My last visit to All Points East was in 2019, when Bring Me the Horizon headlined. Despite arriving hungover, a couple of bottles of wine and some great music quickly turned the day around, and it ended up being incredible. I was looking forward to going back.
Today was Field Day (about as far away from the BMTH day lineup as you can possibly get), and unlike last time, I was going in with a completely clear and sober head. Me and my partner got there early for doors opening with the ambition to check out everything and see as much music as possible (the correct approach to a day festival).
We were immediately greeted with a wave of advertisements, starting with a Coke Zero can thrust into our hands as soon as we entered. As we continued walking, we were surrounded by Uber One signs absolutely everywhere and stands trying to sell you various things.
Still, in an attempt to try everything, we spoke to the guys at the AMEX stand to try out their experience. Immediately they asked if I had an AMEX which I presented to them. This earned me a (not very fashionable) bucket hat and a go on their quiz to win even more prizes. Not knowing the answer on the quiz, the team just told me what it was, and I was offered either a water bottle (which I had nowhere to put) or a bag of sweets (with those horrible UFO things in it). I opted for neither and we moved upstairs for a chocolate lolly (delicious), a go on the claw machine for more prizes (I lost), and a free makeup station (nowhere near drunk enough to partake).
With the AMEX experience behind us (and my partner now signed up for their mailing list), we continued our journey through what felt like an advertising convention. We were forced to drink a Johnnie Walker shot and immediately after a Cointreau (I think) shot. After each shot, the staff would try and lure us over to their bars to spend some money with them, which I didn’t really want to do—I only wanted a pint. Only 30 minutes into the day and exhausted from being sold stuff, we started to steer clear of the stands and went to watch some music.
By this point, it was hammering it down with rain, so we went into the Tesla tent to watch a DJ called Memphis LK. She was playing some trancey stuff which had a nice vibe; she even finished the set by playing some clarinet (I think) which was different and pretty cool. Her set also had a majority of the punters that had arrived early, perhaps helped by the poor conditions outside where tents became very appealing.
Next up was something my partner wanted to see, HorseGiirl. It was very weird. She is a DJ who dresses as a horse and (hopefully) ironically believes she is a horse, playing a mixture of her own songs (about horses) and some more recognizable club classics to backdrop visuals of horse montages. I think bad mixing is perhaps part of the show but I can’t be sure. I found it oddly entertaining, though I suspect it might not resonate with more serious electronic music enthusiasts.
After a bit of walking and some excellent tacos for 12 quid, all the food looked great and there were a few stands I didn’t recognize from my heavy summer of festivals, which was a pleasant surprise. Based on our surroundings, it wouldn’t have looked out of place to see a McDonald’s stand. The site itself was still very quiet; I do think the weather played a factor in this very low attendance during the day. Personally, I think it’s pretty poor form to not go somewhere just because of a bit of rain—cowards.
Still on a mission to see everything, we checked out the towering 6 Music stage. It looked kind of cool but probably better at night. I don’t know who was playing at the time but they were terrible; after me and my partner frowned at each other, we moved on quickly. I thought 6 Music was meant to be dad music.
Next up, we went back to the tent where a decent-sized crowd was gathering. Here we saw Yaeji, who I had never heard of before, but a few people were familiar with due to the song "Raingurl." I didn’t even recognize it, but the younger generation seemed to enjoy it when it came on. As a performer, I thought she was pretty good with some interesting poppy dancefloor tunes, decent vocals, and some dance routines. An hour did seem a bit long, however, and I started to lose interest. 30-45 minutes would’ve been the sweet spot.
Now with a significant buzz going, I headed to high-energy producer I. Jordan, who I knew of due to a Fred Again collab. This guy was great, plenty of live mixing and looping; he even played (admittedly very basic) guitar for a bit. Still a small crowd, but he looked like he was enjoying himself, as were the limited number that turned up. I could see him getting a bit bigger if he keeps it up. I don’t love his album, which I have listened to since, but as a live artist, I rate him.
I was then dragged back kicking and screaming to the tent again for Skin on Skin & Kettama. Weirdly, it was absolutely rammed from the right entrance to the point where people were giving up and turning away, but there was loads of space on the left and in the middle of the tent. As I expected, I didn’t like this at all and left 10 minutes in.
Grabbing some chicken and chips smothered in garlic butter en route to the main stage (as I was starting to feel the effects of drinking all day), I went to watch Romy. Playing a load of her album (which Fred Again clearly had something to do with as it resembled his sound a lot), I really enjoyed her. I enjoy The xx, have always liked Romy's vocals, and with the sun now out, I was impressed and having a great time.
Next up was an act I have wanted to see for a while: Brutalismus 3000. I can’t express enough how insanely good this was. I am not the biggest fan of electronic music (weird to say at Field Day), but the energy these two had on stage was insane. I’ve seen hundreds of dance music acts in my time. My favourite ever was Underworld; I think these guys take 2nd place. The visuals, mixing, vocals were all incredible. I am begging every festival booker to get these next year—I’ll be front row.
Finally, on to headliners Justice. At this point, I have had a lot to drink and I’m having an amazing time. Still not the busiest crowd I’ve ever seen; we got pretty close for them. I have already seen them this summer at Prima and, as I expected, it felt like watching exactly the same show again. Although good for a first-timer, I didn’t really feel like I needed to see this twice, nor did my partner. We left with about 20 minutes of their set to go.
Overall, Field Day was a solid way to spend a bank holiday. Despite the relentless advertising, I saw some great acts, one truly phenomenal, and enjoyed getting into the festival spirit (I drank loads). I would absolutely go again next year, lineup dependent (just book Brutalismus 3000 again and I’ll sign up).
