Thousands of music fans gathered in a quiet corner of the Dorset countryside to celebrate one of the final events on the UK festival calendar this weekend.
This year’s End of the Road festival drew a sold-out crowd of 15,000, and American indie rock pioneers The Pixies took center stage, headlining Saturday’s main stage.
The influential guitar band, which formed in 1986 and is promoting its eighth studio album, was set to hit a record high in 2020 before the festival was canceled due to Covid.
They were set to headline again in 2021, but the continued impact of the pandemic has paid off for those plans as well.
Other festival highlights this year include Texas psychedelic soul trio Khruangbin and Seattle indie folk rockers Fleet Foxes, who headlined the main stage on Thursday and Friday respectively.
Known for its diverse musical line-up, this independently run festival features acts from around the world, including Malian blues collective Tina Liwen, Tamil-Swiss singer-songwriter Priya Raghu and Ethiopian jazz great Hail Merzia. was
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End of the Road Festival 2022 drew a sold out crowd (Parri Thomas/PA)
Now in its 16th year, the four-day gathering, which ends on Sunday, will be held at the Larmor Tree Gardens near the Brandform Forum.
Featuring four music stages and a Talking Heads stage, the event highlights surprise performances and one-off collaborations.
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Woods Stage Tinariwen
Among the unreleased acts this year were British experimental electronic rock band Beek, featuring Portishead’s Jeff Barrow.
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Festival co-founder Simon Taffe said he was “extremely excited” about this year’s event, which will feature artists that organizers have asked to perform since 2006.
