Is West the new East? All Points East day two with Loyle Carner
Across the weekend, the West Stage has been lassoing in record crowds to the far end of Victoria Park.
As the sun tried to break the haze, it cast a slightly more laidback attitude on Victoria Park for All Points East on Saturday. The air was thick with anticipation, dust, and the smell of suncream, lining up a less chaotic yet just as enthralling schedule. One that tilted the scales to the west yet again.
Following on from Kaytranada’s headline the day before, This year’s line-up has been so broad and strong that each stage has fought a tough fight to attract the bulk of the crowds, but it has to be said that the West could be becoming the new East.
After Tems’s record-breaking audience win, Lianne La Havas and Ezra Collective pushed the limits of the stage’s capacity with crowds sprawling out into the trees at the back.
In her leather jacket and kilt, Lianne La Havas tested the quality of the microphone with her velvety, honeyed voice in Paper Thin before booming through her more powerful tracks like Bittersweet.
Although it’s been four years since her last release, her self-titled debut album, she promised new music and faded out towards the back of the stage.
On the same stage, Ezra Collective are still ramping up are trajectory to greatness with no actual mark on the limit. They had even the most self-conscious people dancing, the most miserable looking people smiling and people from all backgrounds joining hands to dance with each other.
After winning the Mercury Prize, a confidence had been instilled that reassured the jazz quintet that they were on the right path. It allowed them to shake the crowd like a Martini with their dancehall brass to then pour out a delicious, bubbly drink at the end of it.
Nas, who was Loyle Carner’s inspiration, filled what you’d maybe call the legend slot of All Points East. It was a history lesson and had paved the way for many of the artists there, which made it an incredibly important set of the day.
Drawing mind-blowing crowds from the whole park, he covered tracks from his debut Illmatic through to Magic 3 – with each number having a fiery impact amongst the audience. Naturally, ‘If I Ruled The World’ had the dust on the ground jumping up with each bass thud and the crowd filling Ms. Lauren Hill’s vocals.
Now, I skipped André 3000, because the flute doesn’t do it for me. I understand that artists need to change directions and make progressions to further explore their creativity and keep the fans on edge, but on this occasion, it was in the wrong direction.
I suspect many people there were expecting ‘All Together Now’ or some resemblance of Outkast, but those days are long behind him. Fair play, but not a festival vibe, likely a surprise for many, and a meditative, hypnotic journey through reverberated flutes is not what you need before Loyle Carner’s absolute stormer.
We managed to pitch up in a dream spot for Loyle Carner.
And it was fireworks immediately, both figuratively and literally. An hour-long adrenaline rush that evoked tunnel vision toward the stage and his presence.
It was the first time Loyle Carner had headlined All Points East, but not the only time he’d performed there. Quite literally from the West to the East… in the belly of the beast. For that reason, this felt especially deserved. And you could feel the gratitude he had towards his slot there too. It’s his local park, declaring that he cycled down to the festival.
The rapper delivered no ordinary performance. There was a heart-wrenching medley of thought-provoking poetry from guests, John Agard, young activist Athian Akec, and Loyle Carner himself. Other guests included Tom Misch and Jordan Rakei, who appeared for fan favourite ‘Ottolenghi’.
With a field of hands in the air pointed toward the stage like a wheat field in a strong wind, the audience lapped up every second of his strong setlist.
The flawless performance wasn’t even what made Loyle Carner’s headline slot the best of the weekend; it was the feeling of harmony and integrity resonating from his aura. He gave people a confidence they could leave with. An optimism that will stick with them for days to come. And this seemed to be the underlying theme of the day.
Saturday in particular was a showcase that unity is possible, even a necessity that mustn’t be overlooked by anyone or overshadowed by mainstream media. From Ezra Collective through the day to Loyle Carner, the message was clear. Look around you. There was nothing but happy energy and a wanting to dance together.
When ENNY exclaimed ‘…when things aren’t right, you’ve got to stand up for something,’ it was a call for people to reach into their humanity and do what they know is right, not fall the stirred-up hate.
We’re back again tomorrow for Mitski’s closure of weekend one at All Points East.