly Bear - 8/10 - a very solid set, find them a bit samey but in terms of their live performance they are one of the tighest bands in Brooklyn.

Sleep Party People - 9/10 - felt like I was in Donnie Darko. Eerie and captivating.

Deep Dark Woods again - 9/10 - better setlist, and on the stage where they should have been all along!

Sunday:

Hurray For The Riff Raff - 8/10 - a lot of fun and Alynda is a really great songwriter. Think the crowd was still half-asleep/hungover though.

Doug Paisley - 8/10 - was feeling the Canadian love here with both Rolf from The Acorn and Leif Vollebekk just in front of me. Beautiful songs - the best solo set I saw all weekend.

Frank Fairfield - 7/10 - think he would have benefited a lot more from a more intimate setting, but more banjo is never a bad thing, especially when you feel like you're stepping back into 1928.

Richard Buckner - 8/10 - Americana legend, love the new album so was happy to hear most of that. Great backing band too.

Woods - 9/10 - the crowd was a bit dead which is a shame because these guys deliver again and again every time I see them. New stuff sounds brilliant, Size Meets The Sound is one of my songs of the year already.

First Aid Kit - 5/10 - maybe it's because I was standing right at the back among the talkers (couldn't get any closer without barging my way through) but they failed to keep me interested at all for most of the set.

Justin Townes Earle - 9/10 - one of the acts I was most looking forward to and they were pretty much spot on. Didn't play They Killed John Henry but Black Eyed Suzy was a nice surprise and Harlem River Blues was so so good. I also liked his little rant about the current state of country music, agreed with that 100%.

Yeti Lane - 6/10 - loved the stage setup but was a bit disappointed. Not really loud enough again despite being inches away from the drummer and sounded a bit 'tinny'.

Patrick Watson - 10/10 - possibly the best set I have ever seen at End of the Road and a perfect example of why I love live music (and music in general) so much. The transition from the singing theatre back to the Garden Stage for the climax of ‘Into Giants’ was breathtaking, the lights and stage set-up were so so effective, and the musicians themselves were pretty much perfect.

Grandaddy - 9.9/10 – 0.1 deduction for not playing Hewlett’s Daughter (but only because I love that song so much - think it would have been the penultimate song had it not been for the curfew) but I couldn’t have asked for any more from these guys. Loved every minute of it.

Edited September 3, 2012 by ljsawyer

[Nick07]

As the festival was pretty similar to last year for me in terms of atmosphere, food, layout etc, I'm just gonna go ahead and rate every single band because I like rating things!

Friday:

Horse Thief - 8/10 - the first few songs and the last few were phenomenal, got to hear my favourite song at the moment (Warrior). Great start to the festival.

Leif Vollebekk - 7/10 - great voice and such a nice guy, definitely one I'd like to see with a full band at some point.

The Acorn - 7/10 - wasn't expecting a solo set and we only got half an hour because of the steam fair traffic, but was pleasantly surprised, especially getting to hear Crooked Legs.

Still Corners - 8/10 - saw them on a whim after Peter Broderick failed to turn up, but enjoyed them a lot. Very hypnotic.

Jonathan Wilson - 7/10 - perfect vibe, perfect band for the Woods stage. Not a massive fan of his record but liked the set a lot.

My Sad Captains - 6/10 - they were alright. Not sure about the lead singer's voice and they could have done with it being a bit louder (felt that this was a problem in the Tipi at times)

John Grant - 7/10 - not quite as captivating as last year and I think Midlake should have joined him for Marz or Where Dreams Go To Die rather than the cover they did. No Chicken Bones either But still a wonderful voice and a lovely guy.

Dirty Three - 8/10 - This one pretty much speaks for itself so not much to say about this one apart from getting to hear The Zither Player (one of my all-time favourites)!

Zun Zun Egui - 9/10 – completely bonkers as expected but brilliant at the same time. Is there a more fun live song than Fandango Fresh?!

Midlake - 8/10 - wonderful set from these guys. We didn't get Young Bride (unless they played it right at the beginning as we got there a bit late) but the new stuff is sounding brilliant, and it's not often I say that hearing it for the first time at a festival. Only negative was that there were A LOT of people talking around where we were standing.

Saturday:

Creature With The Atom Brain - 5.5/10 - Meh. Good but not great psychedelic rock.

Abigail Washburn - 8/10 – could have listened to her stories (and her Chinese!) all day. Also got to hear my first banjo of the weekend, was starting to feel like something was missing....

Deep Dark Woods - 7/10 - (see other entry)

Francois & The Atlas Mountains - 10/10 – probably the most fun I had all weekend. Their album is my the best I've heard all year but seeing them live is a completely different experience. Love the African vibes and love the choreography.

Dark Dark Dark - 6.5/10 - Well their set was pretty much new song after new song but it was all pretty nice. Daydreaming was great but where were Celebrate and Heavy Heart?

Perfume Genius - 9/10 - a pretty much silent crowd was essential for this one and that's what Mike got. Love him.

Anna Calvi - 7/10 - Great guitarist and amazing Edith Piaf cover but her voice takes some getting used to. Bit too much wailing a la Florence Welch for me.

Tindersticks - 9.5/10 - would have been a 10 had the set included a few more classics and slightly less of the new album, but apart from that they completely nailed it. So many highlights in this set - the climax to Chocolate & crowd reaction, a great version of I Know That Loving and Stuart & co. seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot.

Grizzly Bear - 8/10 - a very solid set, find them a bit samey but in terms of their live performance they are one of the tighest bands in Brooklyn.

Sleep Party People - 9/10 - felt like I was in Donnie Darko. Eerie and captivating.

Deep Dark Woods again - 9/10 - better setlist, and on the stage where they should have been all along!

Sunday:

Hurray For The Riff Raff - 8/10 - a lot of fun and Alynda is a really great songwriter. Think the crowd was still half-asleep/hungover though.

Doug Paisley - 8/10 - was feeling the Canadian love here with both Rolf from The Acorn and Leif Vollebekk just in front of me. Beautiful songs - the best solo set I saw all weekend.

Frank Fairfield - 7/10 - think he would have benefited a lot more from a more intimate setting, but more banjo is never a bad thing, especially when you feel like you're stepping back into 1928.

Richard Buckner - 8/10 - Americana legend, love the new album so was happy to hear most of that. Great backing band too.

Woods - 9/10 - the crowd was a bit dead which is a shame because these guys deliver again and again every time I see them. New stuff sounds brilliant, Size Meets The Sound is one of my songs of the year already.

First Aid Kit - 5/10 - maybe it's because I was standing right at the back among the talkers (couldn't get any closer without barging my way through) but they failed to keep me interested at all for most of the set.

Justin Townes Earle - 9/10 - one of the acts I was most looking forward to and they were pretty much spot on. Didn't play They Killed John Henry but Black Eyed Suzy was a nice surprise and Harlem River Blues was so so good. I also liked his little rant about the current state of country music, agreed with that 100%.

Yeti Lane - 6/10 - loved the stage setup but was a bit disappointed. Not really loud enough again despite being inches away from the drummer and sounded a bit 'tinny'.

Patrick Watson - 10/10 - possibly the best set I have ever seen at End of the Road and a perfect example of why I love live music (and music in general) so much. The transition from the singing theatre back to the Garden Stage for the climax of ‘Into Giants’ was breathtaking, the lights and stage set-up were so so effective, and the musicians themselves were pretty much perfect.

Grandaddy - 9.9/10 – 0.1 deduction for not playing Hewlett’s Daughter (but only because I love that song so much - think it would have been the penultimate song had it not been for the curfew) but I couldn’t have asked for any more from these guys. Loved every minute of it.

[benrio]

trawling my 8 year old daughter with me for the majority of the time meant we didnt get to see as much as in previous years...however, she drew many compliments for her green cape, made for us by a wonderful and quite beautiful woman in the 'making tiara', capes and stuff' tent in the kids area..i digress.

the highlight - Delicate Steve - genius band, incredible musicians the lot and maybe a little too off-centre for everyone (hey, i know the crowd is pretty accepting but sea noises, being mouthed by the 2nd guitarist..scared a few folk). Incredible..if he played a secret set then you musnt tell me, alright?

Alabama Shakes - Woods stager..were they the 'secret headliners' in the end, in the big top? loved their resurrection of the Stax principles, with Stones licks added..turn up the keys next time sound man ; )

2nd 'the highlight' -Patti Smith (but missed her 'reading'..)..such presence, power...interesting comment in the crowd about how she can get away with what she says, but anyone else saying it sounds corny...such a shame, how our generation and those that followed can be so afraid of straight forward politics and spirituality. cyncism and irony can make one so afraid...anyway!

WOW..

Zun Zun Egui - mad geniuses rocked the tipi tent.

Deep Dark Woods - love them.

a lot of fun...

[Yokel Again]

FRANCOIS AND THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS WERE BLOODY BRILLIANT! Forgot about them!

[cortezuk]

Hi everyone - EOTR this year was my first time (but hopefully not my last) and so here is my review of my weekend.

First of all the people - wonderful, wonderful people! Friendly, informative, love their music and everyone we spoke to took the time to chat away - even when we had clearly had a bit too much of our Captain Morgan cocktails. In the campsite we were made to feel so welcome and everyone wanted to talk about band recommendations and help each other out! We arrived really late Thursday but even at that time our neighbours were wonderful. Every steward we spoke to off duty were just so lovely - a big hello to the sexual health nurse from Oxford and our discussion about 'hipsters'. A big thank you to the woman with kids at the front for Roy Harper who looked after my 'sleeping' friend whilst I went to see Lanterns on The Lake! And to the wonderful woman at thevGarden Stage covered in spiders who made me smile.

The facilities! What a wonderful place. Is there a better outside venue than the Garden Stage? I understand why people bemoan the addition of The Woods Stage but hey without it the capacity would be too small and some acts are just fine on the Woods - Grizzley Bear and Beach House both suited it as did Patti Smith. But the atmosphere, love of music and sheer beauty of Garden Stage shoud be something all Festivals must wish they could replicate - suggest Emily Eavis makes a visit during something like the Tindersticks set to see what a true festival audience when at one with the music truely looks and feels like. The camp site was great - everything is so close to the arena it is so easy to nip back! The toilets are simply the best I have ever experienced - well done to Andy's Loos who deserve every contract going! The stages are so iconic,the Big Top had atmosphere, great views and a rocking crowd. The TipinTent was a little bit of a let down - not for it's atmosphere (DeepDark Woods on Sat night was one of my best experiences ofthe weekend - a great setlist and wonderful band) but just because it looks a little soulless when compared with the others. The bars were wonderful and never had to queue once. The little village green around the Peacock was such a magical place. I was a little disappointed at the variety of food outlets ( just a couple more I think was needed) but what was there was pretty good - the Tibetan food, Pie shop and Story Burgers were highlights. But best of all is the double decker Tea Stop. Breakfast every morning never let me down anda great place for tea and cake! Thank you to them. The woods area was interesting without ever really bowling me over. And I do think that the Prices in the Healing Area were a little steep and the 'price fixing' disappointing and a real turn-off - hardly the spirit of the zone? The site overall was well thought out, lovely and compact and a real success for us. A huge thank you for the fire -a very welcome experience and wonderful atmosphere each night.

So to the music - I am not going to mention every act we saw but my highlights! Tindersticks were simply beautiful and the playing of Chocolate a welcome risk! Beach House were startingly soaring and expressive in their music which set a high bar. Alt-J were an obvious highlight for anyone who saw their set - set to be huge I think. I think that both Johnathan Wilson and Deep Dark Woods far exceeded their recorded product and raised the bar. Perfume Genius and John Grant were perfect in the Garden. But for me the highlight was the second half of the Grizzly Bear set who just grew and grew and delivered on all I wanted for the festival. Disappointments? Alabama Shakes just didn't deliver anything special for me and Anna Calvi really needs to work out how to use that voice.

A great weekend of muscand people. I hope I will be back next year!

[shugie]

Patrick Watson - 10/10 - possibly the best set I have ever seen at End of the Road and a perfect example of why I love live music (and music in general) so much. The transition from the singing theatre back to the Garden Stage for the climax of ‘Into Giants’ was breathtaking, the lights and stage set-up were so so effective, and the musicians themselves were pretty much perfect.

[riverlodge]

really great to see how many different ways people had a great time.

the surprise pluses

got to agree with benrio about delicate steve - i know i was one spouting about him beforehand but he really exceeded expectations and he (and they) have a real dry wit too - much better stage presence than i'd imagined. also as a bonus, it followed a fantastic pinkunoizu set. sorry about my bad dancing to both.

really enjoyed both horse thief sets, and was lucky enough to get one of the demo CDs which got a good amount of car play time on the looong way home, stuck behind those blasted steam engines.

thanks to PP for recommending patrick watson. not only did it contain one of 'those' eotr moments with the use of the little folly stage,he was bloody good and his guitarist / 2nd keyboard guy was incredibly talented. good on the girl a couple along on the barrier unashamedly teary at lighthouse, really touching moment in a generally fun set. so glad i ditched patti for this after half an hour of her..

concrete knives. top stuff, that boy sure can play lead guitar even if his cap was suspect.

midlake. another year, a different stage and it just felt wonderful. sheer class.

seth whats-ihs-face. so gargle singing is the way forward! also, the dedication of a song to his 5 year old daughter who he was missing loads. aaahh sweet!

the ones i knew were going to be good and nailed it

grizzly bear. one of the most talented group of guys around, full stop. vote for the encore!

perfume genius. ljsawyer said it above. and yeah i had a little teary moment at this set, that cover of helpless gets me every time.

alt-j. more restrained crowd than i expected but cracking quality in a hot & sweaty tent, good gig, and good on the guy with the blow up shark too.

grandaddy. euphoria. why couldnt we have more, and what a waste of fifteen minutes trying to get some visuals. DONT BOTHER.

the didnt quite do it for me section.

first aid kit. yes good voice but not for me. sorry to anyone in vicinity about my loud singing to their one good track, the america cover.

john grant. thats a bit of of heresy i know, but its relative to last years magical starry headline set. still i sang a lot and enjoyed his chat.

patti. it was probably just me okay, before anyone shoots me. it was okay.

anyway, fabby time. too tired to do as good a job as ljsawyer, might try when i have had 68 hours sleep.

see you all next year....?

[GTG]

John Grant - 7/10 - not quite as captivating as last year and I think Midlake should have joined him for Marz or Where Dreams Go To Die rather than the cover they did. No Chicken Bones either But still a wonderful voice and a lovely guy

[Neville Street]

He did 2 or 3 new ones. They sounded good, but for me they were too samey with the existing stuff. He apologised for his tendency to go on and on about the same things. Good set, but not as good as last year IMO.

[ljsawyer]

I swear he made the same joke about being the sweary man last year? Or am I imagining that?

[shoebox]

Urgh, back at work, and what better way to start the day than with a brief(ish) overview of my weekend:

Thursday:

A perfect run through, with no traffic issues whatsoever. The Hives, Urge Overkill and Bowie's "Magic Dance" accompanied the journey. Transition from car to campsite was flawless, but tent erection took a little longer without our usual professional boy-scout in-tow. As a result, ended up missing Big Wave, which I was gutted about. But we can hear the Tipi from where we camp anyway, so it wasn't all bad. Then it was a lot of mooching around before The Futureheads hit the stage. Was a little concerned at how the EOTR fraternity would take to them due to their dalliances with NME fame, but they went down a storm. The acapella set was great fun, and I'd love to see them again. Then we drank more and laughed in an embarrassed way as my rather larger friend just seemed to topple over and take out a whole bunch of innocents in an unplanned game of human skittles. We left him to his own devices after that, it seemed safer and less embarrassing.

OK, so I might have to do this in dribs and drabs then, as I've got a to-do list with 10 items on it already. Why couldn't I have another week off?

[Mardy]

Highlights:

Jeff Lewis (as ever), specially the tipi stage set. Roll bus roll, chelsea hotel oral sex song AND history of NY York Punk Rock? YOur're spoiling us, Jeffrey. Fabulous

Deep Dark Woods: Was really looking forward to them. Didn't let me down. Great start to the day

Patti Smith: 2nd time I've seen her this summer and blown away again. Passion, commitment, belief in her art. Fucking marvellous. Wish I had a ticket to see her in Hebden Bridge next week.

Grandaddy: Great performance, really nailed it

Simon Munnery: Love him, brief 15 minute slot, always cracking

Disappointments

First Aid Kit. was all ready for this to be the highlight of the weekend, but nah, didn't do it for me. Inane between song patter, too much woo-hoo harmonizing (when compared to the album). Full of tools turning up late and pushing through. 'I LOVE this band' Really? Then maybe you should get there 10 minutes before they start then, eh?

Jonathon Wilson: Bit too meandering for me. verged on sub Pink Floyd noodling. Pretty sure this is just my interpretation though, he seemed to go down pretty well.

That's about it really. Way more good things than bad things, overall, had a cracking weekend.

[xman]

Loads of highlights for me - in fact, I'd put it above the other 5 EOTR's I've been to (musically at least). Most of these highlights have been covered already so one small gripe: Peter Broderick pulling out. Ok, so shit happens, but while waiting in vain for over an hour (and telling all my mates to be patient as the bloke's a genius) I asked several stewards wtf was going on and to a man they were flippin' clueless.

Having said that, early bird tickets have already been ordered for next year - a big thanks to the organisers - bring on 2013!

[magick melvin]

My 4th EOTR. I didn't really enjoy last year for various reasons but I'm happy to say I LOVED this year. The best so far. The growing pains of last year are gone in my view and the festival has blossomed.

Music highlights

Everywhere I turned, splendid music was being played.

1. Deep Dark Woods

2. Pinkunoizu

3. Veronica Falls

My top three non-music things:

1. No rocky road of doom, thank goodness.

2. Toilets were unbelievably clean.

3. New family camping area was great in that it thinned out the camping everywhere. More room for everyone.

I'm really struggling to adapt back into real life. My head and heart are still in Larmer Tree Gardens!

Edited September 4, 2012 by magick melvin

[formed a band]

the toilets were amazing

[MaxMaz]

Yes the toilets were unbelievable. They should have their own thread. Andy's Loos - you're the best!

[shoebox]

Right! Here we go, part 2. This could go on a while. Maybe...

Saturday:

Woke up to blazing sunshine, our mouths dry and barren from the previous evening's festivities. Hit up the Big Red Tea Bus for some hot, buttery crumpets. I had four, they were very enjoyable. A lazy morning, sauntering around the woods and buying books soon segued into band-time, and first up were Horse Thief in the Big Top. They were pretty straight up country-rock, Fleet Foxes kinda stuff, but louder and without the harmonising. Anyway, I really enjoyed them and had to laugh at the bass-player's remarkable sex-faces as he strummed away.

Then it was a quick jog over to the Tipi Tent to see Leif Vollebekk. Let's call him a Canadian Jeff Buckley, and again with the weird sex-faces. Another thoroughly enjoyable set, and his green guitar was a thing of sheer beauty. I bought his CD and told him I liked his guitar. He said it cost 400 bucks. I assume he meant Canadian bucks which must equate to about £7.56. Bargain-tastic!

Anyway, first clash of the weekend! Hannah Cohen in the Tipi or The Acorn on the Garden Stage? Tough decisions had to be made and we plumped for sitting on the fence and watching half of each. YAY! Hannah Cohen was as lovely as her album suggests and The Acorn played solo, which surprised me. Rolf was great though. I love The Acorn, me.

Then the first disappointment of the weekend. We waited on the barrier of the Garden Stage for Peter Broderick. One of the artists I was most looking forward to seeing this weekend. But we started to hear mutterings of him pulling out, but no confirmation. Then more and more instruments began being dotted around the stage, and we're thinking "hmm, this ain't right", and sure enough, a replacement band (Pale Seas) had stepped in for him. We stuck around for a bit, as we were there, but they failed to engage with their middling indie-rock. Nothing bad, but nothing to get excited about.

Then I had a pie. Generous portions of mash, hot gravy and well loaded with filling.

A bit of a gap catching up with other party members before heading into the Big Top again to see the second highlight of the weekend (sequential highlights based on time, rather than quality. The Futureheads were the first one); Lanterns On The Lake. Big sounds, sumptuous melodies, lovely stuff.

Potty mouthed John Grant on the Garden Stage soon followed. New songs sounded good, Midlake joined him for a cover of something. It was John Grant.

So then we went to the woods disco. I don't believe I have EVER danced to popular RnB before, but I did tonight. It's amazing what you do when there's a child in your travelling party.

Back to the Big Top for Veronica Falls who, again, did everything you expect them too with their loud, shoe-gazey indiepop. Tres bien!

So yes, another irritating clash between Beach House and Midlake. I'd elected to see Beach House, as I saw Midlake last year, but it all went a bit wrong. They sounded immense as always, and the tunes are all there. Coupled with a great light show, I should have stuck around. But. BUT! There was an irritating distortion on the vocals, just enough to repeatedly notice it, so I elected to saunter off to catch the second half of Midlake's set, in the vain hope that I would hear Roscoe and Head Home. I did hear them! But only just, because the sound was really muddy and crap. Sooooo gutted! Should have stayed where I was.

It had been a busy day, so after a brief diversion to the Tipi Tent to see who was playing a "secret set" (it was Horse Thief), we decided to turn in and get a good night's sleep. It was an early, but necessary one.

[wolfamongwolves]

my 6th eotr. people were lovely, the woods still beautiful. food good

have to say still cant stand the woods stage, really not a great place to see a band,

musically i did find it a bit dull. the reruns of last year. i do like john grant loved him last year but seeing him

again on same stage

doing the same songs was just ok.

highlights

tindersticks

francois & the atlas mountains

perfume genius

still love eotr but wont get a early bird, will wait to see who will be playing .

Edited September 4, 2012 by wolfamongwolves