Best Fit’s secret sessions return to End of the Road Festival for 2026

From late morning until late afternoon across the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival we’ll be bringing 15 names from across the incredible line-up together on the piano stage for a series of stripped back sets.

We’ve been staging pop-up shows at End of the Road for the past 15 years and if you're lucky then you might have stumbled across Patti Smith reading from Just Kids, John Cale from The Velvet Underground chatting to Ezra Furman, Laura Marling and Marika Hackman covering The Foo Fighters or a now legendary performance of “The Modern Leper” by Frightened Rabbit.

Almost 150 artists have taken part in the secret sessions - from modern music legends such as Big Thief, Wilco, The Magnetic Fields, St Vincent, Future Islands, Yo La Tengo, and Perfume Genius to Best Fit favourites Kurt Vile, Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy, Courtney Barnett, Yard Act, Kara Jackson, and Moses Sumney.

Nothing will be announced ahead of the festival - but we’ll be posting over on Instagram before each set and you might also find the odd note pinned to a tree here and there around the site at Larmer Tree Gardens if you look hard enough.

You can watch an exhaustive playlist of filmed performances from the secret sessions over on YouTube.

And for the completists here's the full list of everyone who's taken part to date: A Wesley Chung, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Alex Cameron, All We Are, Amanda Bergman, Amber Arcades, Andrew Combs, Angel Olsen, Anna B Savage, Anna Meredith, Basia Bulat, Baywaves, Big Joanie, Big Thief, Bill Ryder Jones (twice!), Bird Courage, Black Country New Road, Blackaby, Blue Bendy, Broadside Hacks, Caitlin Rose (twice!), Christopher Owens, Clarissa Connelly, Courtney Barnett, Courtney Marie Andrews, Daniel Blumberg, Daniel Romano, Django Django, Douglas Dare, Dylan Le Blanc, East India Youth, Eaves, EERA, Ellie O Neill, Erin Rae, Ezra Furman, Fenne Lily, Flo Morrissey, Francois and the Atlas Mountains, Frightened Rabbit, Futur Primitif, Future Islands, Gruff Rhys (twice!), H Hawkline, Hannah Cohen, Harrison Whitford, Högni, Howe Gelb, Ichiko Aoba, Indigo Sparke, Isreal Nash, Jade Bird, Jake Xerxes Fussell, jasmine.4.t, Jeff Tweedy, Jeffrey Martin, Jess Williamson, Jessica Pratt, JFDR, Jim White, Johanna Samuels, John Cale, Jonathon Wilson, Josh T Pearson, Julia Jacklin, Julianna Riolino, Julie Byrne, Just Mustard, Kara Jackson, Katy J Pearson, Kelly Lee Owens, Kelly Moran, Kevin Morby, Kristin Hersh, Kurt Vile, Landshapes, Lanterns on the Lake, Laura Gibson, Laura Gibson, Laura Marling, Lawrence Arabia, Lazarus Kane, Let’s Eat Grandma, Lilo, Lily Seabird, Lowly, Lucy Dacus, Mammut, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Marika Hackman, Marissa Nadler, Mark Mulcahy, Martha, Master Peace, Meilyr Jones, Modern Woman, Molly Sarle, MONEY, Moses Sumney, Nadine Shah, Nina Nastasia, Ohtis, Patti Smith, Peach Pyramid, Penelope Isles, Perfume Genius (twice!), Poor Moon, Porridge Radio, Real Estate, RM Hubbert, Roy Molloy, Rozi Plain, Runnner, Sam Amidon, Sam Evian, Samia, Sarah Meth, Sasami, Shahzad Ismaily, Shame, Silver Gore, SIPHO, Soccer Mommy, Squid (twice), St Vincent, Stewart Lee, Sweet Lights, Tasseomancy, The Anchoress, The Burning Hell, The Districts, The Golden Dregs, The Magnetic Fields, The Orchestra (For Now), The Pictish Trail, The Sophs, The Unthanks, This is the Kit, Tim Presley, Titus Andronicus, Truman Sinclair, Tyler Ballgame, Wesley Gonzalez, Whitney, William Doyle, Yard Act, Yasmin Williams, and Yo la Tengo.

End of the Road Festival festival kicks off on Thursday, 3 September with a headline set from Geese and runs through the Sunday, 6 September with Pulp closing things out in a one night only surprise laden set.