Hi Everyone!
Here is my review of All Points East Festival Weekend 2 (June 1st and 2nd).
If ‘All Points East’ then East is where I want to go. The second weekend of London’s ‘next big festival’ proved that no matter what the weather does, what the football result is, or which hated politician is coming to town, music really does solve everything.
Starting with Saturday, we cannot ignore the glorious sunshine that blessed us and seemed to supply a whole new level of energy to the crowds and performers at this event. I luckily caught the very end of the Villagers set and wow, what a way to start the day. Their indie-folk melodies and haunting lyrics (my personal favourite being Nothing Arrived) set a high precedent for those to follow and created the perfect relaxed, summer feeling to the immense event.
The rest of my day was focused around making sure I got to see the Texan based soul singer Leon Bridges and everyone’s favourite London lads, Mumford and Sons. Both acts perfectly embodied what music is all about.
Leon Bridges set fell at the time of day when you’re lagging behind and questioning why you decided to spend all day in big crowds and not using proper toilets. With his incredible dance moves and beautiful old-school style, Bridges put on an unmissable set. The funky bassline in Bad, Bad News gave spectators the perfect festival vibe to dance along and be involved whilst ballads like Belong and River shifted the mood perfectly and brought the crowd together for a good old sing-a-long.
It perfectly preceded the highlight of the night, Mumford and Sons. Having seen the band previously, I am slightly biased in that I adore their music, but I think for anyone at All Points East on Saturday Mumford and Sons were a good choice on the creators part.
Mixing their traditional folk-rock anthems like Little Lion Man with their newer synthesised style, the alternative four-piece presented the perfect festival set. Ending the night with a multi-artist rendition of With A Little Help From My Friends, Mumford and Sons reminded all of us why music is so important.
On to Sunday, we didn’t have much of a plan for the day as purchasing the tickets has come solely from my love for the days headliner Bon Iver. However, this presented the perfect opportunity to explore, relax and discover mounds of new music.
We spent the beginning of the afternoon at the Firestone stage where the best up and coming artists hosted surprisingly big crowds before the big acts of the event took the spotlight. My personal favourites from the line-up presented included acts Plested and Nathan Ball, with their heartfelt acoustic sets. They are certainly on my radar and have been added to my new music themed Spotify playlists. Next up was my other big recommendation from the day, Julien Baker.
I didn’t know much about Julien only what I had read and heard on social media but if anything, I am glad. I went in with an open mind to her set on the North stage and it topped everything I had expected. Her slowcore style seemed to captivate the audience and certainly lives up to the critical acclaim I have since read about her and her music.
The rest of the day was spent checking out artists I had previously not listened to like John Grant and The Tallest Man whilst enjoying the street food that provided incredible smells alongside the sound of the festival. Of course my night ended getting right in the crowd to fulfil the long standing dream to see Bon Iver perform at sunset amongst a scenery of trees and music loving onlookers.
The set itself was everything admirers of Bon Iver could have wanted. It was powerful and combined raw, emotional lyrics with a spectacular lightshow that sent All Points East 2019 out with a bang. His classic records such as Skinny Love and Blood Bank united the crowd in nostalgia whilst newer, more upbeat songs were the perfect way to keep spirits up despite the 10-day event coming to a close.
Ending the night with the release and screenings of two new songs, Bon Iver certainly rounded off APE in a way that left us all ready for more whilst wishing we could stay in the unified, positive bubble that the festival provided.
Thank you for reading guys, I know it was a long one!
Aimee with a Double E.
xxx
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