The long awaited return of All Points East is upon us this Bank Holiday weekend (August 27-30), after being postponed from its usual slot in May.
Nearly 100 acts will be performing, including headliners London Grammar, Jorja Smith, Jamie XX, Kano, Bicep, Foals and Bombay Bicycle Club.
Indie Stalwarts
A sure highlight is north London indie favourites Bombay Bicycle Club, who recently returned from a four-year hiatus with joyous, synth-filled comeback album Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, and now return for a hometown show. Co-headlining with them on the Monday are ubiquitous festival staple Foals, and it’s also worth looking out for Australian quintet Gang of Youths — listen to the grandiose strings and classically-inspired lyrics of Achilles Come Down for an idea of their sound.
UK hip hop
Some key faces from the last few years of grime and UK hip hop are making an appearance, such as introspective South Croydon storyteller Loyle Carner, and grime icon Kano. However, some lesser known rappers are also peppered throughout the line-up, including Little Simz, known for her Black female empowerment anthem Woman, British-Gambian performer Pa Salieu, and Enny, whose recent single Same Old tackles Brexit and gentrification.
Female talent
As the gender gap in festival line-ups continues to be a hot topic of discussion, it is pleasing to see the rising female talent at All Points East. Alongside well-established R&B performers like Jorja Smith and Lianne La Havas, keep an eye out for Maisie Peters, a bedroom pop songwriter whose work has been praised by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. If other genres are more to your taste, try Nadine Shah’s theatrical folk-rock or newcomer Celeste’s smoky, Ella Fitzgerald-esque vocals.
Dancing shoes
Sunday will play host to Field Day, a day of electronic music headed up by Bicep, an Irish producing duo who shifted to releasing their own records in 2017. Their act, which they have taken to the likes of Coachella and Primavera Sound, has been heralded by NME as an “innovative and boundary-pushing audiovisual show”. Elsewhere at the festival, fans of electronic music can enjoy the minimalistic beats of Jamie XX and genre-hopping Canadian composer Caribou.
In The Neighbourhood
The festival does not stop after the Bank Holiday weekend. Taking place the following week, In The Neighbourhood is a daytime programme of events, including musical performances from newcomers studying at the ELAM Academy in Bromley-by-Bow. If you want respite from the music, there are workshops run by local practitioners in areas as diverse as yoga, Thai boxing and aerial arts, and children will be entertained by puppet shows and theatre performances from the Half Moon Theatre. In the evening, enjoy outdoor screenings of films ranging from Mamma Mia and Little Women to the world premiere of musical exploration Concert From Bangladesh.
Visit https://www.allpointseastfestival.com/ for tickets and info.
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