A CELEBRATION OF JOY AND EXPRESSIONISM : MITSKI HEADLINES DAY 3 AT ALL POINTS EAST

FESTIVAL REVIEW | ALL POINTS EAST – VICTORIA PARK, LONDON | 18/08/24 by Tom Jenkinson

Now in its sixth year, All Points East festival has become a staple of the summertime circuit. With the festival spread out over multiple weekends, the line up is a who’s who of emerging and established artists for those serious about music. Sunday’s roster of acts shows a genuine move in the music industry to showcase more female-fronted acts, which is welcome amid years of inaction on the issue.

By luck or design, Wasia Project had the best stage time of the event: their energetic blend of jazz and pop provided a euphoric soundtrack to the late afternoon sunset on the West Stage. These relative newcomers (not even a full album release to their name) were a surprise bet for such a prominent slot but the gamble more than paid off. Olivia Hardy’s vocal performance on upcoming EP track ‘Is This What Love Is‘ provides an aural soundscape, her performance demonstrating her impressive vocal capabilities. She floats across the entirety of the stage while her range fills the gaps between. This sibling duo demonstrate some serious musical chops, and an upcoming UK tour may be the only thing that stands between them and complete British adoration. 

Festival highlight act is awarded to Suki Waterhouse. There is a buzz surrounding her appearance that afternoon long before she appears on stage. For someone whose career has primarily been focused on modelling and acting, I am reluctant to admit that I am expecting the set to be more style than substance.  However, I am delighted that I could not be more wrong, and her opening song ‘Moves‘ is a sultry yet emotional start to the set which brings in the entirety of the crowd by the first chorus. Her sound is big, dark, and catchy, and tracks like ‘OMG‘ and ‘Blackout Drunk’ show why Waterhouse was selected to support Taylor Swift at Wembley only the night before, in addition to dominating the stage at All Points East. I was convinced of the performance already after the first few songs, but this was confirmed by her choice to pay tribute her favourite band of all time, before launching into a cover of ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger‘. Ten out of ten, no notes.

There is enough time to catch the finale of TV Girl’s trip-pop, lo-fi set, ending on their iconic ‘Lovers Rock‘. Their set is humorous and vibey but there is a more of a feeling of capturing an aesthetic or a feeling than maybe something more palpable that can be held onto. Singer Brad Petering jokes about losing the album sales money on horse betting and it fits into the feeling this set is more like an impressionist painting of 60s California, but it is nevertheless captivating and unlike anything else on the bill.

There is perhaps a small question mark hanging over the festival as to whether Mitski is an obvious headline act. Her set is at home with stage mates Beabadoobee and Ethel Cain but her UK appearances this year have included just a handful of nights, so her return to the UK stage is somewhat unknown territory, especially on a stage of this size. However, her lost and lonely sound has found welcome company amongst a generation of young souls isolated due to COVID, who have connected with her avant-garde pop/folk/indie blend via TikTok. Her set has a sense of mystery, magic, and theatre to it, and while there is an undercurrent of the introspection in her set (‘Everyone‘, ‘I Bet on Losing Dogs‘) there are also surprising bright and airy moments with the crowd coming out of their shell for tracks like ‘Love Me More‘. Her production isn’t necessarily as outlandish as other headliners gracing the stage this year (she is accompanied by literally just a chair and her band) but it is by no means any less impressive, given her ability to fill the empty space with ballet, mime, and impressions of a dog (in addition to the warm hug of her music). Any question as to whether Mitski has the presence to headline is answered by the time the set closes with ‘Washing Machine Heart‘. It is an unconventional set but it is the perfect ending to the joy and expressionism of the rest of the day.

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Tom Jenkinson

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