SIMON TAFFE
From the ambitious vision of a passionate muso to one of the UK’s most acclaimed and essential festivals, End of the Road has enjoyed a remarkable ascent. Now in its nineteenth year, the festival has welcomed some of the most influential artists of its time – a tradition set to continue with its 2025 edition. This summer, in a picturesque Wiltshire enclave, Caribou, Father John Misty, and Mount Kimbie will take the stage. TANK spoke with founder Simon Taffe about the wild realities of running a festival. Listen to his TANK Mix below.
TANK End of the Road has been going for 20 years as a festival. What would you say you've learned throughout the years?
Simon Taffe Stay relaxed, because you can't ever really control what's going to happen. You’re working all year round for something that's only going to happen in the space of four days. You try endlessly to perfect it, but it's not like an ongoing project or a band where you can tweak elements and try it again. You've got one chance and you've got the year to work it out. Having said that, I think there's a certain point where you just have to let go. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and in the past I used to drive myself nuts over trying to reach a certain point - running all over the place, not sleeping, and simply just trying to get everything bang on. But you can’t control it, and that's that. Embrace that anything can happen.
TANK You didn't have any particular background in festival promotion when you began. How steep was the learning curve?
ST It was extremely steep, and I got lucky. There were a few people I brought in and the festival definitely couldn't have happened without them. At the same time, I had been to enough festivals and I knew what I wanted and didn’t want in a creative or aesthetic sense. I took the best elements of festivals I’d been going to like All Tomorrow’s Parties and made them my own. I liked the curation element of that festival and how the artists were involved too - I think everyone felt like an important part of it coming together. I always liked South by Southwest in the old days, where the lineup and layout were unexpected. I remember Tom Waits playing by the airport, and then Animal Collective playing in the parking lot, and all that excitement that builds whilst running around and just discovering what the festival has to offer. I have always made sure there are no backstage or VIP areas. I try to keep the security presence as low as possible too - you want it to feel like an escape from the modern world. If I had it my own way, I'd have everyone put their mobile phones in one of those weird wallets, but I don't think that that would work in this day and age. I'm lucky that the reception is shit on site; I've never really tried to improve it and I don't think I ever will.
TANK What are the most challenging aspects of running a festival this size?
ST Costs went really high after COVID, and there was definitely a feeling of promoters trying to claw back what they lost. Sometimes, the weather situations can get really crazy, like if there’s lightning on the horizon. Otherwise, there are cancellations and all types of things like that, but we just have to deal with it - it’s all a part of the process. You get more relaxed with it over the years. You have to slowly change your frame of mind, otherwise you'll go totally mental.
TANK You’ve cultivated a wonderful range of different artists and genres across the past two decades - how do you think you’ve gone about doing so? How do you navigate your artistic desires versus commercial imperatives?
ST I think the main thing is that I still get really excited about new music, and I'm constantly going to gigs to just try and see, as you never know what you could stumble upon. I guess what's changed in this regard is that I used to only book bands that I'd seen live but it's pretty impossible to do that these days, as you’d have to be out every night. Aside from that, I've got great contacts with a lot of record shops up and down the country and am constantly going to places such as the George Tavern, The Windmill or even Rough Trade where my daughter works. I try to not get too stuck within the established industry space. I'm listening to music all the time and I still collect records avidly, even though they cost a fortune these days.
TANK End Of The Road exists in a kind of productive tension with Green Man. Have there been any sort of disagreements there?
ST I’m actually really close with Ben Coleman, who books for Green Man. Maybe there was a bit of tension initially, but now we both sell out on our own. We both go to each other's festivals and we're really good mates. So no, I wouldn’t say it's tense at all. There is obviously a competition at the top end for certain bands, but there's also more than enough bands to go round. I think our tastes are a bit different too, but I don't know if that's easily discernible to anybody but us. You have to be a real music nerd to know that.
TANK Are there any artists you're particularly excited for this year?
ST I really like Dame Area right now. I love Ela Minus. I saw Geordie Greep at the ICA and thought it was amazing. Viagra Boys - always good. Also Moin, and I love this really new artist called Tyler Ballgame – very soulful. I like Westside Cowboy and Mabe Fratti a lot. RIP Magic. There's loads in the mix - maybe Wild Pink as well.