As All Points East began last Friday, it marked the end of an incredible 817-day drought between the curtain falling on 2019’s edition and their return last Friday. It follows a pandemic that has sadly taken far too many lives, as well as bringing harm to the livelihoods of many within the music industry.

I had a weird mixture of feelings as I entered London’s Victoria Park to report on what for me is not just my first festival, but also my first concert of any kind since the Spring of 2020. Those fears began to ease however when I saw the orderly, and thorough manner in which COVID passes were checked and attendees entered into the event. Once inside the border of the park, it was noticeable how the new festival layout (now with an additional main stage, the West stage on the opposite side of the park to the East stage, and the new North Arena with its open larger tent layout) has allowed for significantly wider open spaces with plenty of room for attendees to keep a larger birth from others if they so pleased.

So now inside, feeling more reassured and beginning to hear the first traces of a beat, and some beautiful melodies echoing out from the main stage it was time to focus on what we’ve all been missing so much over the last two years… live music.

Here are the stories from the festival

Friday

Friday saw the festival open its doors for its first day back. Early on at the main stage, we got to witness the fantastic Mathilda Homer as she debuted tracks from her new EP ‘If You Were on Fire’ including its ferocious title track.

We last witnessed Mathilda play Mau Mau’s bar supporting the wonderful Lily Moore, and there has to be real credit given in how she can command a whole main stage festival slot with the same level of focus, ability and passion as an intimate venue. There was a substantial crowd drawn to the East stage for her early afternoon slot, and from the sight of many people dancing and singing along to her catchy hooks and strong songwriting, it’s fair to say they had a great time. We’ve got a chat with Mathilda about her time at the festival arriving shortly so keep your eyes peeled to find out more about what’s set to be a splendid new EP from the rising star.

Later on in the afternoon, a large crowd packed out the festival’s North Arena to witness Liverpudlian singer-songwriter Låpsley perform a collection of fan-favourite singles, tracks from her latest record and debut some exciting new material. It was such a good set that we’ve written a whole review of it and you can read that here.

As the sun began to set on Friday evening it was time for a showcase of incredible British female talent. Our site has been actively pushing for more representation of women in music at festivals for years, and just as we did when the lineup for All Points East dropped, we have to praise their push for a gender-balanced lineup, and tonight, as if we needed any is the perfect proof of why that is an excellent idea.

Last years Brits Choice Award winner Celeste treated the crowd to an absolutely sublime sunset set combining her blend of soul, jazz and light flourishes of Pop to create a selection of truly captivating moments. ‘Love Is Back’ had the crowd swaying to its’ Amy Winehouse jazz style groove. ‘Tell Me Something I Don’t Know’ is a future megahit in the making, the track coming to life in front of a large festival crowd with its sublime chorus. 

You’d do well to hear a pin drop during captivating closer ‘Strange’, the breakout single which introduced the wider world to the talents of Celeste. However, it was to be ‘Never Stop This Flame’ that would create one of those truly memorable live music moments. The reaction from the crowd was one of pure thrill as they echoed Celeste’s every single word, to her clear delight, leaving her beaming and uttering after the track ‘I didn’t realise so many people knew that song’. As incredibly humble as she is talented, the songstress perfectly set the stage for an incredible double headline slot of Jorja Smith and London Grammar.

Jorja celebrated both a return to her hometown and the recent release of her new EP ‘Be Right Back’ with a performance that, whilst started with a few hiccups, grew into a triumphant headlining moment for the R&B superstar.

‘Blue Lights’ was a strong opener, and a bold choice to play one of her biggest hits so early on. Unfortunately, recent single ‘Addicted’ stopped the momentum in its tracks when Smith slipped up forgetting the lyrics. Completely understandable considering most acts haven’t performed in so long, and it has to be commended the way in which she picked herself and the pace of the set back up, helped by a willing crowd behind her ready to sing along to the whole of following track ‘Teenage Fantasy’.

Later on in the evening, she was joined by the likes of Birmingham rapper JayKae to perform ‘1000 Night’ and reggae superstar Popcaan for an incredible rendition of ‘Come Over’. The crowd were elated to hear a medley of underground garage classic ‘Heartbroken’ and her hit single ‘On My Mind’. It was a joyous moment and signalled why Jorja is no longer simply a ‘rising star’ but a bonafide headlining talent whose destined to top lineups for years to come.

Meanwhile, over at the festivals North Arena, House meets Garage star Mura Masa has expanded his live set-up into more of a collective band helmed for the most part by guest vocalists, rather than his usual solo studio affair. He had a completely packed tent sweating, dancing and singing along to his intuitive and unique blend of dance and rock. Despite the majority of his hit singles on his records being sung by superstars such as Slowthai and Charli XCX, his live band do them more than justice, in fact, they bring a unique spin to the tracks, giving them each a whole new lease of life. This means songs such as ‘All Night’ and ‘I Don’t Think I Can Do This Again’ sound even more ferocious and passionate on stage.

The electrifying energy in the tent came to an abrupt halt however when the sound completely cut out leaving the ensemble playing silently. It lasted for around five to ten minutes, meaning a significant chunk of the crowd decided to head elsewhere. An apologetic Mura Masa wandered the stage until the issue was fixed in which he was quick to say “That’s the worst possible thing that could have happened, I’m sorry… normal service will resume soon”. An unfortunate occurrence that could have derailed or disheartened any performer, instead when things got turned back on, the remaining crowd got behind him and threw themselves wildly into the air as he resumed with a raucous rendition of ‘Deal Wiv It’. 

There were no issues for the remainder of the set and the crowd were treated to a blend of more trance leaning house tunes and familiar numbers such as the excellent ‘Teenage Headache Dream’ which closed out the set. There was a strong and noticeable feeling of camaraderie over the weekend, especially on that opening day, it was certain that no matter who performed on the stage, fans were quick to rally behind them through any technical issues or slip-ups which can only be expected after a couple of years away from the stage. Mura Masa for sure wasn’t going to let them stop him.

As the festival got dark... London Grammar emerged. Stunning strings echoed around the festival accompanied by a spoken word introduction from frontwoman Hannah Reid to signal their arrival to the festival stage. Masters of their unique blend of operatic dark-pop, by now you’ll know what to expect when you witness the group take to the stage, but you’ll never be any less impressed no matter how many times you hear Hannah Reid’s incredible vocals. This years ‘Californian Soil’ is a beautiful record and it’s helped them craft an incredible set, the title track, ‘Lord It’s A Feeling’ and set closer ‘Lose Your Head’ are utterly compelling live, especially when Reid enters into the crowd during the finale.

It says a lot of a group when their most recent material slots so well amongst fan favourites of which tonight they’re plenty. ‘Hey Now’, ‘Big Picture’ and ‘Strong’ especially are big emotion evokers. It ultimately makes for a transfixing, mellow but certainly magnificent finale for the opening night.

Saturday

If you are a fan of Hip Hop or British Rap then chances were you were at All Points East on Saturday as three of the UK’s finest showed why they’re considered pioneers of their particularly sub-genres, repping their respective hometowns with exhilarating and truly remarkable performances.

Ahead of the release of her upcoming album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ Little Simz walked out to one of the day’s largest crowds at the West Stage opening with what personally I believe to be one of the most moving and significant singles of the year ‘Introvert’. The set also saw the exclusive premiere of the upcoming ‘Point and Kill’ with special guest Obongjayar before she was later joined by Cleo Soul for a phenomenal double header of ‘Selfish’ and ‘Woman’.

Despite only performing at Reading a couple of hours prior, Slowthai emerged via helicopter to perform a typically rambunctious and literally incendiary set as fire erupted at the start of ‘MAZZA’ something he pointed out Reading had refused him to do. It’s been inspiring to see Northampton local Slowthai go from living and playing venues a stone’s throw from us to commanding such enormous stages, ones which are brimming with primal raucous energy when he bursts into tracks such as ‘Inglorious’ and ‘Psycho’ whilst still finding time to embrace his softer side on the beautiful ‘Feel Away’.

Another London homegrown headliner graced the main stage when Kano returned to his East London roots for a triumphant blend of Gospel Grime. As one of the last acts we reviewed pre lockdown it felt like we’d come full circle when witnessing the Grime legend emerge for a powerful and emotional headline set.

Kano is never once to mince his words and the set was full of moving, unifying and thought-provoking moments whether its the display of Rashford’s mural as he launched into ‘This Is England’ or the always heart-wrenching ‘Trouble’ this was a master of his craft treating the audience to an equally insightful and celebratory evening.

Monday

All Points East are known for their ability to consistently put together a strong line-up, it felt like the Bank Holiday Monday however was their pinnacle. Never before has a day from start to finish felt so current, on-trend and full of exciting talent. Once again we have to praise the sheer amount of incredible female talent on the lineup. Of the whole weekend, never before had we felt so joyfully split between stages, as our writers had to divide and conquer to cover all the must-see acts performing on the final day.

For the final day, All Points East’s West Stage had been curated by the Communion record label which meant that attendees were in for a treat, as the label are no strangers to spotting exciting rising talent and having a selection of headline-worthy artists on their own roster.

We entered the festival to the sight and sound of local artist Olivia Dean playing a splendid cover of ‘Miss Dy-Na-Mi-Tee’ amidst her own smooth and soulful R&B selections on the West Stage. The stage throughout the start of the day saw sets from one of our favourite artists at the moment on her debut festival run this summer, Holly Humberstone, the Lincolnshire singer-songwriter who we caught up with ahead of the festival was completely solo on the large stage yet commanded everyone’s attention. It was impressive to see her move between a synth board, two keyboards and her electric guitar simultaneously whilst singing some of her beloved pop hits such as ‘Falling Asleep At The Wheel’ and ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’, soon to be released ‘Scarlett’ was also a highlight and hinted at a potential groovy new direction for BBC’s Sound of 2021 runner up.

Keen to point out during her set that she’s currently in a chart battle with Kanye West (and looks likely to triumph over him), Ed Sheeran’s debut label singing Maisie Peters brought her unique brand of teen pop to a devoted audience hooked on her every word. Commanding the stage like a pro, both Peters and her band delivered a slick performance of tracks from her new release ‘You Signed Up For This’ including a brilliant rendition its title track. She was followed by Americana-folk-rock star Jade Bird who also got the opportunity to showcase music from her own new record ‘Different Kinds of Light’.

Our personal highlight of the weekend was seeing Arlo Parks celebrate her critically acclaimed debut record ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ with an absolutely ram-packed main stage performance. Her second of the weekend following a set in the North Arena on Saturday. Despite the enormous crowd, Park managed to maintain that intimate connection her music flourishes off. Graciously humble and emotional she delivered a moving rendition of hit ‘Black Dog’, brought her career full circle with first single ‘Cola’ and had the entire festival singing along to a triumphant rendition of ‘Caroline’.

By the time she departed the stage following a performance of ‘Hope’ which she also played at this year’s Brit’s, the audience was left hanging on her every word and I’m sure I don’t just speak for myself, but desperate to see her headline the event in the future.

Following on from Arlo we made sure to check out powerful sets from Ghostpoet and Lianne La Havas. Ghostpoet made a breathtaking shout out to a wasted twenty years in Afghanistan during an unsurprisingly heavy, powerful and poignant set. Lianne meanwhile performed tracks from her phenomenal self-titled record, a rare delight considering the album released in the midst of the lockdown. It was thrilling to hear her enchanting rendition of Radiohead’s ‘Weird Fishes’ and her own jaw-dropping ‘Can’t Fight’.

The festival was signed off for 2021 with a joint headline slot from indie-rock veterans Bombay Bicycle Club and Foals. Bombay closed off the West Stage with one of the largest crowds of the entire weekend as they played a career encompassing set with tracks such as ‘Feel’, ‘Is It Real’, and ‘Carry Me’ getting a jubilant response from the enormous crowd. A surprising Selena Gomez cover aside it was an iconic indie band doing what they do best, whilst familiarity seemed to trickle in halfway through, the diehard fans were certainly left beaming by their euphoric finale. 

The same applies for Foals who closed off the main stage, opening with a feverous rendition of ‘The Runner’ to set off proceedings with a bang, they never really slowed down from there. ‘In Degrees’ and ‘My Number’ had the crowd engaged early on, whilst loyal longtime fans got treated to a rare performance of ‘Blue Bloods’ that was simply delightful to hear return to their live show setlist. A debut of new track ‘Novo’ also received a solid reception and we were left excited to hear its future single release. ‘Spanish Sahara’ was as ever sublime and enough to bring you to tears, whilst the ragers in the audience were treated to a chaotic finale involving ‘Black Bull’ and ‘What Went Down’ to open up the moshpits.

Both indie heavyweights were on fine form for a beaming finale. If you weren’t familiar with either group or not already sold on their music there would have been little here to convert you, both sets were very fan tailored, slick affairs. 

Wrap Up

Logistic wise, we’ve already spoken about how the festival had widened out its layout to accompany more festival attendees, and whilst it definitely felt more cramped on the latter days, there was certainly more than enough space for attendees like ourselves who wanted to enjoy the festival from a further distance whilst remaining still within a good eye and ear line of the event.

All Points East has in its past come under considerable criticism for its sound which I’m happy to report has never sounded louder or crisper, especially in locations such as the North Arena which was booming at times. The Main Stages both sounded phenomenal and they’ve done a remarkable job of making sure each area doesn’t clash in terms of overlapping noises from neighbouring stages.

Queues were hit and miss, If you didn’t want to wait for an age then there was other portaloos and bars that seemed to have been neglected by gig-goers who seemed to congregate to options closer to the stages. Overall though as far as multi-day non-camping festivals go, it was in the higher ends of quality when it comes to facilities. 

As mentioned throughout, the music and lineup was to a notably high standard, especially on the Monday and covered an eclectic set of genres across alternative, hip-hop, pop to electronica and full-on dance music that should have covered every attendee’s individual tastes. 

All Points East is younger than a lot of other festivals, especially in London but it’s delightful to see how they’ve grown, taken on feedback and criticism in earlier years and flourished into what is one of not just the capital’s must-see events of the year, but the whole U.K. and we cannot wait to return.