Mitski, beabadoobee, Arlo Parks, and Towa Bird all stunned at this London day festival
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY @ISHASHAHPHOTOGRAPHY
Jorts. Carabiners. Multi-coloured hair everywhere you looked. No, this wasn’t a sapphic conference you lost the memo to. It was the Sunday day festival crowd at All Points East this year. Taking place in Victoria Park on 18 August, the London-based festival saw flocks of sapphics coming from across the country to witness something akin to a religious experience.
With acts like Mitski, beabadoobee, Ethel Cain, Arlo Parks, and Towa Bird, the day promised to be a haven for queer love to be celebrated in front of thousands. And it did not disappoint.
Kicking off the sapphic celebrations was icon Ethel Cain (also known as Hayden Silas Anhedönia), who performed hits like American Teenager and A House In Nebraska in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Despite the heat and rather dusty terrain, thousands screamed along to the anthems, transported to an otherworldly place by Ethel’s vocals.
Later in the day, British indie icon beabadoobee came on stage with a hot pink guitar to a crowd that stretched almost the entirety of the park. Playing her new hits like Take A Bite, the bisexual singer had the entire park jumping and dancing with her unique sound.
It was a quick dash across the festival site to catch the beginning of singer-songwriter Arlo Parks’ set. Taking place inside the Cupra North Arena tent, fans crammed together to sing along to tracks like Caroline, clapping, dancing, and screaming along. Arlo’s energy was positively infectious, all the while retaining her signature powerful vocals.
There wasn’t much time to appreciate the fact that we had just seen the Arlo Parks before heading over to Towa Bird’s first-ever festival performance. Despite being on one of the smaller stages at the festival, Towa’s crowd stretched on for as far as the eye could see. Complete with stellar guitar solos, Towa’s set got the crowd going in a way that is incredibly rare. Like many in the crowd, it felt special to watch the beginning of a superstar’s career.
And finally, the headliner that sapphics everywhere had been waiting for. Mitski. The American singer-songwriter has captivated us with songs like I Bet On Losing Dogs and My Love All Mine. As a long-time Mitski fan, I watched completely in awe as she transfixed the entire crowd of thousands. Combining performance art and lyrical genius, the set was truly an out-of-body experience. Plus, the crowd even got her to say “BRAT green”.
All Points East 2024 is definitely going down in the history books as the queer event of the summer.
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