Last month, the band announced their plans to re-issue every single one of their past studio albums (nine in total) as a Companion series, with some additional recordings taken from their sessions at ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebrasksa. The forthcoming project will be accompanied by a release of a Companion E.P. consisting of five new recording of songs, as well as a cover version of an artist that they found to be inspiring at the time of the original recording.

Bright Eyes originally took its genesis as a moniker for then 15-year old Conor Oberst’s work with producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis. In 2006, composer and arranger Nathaniel Walcott became an official member of the band, as well as Mogis. Bright Eyes’ influence on indie music and music in general cannot be understated, as their work has been covered by the likes of Lorde, The Killers, Mac Miller, Phoebe Bridgers, Snow Patrol and beabadoobee.

The band was originally active until 2011, announcing a hiatus in November of that year, after which Walcott, Oberst and Mogis pursued other projects. The band returned in 2020, perhaps at an ill-fated time due to the then impending COVID-19 pandemic, however this did not stop them from rolling out new music, beginning with the single “Persona Non Grata”, their first single in nine years, and later on in August of that year, they released their newest album Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was. The album can be found on all streaming services, and you can listen to “Miracle of Life” featuring Phoebe Bridgers down below.

The dates for Bright Eyes’ upcoming UK shows can be seen down below.

30/08/2022- Eventim Apollo- London
31/08- O2 Apollo- Manchester
01/09- Vicar Street- Dublin
05/09- O2 Institute- Birmingham
06/09- Barrowland- Glasgow

We’re delighted to share the news that Fleet Foxes, @brighteyesband & @Khruangbin will be joining @PIXIES at EOTR2022. Plus @TheMagFields, @AldousHarding, @perfumegenius, @TINARIWEN, @bmblackmidi, @greentea_peng & many more.

Grab your tickets here: https://t.co/NquC05vck7 pic.twitter.com/X6zVDSbjBB

— EndOfTheRoadFestival (@EOTR) January 25, 2022

Occurring on September 1^st-4^th, the festival is a big event for fans of rock and folk music, having sold out every year since 2008 to the thousands of fans it attracts. Debuting in 2006 and created by friends Simon Taffe and Sofia Hagberg, it’s held centre stage to a whole host of well-known artists, and has even won a Best Small Festival Award four times since its inception.

Simon Taffe had this to say: “I’m beyond excited about our 2022 line-up, which features artists we’ve been asking to play since 2006 and includes some of the greatest songwriters of all time in my opinion …. We have all been through a lot together and it feels good to be back, and to finally be able to dance with friends and artists from all over the world again.”

The festival takes place in Larmer Tree Gardens and features a host of attractions, with a film tent, a games area (ping-pong and table football catch your fancy?) and late-night entertainment for those of you into your karaoke. Camping is an option, so you can make the most of the four-day festivities whilst you’re there.

Despite being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, the festival came back in full swing last year, receiving a five-star review in The Independent and hosting names such as Damon Albarn, Little Simz, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Hot Chip. Hopefully, 2022 can see the festival’s legacy carried on as live music makes its tentative comeback across the world, with artists such as Black Midi, The Magnetic Fields and Yard Act also part of the line-up this year. For a more full list, you can look here.

However, in terms of festival news, that’s not all. Parklife announced today that 50 Cent, Megan Thee Stallion and Tyler, the Creator will all be part of the line-up at Heaton Park in June. Other well-known artists involved include rapper Headie One, Lewis Capaldi and up-and-coming star PinkPantheress. Tickets for this one will be on sale to all next Thursday. If interested, you can go here.

PARKLIFE 2022 IS HERE Tag 3 mates, RT & like for your chance to win x4 backstage passes, a free bar tab & hotel for you & your crew Three pre-sale live now for 48hrs on Three+ PL presale 10am Wednesday Subject to availability, Gen Sale Thurs 10amhttps://t.co/48Wh6GZbLT pic.twitter.com/KSyQ6FmUi2 — Parklife 2022 (@Parklifefest) January 25, 2022

On the whole, it seems to be a good time for music fans all over the world, and if you want to make the most of it, you can get tickets for End of the Road here.

UPDATE 13/04/2022

As of the 13th of April, End of the Road has announced that a number of new groups have been added to the roster, and have also announced that they are issuing extra tickets for this year. These are available via the festival’s website, although we’d advise any prospective attendees to act fast, as they will sell out soon.

Joining the line-up are bombastic New York art rock duo Battles, electronic artist Ross From Friends, American indie-rocker Soccer Mommy, post-punk flavoured West Yorkshire rockers English Teacher, fuzzed out alt-rock outfit Spirit of the Beehive, alongside Skullcrusher and Karima Walker, to name just a few. A full list can be seen below.

Soccer Mommy
Battles
Ross From Friends
BCUC
Kareem Ali (DJ)
Tom Ravenscroft(DJ)
Skullcrusher
Spirit of the Beehive
The Umlauts
English Teacher
Highschool
Uwade
Lichen
Vogues
Karima Walker
Tiny Leaves
Steven Durkan and the Acid Commune

‘To spread some cheer before the end of a very difficult year, we are thrilled to reveal who’s joining Pixies, King Krule, Big Thief, Bright Eyes, Little Simz and Aldous Harding at End of the Road 2021’ the festival wrote in an Instagram statement ‘Feast your eyes on over 100 artists on the bill, some familiar from 2020, some not so much…’

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by End Of The Road (@endoftheroad)

Like many festivals, this year’s event was cancelled due to the ongoing global pandemic. However, a number of the artists initially booked will still headline the 2021 event. In addition, the festival’s line-up also features some new additions, such as Perfume Genius, Arlo Parks, Sorry and Shygirl, who will all take to the festival stage come September.

The festival has been praised by fans and critics alike, with The Independent calling last years event a ‘weekend filled with unexpected thrills,’ and The Guardian stating it was full of ‘potent bacchanalia and mysticism’. With some if the best emerging artists from the UK and beyond set to grace the event, End Of The Road Festival 2021 is set to take the already beloved event to new heights.

You can buy tickets to End Of The Road 2021 here.