Festival Review: Mitski - All Points East // Victoria Park - August 2024

A legendary conglomeration of indie’s best make for one of All Points East’s most iconic lineups to date.

On a sunny London Sunday, Victoria Park’s crown gates opened for an influx of indie fanatics for a jam-packed day of swooning and smiling. The calm chit-chattering of guests and the vibrant blend of scents from the various vendors formed the warm atmosphere of All Points East 2024. Guests were welcomed with a clear blue sky to East London’s greatest public park turned live music venue. Made up of six stages, Victoria Park was transformed into a carnival of celebration for the current titans of the indie music genre.

Upon initial entry to the festival, you feel the electric pull towards the looming arches above the BBC 6 Music Stage, where you find a collection of pink balaclavas grooving behind a DJ deck. Without another thought, your feet begin to move to the beat, then your head, and then your arms join the dance. This was NOT BAD FOR A GIRL, a group of female and gender non-conforming DJs based in Manchester. Despite the sparse crowd of the beginnings of the day, the troupe proved incredibly skilled artists and riled up excitement amongst those listening. With seamless transitions between funky fresh tunes (including the theme song for the N64 game ‘Buck Bumble’, which I found rather humorous and fun), NOT BAD FOR A GIRL’s DJ set spurred excitement for a day full of music whilst simultaneously providing great exposure to genres within DJing and their empowering collective. 

One of the first major sets of the day was held at the iconic East Stage. With a smile and a wave, Strawberry Guy (a.k.a. Alex) stepped up to the red keyboard on stage and admired the crowd rather shyly. He quietly greeted us and admitted “this is probably the biggest show I’ve played to date”, later saying he felt “a little bit nervous but comfortably awkward”. Despite the apparent nerves, Alex played delicate ivories alongside three violinists and a cellist to form harmonic melodies. With the sun blaring and the beautiful ‘Meadow at Giverny’ painting by Monet (from the album art of ‘Sun Outside My Window’) backing the musicians, Strawberry Guy’s set brought the first few tears of the day. His soulful music and heartfelt lyrics radiated across the field and between the bodies of the crowd. Alex played with a constant smile on his face and took moments to gaze across the faces of the crowd, clearly amazed by the number of listeners. He expresses this at the end of his set, saying “Life is crazy and dreams can come true”.

The sunrays persisted and welcomed Lucius immediately after, who emerged onto the stage with ringing cowbells. Frontwomen Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig took centre stage in funky, boxy 3D-esque glasses and performed energetic tracks on matching synths and an array of percussion instruments. Their bandmates backed their showmanship feverishly, making for an entertaining experimentation with the vast alternative/indie genre. Midway through their set, the band suffered from a momentary power outage but smoothly improvised with the crowd’s support; utilising the crowd themselves, the band orchestrated us to clap to their rhythm and reinvigorate their sound with great success and amusement.

Perhaps the second most-anticipated artist of the day bar Mitski, of course, was Ethel Cain, who has become a widespread phenomenon amongst indie fans worldwide. Her personal style of alternative/indie features grungy midwestern guitars and solemn vocals. She is known best for her focus on religious trauma and for her ghostly stage presence. All Points East was brought to a hush as she appeared onstage adorning black leather gloves and backed by various VHS-style photos of rivers and fields, as if enforcing a transportation into the American country. Her vocals are famously a mixture of angelic and demonic, and helped to take the crowd into a totally different world. The utterly heart-wrenching vocals were matched by equally compelling instrumentals by incredibly talented musicians who shared Ethel’s sense of trauma; Her haunting, restrained vocals matched perfectly with droning basslines and thrumming, singular drum beats. Speaking of drums, drummer Bryan De Leon was a standout for his emotional performance and striking facial expressions, not to mention his powerful drum solos. It was at the point of ‘Thoroughfare’, following a couple of problems in the crowd due to the heat, that time slowed and Ethel comfortably perched on the edge of the stage to play a harmonica. With a beautiful guitar solo and practically a breakdown to close, this track stood out as an explosion of emotion via musical expertise and promoted harmony, unity and understanding across the festival.

Moving out of the sun momentarily, fans traversed to the Cupra North Arena, spilling out and clambering between one another to catch a glimpse of Suki Waterhouse’s afternoon set. Suki practically floated back and forth across the stage in her flowing white shirt and riled up a mighty karaoke with her fans and casual onlookers alike. The attendance for her set was surprisingly immense, proving her to be far more popular than initially expected. And the crowd brought so much energy, they absolutely adored her. Squinting across the crowd, into the dimness of the tented stage, and with a beaming smile, Suki said “This is so unbelievably special”, and led fans through an abundance of song and dance.

Following Suki’s set, there was a sudden swarm of movement back over to the East Stage. And, by looking at the expressions on fans' faces, there could have only been one artist playing: Beabadoobee. Beloved indie artist and passionate guitar player, beabadoobee amassed a phenomenal crowd of eager fans. Known well for her charming persona, she played with a constant wide smile, matching the eagerness of her adoring fans. She played with ease and finesse through fan favourites and provided a heartwarming performance, as usual.

Taking our first trip over to West Stage, some fans enjoyed watching the sunset to the gentle melodies of Men I Trust. With the sun lowering in the sky and the cold evening breeze setting in, Men I Trust’s synthwave gentleness and nostalgic warmth was perfectly timed. They transitioned seamlessly through a symphony of back to back tracks for a crowd of hearty fans and attendees (like myself) struck by the heat and pausing the party to sit, breathe, and appreciate one another and the wonder of music.

To kickstart the evening, we returned to the Cupra North Arena to witness the fantastic performance of Arlo Parks, who started a true party with her blends of indie sounds and R&B staples. With committed fans and fellow enthusiasts, this set was invigorating after a momentary calm. Arlo Parks’ grooves were addictive and contagious. She reflects on her live shows, saying “The shows I play here (London, her hometown) always feel like a homecoming”.

The highly anticipated TV Girl set  summoned practically the entirety of the festival’s attendants to the West Stage. Brad Petering was equipped with a distortion box and a pair of round black sunglasses and brought the energy of a wannabe Alex Turner. His vocals were the staple melancholic vibe of TV Girl’s style and were paired with instrumental madness. Petering enjoyed experimenting with his soundboard and the backup singers provided endearing choreography. With a setlist described by Petering as “scientifically determined to be entertaining”, TV Girl’s set was mellow yet captivating.

It cannot be denied that throughout the entirety of the day there was a constant air of anticipation and excitement for the final act. In the darkness of the August eve, the buzz of the hushed crowd, left waiting in the hum of the lowered stage lights, eyes glued to the stage. Sauntering onstage with a fresh pixie cut, Mitski’s presence was instantly hypnotic. Her set was clearly curated delicately and purposefully; each individual movement, music note and lighting choice was perfectly set to create an atmospheric, performative show. Known for her unusual and intriguing stage presence, Mitski’s true charm and adorable persona shone through between songs. In greeting the fans, she proclaimed “I’m so happy to be here. I’m so happy to see you”. Despite the literal thousands of people before her, she spoke to us with such comfort and commonality and looked upon us with utter warmth and love in her eyes. She is truly an artist for the fans, ensuring to take care of fans by instructing a miniature stretch class.

Mitski’s performance of fan favourites and mighty tracks from her newest album ‘The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We’ oftentimes felt transcendent of the borders of London and offered an emotional and spiritual experience within itself. She’s such an expressionist artist in her movements and facial expressions, curating a narrative with her live music. The violent guitar distortions and ambient lighting surrounded Mitski in her transient song and dance. A constant, protruding spotlight made her performance utterly hypnotic and reflected off of her white shirt to make her literally glow in striking imagery. The utter theatre of her set brought an air of power to the singer, creating nightmarish images of puppetry, delirium, mania, and chaos. The crowd watched in silent wonder as she tumbled and writhed upon the stage beneath a beautiful ceiling lighting piece which was made up of ‘raindrop’ spotlights which she would slow dance with for ‘Heaven’, and which would transform into laser daggers and shards of glass for ‘My Love Mine All Mine’.

Mitski’s performance proved her to be an artist through and through, and a historic headliner for an All Points East festival. In thanking the fans and the hardworking All Points crew, she said “I’m so happy. Thank you for making me so happy. I love you. With all my heart I love you”. Without the support of the crew prior to and during the festival, and the commitment and care of the security team, we would not have received such an impressive and successful festival day. This year’s lineup was clearly put together with a lot of care and consideration for the fans, and has made for one of All Points East’s most iconic lineups to date.

Words by Erin Hill
Photography by Sam Strutt

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