August bank holiday saw the return of Luno Presents: All Points East festival, held over two weekends in London’s illustrious Victoria Park. The same site was used for numerous events this year, including Field Day which we attended the week before, all operated and run by the All Points East team.
The festival offered a wide range of music, tantalising the crowd over six stages with numerous stands, food, and smaller tents dotted throughout the park. The line up for the Saturday included the likes of Disclosure, James Blake, Fred Again.., Shy FX, Charli XCX, and Joy Orbison, providing the perfect soundtrack to your bank holiday weekend, no matter your taste in music.
Here are our top 5 sets from Saturday 27th August at All Points East:
Franky Wah
Smashing his way into the limelight over the last few years, Franky Wah has consistently delivered melodic masterpieces, with releases on seminal labels like Afterlife, Ministry Of Sound, Anjunadeep, and more. His hybrid live/DJ performance combined with his blend of melodic house and techno has made him a DJ not to be missed.
Playing live, it’s always exciting to see a DJ performing with synths and drum machines. Franky delivered his set seamlessly, even bringing on live performers to sing for his latest record “Under The Sun”. Another standout tune from his set was “Everybody’s Free”, with the whole crowd encapsulated by his performance.
Shy FX
Shy FX, real name Andre Williams, is one of the pioneers of drum and bass and jungle in the UK. His 1994 record “Original Nuttah” was a monster hit, reaching the top 40, and in 2002 “Shake Your Body” reached number 7 – making him a mainstay in the scene.
He lit the north stage up with his infectious rhythms, setting us up for the day with his high tempo energy. His edit of DJ Fresh’s “Gold Dust” was a standout moment, getting the whole crowd to sing along! His energy behind the decks was unmatched all day, and hearing his classic tunes (mentioned above) went down a treat, with “Roll The Dice” another special mention.
Joy Orbison
One of the most innovative artists in the electronic industry, real name Peter O’Grady saw instant success with his 09′ release Hyph Mngo. Nephew of DnB pioneer Ray Keith, it’s no surprise his sets have heavy influence from old school jungle.
As always with Joy O, his sets are peppered with IDs and unreleased music, you’ll see fellow ravers scratching their heads trying to work out the ID! Not one to follow a traditional sound, his set was a blend of left field techno, house, with some breaks flavour thrown in too. Check out the vid below – we reckon it’s unreleased Pearson Sound.
Fred Again…
Fred again… has had a meteoric rise to fame over the last year, with his most recent Boiler Room going viral and garnering millions of views. It’s no surprise why though, his blend of live performance and DJing sets the crowd racing, and his tendency to play unreleased music makes him an artist not to miss when he’s on the lineup.
To put Fred again.. on the North Stage (tent) was potentially an oversight though, because even with the clash with Charli XCX on the main stage the crowd spilled out all around the tent. The energy was high, inside and outside the tent, with Fred hammering tracks such as “Fasial”, “Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)” and “Take Me As I Am”. The anticipation kept building throughout the set and he drew the biggest crowd in the North Tent that we saw across the whole day – it’s clear that the crowd loved it too!
Disclosure
An essential UK dance duo, Disclosure burst into the main stream as teenagers; fusing house, UKG, and songwriting, collaborating with artists like Sam Smith, Kelis, and AlunaGeorge. They’ve a catalogue of classic tunes, with two UK top 10s and seven top 40s.
Disclosure pulled out all the stops on the main stage with a set packed full of all fan-favourite tracks, kicking it off with “White Noise” and instantly getting the whole crowd to sing along. A standout moment had to be the surprise guest appearance of Sam Smith joining Disclosure on stage to sing their hit “Latch”. Combined with the fireworks, it was an amazing way to end a wonderful Saturday at All Points East.
Summary
Another beautiful day in London’s Victoria Park. With an eclectic line up, bridging the gap between drum and bass, house, techno, and RnB, it was great to be able to hear so many different styles in one day. Knowing that the festival was using the same site for Field Day, we knew that the sound would lack a little “punch”, but the sets themselves were incredible. It truly closed off the bank holiday weekend with style!
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