retiredmartin

August 2024. Larmer Tree Gardens. Wiltshire.

Back from our off-festival pint at the King John, an exciting walk back over a field reverberating with a between set airing of Julia Jacklin, a favourite of James and myself. Probably too big for End of the Road now.

Saturday seemed a quieter day musically,

so I took in a bit of comedy (Paddy Young), a boisterous soul set (Elsy Wameyo) on the Boat, and then Matt’s tip, some “weird hardcore” from Powerplant in the Big Top, which is the best of the venues in which to be deafened and catch diseases.

I should really be a music reviewer with such pithy descriptions, all knocked up after listening to their latest album on Tidal last month.

According to my photos I then succumbed to a pint of “Southville Hop” at the craft bar, sadly only the second strongest beer at 6.5% so I had to pop back and get Mrs RM a “Running with Spectres“, easily confused with “Running with Sceptres“.

Talking of spelling, my phone shows a stream of messages to Mrs RM throughout the day;

“Meat licoric 2.15“

“Meete at liqcorice 3.45“

“Meet @ licqiorish“

none of which were delivered until 8am the next morning. Mrs RM says she’s bored of the lack of Billy Joel on the line-up, but really it’s the lack of internet and phone reception.

End of the Road isn’t traditionally a place folk dress up for,

I think that’s normal attire in Maidenhead.

I took my bhaji wrap, oddly a wrap with bhaji inside, on a walk of the gardens,

admiring the art and steering clear of the yoga and vegan healing tent,

until a beguiling sound drew me back to the Garden stage in the late afternoon (press PLAY).

This was Mermaid Chunky, replacing Lisa O’Neill,

possibly the best substitute since Ronnie Rosenthal.

Our family meeting point was back down at Talking Heads stage at the edge of the woods where we’d crept back into the site that lunchtime,

and now saw a shy 21 year old’s set upstaged by a trio of lads being chased across the fields behind Anastasia Coope by the security staff. How had we managed to sneak in ?

More of Anastasia to come, but the evening ended with a rare “I-phones in the air” moment during Phosphorescent,

and a “set of the weekend” from Jockstrap that vindicated James’s love of that band, and Mrs RM drinking hot cider in the Garden.

Honestly, she’s going to miss that hot cider.