Written by Sophie Wyatt
As the sun shone down on Victoria Park, crowds gathered for yet another day of All Points East Festival. The festivals Sunday lineup mixed artists hailing from different walks of life, but with an almost even mix of Irish to English acts. Crowds seemed slower to gather on Sunday, we presume following on from the heavy night of dancing and singing along to Jungles debut headline set at the festival the night before. But as the music began, crowds surrounded the stages, tins in hand and smiles on faces.
James Vincent McMorrow invited audiences to experience his warm acoustic tracks and soothing vocals. As his songs entwined through his growing audience, it was clear that the singer was enjoying the experience as much as the fans. “I’ve missed this,” McMorrow announced mid-set. “I’ve been in the studio. I make music for other people. I didn’t think I wanted to do live shows anymore, but I do.” We then headed over to see singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey. The artists Spanish guitar echoed among the crowd that held on to every lyric. After announcing that he was playing alongside his brother on stage, the pair greeted the festival with bright, beaming grins as the sun shone down on the East Stage. ‘Fever To The Form’ and ‘Unconditional’ were particular favourites among listeners.
As Mulvey brought his set to a close, we headed over to see emerging Irish artist Aby Coulibaly take to the stage. We can confirm that this was one of our highlights of the day. The crowd Aby brought in was continually growing as her music continued. Her effortless sound and bright presence made it feel like she was made for being on stage, which made it even more surprising when the Dublin-based artist explained that this was her first London festival. Some of her more well known tracks like ‘Weekdays’ had fans dancing and loosening up. Aby then invited fellow Irish artist Monjola to the stage as the pair performed their hit ‘Where u at’, which really got the crowd going as they sung her words back at her. As bounced around the stage, the singer was told she had ten minutes left. So she left us with her most recent release ‘DYWS?’ and the ultimate crowd pleaser ‘Long Nights’. Proclaiming ‘Oh my god you know the words, that’s crazy’ as fans danced and sang energetically, it’s clear the artists humbleness only added to her incredible presence, and we cannot wait to see her continue to grow.
Canadian duo Chromeo set to work dispensing good vibes to a heaving tent. The Day-Glo charms of ‘Juice’, ‘I Must’ve Been High’ and ‘Night by Night’ kept the carnival atmosphere pumping, but what sent the crowd into overdrive was special guest La Roux. Introduced by the duo as a ‘national treasure’, the temporary trio tore into their recent reworking of La Roux’s ‘Bulletproof’ (renamed ‘Discoproof’) for its debut live performance. Following this we headed over to get a spot for the one and only Olivia Dean. Following her last London performance at Somerset House in July, this set was highly anticipated by fans. As a section of horns took to the stage, alongside the rest of her band, the space began to fill up as crowds of people made their way over. And soon enough, Olivia Dean came bounding across the stage, adorned in Miu Miu from head to toe, with a pint in hand. As the last sun of the day gleamed down on the soulful singer, she invited the crowd to be present with her as she performed a mix of older and newer tracks following her debut album release earlier this summer. Having been nominated for the Mercury Prize for album ‘Messy’, it was a treat for everyone there to see the singer-songwriter in her element. To warm up the crowd, Olivia gave us a hip-swinging rendition of Kelis’ ‘Millionaire’, before slipping into some slower, more heart-felt tracks. Prefacing her song ‘Carmen’, the artist explained “This is for my granny Carmen, who came to this country…and I’m a product of her bravery. This is my love letter to her and the Windrush Generation, who deserve to be celebrated for what they did for this country.” She went on to close the show with her hit single ‘Dive’ with a sip of her drink and a big dance off the stage.
As the sun began to set and crowds locked in their positions at the East Stage, murmurs began in excitement for Irish singer Dermot Kennedy. Four years after he had propped up Mumford and Sons’ bill, the singing sensation returned to All Points East to show why the pole position is now his. Backed by a string section and choir, Kennedy found his feet on the stage very quickly. “If you take one thing from this music, it’s to cherish the people who care about you,” declared Kennedy to an enthralled and passionate crowd. The singer treated fans to the powerful widescreen rush of hits ‘Power Over Me’ and ‘Don’t Forget Me’, and more intimate moments, such as ‘Innocence and Sadness’. Declaring the performance “a dream” show, phone torches were held aloft for ‘After Rain’, and a climax was reached through the likes of ‘Outnumbered’ and a closing ‘Something for Someone’ that confirmed a new festival headliner has arrived on the circuit.
