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HAIM @ All Points East

Writer's picture: The Mic MagazineThe Mic Magazine

James Dawson explored the range of acts at All Points East on the festival's final day.


After a tiring and hectic Friday and Saturday at Reading festival, it was a relief to go to one

of the more ‘chill’ festivals in the summer, which was All Points East (APE) in Victoria Park in

London. This was probably due to the more responsible crowd due them not wanting to

‘mosh’ every moment they could, due to them wanting to be there for the music and

appreciating it instead of going for just the ‘vibe’ of the festival.


This could further be backed up due to the great stage set up with plenty going on the

whole time I was there. This is one of the main reasons why I prefer APE to Reading and

Leeds, as there does not feel the rush to go and see the ‘main’ artists on the bill unlike at

Reading where it felt the crowd were rushing to see the next act, particularly due to the two

main stages, in my opinion, causing this chaos.


On to the music, and overall, I had a great time. I got there around mid-afternoon and took

my dad who, despite only knowing a few Haim songs, still enjoyed himself. Our afternoon

started with Snail Mail, a singer song writer whose real name is Lindsey Jordan, and is from

Maryland in the USA. We both agreed that she was a nice and gentle indie rock artist which

suited the mood. I particularly enjoyed her due to me listening to Snail Mail since 2021 and

therefore recognised and enjoyed the set.


After, we walked around the site of the festival to see what else was going on, having a

quick watch of Romy’s set, the lead singer of the acclaimed indie band The xx, which again

was highly enjoyable, with the energetic and joyful dance music being enjoyed by all

witnessing it.



After enjoying some lovely Korean BBQ chicken strips, we went on to watch to watch Griff, who is from London and won the Brits’ Rising Star Award in 2021 as well as having 3 top 50 within one year, and therefore highlighting she is one for the future. With APE being her only festival this year, she put lots of effort into it with great stage presence through her confidence as well as getting the crowd involved as much as she could, which for the most part paid off. She was the perfect ‘vibe’ for an early evening on a summer’s day when the weather was just right.


Moreover, as the build-up started towards the headliners Haim, we stopped off to see the

end off to see Scottish singer-songwriter Joesef, whose set again had the similar chill and

mostly cheerful vibe of other artists we had seen throughout the day, with the crowd being

really respectful to the artists and really enjoying the music yet again. My personal highlight of

the day, and my dad’s too, was Australian dance group Confidence Man, whose energetic

dance routines shone across the dance tent, with the crowd matching the energy with the whole

tent bouncing. It was one of my favourite experiences at a festival, and that they are

one of the best live acts I have seen in recent years, with them absolutely living up to the hype

with me hearing how good they were live through word of mouth.


"My personal highlight of the day... was Australian dance group Confidence Man, whose energetic dance routines shone across the dance tent, with the crowd matching the energy with the tent was bouncing."

Finally, the day ended with Haim, where we luckily got a pretty good spot with us

being about one hundred meters away from the stage, so we could somewhat see them

due to us getting there as soon as Confidence Man finished. This was a bonus as I always

prefer watching a band or artist on stage rather than watching the screens from afar as I can

feel like I have been there and seen the artist perform in person. Haim’s set was around an

hour and a half and covered most of their back catalogue, with me recognising most of the

songs, however my dad did not but this did not dampen any of our moods.



The band yet again had fantastic stage presence, with me knowing this due to watching

some of their performances as preparation for the concert. This was displayed through

them interacting and talking with the crowd. One example was when Alana Haim, the

youngest of the 3 sisters in the band and the star of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 film

‘Licorice Pizza’, telling a story that XFM, now Radio X, were one of the first stations to

showcase them, which I very took joy in hearing. Another example of crowd interaction was

when Este Haim, the oldest of the three sisters, asked the crowd where the best place was to

go and party around Victoria Park. The crowd yet again loved every moment of the concert,

with my dad and I also feeling the same way. The concert and day ended with a fantastic

encore of probably their most well-known song The Wire which is from their debut album,

which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. As well as this, they played, in my opinion, their best song The Steps which also got a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Rock Performance’ in 2021.


Overall, what a fantastic day and not at all a bad way to spend your bank holiday.


James Dawson


 

Edited by Tabitha Smith


Featured Images courtesy of All Points East via Facebook

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