One of the most anticipated shows for quite a while, as Future Islands finally return to Newcastle after rocketing into the public eye some eighteen months ago. Having been at their only previous show in the city this was something of a change up from somewhere that is a tenth of the size to tonight’s Academy show.

However, there are two intriguing support acts to tackle before we have the pleasure of Sam Herring’s dancing, first up is local act Du Blonde although you’d be confused as to her origin due to her wildly different accent. Her set seems to lack any excitement, with her bland tracks all sounding like something we’ve heard all too many times before.

Apart from the die hard few at the front the biggest cheers come as she welcomes Future Islands front man, Sam on to the stage to duet with her. Following on from this lacklustre set, an altogether different prospect takes to the stage and turns everything up to eleven as Dope Body hurtles into view. Whilst many look bemused again a die-hard few at the front are in complete awe of these four guys from Baltimore.

With screamed lyrics and angst-ridden songs they put on an incredible show, and whilst they may or may not turn heads for the right reasons we’re completely amazed by them. All of this though is supplementary as this packed crowd are waiting in anticipation of one of the most entertaining bands around.

As they take to the stage they immediately look taken aback by the rapturous reception, citing their previous show and how this one is a little bigger. In no time at all they lift the entire crowds spirits with some excellent dance moves, and a trio of tracks lifted from Singles. The early highlight being 'A Dream of You and Me', this beautiful synth track is the first of many hands in the air moments that become commonplace in tonight’s set.

Their groovy synth lines coupled with Sam’s one of a kind vocals are truly brilliant, if there was one thing that lets down the evening it is the poor sound in the venue. However, to some extent this is out of the bands control and regardless of this they continue at a blistering pace, as they play tracks from their incredible back catalogue including the considerably darker 'Before The Bridge'.

Whilst it is somewhat darker it still possesses that beautiful synthesised delicacy, that is always present in Future Islands tracks. Similarly there are a plethora of tracks from In Evening Air on show this evening, for us 'An Apology' and the wonderful 'Tin Man' are particular highlights of the evening. Sam’s ever distinctive vocal style is so brilliantly evident on 'An Apology', the way he switches between his normal voice to this almost demonic tone has us captivated by his brilliance.

There’s another highlight in the form of 'Seasons (Waiting on You)', which forms part of a huge singalong and another huge hands in the air moment for this packed crowd. Yet as they return for an encore of some of their finer older works we’re left fawning over Sam’s phenomenal dance moves, and his incessantly humble banter as he proceeds to thank everyone possible.

In celebrating its 10^th birthday, End Of The Road remains a unique and brilliant fixture of the UK festival calendar. Housed in the exquisite settings of one-time Victorian Pleasure Gardens, EOTR has grown in recent years, but refuses to part with any of its charm. There’s a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, but they are deadly serious about their packed and diverse line up, which showcases huge names and those in the making.

Among the free-roaming peacocks, the festival is also packed with comedy, fantastic art installations, a Forest Disco and perfect little touches. (How does a surprise performance from Laura Marling on a tiny, hidden Piano stage sound?)

In an increasingly busy festival calendar, End Of The Road stands out from the crowd, and you can see it in the enjoyment of the performers. You’ll see many of them wandering around the site before and after their sets, and there’s no wondering why.

On Friday afternoon there were captivating sets from the Race Horses’ Meilyr Jones; moody Canadian outfit Ought; the fantastically raw Torres; upbeat art-pop act Django Django and the wacky King Khan & BBQ Show (complete with gold cape and black leather pants).

But Friday belonged to Tame Impala, who headlined The Woods stage with a commanding and mesmerising set. They flowed through earlier, guitar-led material and the more disco-focused Currents. Opening track ‘Let It Happen’ pinned their colours to the mast for a dazzlingly trippy set, and when the stomping favourite ‘Elephant’ started, the festival really felt underway.

The night was capped off by East India Youth, who performed a spellbinding electro-pop set in the Big Top Tent.

Saturday began with the colourful Human Pyramids, who performed a wonderful, orchestral show. With a stage literally full of musicians, it was the perfect wake up call, complete with uplifting string arrangements, clever melodies and startling drums.

Following this came The Duke Spirit, Slow Club, whose impact was lost slightly on a larger stage, distinctive LA two-piece Girlpool and the abrasively rocky Ex Hex. All this preceded the explosive Fat White Family, who tore the Big Top Tent apart.

As the highlight of the entire weekend, special praise must be reserved for Sufjan Stevens. Making his first UK festival appearance, Stevens played one of the most astounding sets you are ever likely to witness at a festival, during which you could hear a pin drop.

To stun a festival crowd into silence on a Saturday night is no mean feat, but in brisk September conditions the real chill comes from the wonderfully bleak compositions of Carrie And Lowell. ‘The Fourth Of July’s’ refrain “We’re all gonna die” is one you would expect to be a bit too drab for this crowd, but it’s absolutely spectacular. After sharing a hand-written letter he had received from the organisers some 8 years earlier, requesting he played, it was more special for the wait. Then when things got a little too solemn, Stevens would react appropriately, playing feel-good tunes like ‘Chicago’ and ‘Come On! Feel the Illinoise!’ complete with a brass backing band.

Following Saturday’s chill, Sunday was gloriously warm. We are welcomed by indie darlings Hinds, who had clearly brought some Spanish sun. In turn, the inhabitants of the Big Top tent groove to the tunes of Ultimate Painting and Happyness, who bring a dreamy slice of '90s-inspired rock. Later Alvvays brought their sugary indie pop to the sun soaked main stage.

Mac DeMarco offers a 10^th birthday cake for the festival, alongside a slick set on the Garden Stage. “I’m going to cuddle up to a peacock and ruffle a few feathers, if you know what I’m saying”, a spaced-out DeMarco announces, in his best bloke-in-a-porno impression. Towards the end of his set, Mac leaps into the crowd, but “straight to the ground as always.” Meanwhile his band-mates, who have personalities and talent as immense as his, chuck their guitars to and fro, amidst impressive solos.

The grandiose sound of The War On Drugs, driven by Dylan and Springsteen’s influences, is chosen to call an end to the festival. Like so many others they show a genuine pleasure to be playing, saying the only other time they’d been asked, they simply couldn’t afford the flights. Now as a major player, they’ve found their place and give an impressive show, showcasing 2014’s astounding Lost In The Dream, for the festival’s final hurrah.

End Of The Road’s 10^th birthday celebration was, as expected, a huge success. The intimate but expansive gathering is a family-friendly treat and a musical highlight of the year. The sound on each stage is incredible, and most importantly unlike other festivals, the 4 stages are close enough that you’re only ever be a few minutes’ walk between each (via a bar with short queues), meaning you can really focus on enjoying some great music, in an idyllic setting. Here’s to another 10 years.

There are very few shows that fill us with such excitement, with one band currently riding high on critical acclaim following the release of their eighth studio album. Another band who are also benefiting from a similar raft of praise, Heartless Bastards take to the stage with their distinctive brand of Americana-tinged rock.

Kicking the show off in an exciting style, they burst out of the blocks and have the room jumping in a matter of seconds as that distinctive tone of Erika’s resonates throughout this beautiful hall. With tracks from the latest long player Restless Ones being the stars of the show this evening, with the wonderful 'Gates Of Dawn' being the stand out of this early set.

As they exude passion and enthusiasm, they win over the crowd that are quickly amassing, with their singalong choruses and enigmatic stage presence. To support one of the most passionate bands on the planet, you need a huge presence yourselves and tonight Heartless Bastards showed that they were well equipped to blow away tonight’s crowd.

With the crowd now suitably hyped up, the stage is reset for Jim James and the rest of My Morning Jacket, to take things to a whole new level. Kicking proceedings off with 'Victory Dance', Jim struts around the stage with his sampler hung around his neck, akin to a messiah, his baying subjects falling at his feet and there’s an immediate sense of adoration.

From the laidback tones of 'Masterplan' to the atmospheric beauty of 'Tropics (Erase Traces)', My Morning Jacket are in the form of their lives. Jim James’ lyrics will always remain the star of the show though, his heartfelt laments coupled with crushing guitars and pounding drums. It’s truly a sight and sound to savour as he riles the crowd up as they reach frenzy.

 Such frenzy is no more evident than during 'Believe (Nobody Knows)', this huge singalong hands in the air moment sees the crowd and the band at their most animated. Yet My Morning Jacket makes this entire set look so effortless, each track delivered with equal measures of heart and breathtaking excitement. With a plethora of new tracks standing up against the classics, Waterfall comes alive tonight.

As the band return to a rapturous reception they set about turning the level up even further, with a mammoth five song encore featuring phenomenal renditions of 'Holdin’ On To Black Metal', 'Off The Record' and topping it all off 'One Big Holiday'. All this capping off a raucous evening from two of the finest live bands around.

The first thing to greet us is the strange yellow thing in the sky which is now blazing down. Today’s line-up also offers us much more excitement with some wonderful acts and we aim to see as many as we can.

Up first on the main stage are Disraeli And The Small Gods a wonderful six piece hip hop band that attack with a whole host of instruments along with Bellatrix blowing us away with some amazing beatbox skills. Disraeli lays down some hard-core lyrics, which we feel could have been rewarded with a slot higher up the running order. However it’s a great warm up act and an excellent start.  

We decide to avoid the parents’ pit which is hosting a live version of Dr Seuss's Cat in the Hat and plump instead for some soothing acoustic sounds on the folklore stage to catch the wonderful Frankie Furlong and Josh Mac then on to Astrid's Tea Party on the BIMM stage. These three acts go a long way to helping small festivals grow. All these acts are just starting their careers and for a new festival it’s vital that they are seen to give an opportunity to acts such as this. Moreover we the music-loving public get exposure to acts we would never have found out about. We continue to pop back and forth in-between the main stages and are lucky enough to catch the wonderful Oktoba which is a project of another Brighton-based artist Chris Athorne who we think has a wonderful future ahead of him.

After all this new music we decided we need to return to one of our highlights of other festivals. Roots Manuva are onstage and they do not disappoint. Rodney P and band pump out some classic laid back hip hop to the now much larger crowd. Obviously the hit ‘Witness’ goes down a storm along with the deep bass funk of ‘Jah Warriors’. Although a short set we were delighted to bump into him backstage and have a quick chat about his upcoming album and the importance of UK Hip Hop. 

Next act on the main stage, Lucy Rose, unfortunately couldn't quite follow Roots Manuva with her acoustic sounds. She is also battling the noise made by the other stage where Fly Golden Eagle are rocking our socks off. We stay around to catch local lad Jacko Hooper who delivers an excellent set full of integrity and brings a welcome honesty to his craft which we hope will propel him to a wider audience.

With the sun still beating down and having rushed around four stages trying to cram as much in as possible we can relax safe in the hands of the wonderful Public Service Broadcasting. With a beer in hand and a wonderful crowd they take the stage. This is the highlight of the whole weekend for us. They have a wonderful mixture of unique archive sounds which are a roaring success. Their interaction with the crowd via their vocal loops and humour made us chuckle as we danced. The environment seemed to match their sound perfectly. The introduction of an added dancing dad horn section was an enormous success. For their smash hit ‘Gagarin’ they even added a dancing cosmonaut. What more can a band do we asked ourselves. 

We leave the main stage and mutter that with two main acts to still to come we wondered if PSB should not have swapped slots with the closing act Jose Gonzalez. 

With our feet now well and truly worn out we rather shamefully plump ourselves done on the grass, grab an overpriced burrito and settle down to await the Motown legends Martha Reeves And The Vandellas. For a woman in her 70s it is quite amazing the energy and power that she can produce on stage. She knocks out hit after hit and it felt a real privilege to see a true legend perform. We basically danced our weary butts off assuming this was the last chance for a boogie. 

We are comforted to know we were correct in our assumptions. We still have time to pop in to see the amazing chilled sounds of Luke Sital-Singh. This singer songwriter has a very bright future and already has attracted many plaudits. His vulnerable voice and intense lyrics bring a calming effect to the end of the festival. The final act Jose Gonzalez continues this chilled calm effect. However we question whether a festival should end so calmly and so relaxed.  Jose is a wonderful attraction and as we sit on a now rather chilly evening we are treated to a relaxing soothing set. In between shivering and the gnashing of teeth we reflect on all the acts we have seen and conclude that it’s been a roaring success. There are a few things that need improving but we are confident that Together The People 16 will be an even bigger and better event.

There are lots more photos to be found via this link.

Photographer: Natalie Milham.