Festival Review: Barry Can't Swim // All Points East, London August 2025
Another stellar weekend of the All Points East Festival was kicked off on Friday with the likes of The Blessed Madonna, Shygirl, and Confidence Man warming up the crowd before headliner of the evening, Barry Can’t Swim, lit up the East Stage.
The dusty grounds of Victoria Park filled up quickly on Friday, as the second weekend of All Points East kicked off. Sunglasses on and scarves across faces, people danced in the glittering sun to Leon Vynehall, who welcomed in the festival-goers over on the West Stage. As more people started trickling into the park post-work, The Blessed Madonna took over from Vynehall on the same stage. By then, the crowd had grown tenfold as people gathered, kicking dust into the air as they came, to catch a glimpse of the formidable American DJ.
The Blessed Madonna walked out to the crowd in a “house music against racism” shirt. At the same time, a multitude of political messages played out behind her, including pro-trans and pro-Palestine statements. The Blessed Madonna played to an ever-expanding crowd, the beat of her music travelling up through the ground, infectious, leaving no one standing still. Faces glistened as bodies moved to The Blessed Madonna’s beat, the sun slowly beginning to set behind the West Stage, the words “DANCE IS FREEDOM” flashing up behind the DJ. Over on the East Stage, English DJ and Rapper Shygirl performed under a large glittering disco ball, the crowd below her going wild when she performed Charli XCX’s 365 featuring Shygirl as well as her club banger, encore.
Confidence Man took to the East Stage later on in the evening, before headliner Barry Can’t Swim, and the space was packed out at least ten minutes before the set started. It’s understandable, as there is simply no one doing it like the Australian duo, whose APE set was pure energy and chaotic, sexy fun from start to finish. Opening with track Now U Do, Confidence Man had the whole crowd engrossed from the get-go. There was never a dip in the set, in the energy, which had a sea of people in Victoria Park dancing along to the likes of I CAN’T LOSE YOU and C.O.O.L Party, while the brother-sister duo put themselves through rigorous dance routines on stage. In between the swift costume changes, their DJ kept the crowd on their toes with futuristic dance beats. And perhaps the best, somewhat expected, surprise of the evening was when the pair brought a special guest onto the stage. New queen of pop JADE joined Confidence Man to perform the song of the summer Gossip. The crowd, already bursting at the seams with energy, really let go for this one, singing along to the song, word for word, climbing on each other’s shoulders, and fans held up in the air. Confidence Man, who had held the crowd captive for their entire performance, closed out the set with another fan-favourite, Holiday, the crowd swaying and dancing together as one, soaking up every last bit of the duo’s infectious energy. The dust well and truly needed to settle before Barry Can’t Swim came on to close out the night.
It is unsurprising that Scottish DJ, Barry Can’t Swim, got a headline slot at All Points East this year, having swiftly risen up the ranks since the release of his first album, When Will We Land? back in 2023, while his latest album, Loner, has been labelled as an album that will “soundtrack countless summers”. However, cementing himself as one of the best, Barry Can’t Swim, also known as Joshua Spence Mainnie, made sure to close out Friday night with a truly unforgettable, joyous, high-energy set. There was a fizz in the air, pure, infectious, electric joy buzzing from the crowd as Barry Can’t Swim took to the stage with his band and basically a full orchestra in tow, opening up the set with The Person You’d Like To Be. The almost hypnotic wailing sound of the track immediately captured everyone’s attention, locking them in for what was sure to be a fun ride. There was never a dull moment throughout the Scottish musician’s set, as he flowed effortlessly between tracks like Kimbara and Kimpton, all the while providing colourful visuals and a light show to go with the music.
“All Points East, what’s happening?” Mainnie, who was also celebrating his birthday that night, spoke to the crowd, a beaming, somewhat disbelieving smile on his face at the size of the crowd in front of him. Perhaps the biggest birthday party he’s had to date. And Confidence Man weren’t the only ones with a special guest, as Mainnie brought out Låpsley, to perform their track Woman together. Despite the dust, the crowd continued to dance, joyous and excited, smiles across everyone’s faces as the opening of God Is The Space Between Us started, cheers erupting across the park. It really did feel like the crowd had reverted back to being kids as Barry Can’t Swim played his track Childhood, pure, innocent joy spreading across the park like wildfire.
Barry Can’t Swim left Victoria Park feeling full of magic as he closed out the show with Deadbeat Gospel, where poet Jack Loughrey, a.k.a. somedeadbeat, joined him to perform his spoken word parts. And finally, Sunsleeper, the ultimate summer track, saw the crowd surge with newfound energy. Bodies swaying together, glistening faces, as everyone embraced the last hurrah to summer.
Words by Angela English
Photo Credit: Bethan Miller // IsahaShahPhotography
