After a brilliant inaugural year in 2018, All Points East 2019 packed a powerful punch during its return, closing the last day of its season with a plethora of talent before main event, Bon Iver.

Engulfed in the muffled chatter of festival goers, smell of street food stalls and faint sounds homogenising from the various stages, All Points East hit us like a brick to the senses as soon as we entered the festival gates. Here’s how our day went…

The Collier were the first we band we made a beeline for, taking to the Firestone stage. Bringing their gut-wrenching guitar riffs and punchy melodies to the festivities, it was a sight to behold. Their stage presence was confident for a band of their calibre and the way the old friends interacted on stage was infectious – we may have well have been part of the band. Sadly, we only managed to catch the end of their set, but they still managed to impress us. Next time, folks.

We then sauntered over to the JägerHaus stage to catch funky soul outfit Gently Tender in action. They came onto the stage calm and collected to the cheers of excitement from the audience. Full of intricate keyboard sounds and beautifully-woven vocals, we were captivated by how quickly they grasped us with their music; by the end of their first song, we were already putty in their hands. Yet we were only able to catch a few songs before quickly legging it across to the Firestone stage.

It was now time for us to see the long-awaited Plested. The singer-songwriter has been on our radar for quite some time, and we had been waiting to finally catch him live. So we did. Known for writing iconic pop songs such as ‘Touch’ by Little Mix and ‘Fire In Me’ by John Newman as well as his own sweet idyllic tracks, such as ‘Either You Love Me Or You Don’t’, it’s safe to say we were quite excited to see what was about to go down. We were not disappointed by the soft vocals and intense passion he showed as he played the guitar melodies, and so Plested was one of the highlights of our day.

KOKOKO! were grooving away as we sauntered to the main stage, pint in hand, and it was a pleasant surprise to be hit instantly with the euphoria and high energy from the crowd. The Congolese collective added a pinch of pizzazz to the festivities with their DIY instruments and unique blend of musical styles. From the get-go they had everyone dancing and cheering, as they played out their tangled sounds; the contagious energy and smiles they had on their faces brought the sunshine out and made the whole day come alive. Not only that, but during ‘Tongos’a’, we realised the band were playing away on sustainably-produced instruments. Such a delight!

It was then we witnessed the ultimate highlight of our whole All Points East experience: Steve Davis & Kavus Torabi’s DJ set back over at the JägerHaus. Bringing us tunes from the likes of Talking Heads, Public Enemy and more, everyone in the area was drinking, grooving and feeding off the endless cool suave of retired snooker player-turned electronic DJ. It was the intense charisma oozing from the duo that fuelled the crazy dancing scenes from festival punters sipping on cans of Red Stripe and Jägermeister concoctions, making barefoot shapes on the dusty grass. If the queue outside was anything to go by, boy were we lucky to have witnessed the carnage.

Moving to the North stage, we marked our territory for the next couple of hours to see Ezra Furman and Mac DeMarco; a total juxtaposition in artists, but what a bill to witness. Ezra Furman came first, and we succumbed to the raspy exhilarating vocals Furman endowed upon us. With an album on the horizon in ‘Twelve Nudes’, he was on top form playing his latest single ‘Calm Down AKA I Should Not Be Alone’. Donning a vibrant red crackle patterned jacket and a lipstick to match, Ezra Furman was definitely another highlight for our All Points East experience as the fast-pace drum patterns and punk guitar riffs rung out into the crowd and into the field beyond. Quickly rushing to the portaloos and grabbing a drink from the bar, we just managed to make it back in time as Mac DeMarco strolled onto the stage wearing his infamous cap and baggy t-shirt, with half of the crowd dressed not too dissimilar, if not the exactly same as the Canadian singer-songwriter.

If we could sum up DeMarco’s set in one word it would be: “lively”, and even though it was a little bit over the top at some points, we still fed off the vibes he was giving us. To most, DeMarco’s sound needs no explanation, but if you *do* live under a rock…it’s all about yummy jangly surfer pop guitar melodies, jazzy baselines and effortless vocals from DeMarco himself – you’re sure to be swayed.

Headliner Bon Iver closed the final day of All Points East with his eloquent vocals, impressive passion in his face, for absolutely capturing every single festival punter in the arena and introducing two new songs as the festival closed. Of course there was ‘Skinny Love’, too. Who doesn’t want to see that played out live, half-cut, a belly full of street food, singing along with your mates, knowing that festival season is well and truly open.

All Points East is all the best bits of a festival: the euphoric atmosphere, mouth-watering food stalls, and a huge selection of talent. From the showcase of some smaller acts on the Firestone stage to the edgy, indie feel in the JägerHaus, the cracking main stage line-ups…get down there with your mates next year and sleep in a real bed afterwards.

Having only just finished its second year, we’re excited to see what’s to come in 2020.