End of the Road’s 20th edition roared into life on Thursday night as a record breaking crowd of 15,000 descended on Larmer Tree Gardens for what organisers billed as summer’s last great party. New York’s Geese closed the opening night on the Woods Stage, marking the band’s first major UK festival headline and a fitting start to two decades of the Dorset festival.
The NYC outfit were only confirmed as headliners in June, after the anniversary edition had already sold out in April. They tore through songs from 2025 album Getting Killed, the record that has fuelled their meteoric rise, alongside older favourites from 3D Country and Projector. Before they appeared, a montage of internet memes leaning heavily into British culture rolled across the screens. The band are now experts at ripping into the fabric of their own songs for extra impact, and the jump from a 2023 Big Top slot to topping the Woods Stage felt like the right way to mark both their rise and the festival’s 20th birthday.
Earlier on the Woods Stage, Switzerland based ensemble Yalla Miku got the crowd grooving with multicultural hyper-krautrock, while Modern Woman delivered unmissable theatrical art rock. YHWH Nailgun then brought fans flooding forward for an intense post-punk set that set the table for Geese.
Over at The Folly, End of the Road’s New Wave winners filled the first night. London’s Perfect Binding, the recording project of songwriter and composer Sam Bedford, opened the stage, followed by Bug Teeth with experimental dream pop, including songs from 2025 debut album Micrographia. Nina Winder-Lind brought post-punk ferocity, and Pollyfromthedirt closed the live run with ambient future-folk. Live B2B DJ sets from Fat Possum and Bird On The Wire, then Stepping Tiger and Kneed, kept The Folly going into the early hours of Friday morning.
The Cinema Tent screened Irma Vep and Mickey and Nicky, while The Boat hosted New Wave band multiscreen plus classic comedy from Ivo Graham and Horatio Gould.
The full End of the Road site opens today (Friday) for the rest of the 20th edition, which runs until Sunday 6 September. Revellers can fan out across the Woods Stage, Garden Stage, Big Top, The Folly, The Boat and Talking Heads, or wander the pleasure gardens between shows. The day splits and stages put Mac DeMarco on the Woods Stage, with Angine De Poitrine and Ty Segall also playing. Big Top opens its account with Working Men’s Club, a live set from Ela Minus, plus Brakes, Adult DVD and more. The Garden Stage welcomes caroline and Nana Benz Du Togo, and a surprise show at The Folly is lined up to send Friday out on a high.
As ever, a lot of the magic sits in the unexpected. Secret slots at the Piano Stage, long known for serendipitous sets from cult favourites and new bands, are expected across the weekend, alongside a stacked programme of literary talks, comedy, cinema and other site activities.
Image credits: Chris Juarez, Burak Cingi
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