Festival Review: Twenty One Pilots – All Points East, London, 30/08/2026
The alt-pop duo close out a vintage run of the East London festival in audacious, genre-defying style.
In comparison to historic UK staples such as Glastonbury and Isle of Wight festival, All Points East is still in its infancy. Founded in 2018, it has since attracted big names such as Raye and The Strokes, but has always felt like more of an all-round boutique experience than, say, the decidedly crowd-pleasing Reading & Leeds. 2026 has seen heavy-hitters including Lorde, Deftones & Tyler, the Creator bridge that gap a little, without sacrificing the ever-so-slightly off-kilter atmosphere that the multi-day festival is known for. Continuing in this tradition are Ohio duo Twenty One Pilots, who are on hand to close out this year's edition, but first, there's an extensive supporting lineup to enjoy.
We arrive just in time to catch Hatsings’ punks Kid Kapichi, who draw a sizeable crowd to the tented North Arena at the (relatively) early time of 3:50pm. Swaggering onstage to the brooding introductory notes of ‘Artillery’, the four-piece get things off to a bruising start, the opener’s heavy, hypnotic riff inspiring communal headbanging right away. They up the tempo with the gruffly motivational ‘Let’s Get To Work’, before commanding a bouncy moshpit with the darkly dynamic ‘Stainless Steel”. It’s a pleasant surprise to see that a significant number of punters are already well in the know when it comes to Kapichi, singing along at the top of their voices while the band rattle through the abrasive ‘Rob the Supermarket’.
Those who aren’t clued up also appear to be impressed - two guys behind us describe the sharp-dressed rockers as “the punk version of Madness”, and considering Kid Kapichi supported the Ska legends in July - not to mention the fact that they also collaborated with Suggs on 2024’s ‘Zombie Nation’ - it’s a throwaway remark which happens to be right on the money. Admittedly, the energy dips a little during two more subdued songs plucked from the band’s latest LP ‘Fearless Nature’, but that only speaks to the fact that Kid Kapichi, like all the great bands, aren’t afraid to keep pushing forward. The beat-punk blast of ‘New England’ soon fires everyone back up, before the formidable double whammy of ‘Get Down’ and ‘Smash the Gaff’ sends punters out into the dusty day with a fierce sense of energy, and heightened anticipation for what’s still to come.
There’s no time to spare as we make a dash for the intimate E3 stage, where the LA based Emi Grace is about to give her first UK performance. Backed by a bassist, drummer, and rhythm guitarist, she initially appears to be operating within the realm of angsty pop-punk, the sort that everyone from Avril Lavigne to Lina-Mariah, and perhaps most notably Olivia Rodrigo, has helped define. And in many ways, she is. The songs whizz by in a blur of buzzy basslines, hook-laden choruses, and in-your-face attitude. What makes Grace stand out from the (already impressive) crowd, however, is her world class guitar playing.
With each new song, she unveils a seemingly longer, more intricate, and increasingly spirited guitar solo, shredding with a technical prowess that can only come from years of experience. She clearly loves the craft of guitar playing, blessing every song with raucous riffs and sensational solos, frequently indulging in the kind of playful pinch harmonics that characterise the revered playing of Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti.
Mid-set highlight ‘Mr. Melodramatic’ boasts a flamboyant, Latin-rock riff which recalls Santana, while Grace’s high-energy performance style - she tends to stand on a heightened part of the stage as she tears through each visceral solo - has shades of AC/DC’s iconic Angus Young. Big words, we know, but Emi Grace has not just an undeniable skill set, but the presence to match. On one of the festival's smallest stages, comes perhaps the most memorable performer of the whole day. The fact that some hardcore Twenty One Pilots fans spent the entire day camped out at the East Stage, as a bright new star was being born in real time, is frankly unconscionable.
We head back to the North Arena just in time to catch London duo Nova Twins, who bring their eclectic mix of rap-rock, rave-punk, and synth-metal to an excitable crowd. Vocalist and guitarist Amy Love spits out quick-fire verses before showcasing her impressive, multi-octane voice during choruses, while bassist Georgia South struts and jumps around the stage, all the while orchestrating a fuzzy, distortion-drenched bass tone of monstrous proportions.
Enabling her to do so is an extensive pedal board setup, a litany of effects loops, and coolest of all, a MIDI control ring which she wears on her finger, shaking her hand to manipulate the sonic landscape around her, resulting in EDM-esque frequency modulations. It all combines to create a striking, hype-inducing sound, and the crowd respond in kind, dancing as well as headbanging, not to mention bellowing back the N.O.V.A chant which underpins their song of the same name.
Equally musically varied is Ren, the Welsh-born, Brighton-based singer-songwriter who jumps from hip-hop stylings to folk-ballads, gritty guitars to extensive spoken word segments, all whilst having a spin on the playground roundabout he’s brought to the East Stage. Though impressive, his set is also sprawling, and we decide to make the most of the VIP area, with its great selection of alcohol, free magnums, and delicious (but messy) burritos.
It’s all the way over to the West Stage next for the penultimate act of the day, Cornish rockers Wunderhorse. Though the crowd isn’t as large as the band perhaps would’ve hoped (securing a good slot for Twenty One Pilots is clearly an absolute priority for most of their fans here), the four-piece still give it their all, with frontman and founder Jacob Slater’s raspy vocals nicely complimented by his bandmates understated yet driving instrumentation, all burrowing bass, pounding drums, and increasingly grungy guitar. It’s a welcome chance to regroup before we head back to the East Stage, weave through some of the 40,000 strong crowd, and settle in for the main event.
The anticipation in the air is palpable as Twenty One Pilots step out on stage, met with huge cheers from a buzzing young crowd. The duo - composed of multi-instrumental vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun - launch straight into energetic opener ‘Overcompensate’, with the predominantly Gen Z audience singing its melodic chorus at the top of their lungs. “Thank you so much for coming to this show”, exclaims Joseph, who’s dressed in a black cloak and signature ‘Clancy’ balaclava. “We absolutely love coming here to play music for you”. The feeling is mutual. The crowd positively lap up everything the pair have to offer, with the ‘Suicide Squad’-soundtracking ‘Heathens’ a notable early highlight (the Joker-nodding green & blue lighting is a nice touch, too). After an effortless transition into the anthemic ‘Next Semester’, the duo deploy the casually catchy, likeably laidback ‘One Way’, following it up with the instant earworm ‘Tear in my Heart'.
By now Joseph has removed his balaclava, and after around 35 minutes of on-off rapid-fire rapping and performing on the crowd via specifically designed platforms, he and Dun (who’s ferocious drumming style must take its toll) are ready to turn things down a notch. Before doing so, Joseph thanks the extensive supporting lineup, making a point of naming every band and artist that’s played today. There’s one glaring omission, however: our favourite act of the day, the already inimitable Emi Grace, appears to have been carelessly overlooked. In fact, she’s promptly invited to join Joseph and Dun onstage, adding atmospheric guitar to the band’s debut performance of ‘Robot Voices’, a moment fans had been waiting just under a year for.
Twenty One Pilots actively encourage fans to immerse themselves in conceptual storytelling and lore through both their albums and live shows, and judging by the hush which falls over the audience upon the track’s title being spoken, this is one such moment. In any case, it’s a classy move to spotlight Grace in this way, taking the artist that only a few hours prior was performing on one of the site’s smallest stages, and placing her in front of tens of thousands of people, not to mention the millions more who will watch via social media. It’s a pretty magical moment, and the feeling is further cemented by Joseph covering the chorus of The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’, just him and the piano. One of the set's greatest strengths is the band’s ability to transition from rap-rock to alt-pop - via a burst of piano balladry - and back again, without it ever feeling forced or unnatural.
By now the skies have almost fully darkened, and as Dun drums on a second stage in the middle of the crowd next to a prop car, anticipation grows amongst those who know what’s coming (which, in fairness, is almost everyone). Joseph makes his way through the crowd as he sings ‘Routines in the Night’, before joining Dun on the B stage, where they proceed to play for a good 15 minutes as the car is set ablaze, lighting up the night sky and drawing gasps of wonder from the audience. ‘Polarize’ and ‘Chlorine’ are particular highlights of this section, and the pair keep the hits coming as they return to the mainstage, playing fan favourite ‘Jumpsuit’ in full, much to the delight of the many mega-fans in the field.
As accomplished and enjoyable as the music is, it’s on-stage theatrics such the burning car which truly mark Twenty One Pilots out as live performers, and they’re soon at it again as Dun, now shirtless, climbs a ladder to take his place behind a second kit, perched rather perilously atop a tall, specially constructed tower just right of the main stage. As he makes his way there, Joseph once again treats the crowd to a piano-side cover, this time tackling the chorus of Radiohead’s iconic hit ‘Creep’, in another welcome nod to Britain’s rich musical history.
A few songs later, and Joseph has invited a somewhat reluctant looking security guard named Lucas onstage to help him sing the band’s early hit ‘Ride’. At first it’s unclear whether Lucas even really knows the song, let alone how to sing it, but he soon gets into it, prompting big cheers from the crowd. Following this, the former White Stripes’ frontman Jack White appears on the massive screen behind the band, giving them his blessing to cover his own (former) duo’s classic track ‘Seven Nation Army’, which they proceed to do quite a bit of justice to.
Barring a brief musical nod to Franz Ferdinad’s ‘Take Me Out’, it’s strictly their own material from here on in, including the rarely played pop-rock ballad ‘Downstairs’, which their hardcore fanbase are beyond thrilled to hear and sing their hearts out to. The pair then take the older members of the crowd back in time with their 2011 song ‘Guns for Hands’, before giving even the most casual fan what they’ve been waiting for. Yes, 2015’s breakthrough hit ‘Stressed Out’ sounds just as good as it did over a decade ago, every single punter belting out the now ironically nostalgic chorus of “Wish we could turn back time/ To the good old days” with bittersweet aplomb. It could easily have been the last song, and many people do indeed start filtering out afterwards, in the hope of beating the inevitable queue for the tube.
Those who stick around are treated to a triumphant rendition of ‘Trees’, but either way, no one can say they didn’t get their money's worth. 2 hours and 29 songs later, Twenty One Pilots have cemented their status as one of the most engaging headline acts around, with one of the best tastes in support acts to boot.
Words by Ben Left
Photo Credit: @BETHANMILLERCO
