Photo: Lou Morris
This year’s All Points East Festival will be held over six days, kicking off on August 19th with Gorillaz as Friday’s headliners. The annual event takes place over two consecutive weekends and will be held in Victoria Park in East London. Here are our picks for artists you should make sure to see if you are planning on attending the first Friday of the festival. If you haven’t already, you can purchase tickets here.
Gorillaz
Of course, we couldn’t start without mentioning Friday’s headliners. The band was formed in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, and boast a lengthy discography. The touring band is known for their insatiable stage presence, paired with creative visuals that depict the 2D fictional members on screen. The films share clips from various music videos alongside cartoon performances of the band. Gorillaz are known to bring high levels of energy and passion to their festival performances, and we expect All Points East to be no different.
Remi Wolf
Remi Wolf is a singer and songwriter from California who released her debut album Juno last year. The release is an explosion of power and colour, which builds paces and shares a range of interesting experiences through dramatic metaphors and zany riffs.
Last year, Wolf released We Love Dogs!, a remixed compilation of her previously released music. The EP shares reworked tracks by a range of artists, including Hot Chip, Beck, Little Dragon and Nile Rodgers. Although reworked tracks are common releases for artists, having a 15-track EP with such a well-known list of artists exemplifies the talent and influence she has. I’m happy to admit that I first heard of Remi Wolf from her feature on a 2020 Apple iPhone advert, and if that isn’t effective music sync in action, then I don’t know what is.
NewDad
Taking their name from an online artist name generator, NewDad is a moody and subtle band from Galway in Ireland. Lead singer Julie Dawson’s warm and mellow vocals build a balmy mood throughout their 2021 EP Waves. NewDad’s mix of dreampop and lo-fi indie genres results in a sound entirely their own, perfect to soundtrack a late-night drive or cosy cocktail bar. Their performance at All Points East is not to be missed, especially for festival-goers who are looking to relax in the afternoon before the sensory explosion that is a Gorillaz headline performance.
IDLES
IDLES was formed in Bristol in 2009 and performed at All Points East back in 2019 alongside Bring Me the Horizon, YONAKA and Run the Jewels. Frontman Joe Talbot’s vocals are poignant and pointed, bringing an immense level of anger and critique directed out at the world. IDLES’ sound would fit perfectly into the angsty teenage mixtapes of the 70s and 80s, but was also constrastingly featured in Season 6 of the hit BBC show Peaky Blinders.
As someone who has seen IDLES live before, be prepared to feel emotional and physically exhausted, as it’s impossible to not stand and shout along to their distinctive live set. There are many artists who want to shy away from any kind of current or topical themes, but IDLES tackle them head-on, sharing their views on toxic masculinity and British politics.
Self Esteem
Rebecca Lucy Taylor, better known as Self Esteem, is our final recommendation for the first Friday at All Points East. Originally the lead vocalist in the indie-folk duo Slow Club, Taylor released her first single as Self Esteem, ‘Your Wife’, in 2017. In 2021, she went on to release her debut album Prioritise Pleasure, a powerful and triumphant collection of tracks built to empower and inspire.
One of the singles from the album, ‘How Can I Help You’, was shared alongside a poignant music video directed by Mr. Mr Films at The Almedia Theatre. The artist shared how she wanted to play the drums in the music video because she used to feel self-conscious when she played them. She shared how the power needed to make a sound on the percussive instrument would make her chest move, and she didn’t want to be seen or objectified in that way whilst trying to play music. Rather than be deterred, she created the video to empower other women to continue their passions, sharing lyrics about misogyny and fetishisation. Self Esteem’s live shows are a powerhouse of female energy and strength, a performance not to be missed.
Although this list only represents a small number of the artists performing at this year’s All Points East Festival, we hope you find these picks helpful in choosing artists that you will be seeing this year. You can find a full Friday playlist curated by the event organisers below, alongside mixes from the other festival dates.
