Sunday 17/09/06, Day 3 @ End Of The Road Festival, Lamer Tree Gardens, Wiltshire

Today is not only the final day of the festival, but also the final day of summer. Thankfully the sun keeps his side of the bargain and wakes Gigwise up with a sweltering tent, but soon disappears for most of the day. However, there’s hope yet that the day will live up to it’s promise. As we're reminded from the word go, we are not preparing to watch a group perform music. Of course not, why would we think any different? Instead, we are lucky enough to be observing Emanuel Lundgren and his group of 28 Scandinavian friends. Forget building fans through MySpace (thats soooooo last year) I'm From Barcelona have instead appeared from nowhere thanks to the delightful video of latest single 'We're From Barcelona' and it’s popularity on the free broadcast site YouTube. What at first appears to be all image and no substance, the ‘friends’ soon show that deep down is a pulsating core of talent and desire. Once the gimmick has worn off (take a step forward Polyphonic Spree) this core will need to remain strong if we will ever see a second album of the gloriously uplifting party tunes on offer this morning.

With a very limited release history, Jeremy Warmsley has still managed to get on the critic’s goodbooks.  His performance today is a further reason why, and proves what a long term talent he is. With echoes of a more tuneful Patrick Wolf, Warmsley is not the only man onstage to shine. His fellow musicians also provide one of the performances of the weekend, parading an age old understanding of each other and their material. Piano lines thunder along at an astonishing rate, before being reigned in by the rhythm section. Current single ‘I Believe In The Way You Move’, out now on the superb Transgressive Records, is one of many songs to show that a good ditty really should equal more than the sum of its parts, and shows why its creator will not be on the small stages for long. 

The surprise performances always seem to have a greater affect than the sets you KNOW are going to be good. Despite knowing deep down that Paris Motel was not a dumb rich blonde from the (in)famous movie, we still could not help but visualise her in exactly that image. Imagine our surprise then as we cross the Garden Stage to the thunderous music of Paris and her team of musicians belting out a swooning blanket of loveliness straight from the pre-war airwaves. The songs seem to soundtrack the feeling of falling in love, a feat made none more impressive by the fact that within the three minutes Gigwise are doing just that. Dressed in a corset and flowing dress, Paris shimmies and twists her body to every line which spills from her fragile lips. By the time she brings out her violin, our heart has been won over and we vow to investigate this unknown enterprise.