More about: The Chemical BrothersAll Points East

All Points East, though still a new festival, already has a reputation for two things: bringing in the big hitter acts, but lacking in much atmosphere or ‘vibe'. This Friday (24 May), people poured out of their schools, colleges, universities and offices to get stuck straight into proceedings, with The Chemical Brothers topping the bill.

Any 'vibe' that might have been summoned in-between the Jägerhaus and the long queues at the bar was forced to hide beneath Victoria Park's huge Oak trees, as the skies opened just after 7pm. 

The inclement weather forced also people to stay inside Jon Hopkins' tent, where his incredible brand of electronica fell short thanks to a less-than-imaginative stage production. If the dated Microsoft Media Player graphics weren't going to save it, the two girls twiddling neon sticks certainly weren't! A real shame, as his records are so expansive and exciting.

Primal Scream were on the adjacent stage, wringing the party mood out of a drenched crowd, but there was a feeling that there was only one act people were here to see tonight.

Gigwise are fans of The Chemical Brothers, with previous reviews praising their visual production, their immaculate mixing and knack for tailoring a setlist to the crowd. To keep things brief, this performance at APE 2019 bettered all recent shows of theirs by a long way.

The APE crowd were desperate for a rave. As the mass of people groaned under the rain, the lights came down and giant, pink wireframe anthropoids jumped towards us, with the sounds of ‘Go’ winding up - and elation spread faster than vape smoke across the crowd.

Such is their repertoire, The Chemical Brothers highlights are non-stop. ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’, ‘Star Guitar’, ‘Galvanize’ and recent single ‘Got To Keep On’ fill the setlist with jaw dropping moments. Surely they're done, we think, before ‘Block Rockin’ Beats’ pulverizes the crowd.

And no stripped-back-for-the-festival stage production here! All the lights, visuals, lasers and giant, real-life robots you catch at a Chemical Brothers gig are in our company tonight. A mammoth visual and audio feat for a festival show.

As their set came to a close, there was no memory of the bad weather, or the lacklustre previous performances. Just a dazed, stunned crowd who, like me, still can't believe that it's these boys - the old guard perhaps - who are still leading the charge on how to push the envelope and bring the rave for a headline slot at an uber trendy London festival. 

Issue Four of the Gigwise Print magazine is on pre-order now! Order here.

More about: The Chemical BrothersAll Points East