Words by Natasha Clough
Photos by Chloe Redman
Lorde declared at her headline set: ‘I think this is literally the best lineup I’ve been a part of’. It was a comment entirely fitting after a day packed full of pop powerhouses. All Points East returned to London’s Victoria Park on Saturday 22 August, after Jorja Smith kicked things off on Friday. As festival-goers packed onto the central line and then spilled out of Mile End station, it wasn’t hard to guess who each person was most excited to see. Girls in sparkly blue, pink and yellow would be rushing to see Zara Larsson while those in red tartan would be determined to secure a spot for PinkPantheress. Everyone was ready to brave the park dust for an unforgettable day of live music.
Just before 3pm, Irish singer-songwriter Nell Mescal took to the West Stage for a set of lively guitar-driven indie pop. The heartfelt lyrics in the songs she performed could have been pulled straight from a coming-of-age film: describing growing up, navigating relationships and homesickness. Mescal is an artist great at connecting with her crowd, speaking to us about how this is her ‘sixth summer in London,’ a city she moved to pursue music after leaving her home in Kildare, Ireland. ‘Warm Body’ is a track she tells us is about ‘leaving terrible friends behind,’ tackling girlhood friendships and moving away from somewhere you feel out of place.
The rest of her show included the new track ‘Settles’, about a long-distance relationship, and an unreleased track called ‘Hers’. The second brought a special moment, as Mescal shared that it was written about falling in love with a girl for the first time. Summing up what the day would become for many, she jokingly told the crowd, ‘If you see me after this sprinting from stage to stage, just ignore me!’
Over in the North Arena, Australian DJ-producer Ninajirachi had gathered a large crowd in the tent for her high-energy ‘girl EDM’ club set. Cyber-inspired visuals projected onto the screen behind her included 2000s Windows desktop graphics and pixelated cats – a journey into internet nostalgia. Tracks from her debut album, ‘I Love My Computer’ dominated, with songs like ‘iPod Touch’ and ‘London Song’ getting everyone dancing. Of course, the iconic ‘Fuck My Computer’ ended Nina’s set as the crowd sang along.
Other acts with contrasting styles included Rose Gray at the East Stage and Erin LeCount at the West Stage. Gray delivered electric club energy with dance-pop tracks like ‘God is a DJ’ and ‘Hackney Wick’ – a love letter to East London with a shoutout to ‘Vicki Park’.
Meanwhile, LeCount brought an ethereal, atmospheric alternative pop sound to the other side of the park, carving out a unique sonic and visual identity in the genre. Performing mostly from her latest EP, ‘PAREIDOLIA’, a blend of baroque pop and electronic production provides a canvas for a ‘distorted, warped perspective of reality and of self.’. LeCount’s pale blue lace dress and gothic white lace mask added to the cinematic, fairytale feeling of her musical worldbuilding. ‘Has anyone got some repressed anger to let out?’, she asks the crowd as the scathing track ‘Godspeed’ begins. As her set drew to a close, people began making their way back to the East Stage.
American singer-songwriter Audrey Hobert brought her theatrical brand of whimsy from debut album ‘Who’s the Clown’ to her first UK festival performance. Emerging onto the stage wearing a comically tall trench coat and fake nose, she soon removed the former to reveal another identical but fitting trench coat. Fan favourite tracks like ‘Phoebe’ and ‘Sex and the city’ generated passionate sing-alongs from the crowd while a choreographed dance routine from Hobert and her band brought unexpected entertainment. The viral ‘Sue Me’ ended her show as the singer dragged out the staple mini trampoline to begin the song.
Soon it was time for one of the most highly anticipated sets of the day: Swedish pop princess, Zara Larsson. Festival-goers began bolting to the East Stage in a dusty crowd of glittery pink, blue and yellow. At 7:05pm the singer walked out to meet a heaving Victoria Park crowd. The ‘Midnight Sun’ era returned with full force as the titular track opened the show. One question had been on everyone’s minds with the overlapping of sets: when would Zara and PinkPantheress get to perform ‘Stateside’? That question was soon answered as Larsson announced to the crowd, ‘You guys are watching herstory being made! Because something that has never happened before is happening right now.’ Already a viral moment in pop culture, the two icons finally had the opportunity to perform the remixed version live to an ecstatic audience.
For the remainder of the set, Larsson put on a masterclass in being the full pop package. Her sharp choreography was accompanied by a team of stylish dancers embodying the Winx Club fairies and an all-female live band. The ‘Lush Life girl’ created an interactive element as one lucky fan was chosen to join the pop star on stage to dance along to the 2015 hit song. Overall, the singer brings back a distinctly 2000s brand of carefree fun and vibrancy to the genre.
With a lineup so stacked, those attending had to be strategic. If you wanted to make it into the North Arena for PinkPantheress’ set, you probably would have had to leave Zara Larsson’s show early. This meant sprinting from stage to stage. It wasn’t long before the arena became full capacity. Beginning with the original bass-heavy version of ‘Stateside’, Pink transformed the tent into a club dance floor. The inclusion of iconic British staples ‘Swagger Jagger’ and ‘Kickstarts’ proves that Pink is as much a music curator as a pop star and impressive producer. Fans who didn’t make it into the tent were consoled by a screen outside with a live stream. The show provided a memorable end to the artist’s ‘Fancy That’ album era.
At the same time, Djo was headlining the West Stage. There were undoubtedly many fans gathered for the artist as Joe Keery and his band played their signature blend of psychedelic rock and synth-pop. It was nice to hear a full band sound as the festival was coming to a close. Viral hit ‘End of Beginning’ produced a joyous sing-along from long-time fans and casual listeners alike.
Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived with the last rush for the East Stage. Lorde’s breakout 2013 track ‘Royals’ commanded everyone’s attention as the New Zealand artist began to draw fans into the immersive world of her music. The visual production truly elevated the show into an electrifying late-night experience, complete with industrial stage design, digital screens, laser lights and interpretative dancing. ‘What Was That’ introduced music from Lorde’s latest album, ‘Virgin’ – a raw exploration of identity reclamation and resilience.
In her 90-minute set, the singer effortlessly moved between album eras to create an eclectic set of pop brilliance; a sonic timeline of an artist growing up. Nostalgic electro-pop hits from ‘Pure Heroine’ like ‘Buzzcut Season’ and ‘Team’ transported fans back to their teenage years, while ‘Melodrama’ tracks ‘Supercut’ and ‘Green Light’ brought euphoric sing-alongs. These songs weren’t simply big radio hits of the 2010s; they provided a perfect coming-of-age soundtrack that helped define an entire era of pop music and inspired many of the artists on Saturday’s festival lineup.
Other highlights included the Charli XCX collaboration ‘Girl, so confusing’, still receiving an enthusiastic sing-along towards the end of the set even without Miss XCX being on stage. A special moment also arrived with a giant ‘I don’t belong to anyone’ flag for the track ‘David’ covering the front of the audience.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how young Lorde was when she found success. As someone who attended her 2018 show for the first-ever All Points East, it’s crazy to look back and realise she was only 22 years old at the time and already so influential in the genre. Speaking to the crowd, she reminds us of this and says, ‘I thought it was a really cool festival I was lucky to be playing, and now to be your headliner is so crazy!’ Projecting younger versions of herself in ‘Liability’ shows Lorde coming full circle. ‘I’ve been making music since I was a teenager, I just sang into my family desktop computer, into photobooth, just to see what would happen… because I always wanted to connect…’
The emotional ‘Ribs’ from Lorde’s first album closes an incredible set. The entire park was united, screaming the first ‘The drink you spilt all over me’ and ‘It feels so scary getting old’.
As Lorde said to the All Points East crowd, ‘I feel so inspired by all of these artists and they make me wake the fuck up’. From guitar-driven singer-songwriters to club-ready electronic artists, the festival displayed the full range of pop music. It was amazing to see a lineup so dominated by female artists, proving pop has never been more exciting and truly has no limits.
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