It may not be summer just yet, but it’s time to get in the festival mood. All Points East is returning to East London for the fifth time and it’s looking to be the hottest one yet, not only thanks to climate change, but also the array of incredible artists settling down in Victoria Park over two weekends in August.
In 2022 All Points East brought to Victoria Park your favourite virtual band Gorillaz to headline the opening day of the festival, joined by Bristolian rock band IDLES earlier in the day. The second weekend saw Tame Impala, The National, and Disclosure at the top of the bill. Those who had tickets for the final day were blessed by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds closing the festival with pure emotional intensity. Nick Cave hadn’t played in London with his full band in over four years, so this was a special treat.
IDLES @ APE 2022 (Sharon Lopez)
Stormzy will headline the opening day of the festival this year on Friday 18th August, and we are incredibly excited for this. Not only because ‘Big Michael’, as Stormzy will sometimes refer to himself, will be the first grime artist to feature in a headline spot at All Points East, but also because the South-London rapper has done so much to take grime from the UK underground music scene to worldwide critical acclaim. His latest album This Is What I Mean, has received positive reviews from critics and has reached the number one position in the charts – unsurprisingly.
Stormzy
His historic 2019 Glastonbury Festival headline performance showed the world that he is an artist who uses his huge stage presence (quite literally) to remind us that his talents are not limited to the studio. Curated by Stormzy himself, the day will feature a variety of R&B and hip hop artists including Mercury Prize winner Sampha and the melodic vocals and authentic sound of Kehlani.
The Blaze @ APE 2022 (Karolina Wielocha)
Fast forward a week to Friday 25th August and we have a true Big Apple takeover of East London. Indie legends The Strokes will be returning to the headlining spot, with Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti travelling 3,000 miles across the pond to bring us their greatest hits from 25 years of a genre-defining career. I imagine it’ll be challenging for the New Yorkers to decide which tracks will make the setlist, with so many bangers from over six studio albums to choose from.
The Strokes
One the same bill is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who will be playing their second show in London in just as many years, following the release of their fifth studio album Cool It Down in 2022. The three-piece lineup, fronted by the fabulously charismatic Karen O, were greeted with overwhelming demand for their London gig in 2022, and we expect this year to be no different.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The headline slot for Saturday 26th will be filled by Jungle, made up of duo Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, for an UK exclusive performance in their hometown. “We’re excited to share the news that we will be headlining All Points East festival” the collective announces to their 200k Instagram followers. When on tour the band grows significantly in size, with five touring musicians joining the duo. Their career was launched in 2014 when their self-titled debut album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, with their fourth studio album Volcano underway and scheduled for release just two weeks before their headline date.
Jungle (Filmawi)
Having personally seen Jungle both at a festival and indoor gigs, it’s safe to say that a festival setting is where you get the biggest bang for your buck – come rain or shine. Jungle will delight the crowd with falsetto layered tunes and a hint of disco.
Jungle (Filmawi)
Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy is headlining on Sunday 27th. His 2019 debut album Without Fear reached number one in the UK charts and spent a staggering 154 weeks in the top ten in the Irish charts. The classically trained musician and former busker is best known for his hit singles Outnumbered and Power Over Me from 2019.
Dermot Kennedy
Ticket holders for the penultimate festival day will also get to see electro-pop Norwegian singer Aurora, who gained recognition for her EP Running With The Wolves in 2019 and her beautiful cover of Oasis’ Half The World Away for the John Lewis Christmas tv advert in the same year. Also complementing the headline act is acclaimed acoustic singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey who, as an environmentalist, uses his songs to poetically convey his message.
For the finale on the Bank Holiday Monday 28th we have American girl band sensation HAIM for a European exclusive performance. Sisters Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim took the world by storm with their debut record Days Are Gone in 2013, which received gleaming reviews followed by international commercial success.
The pop rock sound of HAIM should be listened to during the hottest of summer days to be fully appreciated, and a summer festival in Victoria Park will set the scene perfectly. Along for the ride on the last day is Norwegian Grammy Winner girl in red bringing a fresh take on indie pop. Performing on Victoria Park’s West Stage is Sweden-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and artist Tove Lo, not one to be missed!
Tove Lo
All Points East closes out the summer festival season in London which kicks off in May with Brockwell Park-based Wide Awake Festival in May, Mighty Hoopla at the same Herne Hill location in June, Hyde Park’s massive multi-weekend BST across June and July alongside Somerset House’s Summer Series ahead of, new for this year, Crystal Palace-based South Facing festival among others.
