Mitski captivates during festival headline debut at All Points East

Uber One presents All Points East 2024 is back as one of east London’s most renowned music festivals carries on, and with Mitski, TV Girl, Beabadoobee, Arlo Parks, Ethel Cain proving that they are still shooting star. For me Mitski’s smouldering, country-tinged songs hit the spot as the first banks holiday of All Points East drew to a close. 
 
Returning from her first ever festival headlining set, the brilliant singer-songwriter delivered the goods in east London. In front of another pack of fans, this time the alleged ‘imports’ – the US artist presented a passionate two and a quarter hour show exclusively focusing on the 24 tracks that has put her on the map for more than ten years. 
 
This was a show dripping with copious amounts of gorgeous pedal steel, accordion and organ, giving depth and shading to Mitski’s very emotional and complex songs. There was variation in the tempo, as well as in mood. 
 
The darkness of ‘I Don’t Like My Mind’ was juxtaposed with the bop of ‘Happy’; the jangle of ‘The Frost’ balanced out the drone of ‘I Bet on Losing Dogs’ – for the latter, Mitski got down on all fours and mimed the paws of dogs. 
 
Indeed, during her performance, Mitski used mime and theatrical gestures (going ‘in character’ she said), which made her quite enchanting to watch as well as to listen to. 
 
A love song duet ‘My Love Is All Mine’ is a romantic ballad in the midst of the set, a dramatic ‘I’m Your Man’ is stately and ‘I don’t Smoke’ is a fiddle driven dance to which one could only tap. As could be expected from the overall ‘feel’ of the performance, ‘Love Me More’ was rusticized to a country tune. 
 
Not wanting to disappoint the audience anymore, the star said to the crowd ‘I will miss you’ before performing two more songs for a roaring reception. No one danced on its near-disco finale that saw Mitski do the splits, before a ‘Washing Machine Heart’ put the cherry on top of a night that was nothing short of stellar. 
 
This is what had transpired across 90 minutes – a potent argument for Mitski and her set that must have shot up into the stratosphere. 
 
The fact that TikTok can rewind the clock, dig up an artist, and breathe new life into their career is perhaps best evidenced in the experience of American indie pop group TV Girl. Last year the social media platform snapped up the outfit because of its characterful, ramshackle and frankly slightly loopy material. 
 
Clever banter with the audience was very much at the heart of an amusingly fun run through of four albums of catchy, unconventional tunes. Songs like ‘Blue Hair’, ‘Not Allowed’ and ‘Cigarettes Out the Window’ elicited cheers from some audience members who knew the songs through her social media pages, but this set was a treat to show she is about more than any of those internet sensations. 
 
By the time they were finished with ‘Lover’s Rock’ the band could afford to deliver strategic rounds of musical blows. This was good proof that great flicks do not have to remain hidden in the background: even more so in the age of social networks. TV Girl have earnt their return and All Points East were right to have them second from top of the bill. 
 
It’s those smoky, soulful notes that lovers of Park’s music got to witness. Performing the Cupra North Stage, the Londoner demonstrated how touring has seasoned her live set into blisteringly emotive and intense. 
 
Most of Parks’ lyrics are poetic and she was accompanied by a great live band which was ideal for the small tent at a festival. A pumps, guitar-accompanied ‘Hurt’ was sharp, and ‘Too Good’ was a tasty serving of smooch-inducingly modern R&B. Performing ‘Black Dog’, described as “probably one of the most important things I’ve ever written”,Parks metaphorically ‘sent’ the song to the audience of All Points East. All in all, this Parks presented quite an intriguing, eras transitional, and overall encompassing show. 

Such reception that fetched the beginning of Beabadoobee affirmed her growing popularity and adoration among the fans. Of course, it will not take much time for this very talented young man to headline the festivals across the country. Off the back of the Filipino-born London artist’s third studio album This is How Tomorrow Moves debuting at number one, there was an onstage composure that seemed to rub off on the performer to the audience. Her diverse group raced through the meandering riffs of her alt-rock hits. 
 
The number one album’s first single ‘Take a Bite’ was a hook-fest and ‘Crazy Stupid Love’ was an undeniably catchy pop chorus, but there were highlights in abundance in a set that appeared to be a well-timed celebration of her current chart triumphs. That must leave you saying ‘There’s so many of you. ’ I just produced an album. I did not know that it had got to number one until two days ago,’’ responded Mary while appreciating the assistance from the team. 
 
Fuelled by guitar emotions, Beabadoobee’s indie rock curled tender nostalgia. Even ‘10:36’ was accompanied by singing along by thousands of the band’s fans. She said that the song ‘Ever Seen’ had been dedicated to her boyfriend, then she sang this beautiful version of the song. Their brass band sampled guitar pop hymns reminded us of good old 00s pop punk / emo. 
 
Ethel Cain took her gothic soaked guitar songs to the large audience that could not get enough of the performance on the East Stage. Tracks from her hit 2022 debut album Preacher’s Daughter went down a treat: In ‘Thoroughfare’ Cain was caught mid-song, sat at the foot of the stage blowing into a harmonica as her backing band rose to a furious crescendo. She confessed with just the right blend of wistfulness and fondness: ‘ ‘It’s been ages since we performed in one of London’s charming parks. ’’ Audiences were therefore left waiting in anticipation that her would not be far from a comeback. 
 
The dark sweet sultry tone of ‘Gibson Girl’ was rich and her rendition of ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ a real honey. With ‘American Teenager’ we wound up a gripping, thrilling, nerve twister of a drama. 
 
accompanied by an advance packed with hits such as ‘To Love,’ ‘Moves,’ and ‘Blackout Drunk’, Suki Waterhouse performed at the CUPRA North Arena. The wonder at All Points East came after she performed at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour the following night. Waterhouse also felt that her fans at All Points festival certainly deserved a bonus which she gave as Oasis’s ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. ’ After the massive singalong in Victoria Park, she subtly expressed her delight for her UK fans, saying: “I actually tried that one at Coachella I swear it was not the same. ” 
 
Lucius had a jangle-pop-romantic-soul performance on the East Stage and the group reminds one of bands from the 1960s. At one point in the performance, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig were seated at the edge of the stage singing ‘Two of Us on the Run’. All through, the tight harmonies were prevalent, and the band performing from the album Second Nature. There was also time for the live debut of upcoming single ‘Old Tape’: a song of The War on Drugs that gives a hint or a sneak peek on what the listener should anticipate on their subsequent album release.

With a string quartist on the East Stage, TikTok star Strawberry Guy sat at his piano and had the audience cry to his minor-key emotional tunes. Visibly moved by the sight of the huge festival crowd who had gathered at the East Stage in the afternoon stage, he remarked: ‘’Look at them; this is a lot of people. ‘I must admit that I think this has been the biggest show I have played. ’ 
 
After Thirty minutes of slow sensational songs, then it was quite evident why people turned up in such large numbers. ‘’Who would have thought that from playing tunes in my bedroom I would be on these stages?’’ He gave them what they wanted with a one-two punch of ‘Birch Tree’ and ‘Mrs Magic’, the later becoming a viral sensation. 
 
Carnage, dance music’s MCs par excellence, brought a tent-full of arena-sized choruses over on the CUPRA North Arena. Although the set time was given in the early afternoon, there was no lack of energy for their lofty, anthemic rock songs. Encouragingly, a cluster of tracks sat comfortably alongside their ubiquitous 2024 hit ‘Home’: further more they has reached that even in pitching it to the same . ‘’We expected no one would be here, this is mental,’’ exclaimed frontman Oli Fox. 
 
Liana Flores playing Bossanova, waltz, and soft jazz declared the West Stage area as serene when she started the event. It was the artist’s first ever festival show and yet the audience arrived early and in a very large number. Hello all points east… wow. Thank you for coming early and being able to watch my set…This is my first time performing at a fest and I so grateful you guys came. 
 
More acts from APE Day Three are Men I Trust, Wasia Project, Infinity Song and others. 
 
Next Friday has the LCD Soundsystem back at All Points East with some incredible support from Pixies, The Kills, Jockstrap Floating Points, and more. The other headliners are, APE presents Field Day (Saturday 24 August) and The Postal Service / Death Cab For Cutie, (Sunday 25 August). For its part, In The Neighbourhood is back with Free Stuff from Monday, August 19 to Thursday, August 22. Tickets below.