More about: All Points East

By the time I stepped onto the bus at 2pm, it stank of beer and sweat. In case you couldn’t tell, Saturday 27th was Bank Holiday. All Points East became a festering cesspit of spilled drinks and dust – but if there was any day to go nuts to, it was today. Saturday’s lineup was a slew of top-notch producers, largely across the electronic sphere: jungle, DnB, house, techno, alt, promising to end on a high note with a headlining slot from Disclosure. 

Beloved DnB/jungle veteran Shy FX made an appearance in the North Stage to produce one of the best sets of the day. It was the combination of a good-natured crowd and classics like ‘Original Nuttah’ that made it a great start to the festival. It’s clear why he’s become a mainstay of the genre – he’s able to whip up a crowd and bring them down again with ease. 

Fred Again’s performance, meanwhile, teetered on the edge of danger. As a result of his recent social media explosion, the tent was totally cramped. My friend Nayen and I nearly got trampled as a wave of people fell over in front of us, which wasn’t exactly pleasant. I will say that Fred Again is adept at sustaining crowd energy, though the feverish attitude of the crowd mismatched his more downtempo house cuts. That being said, watching ‘Rumble’ live was incredible to witness – and he even brought out Mike Skinner for a few songs at the end! 

Then it was time for Mura Masa, who kept a relatively low profile doing instrumentals at the back. I’m a big fan of Mura Mara’s stuff, and his setlist showed how much his discography has evolved over the years. From house-party staples like ‘Lovesick’, slowthai’s punk tirades on ‘Deal Wiv It’, and the adorably cute ‘bbycakes’, it was a nostalgic reminder to why Crossan continues to dominate the alt-electronic scene. It was vocalist Fliss, however, that really stole the show – she was able to morph into each song with ease, and performed with fantastic dancing to boot. 

Finally, it was time for Disclosure, and they did not disappoint. Unlike Thursday’s sound mixing issues, Disclosure’s music sounded as crisp as it does in headphones. There’s a reason why there one of the biggest acts in the world – they’re able to captivate audiences with old hits like ‘White Noise’ as they are with recent singles like ‘Waterfall’. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was Sam Smith, who appeared towards the end to sing ‘Latch’. According to Smith, it had been five years since they had performed with Disclosure live; complete with fireworks, it made their headline slot completely worth all the stinky armpits and rowdy crowds. 

See photos below from Fabiola Bonnot:

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More about: All Points East