END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL, Larmer Tree Gardens, Tollard Royal, Dorset

THESE are my awards for what is one of the best festivals of cutting edge music in the UK.

Best band: Drenge win my vote. Two brothers Rory and Eoin Loveless from Castleton, barely into their 20s make a tremendous racket. This is what The White Stripes should have sounded like. Though Hookworms, from Leeds, ran them a close second with their pulverising keyboard-driven rock.

Best show: The Flaming Lips, from Oklahoma, who headlined on Saturday night, for their lights, crazy creatures on stage and the lead singer zorbing into the audience whilst still singing. But come on guys, use biodegradable ticker tape for your finale. Someone had to pick up all those million little bits of plastic.

Craziest band: The Arrows of Love, from London, for their debauched rock ‘n’ roll antics. Nima the lead singer wearing a wedding dress and leaping into the crowd and their bass player.

Technical virtuosity: White Denim, from Texas, blew everyone away with their incredible jazz funk prog rock fusion (true) of sound. But they tie with Ruban Nielson from the Unknown Mortal Orchestra, from Portland (the US one), whose unbelievable soloing during their last song set his guitar on fire like Hendrix without the lighter fuel.

Best musical moment: Without doubt the end of the Temples’ (Northants) set, a blistering 10-minute rock workout which stopped so perfectly and suddenly that you wondered whether you were witnessing telepathy in action.

Festival star: For me it was Jenny Lewis, from LA, for her beautiful pure country vocals, exquisite music, and sheer stage presence.

Most wacky band: Has to be tUnE-yArDs as Merill Garbus, from New England, plays a ukulele, creates live drum loops and with her fellow drummer and singer plus two backing singers and a bassist sound like an African tribal group with pygmy vocals.

Most bizarre name: The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger, Sean Lennon’s (yep that one) new band.

Best punk survivor: Mancunian punk poet John Cooper Clarke who still looks like a dead stick insect and delivers one-liners Tim Vine would sell his soul for.

Best party: The Black Lips disco. Swigging red wine in the DJ booth built as a boat these West Coast surf punks know how to party. Apologies for stopping the music (your daft reporter pressed the i-pod button control by mistake) during Pulp's Common People which almost caused my lynching. 'Jean Genie' never sounded so good though Of course the festival wasn’t all about music.

There was also a lot of drinking and eating to be done so I’ve included an extra award: Special award: For the two relentless Polish sisters who cleaned up all our trash non-stop for four days.

Obviously there were loads I haven’t mentioned due to the physical impossibility of being in more than 20 places at once. I heard reports of great performances by the likes of Benjamine Clementine, Adult Jazz and John Grant.

On this occasion the End of the Road festival provided a truly memorable experience.

GRAHAM JAMES