End Of The Road Festival: Saturday roundup
Despite a slathering of rain, the Saturday of End Of The Road was a screaming success, featuring performances from some of the lineup’s best acts, big and small.
We started our third day at the festival with a set from Dublin three-piece Search Results, which featured alternative rock sounds and strong lyricism, before heading over to catch a deliciously adventurous, impressive set from LA six-piece The Sophs.
Since signing to Rough Trade’s label earlier this year, the group has gone from strength to strength. Their performance at this year’s End Of The Road marks their second show in the UK before the group kicks off their UK and EU tour.
Crowd favourites mary in the junkyard were up next. Oozing with a nostalgic feel, the London trio’s set was a huge success, pairing silky vocals with genius lyrics and a thick, atmospheric sound.
Heading over to Black Fondu’s set over at the more intimate Boat stage, we were met with a huge crowd– a sight that was telling of the young London artist’s rising popularity. Blending together grime, punk and rap, the set featured glitchy, brilliantly abrasive sounds that packed a strong punch.
Another act that drew the masses was South African musician Moonchild Sanelly, who took over the Big Top with infectiously high energy levels and a vivacious stage presence.
To add to the strong lineup, jazz genius Emma-Jean Thackray took to the Garden stage for an impressive set, offering a diverse range of sounds and immersive soundscapes that showcased the artist’s immense musical capabilities.
As the evening drew closer, we headed over to the Folly to catch a highly anticipated performance from jasmine.4.t. The Manchester-based singer-songwriter’s discography was expertly delivered, packaging messages of solidarity, comfort and introspection with catchy sounds grounded by strong rock sensibilities.
To close the day of music, headliner Self Esteem put on an immersive, multi-dimensional show that fell nothing short of exceptional. Pairing punchy dance numbers and energetic crowd-pleasers including Cheers To Me with more vulnerable moments such as The Curse, the set touched upon every emotion and felt like the perfect close to an incredibly well curated day of music that went from strength-to-strength.
Photography by Emma Last