Why End of the Road Remains the Shining Star of the U.K.’s Indie Festival Scene After 20 Years: ‘Don’t Offer the Same Old Thing’
Categoria: Musica
Geese, Pulp, CMAT and Mac DeMarco topped this year's bill. Founder Simon Taffe explains how the event came together and has retained its charm.
Por Billboard | 09/09/2026
For the past 20 years, attendees at End of the Road festival in southwest England have become accustomed to expecting the unexpected. Secret sets from big name acts, hidden areas on the site and last-minute, impromptu moments of magic are par for the course at this haven for fans of alternative and independent music. Case in point: Prior to an unannounced set by red-hot Irish trad-folk band Madra Salach on the Saturday afternoon of 2026’s event (Sept. 5), one punter took it upon herself to keep the waiting crowd entertained by playing an empty piano on stage before the band began soundchecking. When she finished her first piece, a fellow attendee approached to ask if she could continue playing in the background while he recited one of his own poems — one about a rock’n’roll grandma that’s lived a life of adventure and love. She tinkled the ivories while he talked tenderly of her life, reading to 50 engrossed strangers. This wasn’t the performance we’d come to see, but it was one emblematic of the festival’s whole ethos: throw yourself into everything and embrace connection. End of the Road is full of magical moments like this, where attendees are active participants in crafting and maintaining a truly special atmosphere. In the Effing Forest section of the site, unique artworks and installations encourage children and grown-ups alike to get involved with poetry workshops and botanical screenprinting, and to contribute to the festival’s creative atmosphere. It’s a feeling that seeps into the music performances, too. Sunday’s headliner CMAT says that this is her favourite festival because it “features basically all the music I listen to all year,” while Mac DeMarco namechecks festival co-founder Simon Taffe and thanks him for inviting him back after a near-decade absence. Pulp wrapped their 18-month world tour at the festival, using the opportunity to play rarities and deep cuts, some for the first time ever. This is not just another stop on the festival circuit for these acts, but the main event. Burak Cingi End of the Road began at Larmer Tree Gardens on the border of Dorset and Wiltshire in 2006. Co-founders Taffe and Sophia Hagberg were inspired by the All Tomorrow’s Parties model, which encouraged artists to curate the lineup and create an all-encompassing world for fans. It was Taffe’s “way into music” beyond just playing in “s–t indie bands” and an alternative to his career in decorating and construction. (Hagberg eventually retired as a director in 2015) Early plans were rudimentary but frugal planning – and blind ambition – gave him an insight into what is actually required to run the festival. He sold his house to finance the first edition, and convinced a friend to remortgage his house to add to the pot: the total he borrowed came to £160,000 ($216,000). “I thought if I lost everything, it would take me like another six, seven years to get back to where I am. I could build it back again,” he tells Billboard U.K. “What’s