The American band The National are due to headline Victoria Park on August 26, with the likes of Fleet Foxes, Lucy Dacus, Kurt Vile and more already confirmed to support them. Always gifted with a brilliant lineup for those that enjoy slightly left leaning artists with a pop edge, All Points East has been going since the summer of 2018 and is an annual festival that enjoys 10 days of events. These 10 days comprise of 1 festival weekend, 4 free entry days with community activities known as “In The Neighbourhood”, and finally 3 standalone headline shows as part of the “All Points East Presents” series. This years APE Presents is sponsored by Ray-Ban and has already hosted London’s own Sherelle back on May 26th at Colour Factory, Kenny Beats at Koko on June 9th, with Self Esteem due to close out the series in style at EartH Hackney on July 14th.

So excited to join The National on this amazing line up for @allpointseastuk in Victoria Park, London on Fri 26 Aug! https://t.co/Ra1Ujr1ozf pic.twitter.com/fcQxev47RY

— Villagers (@wearevillagers) June 29, 2022

Irish indie folk band Villagers are also new additions to Friday’s bill for those looking to be hypnotised by Conor J O’Brien’s cunning lyricism and effortlessly crafted melody. Or in a similar vain there is of course the beautiful and timeless folk of Fleet Foxes to satisfy your rootsy yearnings. New inclusions Parcels are around to get you dancing with their disco inspired indie tunes, and Kurt Vile and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard there to bring the grit for those after something a little heavier and psychedelic. There really is something for everyone at All Points East, having been last year and been blown away by Loyle Carner to then walk around the corner and be put in a trance by the chic chill of Lianne La Lavas, it’s eclecticism is it’s greatest strength.

The full lineup for Friday has now been confirmed as The National, Fleet Foxes, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Kurt Vile, Perfume Genius, Parcels, Low, Lucy Dacus, Villagers, Tune Yards, Rae Morris, Valerie June, Balthazar, Dehd, Cassandra Jenkins, and Bess Atwell.

Other headline sets across the two weekends in August will come from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Tame Impala, Kraftwerk, The Chemical Brothers, Disclosure and Gorillaz. A truly mouthwatering array of global talent that I’m sure anyone will be able to find something or someone they like in. You can grab your tickets here.

It’s been over 4 years since Fleet Foxes completed the last touring endeavour, their last appearance in the UK, on November 29^th 2017, saw an eclectic setlist spanning all 3 of their albums at the time, as well as a few covers of Robin Pecknold, and Jackson C. Frank tracks thrown in for good measure. Shore was released to critical acclaim, maintaining the high standard the group seem to have imposed on themselves for the last 14 years, but even though the album came out at the end of 2020, circumstances (COVID-19 obviously) have led to there only being 2 performances of the new tunes.

If you’re after a glimpse of what the new songs sound like in a live context, then look no further than A Very Lonely Solstice, the band’s most recent live album featuring a mixture of tracks new and old. Recorded at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, New York, the show may give you a taste of the newer tracks, but the stripped-back take of it all may still leave some surprises for avid fans who are after some new experiences when the August tour comes around. The band posted the whole show on their YouTube account, so you can check out that below. You can also look into one of the various physical release formats, including limited edition Opaque Tan vinyl colour variant, pre-order details can be found here.

Shore also received a nod in the Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammys alongside Japanese Breakfast, St. Vincent, Halsey, and Arlo Parks. That makes this only the groups 2^nd nomination after their 2011 output Helplessness Blues was acknowledged for best Folk Album, but beaten out by Civil Wars and their incredible album Barton Hollow.

UK Tour dates:

26/8/22 – All Points East Festival – London
28/8 – National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks – Dublin
30/8 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh
31/8 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
2/9 – End of the Road Festival – Wiltshire
3/9 – O2 Apollo – Manchester

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

Previously, the band have known for their lighter indie-folk sound, with songs such as ‘Helplessness Blues’ and ‘Mykonos’ mixing lush folk compositions with delicate harmonies. However, after a hiatus which included lead singer Robert Pecknold’s move to solo work and Broadway composition as well as Josh Tillman’s infamous departure from the band, Fleet Foxes have seemingly moved away from a more traditional sound to create a darker but equally complex atmosphere which captures the scepticism and disappointment behind Pecknold’s lyricism.

In a recent interview given to Esquire, Pecknold explained his inspiration for the project which was rooted in a similarly titled F. Scott Fitzgerald essay, ‘The Crack-Up’. Pecknold explained that Fitzgerald’s writing, which followed his commercial and critical decline, resonated with his own personal feelings of tiredness and despair following the break-up of the band.

Initial reviews for Crack-Up have been overwhelming positive; Pitchfork scored the album at 8.7 and stated that “Crack-Up contains [Pecknold’s] most compelling writing to date because it’s so damn relatable in 2017.” Additionally, Drowned in Sound have praised the project as a new directional turn for the band which has kept their work inventive and compelling despite their long absence.

The lead single from the project, Third of May / Ōdaigahara, can be viewed below:

The band have also announced a string of North American tour dates in support of the new album. They will perform select support shows with Animal Collective and Beach House as well as multiple festival dates including headline sets at Newport Folk Festival and Latitude Festival. Full dates are listed below:

07-01 Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain – Vida Festival

07-03 Ferrara, Italy – Piazza Castello

07-07 Bilbao, Spain – Bilboa BBK Live

07-13 Dublin, Ireland – Iveagh Gardens

07-14 Dublin, Ireland – Iveagh Gardens

07-16 Southwold, England – Latitude Festival

07-27 Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point

07-28 Newport, RI – Newport Folk Festival

07-29 Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion (With Animal Collective)

07-31 Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center for the Performing Arts (With Animal Collective)

08-01 Brooklyn, NY – BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival

08-04 Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall

08-06 Detroit, MI – The Detroit Masonic Temple

09-23 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl (With Beach House)

09-27 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre (With Beach House)

Pre-orders of the album from Nonesuch which include an exclusive, limited-edition print of artwork by Hiroshi Hamaya can be purchased here.

Fleet Foxes have yet even to officially announce the name of their third album, but have now confirmed that a fourth will follow it. Per, The Line Of Best Fit, Pecknold confirmed that their third album would promptly be followed by a fourth, ‘within 24 months … according to contract.’ Fans shouldn’t get ahead of themselves, however, as Pecknold added, ‘LP4 not written at all.’ His explanation was that ‘everything has gone into LP3, which should at least bode well for fans in the short term. Also in the reasonably short term, if Pecknold is to be believed, will be his own solo debut. In the same interview he also confirmed that, ‘a solo album is pretty [much] written,’ although he does seem keen to downplay the significance of this venture, adding that it will be ‘so casual’ and that he’s ‘not trying to stir the pot with that at all.’ As for that mysterious fourth LP he promised that the band ‘will be working on four as soon as three is done.’ All in all then, it seems to be good news for Foxes fans; they will get two albums from the band in the next two years or so, as well as a bonus album from Pecknold, without the risk that he will decide to go it alone on a permanent basis.

Although we don’t have an official title for their upcoming album, last week Pecknold did post a quickly deleted Instagram picture which seemed to let slip the title and cover art of a forthcoming album. The post, suggested the title of the album, to be released on Nonesuch records, will be ‘Ylajali’ – a name which speculation on Reddit argues is a reference to a character in an 1860 Norwegian novel, Hunger, by Knut Hamsun. In November, the band updated fans via Facebook, replying to a comment asking about their new album with ‘alllllmost done.’ It will be the band’s first album since 2011’s Helplessness Blues, and will reportedly feature Neal Morgan on drums as replacement for Joshua Tillman, now more widely known by the moniker Father John Misty, who left the band in 2012.

In addition, Fleet Foxes have also revealed the outline of a tour schedule for next year. Spanish website Binaural has reported that the band will join Two Door Cinema Club, Depeche Mode and Die Antwoord on the bill for Bilbao BBK Live festival which will take place between the 6^th and the 8^th July next year. Pecknold then seemed to confirm the news on Instagram before following up on the site with even more news about impending tour plans, writing, ‘So far – Australia in May, EU in July, US Aug, US October, EU November.’

The band hasn’t toured together since 2011 and in that time lead singer Robin Pecknold moved to New York to pursue a degree at Columbia University as well as former drummer Josh Tillman (he left the band in 2012) has reinvented himself as the hugely popular Father John Misty.

However over the past few days reports have emerged of Fleet Foxes guitarist Christian Wargo speaking to Robin Pecknold about a potential come back:

“It’s not, like, ‘announced’ or anything, and none of us really knew it was coming,” said Wargo. “But it’s happening.”

“Possibly unofficially at this stage, but it’s definitely a thing.”

Fleet Foxes released two albums in their duration as a band, with their eponymously titled debut album ‘Fleet Foxes’ being met with widespread critical acclaim, with it often being regarded as one of the best albums of 2008. ‘Fleet Foxes’ included the hit songs ‘Your Protector’ and ‘White Winter Hymnal’.

Listen to ‘Your Protector’ below:

Pecknold initially told fans in 2014 that:

“For anyone who’s curious, this is a short Fleet Foxes update – been a while! So, after the last round of touring, I decided to go back to school. I never got an undergraduate degree, and this felt like the right time to both see what that was about and to try something new after a while in the touring / recording lifestyle. I moved to New York and enrolled at Columbia, and I’ve mostly been doing that, but I’m working on songs and excited for whatever happens next musically, even if it’s down the line. Hope all is well out there.”

So it seems that two years late is enough ‘down the line’ for the band to get back together! Hopefully we’ll have more solid news on the matter soon!