When I was given the opportunity to go to All Points East, I jumped at the chance. I went with, in all honesty, a modest knowledge of the acts on the bill; I only knew a few hits from Pixies and LCD Soundsystem, but that’s all anyone needs to be as ecstatic as I was to see them live. I came away feeling truly inspired and eager to find out more about every one of the exceptional performers I saw. It was a brilliant way to experience some intriguing new artists as well as some timeless bands, now ingrained in modern pop culture.
All Points East has been running in Victoria Park in East London since 2018, with the first instalment featuring artists such as Björk, The xx and this year’s headliners LCD Soundsystem. Since then, the festival has retained its status as an alternative smörgåsbord for any music lover. The 40,000 capacity event draws a diverse range of punters, unlike a Reading or Leeds festival (also taking place last weekend), where the age range is pretty much limited at 16 – early 20s in my experience. Taking place over 2 weekends, All Points East showcases a diverse lineup – with this year’s other days being headlined by the likes of Kaytranada, Beabadoobee, Nas, Mitski and Thundercat.
Once we got in, my mate Reece and I were greeted with your typical festival layout – loads of food stalls and a plethora of stages to explore. We headed straight for the west stage after catching a few stray notes of the band playing while waiting in the entry queue.
Astral Bakers
French Indie band Astral Bakers was our first taste of the day to come. The 4 piece of 2 guitars, bass and drums were set up in a compact, intimate way on stage. This layout matched really well with their upbeat, stripped back sound, all the band appeared to be very connected with each other – especially when they implemented some of their breathtaking 4 part harmonies. We only managed to catch the second half, but what we did see certainly didn’t disappoint.
Having released their debut LP ‘The Whole Story’ in February of this year, the band describe themselves as “A kind of acoustic rock, some would say, soft grunge, others would say.” on their Spotify profile. Each member stood out in their own way during
the performance: the drums were endlessly groovy, jangly guitar lines rang out to compliment catchy songwriting, and solid bass and rhythm guitar created the backbone of the band’s sound. Dazzling falsetto vocal performances from both lead singers stood out to me in particular.
Joe Goddard
As we ventured around the festival site we decided to stick our heads into a dance tent where established DJ Joe Goddard was playing. His sound was akin to other UK dance acts like Bicep or Disclosure, with female vocal samples and verses showcasing Goddard’s versatile approach to his songwriting and arrangements. The pounding beat and background lights created a great atmosphere, and I really enjoyed this quick slice of house/techno goodness.
NewDad
We decided to stay around the east stage for the rest of the day, as that’s where Jockstrap, Pixies and LCD were all playing one after the other (it’s always good to plan ahead like this at festivals, makes everything so much easier). NewDad, an up and coming band from Ireland, rocked the stage in the truest sense of the word. They had a unique presence, with eye-catching guitars and quirky outfits, and the performance they gave left me extremely impressed. The lead vocals were phenomenal from frontwoman Julie Dawson.
NewDad arrived at All Points East fresh off the release of their 2024 debut album ‘MADRA’ and an extensive tour all around the UK and stretching into Europe. The band have featured at other major festivals like the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend and
Glastonbury. They also supported The War On Drugs at the Royal Albert Hall in July. These guys show no signs of slowing down, and are certainly ones to watch.
Jockstrap
Reece was especially excited to see this act, and again, I really didn’t know a lot about them, other than that one of the members is a part of Black Country, New Road. I had an inkling of what to expect but Jockstrap completely exceeded my expectations. This was the first proper festival sized crowd we encountered, and everyone around us was loving it. We’d found a good spot near the front and were determined to stay there all evening.
Now these guys were something special, they were the absolute real deal. Jockstrap combines Georgia Ellery’s beautiful vocals (as well as some violin and acoustic guitar work) with Taylor Skye’s instrumentation using various electronic production techniques. Throughout their set it was a combination of borderline operatic vocals with thunderous beat drops, and it pulled my ear in a completely new sonic direction. The understated Skye let his complex synth work, drum machines and creative sampling do the talking. One minute I was transfixed by one of his arpeggiator parts, the next he’d have switched to chopped up playbacks of Ellery’s vocal samples. The highlight though was of course Ellery leaving the stage, only to return in some massive robotic legs! I couldn’t believe what I was experiencing, but my eyes and ears loved every second of it.
Pixies
This is the act I was buzzing to see. Pixies have been at the forefront of alternative music since their groundbreaking works of the late 80s and 90s, and they gave us a show worthy of their reputation. Their hour-long set was simply banger after banger after banger – a real jukebox show. Tracks from their 1989 album “Doolittle” were my favourite, in particular “Hey” and “Gouge Away”. Apart from the odd “thanks for coming” there wasn’t really any crowd interaction, but in all honesty, there was no need for it. The songs themselves commanded the audience’s attention and every member gave it their all. Simply spectacular, there really isn’t much else to say.
Fans of Pixies await the release of their 9th studio album, “The Night the Zombies Came” on October 25th.
LCD Soundsystem
And then the main event. LCD Soundsystem’s set was the perfect way to close a great day of music. Everyone around us in the crowd was giddy with excitement, and when that disco ball came down and the lights started flashing, we knew we were in for an evening of bliss. The whole band were full of life as they kicked off their set, and they
didn’t let up for the next 2 hours. Songs like “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down” really got the crowd going, and their cover of Harry Nilsson’s classic track “Jump Into The Fire” showcased James Murphy’s passion as a performer. Halfway through the show, Murphy announced the tragic passing of the LCD’s former collaborator, Justin Chearno. The touching tribute served as a bittersweet moment that made the remainder of their set all the more emotional and powerful.
