Punk spirit prevails at day two of End of the Road 2024

The sun rises warmly over a buzzing morning campsite. Not yet spent by the inevitable trials and tribulations of a full festival weekend, campers and new arrivals are ready and raring to take on the day ahead, fuelling up on coffee as they roam the idyllic Larmer Tree Gardens (whaddup, peacocks?).

Friday’s lineup at End of the Road is solid enough to justify a back-to-back stage schedule. Sets from the likes Holiday Ghosts, Kassi Valazza and The Shits open up the day, with acts including mui zyu, MRCY, SEXTILE, CMAT and Paranoid London leading into the shining summer afternoon.

But for those looking to explore further, there are arts and crafts activities, creative workshops and health therapies aplenty. An afternoon wander through the paths of Effing Forest leads us to the Woodland Library, for example, where the ladies of Litwitchure return to the festival with workshops on the basics of tarot reading and divination. Less grounded in the elusive (and occasionally creepy) psychic realm, their approach encourages a more introspective kind of storytelling. “What might these cards suggest of your past, present and future?”, they ask a gathering of curious minds, “And how can we use our interpretations to inspire our progress?”.

For those in the know, over at the hidden away Piano Stage, The Line of Best Fit launches its daily offering of secret, stripped-back sessions. Offering punters a chance to see some of the best names on the lineup in a much more intimate setting, this year, the stage kicks off in the safe hands of Bill Ryder-Jones and Gruff Rhys. Following the release of both their new albums and an upcoming co-headline tour, the duo took to the stage in front of a jolly, lunchbox-sporting audience, performing a handful of songs including a cover of the late-80s song “Why” by Japanese actress and singer Yuki Saitou. Their set was followed by appearances from Jess Williamson and Clarissa Connelly.

Touring the new album, Your Day Will Come, Chanel Beads - the project of producer Shane Lavers - transports the gritty edge of the NYC DIY scene straight to The Boat stage. Avant-garde and distorted, their digitally-grounded, dissonant pop is enthralling, with lead singles “Police Scanner” and “Ef” riling up cheers from well-established fans in the audience.

As the night draws in, a punk spirit reverberates throughout the site. While feminist icons Sleater-Kinney mark their 30-year anniversary as a band on the Woods Stage, the Irish reign strong - Gurriers’ noise rock shakes the crowd at The Folly, and over at Big Top, SPRINTS play an utterly raucous set to a filled-out tent. Hinting at their surprise appearance later in the night (nearing on 2am, in fact), the four-piece’s lead singer Karla Chubb performs with the fervour of a true punk, leaping into the heart of the mosh pit with wild-eyed fearlessness.

Often the way at End of the Road, The Garden Stage is once again the heart of the magic throughout day two. Closing out the night there (before the silent disco takes over until the early hours) is Lankum, who prove exactly why they’ve gained such international acclaim for their sets of dark, doom-spiked contemporary Irish folk. “It’s giving 'stopped off at the inn for some mead'”, jokes one fan as they sip on beer, entranced by the band’s droning sound. They weave legends of murder, hardships of life at sea and grief through their shoegaze-adjacent set, taking the audience on a hypnotic, medieval trip along the way.

As the countless IDLES t-shirts on display would suggest, the revered Bristol punk band’s headline at the Woods Stage is a firm weekend highlight for festival-goers. Experts of the stage, their set has been shaped to perfection; theatrics of frenzied energy, crunchy riffs and feverish drums accompanied by an immaculate light show fit to fuck up the senses. Announcing "This song is dedicated to all the immigrants who make this country a better place", Joe Talbot leads the band into the concluding IDLES classic "Danny Nedelko" before an extended, cacophonous "Rottweiler", which sees him join drummer Jon Beavis to totally destroy the crash symbols.

Onwards into the night, Heartworms summon the spirit of Siouxsie Sioux at the Folly, Baxter Dury closes out Big Top and secret sets from SEXTILE and SPRINTS carry the late-nighters into the morning.

It's an unarguably electrifying Friday at End of the Road, yet another successful first full day enjoyed by the festival's veterans and newcomers alike.