Festival Review: Kaytranada - All Points East Festival // Victoria Park - August 2024
Photo Credit: Sharon Lopez
Driven by vibrant beats and unshackled rhythms, Kaytranada encapsulated All Points East with a dazzling mix of his iconic discography.
Kicking off London's edgiest festival series, Kaytranada is ready to party. Fresh off the release of his third album 'TIMELESS', the in-demand producer is known for his intimate Boiler Room sets that have gone viral on TikTok thanks to the unhinged moves of fellow artist Shay Lia. Distilling the manic intimacy of cosy club nights and expanding it for a main stage is no easy feat - but ahead of that, the DJ has enlisted a whole host of support acts to bring the hype.
Having penned songs for the likes of Ariana Grande, Blackpink and Chris Brown, songwriter Victoria Monet is finally having her moment - expect a sunny forecast of contemporary R&B and intricate dance routines. Another one to watch is Thundercat - his unique blend of funk, rock and soul has fostered collaborations with Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar. Firstly in the wee hours of the day, Lou Phelps mixed brazen sonic melodies for the early birds on the East Stage and Bianca Oblivion blasted out a fervent fusion of Afrobeats and dancehall, bringing a sense of joyful chaos to the 6music stage. Peers in the genre, already the artists lined up for the day matched the freak of the headliner.
Beginning on the West Stage, rising star Nia Smith made a memorable debut bringing soulful R&B numbers made to dance away any negative energy. In the literal sense she stated this on the emotional ‘Give Up The Fear’ singing “the pain won’t stop until you give it up”. Pacing the stage, any apparent nerves were whisked away every time she opened her mouth to reveal her angelic voice. She also teased an unreleased cut 'Reckless Soul' - drizzled in beachy guitar plucks and doom-laden moody synths, it's an intriguing taster of what's to come. But her true potential lay in the show-stopping ‘Personal’ where her stage presence was undeniable. Effortlessly slick and ridiculously cool, don’t be surprised if you find Nia Smith creeping into your favourite playlist.
Arriving onstage beaming in red slacks exclaiming "What the fuck is up London?!", Thundercat followed with a mind-boggling zig-zag guitar interlude 'How Sway'. A cosmic jazz daydream, 'ADD Through The Roof' took a galactic journey through every chord and took the crowd with it. One thing to note is throughout the whole show, the LA producer's wide smile was always visible when working his magic on the electric guitar. His mastery of the instrumentals often overpowered the muffled vocals - but it's all part of his wicked charm. The bouncy and energetic 'Funny Thing' was charged with relentless groove, perhaps the most danceable moment. By the time the introspective funk-rock jam 'Them Changes' hit, the audience shouted back the first line "Nobody move, there's blood on the floor".
Almost a year on from her award-winning debut album Jaguar II, superstar Victoria Monet is back on London soil to deliver the goods. Flanked by green foliage and backing dancers, she opened with the Kaytranada-produced ‘Alright’ – a swanky early standout which began her victory lap. Looking like Inspector Gadget in their hot girl summer era, Monet's long black trench coat was tossed aside prior to 'F.U.C.K' (aka. Friend U Can Keep) and the tantalising twerk number 'Ass Like That'. Backed by triumphant horns and thumping bass, during ‘On My Mama’ Monet exuded unapologetic confidence and divine femininity – Spice Girls may have coined the term girl power but Victoria Monet perfected it giving a playful performance peppered with impressive choreography, pure personality and stellar vocals.
"Kaytranada. Classic. Timeless" chimed out when the time came for our much-anticipated headliner - the humble beginning of 'Pressure' prompted the first tidal wave of cheers. He proceeded to drop some surprise features including the likes of early cut ‘At All’ and a slice of his debut album ‘VIVID DREAMS’.
One early difference from his jaunts at smaller venues is obviously the size of the stage but also the striking visuals. Three rectangular screen structures on either side of the DJ projected erratic technicolour bubbles amidst blinking white lights for ‘LITE SPOTS and various dusky windows of people partying were displayed on them during ‘10%’, giving the vision of skyscraper raves where Kaytranada runs the city.
The Haitian-Canadian DJ built the foundations of his career on viral reworks of popular R&B tracks such as his 2013 refresh of ‘If’ by Janet Jackson – his first Soundcloud sensation that skyrocketed his unique production style into the mainstream. Other special mentions include his lively remixes of Beyonce’s ‘Cuff It, Kelela’s ‘Waitin’ and Sam Gellaitry’s ‘Assumptions’ – all received a rabid response of flailing limbs and arms. One fan apologised and gushed “Imagine seeing your entire Spotify playlist live” after accidentally thrusting her bandana off from the sheer force of her dancing.
While Pink Pantheress didn’t appear for the dangerously catchy ‘Snap My Finger’ and Childish Gambino was absent for the enchanting woozy house of ‘Witchy’, Channel Tres leapt in to rap on their recent collaboration ‘Drip Sweat’, a twitchy and explosive dopamine shot of a track. A seamless and funky set from one of the world’s most unique producers, while flashing lights and blockbuster visuals enhanced the show – Kaytranada let the music do the talking.
Words by Oliver Evans
