Victoria Park, London
For another year, Victoria Park claimed host to All Points East Festival: a two-week residency showcasing some of the world’s most notable current music acts. Catching Stormzy’s homecoming along with Aphex Twin’s rarefied appearance surely couldn’t go amiss.
Day 1: Stormzy:"This is my hometown.”
As the warming rays of sunshine temporarily fell upon the bank holiday-splendoured crowd, Sampha emerged in our midst after an extended spell behind closed doors. Brimming with a reputable neo-soul inflection, the likeability of such an artist imminently gave way: reinforcing a charm grown from his debut LP in 2017, Process, composed with a full band line-up leaving a reverberating ambiance in their wake. Similarly, the lauded R&B-pop singer, Kehlani, left a tremble of pop stardom, reciting notable hits over recent years (‘Nights Like This’; ‘Gangsta’; ‘Toxic’) with an unapologetic bravado and unforgiving sensuality.
Resembling the crown jewel of this nation’s recent grime and rap scene, Stormzy aimed to reign supreme following his latest LP, This Is What I Mean. Enshrined with cascading, pale orange curtains (as well as ubiquitous #Merky branding), the rapper incited his recent brand upon the slowly-dampened crowd: a concoction of seething bars mixed with heartfelt, soulful appraisals backed by an illustrious entourage. Although the crowd took time to warm into proceedings, the eerily convenient downpour of rain (“Let the rain fall on my enemies”) swept much of the indifference aside, draining down through to the muddied ground beneath us in an awe-inspiring finale.
Day 2: The cataclysmic Return of Aphex Twin
The violin-yielding singer/rapper, Sudan Archives, invited us back to a sunnier environment the following day, however, accentuated by a notably quirkier, alternative field of artistry. Whilst Archives has continued her triumph of last year’s LP, Natural Brown Prom Queen, many of today's acts initiated rare appearances after a number of years amiss. Through the shadowed, sauna-esque Cupra stage, SBTRKT and Kelela took turns jousting their respective brands of lauded releases from this year: the former revelling in electro/dance-pop euphoria; the latter’s R&B mysticism enshrouded through the thick layer of smoke and bodily condensation accrued throughout.
Fortunately enough, the expressive producer and singer Arca laid all to bare under the festival’s outdoor, sunlit main stage. Noting her first appearance in the city since 2015, a traversal through her elusive blend of experimental pop, house, reggaeton pushed those to the brink - hellbent on fusing these sounds amidst a smattering of visual (blood-stained) theatrics underlined by deftly sensual caressing. It seemed only fitting that the idiosyncratic producer Aphex Twin closed out the day with a mind-numbing, ear-bending, visually-explosive set. Dressed in visuals influenced by the unmistakable artwork to his 1999 single, ‘Windowlicker’, the esoteric sounds unfortunately died a predisposed death here: escaping the public park’s sound system and drowning within the throngs of chattering attendees.
Within this 48-hour timeframe, All Points East Festival spanned an eclectic breadth of music tastes, enlisting yet another array of fortified headliners and enticing undercard triumphs. In spite of the sound system’s apparent faults, little can be taken away from the impressive feature of such artistry set within the heart of East London - hosting a pertinent home to many of the acts performed. From the torrential rain, to the scorching heat, the festival effortlessly matched the U.K.’s temperamental summer with its own elusive offerings - one which will undoubtedly play host to the East-end masses for many summers to come.
For further information on All Points East & Field Day Festival 2024 please visit here.
Photos are courtesy of Khali Photography, Sarah Louise Bennett, Joshua Atkins, Eric Aydin-Barberini, Matt Higgs and Andrew Whitton whose work can be found at their respective links.
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