British Sea Power at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Connan Mockasin & St Vincent at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Cate Le Bon & Sam Lee at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Gruff Rhys at End Of The Road 2014 – review

The Flaming Lips at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Yo La Tengo at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Richard Thompson & Tinariwen at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Welcome to our coverage of this year’s End Of The Road Festival! We love it here at the Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset, and even more now we have, for a second year, our own stage, the fantastic Tipi Tent.

The usually weather-charmed site might be experiencing a little light rain this Friday afternoon and evening, with wellies de rigueur, but the forecast is promising for the rest of the weekend, and there are some great acts on the bill, as always.

First of all, Stephen Malkmus and his Jicks, playing the festival’s largest area, the Woods Stage, who give a particularly upbeat introduction to this year’s bash.

“Welcome to End Of The Road 2014,” says Malkmus, kneeling down on the stage to adjust his pedals. “I’ll be your personal host.”

While he doesn’t take us on a tour of the site, or show us the woodland disco or the karaoke shower cubicle (which coincidentally includes Pavement’s “Cut Your Hair” among its six selections), Malkmus delves into the far corners of his own back catalogue, from his self-titled debut’s “Jenny And The Ess Dog” and Real Emotional Trash’s “Out Of Reaches” to “Lariat” and “Shibboleth” from this year’s excellent Wig Out At Jagbags.

Malkmus and his group seem to be having a great time onstage – a heartening change from when I saw him at Shepherds Bush Empire a few years ago, when he seemed unhappy and awkward in the limelight, or even during the Pavement reunion – joking about how “fancy” the Dorset/Wiltshire border is compared to Nottingham, or egging on a heckler to name every song he’s written “so I can tell you whether we’re gonna play them”.

Tom Pinnock

British Sea Power at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Connan Mockasin & St Vincent at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Cate Le Bon & Sam Lee at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Gruff Rhys at End Of The Road 2014 – review

The Flaming Lips at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Yo La Tengo at End Of The Road 2014 – review

Richard Thompson & Tinariwen at End Of The Road 2014 – review