Comments on: The End of the Road Festival http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/ Independent and alternative music in Scotland - with a shitload of gin. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:56:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Matthew http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8113 Matthew Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:52:43 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8113 In some ways I am tempted to agree with you about the lineup in '07, but I actually enjoyed not having every single moment planned out this year, and the chance to wander about and give new things a try. I certainly agree that a few bands were on stages to which they weren't entirely suited. I really don't like the Big Top very much, but the sound seems to be better in there. The Bimble Inn is easily my favourite venue, but you can hardly fit a festival of five thousand people into half a dozen Bimble Inns dotted around the site, so I don't know what they would be better doing. Taking more advantage of the Local might be an idea - opening it earlier for some of the smaller bands who maybe need the more intimate setting, like you say. We thought that the Arabian tent was ace too, and the food was bloody brilliant. In some ways I am tempted to agree with you about the lineup in ‘07, but I actually enjoyed not having every single moment planned out this year, and the chance to wander about and give new things a try.

I certainly agree that a few bands were on stages to which they weren’t entirely suited. I really don’t like the Big Top very much, but the sound seems to be better in there. The Bimble Inn is easily my favourite venue, but you can hardly fit a festival of five thousand people into half a dozen Bimble Inns dotted around the site, so I don’t know what they would be better doing. Taking more advantage of the Local might be an idea – opening it earlier for some of the smaller bands who maybe need the more intimate setting, like you say.

We thought that the Arabian tent was ace too, and the food was bloody brilliant.

]]> By: steviedisco http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8112 steviedisco Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:38:52 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8112 By the way, there's a cracking, eclectic mix of tunes going out on the Hypem.com radio player this morning, which is where I picked up the songbytoad link from. Doesn't always float my boat, but this morning it's great. Respect. By the way, there’s a cracking, eclectic mix of tunes going out on the Hypem.com radio player this morning, which is where I picked up the songbytoad link from. Doesn’t always float my boat, but this morning it’s great. Respect.

]]> By: steviedisco http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8111 steviedisco Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:26:15 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8111 In a campfire straw poll of stalwarts from 07, we thought the music at last year's festival was better...but rose-tinted specs can distort things. There weren't enough standout sets from artists this year - No Midlake, Joan as Policewoman, Seasick Steve, Dawn Landes, The Bees, Herman Dune..etc. Bon Iver were terrific this year, but the local pub PA system on the main stage put a dent in many performers sets, particularly Calexico. Did anyone feel that some bands were on the wrong stage? The likes of The Accidental should have been swapped from the Big Top to the Garden Stage - the Bowerbirds and Woodpigeon are too twee for a big stage. Then you had the overly glitzy (Freddie) Mercury Rev and disappointments from British Sea Power. However, American Music Club were great - Mark Eitzel is highly watchable on stage. Sadly, there was a whole swath of lacklustre performances and if those said artists are booked for next year...I'd hang out doing all the other terrific things on offer - the Arabian tent was cool, I loved playing Kubb again, there were terrific people hanging out in the Arabian food tent, chilling. The mud? Who cares! If you survived The Green Man Festival 07 or a bunch of other chest wader events, then you never talk about such things again. It's too traumatic. In a campfire straw poll of stalwarts from 07, we thought the music at last year’s festival was better…but rose-tinted specs can distort things. There weren’t enough standout sets from artists this year – No Midlake, Joan as Policewoman, Seasick Steve, Dawn Landes, The Bees, Herman Dune..etc. Bon Iver were terrific this year, but the local pub PA system on the main stage put a dent in many performers sets, particularly Calexico.
Did anyone feel that some bands were on the wrong stage? The likes of The Accidental should have been swapped from the Big Top to the Garden Stage – the Bowerbirds and Woodpigeon are too twee for a big stage.
Then you had the overly glitzy (Freddie) Mercury Rev and disappointments from British Sea Power.
However, American Music Club were great – Mark Eitzel is highly watchable on stage.
Sadly, there was a whole swath of lacklustre performances and if those said artists are booked for next year…I’d hang out doing all the other terrific things on offer – the Arabian tent was cool, I loved playing Kubb again, there were terrific people hanging out in the Arabian food tent, chilling.
The mud? Who cares! If you survived The Green Man Festival 07 or a bunch of other chest wader events, then you never talk about such things again. It’s too traumatic.

]]> By: Chalky http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8110 Chalky Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:20:45 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8110 Hey thanks for the update. I used to frequently get hit on the head by stray footballs in school, so sparhawks guitar would probably have had a good chance of finding me, maybe it was a good thing I didn't go Hey thanks for the update. I used to frequently get hit on the head by stray footballs in school, so sparhawks guitar would probably have had a good chance of finding me, maybe it was a good thing I didn’t go

]]> By: The Daily Growl http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8109 The Daily Growl Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:43:02 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8109 Yo Toad. Nice tae see ye too. It was a pleasure of a festival, and now that I'm back in civilisation I'll be doing my own review. I meant to ask if you enjoyed Hawley. We did from the back. Truly a fine festival again, and though I wasn't fully engaged again due to the wean, there was still plenty to enjoy. This time I got to experience some of the other musical treats, such as the kids singing bloke on Sunday morning (pretty good, btw). Chalky - Low played a great set, but at the end Alan Sparhawk totally lost it and threw his guitar at full pelt into the crowd. He had already complained about having a 'crappy day'. He's not a well man, but that doesn't excuse a pretty reckless action. Jules - sorry I didn't see you either. I was hoping to bump into you or one of the band, but I guess my attention was looking down at the small person rather than around and everyone else. Hope to see you sometime in the not too distant future. I actually managed to catch bits of all your sets, and it was all good stuff. We'll be back next year. My finger is hovering over these early bird tix.... Yo Toad. Nice tae see ye too. It was a pleasure of a festival, and now that I’m back in civilisation I’ll be doing my own review. I meant to ask if you enjoyed Hawley. We did from the back.

Truly a fine festival again, and though I wasn’t fully engaged again due to the wean, there was still plenty to enjoy. This time I got to experience some of the other musical treats, such as the kids singing bloke on Sunday morning (pretty good, btw).

Chalky – Low played a great set, but at the end Alan Sparhawk totally lost it and threw his guitar at full pelt into the crowd. He had already complained about having a ‘crappy day’. He’s not a well man, but that doesn’t excuse a pretty reckless action.

Jules – sorry I didn’t see you either. I was hoping to bump into you or one of the band, but I guess my attention was looking down at the small person rather than around and everyone else. Hope to see you sometime in the not too distant future. I actually managed to catch bits of all your sets, and it was all good stuff.

We’ll be back next year. My finger is hovering over these early bird tix….

]]> By: Matthew http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8108 Matthew Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:04:15 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8108 Yeah, Robin, I heard Bestival was something of an endurance test. We went to Bestival a couple of years ago, but it was just too big for me and I didn't like it. Five thousand seems to be just about my limit, I think. And I liked your review, by the way. Spot on, in my book. Yeah, Robin, I heard Bestival was something of an endurance test. We went to Bestival a couple of years ago, but it was just too big for me and I didn’t like it. Five thousand seems to be just about my limit, I think.

And I liked your review, by the way. Spot on, in my book.

]]> By: Matthew http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8107 Matthew Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:03:06 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8107 Tim is perhaps the loveliest bloke you'll meet. You know I bumped into Nate about half a dozen times - poor fella probably thought I was stalking him. According to the man himself, Richard Hawley got absolutely fucking cabbaged on Saturday night, so I can only imagine what that conversation must have been like. I don't know - I left a lot out of that review because I am still trying to figure out what I felt about the festival. It is a dozen times better than pretty much any other UK festival, as far as I'm concerned, but for some reason this year I just wasn't quite feeling it. I think that may well have been me though, because by the time I'd chilled out a bit on Sunday everything was fine. I think I was a little irritated at myself for coming so unprepared for the weather, and just not quite in the right frame of mind to sit down and listen to music for some reason. I hardly managed to sit through a single set from start to finish on Saturday, which is weird. About that book - don't you dare call me a snob! Tim is perhaps the loveliest bloke you’ll meet. You know I bumped into Nate about half a dozen times – poor fella probably thought I was stalking him.

According to the man himself, Richard Hawley got absolutely fucking cabbaged on Saturday night, so I can only imagine what that conversation must have been like.

I don’t know – I left a lot out of that review because I am still trying to figure out what I felt about the festival. It is a dozen times better than pretty much any other UK festival, as far as I’m concerned, but for some reason this year I just wasn’t quite feeling it. I think that may well have been me though, because by the time I’d chilled out a bit on Sunday everything was fine. I think I was a little irritated at myself for coming so unprepared for the weather, and just not quite in the right frame of mind to sit down and listen to music for some reason. I hardly managed to sit through a single set from start to finish on Saturday, which is weird.

About that book – don’t you dare call me a snob!

]]> By: Dylan http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8106 Dylan Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:50:08 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8106 <blockquote>"...and apparently it’s in hand for next year"</blockquote> I dread to think what that means in relation to the toilets.

“…and apparently it’s in hand for next year”

I dread to think what that means in relation to the toilets.

]]> By: Robin http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8105 Robin Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:48:15 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8105 Having been to Bestival the weekend before End Of The Road seemed like a stroll in the park for me.... Mud ? Nah, that wasn't mud, just a little bit of slightly damp soil. Having been to Bestival the weekend before End Of The Road seemed like a stroll in the park for me…. Mud ? Nah, that wasn’t mud, just a little bit of slightly damp soil.

]]> By: Jules http://songbytoad.com/2008/09/the-end-of-the-road-festival-2/#comment-8104 Jules Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:30:29 +0000 http://songbytoad.wordpress.com/?p=2487#comment-8104 Hey Matthew, Wish you would have found us at the festival and hung out, I mean I know we only played four fuckin' times!!! I always enjoy your writing, even when we're not gushed over and I'm glad you err, kind of, sort of enjoyed the festival. I actually had a great experience and spent most of my time in between performance wandering around and meeting people with Nate's little brother. The folks there are particularly nice. And even though I didn't have any albums from anyone except the Acorn and Conor Oberst I still found a lot of the music very enjoyable - even though it's really lame that EVERY band has a fiddle player now. But the hilight you ask? Wandering around my band's campsite at 8:30 in the morning and having a hung over Richard Hawley stumble from his camper and give me a peach, apple and tangerine and an hour long, very vague speech on how to live life as an "artist". That was cool. Well, wish I had seen you and Tim too, he's a sweet guy, but I'll keep you up to date with the new album. I think you'll like it. We'll be back in the spring, I expect you to come see us. I think the UK is growing on me because I actually wasn't dying to come home when we left. I've accepted the blandness of the food. Take it easy, Julian PS. We should write a really cynical book together called crotchety indie dude vs. snob musician Hey Matthew,
Wish you would have found us at the festival and hung out, I mean I know we only played four fuckin’ times!!! I always enjoy your writing, even when we’re not gushed over and I’m glad you err, kind of, sort of enjoyed the festival. I actually had a great experience and spent most of my time in between performance wandering around and meeting people with Nate’s little brother. The folks there are particularly nice. And even though I didn’t have any albums from anyone except the Acorn and Conor Oberst I still found a lot of the music very enjoyable – even though it’s really lame that EVERY band has a fiddle player now. But the hilight you ask? Wandering around my band’s campsite at 8:30 in the morning and having a hung over Richard Hawley stumble from his camper and give me a peach, apple and tangerine and an hour long, very vague speech on how to live life as an “artist”. That was cool.

Well, wish I had seen you and Tim too, he’s a sweet guy, but I’ll keep you up to date with the new album. I think you’ll like it. We’ll be back in the spring, I expect you to come see us. I think the UK is growing on me because I actually wasn’t dying to come home when we left. I’ve accepted the blandness of the food.

Take it easy,
Julian

PS. We should write a really cynical book together called crotchety indie dude vs. snob musician

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