2017 - How was it for you?

[Mardy]

There were a lot of older/drunk chatters in the Tipi tent.Especially on Sunday evening. I genuinely don't think a VIP section is the answer.

[Mardy]

Anyway, Earlybird tickets bought.

[eagles69]

same here

[eagles69]

The biggest cock I saw at the festival was around 40 like me and the youngsters I met seemed great. I did notice a few barging through

[juliadevitt]

early birds available now:

 

http://endoftheroadfestival.com/tickets/

 

[Yokel Again]

Completely against a VIP section!

I'm not sure there is an answer to be honest. The festival is of the size where you will get a few there 'just for a festival' who aren't that bothered. 

[killyourtv]

Go to Latitude (no, don't) and then complain about EOTR and chatterers !

[Yesiamaduck]

21 minutes ago, xxialac said:

I respect what your saying but I have also been to festivals with VIP sections and the chatting was much much less.

Ultimately I've noticed a linear link between age and chatting. None of the chatterers at EOTR were in their 30s or 40s and they are the ones who would buy the VIP tickets.

Cmon now, there were plenty of older folk blabbering on over the weekend as well. 

And maybe it's because I generally focused more on the heavier/dancier acts but the talking didn't seem THAT bad [no worse than the other 2 years I'd been to]. Though this year someone asked me for some Ketamine, I did say to the 19 year old 'if you want ketamine this isn't the festival to find Ketamine' and he looked super puzzled. But I was 19 once and I just assumed all festivals were drug havens and that it was perfectly acceptable to openly talk about getting and taking drugs. 

Apparently, the talking was at it's worst at the Tipi stage but I avoided that stage mostly outside of Thursday and IDER... especially on Sunday because as I put it to my friends 'the people taking up all the space at The Garden Stage usually will bet taking up all the space at the Tipi Stage. Apparently some folk really just cant help themselves when it comes to spending the whole day sitting and laying down in the middle of the crowd, no matter how many people actually want to see band performing.

But on the whole, friendly crowd, understanding people and far better than a lot of other festivals. I find EOTR hits the balance when it comes to attentive quiet crowds that actually groove and move as opposed to chin stroking in a way I haven't really experienced before. 

I do think a lot of these problems will be alleviated by expanding the sheltered area by the Big Top and adding some entertainment such as DJ's there because there isn't really anywhere to go when it does rain forcing a lot of people to see bands they have no interest in at the Big Top and Tipi Stage. 

Edited September 5, 2017 by Yesiamaduck

[shoebox]

2 minutes ago, Yesiamaduck said:

crowds that actually groove and move

 

They do generally, although there were a few during Vaudou Game that made me laugh. Peter Solo made an example of a few on the barrier and even after being publicly shamed, they still didn't dance. There was also a dude in leather down the front, looking like some sort of weird SS agent in wellies, who was simply "too cool" to dance and enjoy himself. You could see the pretence crack every so often as the good times tried show their self in an unavoidable grin.

[xxialac]

I'm not saying that 40 year olds can't be cocks (that's my age too) but literally every single person that caused trouble around me was in a narrow age bracket of 16-20 . The older folk were talking sometimes but in a more restrained way that didn't also involve throwing beer cans in the air or smashing into people and also not when they were near the stage.

I appreciate others may have had different experiences

[Yesiamaduck]

1 minute ago, shoebox said:

They do generally, although there were a few during Vaudou Game that made me laugh. Peter Solo made an example of a few on the barrier and even after being publicly shamed, they still didn't dance. There was also a dude in leather down the front, looking like some sort of weird SS agent in wellies, who was simply "too cool" to dance and enjoy himself. You could see the pretence crack every so often as the good times tried show their self in an unavoidable grin.

Yeah that's what I was saying. Usually, at festivals, you either get a really active crowd with lots of chatter and heavily intoxicated people about or a hyper attentive crowd with extreme beard stroking. I think EOTR actually gets the best of both worlds.

[ljsawyer]

A VIP section would be horrendous and totally against the ethos of EOTR. Go to Hyde Park BST if you want that!

[WM Hall]

32 minutes ago, xxialac said:

I respect what your saying but I have also been to festivals with VIP sections and the chatting was much much less.

Ultimately I've noticed a linear link between age and chatting. None of the chatterers at EOTR were in their 30s or 40s and they are the ones who would buy the VIP tickets.

Hey, 22 years old here, and very much an anti-chatter!! (Although also not sure I like the idea of hierarchical audiences based essentially on wealth).

[xxialac]

12 minutes ago, ljsawyer said:

A VIP section would be horrendous and totally against the ethos of EOTR. Go to Hyde Park BST if you want that!

That kinds of makes my point. I've been to Hyde Park VIP and non VIP and Primavera VIP and non VIP.

Pretty much no chatting in the VIP for either.

To repeat, I don't like the ethos of VIP but something needs to be done about the chatting and I'd just be happy with fewer MacdeMarco type booking.

After all what's the point of a band and the organisers going to extreme effort to try and make the sound as good as it can possibly be if some drunk 19 years olds are going to shout in your ear all through the performance?

Edited September 5, 2017 by xxialac

[xxialac]

12 minutes ago, WM Hall said:

Hey, 22 years old here, and very much an anti-chatter!! (Although also not sure I like the idea of hierarchical audiences based essentially on wealth).

It was a minority of younger people - definitely not suggesting all. And I did say they were 16-20, maybe mostly in the lower bracket of that age range.

I agree about the hierarchy point although you could make the case that all of the audience was made up of rich people as poor people wouldn't be spending comfortably £300++ on an indie festival in the first place.

[xxialac]

All in all though was a fantastic festival, brilliantly varied things to do, wonderfully friendly people and credit to the organisers. Booked for next year!

[Fat_Buddha]

Early birds purchased

[SweepingTheNation]

A VIP section is a very quick way of telling a festival's original clientele that they're not important to them any more, and it would do nothing to dissuade people from "doing a festival" without thinking of the context.

 

Those people who were wearing wellies on Friday and Saturday, however... I don't know any more.

Edited September 5, 2017 by SweepingTheNation

[juliadevitt]

early birds are now sold out and tier 2 is available with deposit of £45 per ticket. I've bought mine.

Had to pay outright for campervan ticker so should have ordered this when it was £10 cheaper 10 mins before - will try to remember that next year!

[robbiez666]

I think young people are getting a lot of flack for chattering, and there did seem to be more unaccompanied groups of teens (Not sure whether anyone bothered checking this on the way in - they were struggling to get the scanners to work) this year.

Older people were just as bad for talking though, but people being dickish tended to be younger. There's a huge difference between enjoying yourself energetically and being wasted and knocking people around. 

And parents who let little Rupert or Hermione run around during sets really got on my goat. As much of those who camped with a household worth of stuff in the Tipi. And then those parents who camped in Boutique and for some reason expected everyone else to be in bed my midnight. 

It's vastly better than other festivals of a similar size but it's still a music festival. It's only going to get worse next year with no Glastonbury. 

[DaveT]

The day they introduce a VIP section is the day I stop going. But I'm confident EOTR are better than that.

Edited September 5, 2017 by DaveT

[paulwa]

2 minutes ago, DaveT said:

The day they introduce a VIP section is the day I stop going.

Absolutely 100% with you on this. It would no doubt be accompanied by major corporate sponsorship - just not part of the EOTR ethos and let's hope it never happens.

[The Nal]

1 hour ago, Mardy said:

Anyway, Earlybird tickets bought.

Likewise. Absolutely no idea what we'll be at in a year but its a nice option to have. 

[Fat_Buddha]

The worst behaved lot I saw all weekend were a group of very loud chaps  all at least 30 who seemed to be vying with each other to see who could be the most offensive. Older groups were also the worst chatterboxes as there were more of them. The teenagers were generally alright as they didn't really bother with the quieter acts and it doesn't really matter if people are chatting and larking about during the louder acts as they are drowned out anyway. I'm a miserable old sod but I enjoyed seeing the young uns enjoying themselves so much.

It was the first year our youngest had been without either his brother or sister with him or the nippers of or mates, but we were quite happy for him to wander about on his own getting into the mosh pits having the odd can as it still feels like a very safe festival.

When we got home my daughter who has been to a few eotr's asked if I had coped with all the annoying drunk teenagers and I said there were more annoying drunk adults than annoying drunk teenagers. The fact remains though, that overwhelming majority of folk there, drunk or not, are damn fine folk.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Fat_Buddha

[buddiepaul]

Agree with the comments so far.  Whilst there were a few idiots, they were definitely in the minority.  Chatters annoyed me more in general.  Will post an update of my likes and gripes later.

Got in there with my early bird tickets too.  Thought it would last a few hours, but decided not to wait, which was lucky!