End of the Road Begins With Long Delays and a Roaring Geese Set

End of the Road’s 2026 edition opened with an unusual snag: traffic stretched for miles into the Dorset countryside, leaving afternoon arrivals stationary for hours. Regulars expecting the festival’s usual smooth entry were caught out by what locals attributed to an overrunning roadworks project, while the expanded Thursday bill and Geese’s growing draw likely added pressure. The practical cost was real for those stuck in line, with early sets by Jennifer Walton and YHWH Nailgun missed altogether.

For many, the delay faded once Geese took the headline slot. The New York band opened with the slow-burning “Husbands,” then moved through the whole of last year’s Getting Killed and selected cuts from 3D Country. On stage, the guitars hit harder than on record, and the crowd responded with singalongs loud enough to match the amplification. The atmosphere was excitable, but it was rooted in the band’s ability to shift between haze and thunder without losing momentum.

Friday began quieter with Alex Amen’s Americana-leaning set, where between-song stories of relocating across the United States filled out the songs’ warmth. Elsewhere, Ty Segall appeared for a secret set on the Garden Stage, reinforcing the festival’s penchant for late additions that carry weight rather than gimmick. The opening stretch suggested an edition that recovered quickly from logistical friction and trusted its programming to do the rest.