Review: End of The Road Festival 2019 – Sunday

As the final day of the End of The Road 2019 began, I was already mourning its existence as I had had so much fun over the past three days, despite lacking in sleep and gaining a cold. This festival holds a special place in my heart due to the uniqueness of it all – as it’s a family-friendly festival, there are so many things to do other than music, so you are never left with a dull moment.

I started my day by making my way over to the Wonderlands Lawn, a quaint area beside the Garden stage, filled with an array of workshops and activities for people of all ages to get involved in. Firstly, there was a workshop called ‘Wake Up Singing’, which is pretty self-explanatory. I didn’t stay for long, but what I did see looked incredibly enjoyable and humorous, with a few families joining in. Next on my workshop adventures was my discovery of the sewing tent, hidden amongst the trees. It was a perfect location to sit down, relax, and sew! Who knew one could be so relaxed at a music festival? This was probably my favourite activity of the day, as it was something I just did not expect to find here. This relaxation was soon destroyed, however, once I made my way over to the Kids’ section, where I found a clay making workshop. This was brilliant fun, and an obvious favourite of many of the kids and families around. To conclude my workshop adventure, I sat down at a ukulele workshop for adults. With this combination of learning instruments, calming sewing and creative madness, what more could you want at a festival?

As these activities ended, it was time for the music to start. So, I headed over to the Garden stage to listen to Jessica Pratt. Despite not being my usual first choice of music, the piano and harp were extremely calming to lay in the sunshine to, watching the clouds drift by and the wind rustle the trees.

Following Pratt, Israel Nash took the stage, who had slightly less of an affect on me. I found his music rather unmemorable and generic in its American, country style. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful location to sit in, so I was happy to remain and listen to the rest of his set.

Sunday afternoon was a busy one for me music-wise, and a tricky one with some slight clashes. For some reason, Fontaines D.C. and The Murder Capital were put on two completely different stages, both with limited capacity, one finishing as the other started. Due to the Tipi tent being rather unreliable to get access to if you are late, I made the decision to skip Fontaines D.C. (tragic) and stay in the Tipi to watch Babe Rainbow, simply to ensure a spot for The Murder Capital. However, I was surprisingly not disappointed with my decision to skip out on Fontaines, as Babe Rainbow provided the crowd with some upbeat, happy tunes. Although they were not what I expected, sounding quite different as they do on a record, I was satisfied nonetheless.

Once Babe Rainbow existed the stage, I knew my highlight of the weekend was up next. Only recently discovering The Murder Capital, I have fallen in love with their debut album When I Have Fears and was nervously excited to see how their performance would fare. I was left not disappointed in the slightest, and it was by far the best act of the weekend for me. They were surprisingly encapsulating, with their cool, seemingly uncaring swagger and statement grumpy faces. To top this off, the crowd were energetic (and even shh’ing people who were talking!), which really made their brilliantly catchy tunes sound even better.

I knew not much could top The Murder Capital, so I went back to the tent (still thinking about the incredible performance I had just had the honour of witnessing) to rest up, before heading out to the silent disco. At the End of The Road, there is a silent disco every single night, from 11.30 – 3. I think this is just the greatest idea for a festival, as it brings people of all ages together, in a rather hilarious way, and it was the greatest thing dancing under the stars with the surrounding woods.

Overall, my experience at the End of The Road Festival 2019 was an extremely successful and memorable one, and it is a definitely a festival everyone should experience at least once. There really is something for everyone to enjoy, and you may even discover a new favourite band, artist or talent!

The End of The Road 2020 will take place at the Larmer Tree Gardens from September 3rd to September 6th, and tickets are now on sale here.