“I love you London from the bottom of my heart.” – All Points East Day One
When was the last time you did the Bleep Test? For me, it was Friday at All Points East.
Honestly, from the minute we entered to the final fade of the lights at Kaytranada, we were darting from the East to the West.
But you should take this as a positive. Yes, I was on the brink of collapse during Kaytranada, but the relentlessness is only a testament to the line up. Even with no breaks, some tough decisions on clashes had to be made. And I reckon my Bleep Test score was pretty high.
It’s our third year at All Points East and you can feel it maturing each year. Like a proud wise janitor watching the protagonist reach her potential over a stretching track of hurdles. It was my first festival after spending two years of only seeing six people at a time, so being in a herd of 40,000 came with its peculiarities.
Now it’s always a fun-loving, happy, anxiety-free one. The people are friendly and the organisation of it means you can let loose without worrying about overcrowding.
Inside the festival at the East stage, Thundercat grooved out his distinct, plodding, bass lines that paired beautifully with the sunshine and warm Madri’s. He played a genius move and exclaimed that things were about to get weird. Genius because weird means anything goes, like No Taste. And things did get weird, in a delightfully wavey way. It was the last of the smooth and subdued for the day before the sun went down and someone accidentally hit the throttle to overdrive.
Victoria Monét was number one on a lot of people’s All Points East schedule and I’m certain not a single one will have left disappointed. The US superstar and three-time Grammy winner delivered a set that dipped into nostalgic 00s R&B and modern pop. With choreographed dances that could have been the performance in itself, the East side of the festival witnessed a biblical show.
‘Alright’, ‘Jaguar’ and ‘Party Girls’ were naturally crowd favourites, but it was On My Mama that had the crowd stumbling around in a state of overwhelm, leaving their brains with no alternative to screaming with joy.
Tems then drew the biggest crowd the West Stage has ever seen, officially. She was the most surprised person there though, declaring, “This energy is crazy. I wasn’t expecting this. This is massive for me, this crowd is massive”. It was, my vision started blurring before I could see the end of the mass of people.
There was bashfulness mixed with confidence. Showing off one of the day’s most extravagant stage setups, with drum kits and bongos, two keyboards and a pedestal for her, she delivered with a smile that suggests she knows she’s just performed a career-changing show. Delving deep into her acclaimed debut album Born in the Wild with monumental support.
TSHA b2b KILIMANJARO then sailed in on a tidal wave of bass lines and synthesized pianos to get the hips moving (or feet two-stepping depending on your self-consciousness skill level). I’m also tempted by the head scarf look Kilimanjaro was sporting, my girlfriend is less keen on the idea; will report back.
After the final pilgrimage to the East Stage for Kaytranada, it was almost impossible to find a decent spot amongst the thousands of eager fans.
Ringed by six monolithic slabs that formed a 21st-century, half stone henge, Kaytranada produced some heavy bangers that made them look small.
He was finally a DJ/producer that actually played a full set of his own songs. I’ve been to far too many at festivals that haven’t even dropped one of theirs, so this was a very welcome move.
For over an hour, he had people up on shoulders, dancing in pockets formed by the sheer necessity of having to move to the music and filming nearly every second because each moment was the beat the last.
It was an undeniably Kaytranada set. Something that no other performer could produce, even if the music was pre-mixed.
It is true, however, that if you’re not in the right place for the headline act, you might be disappointed by the sound quality or volume. With a little pre-planning, you can make sure you’re in the right spot, but something to be aware of.
In an electrifying fashion, All Points East was opened. Follow for day two.