Midway through her electric headline set at All Points East, Lorde declared the festival “literally the best line-up” she had been part of. Dust clouds refused to settle, a testament to the crowds charging between stages, not wanting to miss a moment from their favourite artists. Lorde showed an unwavering appreciation for her fellow artists, spotted in the crowds of several acts and later sharing onstage; “I was really struck by what this group of artists are doing… [they] are trying to imagine a new world, they’re trying to find new ways to live, new ways to see…they make wake the f*ck up”.
Nell Mescal
Earlier in the day, the West stage was opened by Irish singer-songwriter Nell Mescal, who had left a paper trail for festival-goers in the form of posters on local lampposts. ‘The Daily Nellygraph’ teased lyrics from her unreleased track ‘Hers’ and a mysterious date on the posters (11 September 2026), perhaps pointing to a release date. ‘Killing Time’ intertwined optimistic harmonies with poignant lyrics that felt fresh from a coming-of-age movie soundtrack; perhaps unsurprising, she was previously featured in Heartsopper Season 3. Mescal bounded around the stage waving at excited fans, confessing, “This is by far too many people; you should all leave before I play some sad songs”.
Wearing her heart on the imaginary sleeve of her purple vest, ‘Carried Away’ was followed by ‘Warm Body’, a heart-wrenching snapshot of “leaving terrible friends behind” with Mescal now on acoustic guitar. A self-proclaimed “happy one”, her latest single ‘Settles’ saw the ever-growing crowd dancing along before they were treated to unreleased ‘Hers’, a love song written in the light of coming out and hard-launching her relationship; “if you love a girl, this one’s for you”. Mescal’s authenticity shone through both her introspective lyricism and witty comments that successfully broke the tension of the palpable emotion around the stage; “If you see me sprinting from stage to stage, please ignore me because I’ll be really sweaty”. All Points East seemed as much of a must-see line-up for the artists as for the audience.
Devon Again
Over on the X Stage, Devon Again’s festival debut had the self-assured yet chaotic energy of an artist far more familiar to a festival stage. “I’m feeling a little nervous”, she shared, “can you guys take off your pants? It’s kinda weird to be the only person up here who is kinda naked”; soon, the band, who seemed to swap instruments faster than the All Points East tote bags sold out, revealed they were all wearing matching baby blue gingham boxers. For some, it could have been a set of gimmicks, but for Devon Again, after just 30 minutes, the artistic vision was clear, and the crowd was convinced. ‘People v. Maryanne Sue’ had the audience competing for who could sing the loudest “no”, before a “slightly more sentimental” rendition of ‘skittles’. The American singer-songwriter said she was happy to be there, and you could easily believe her, euphorically jumping around the stage with a smile and an albeit ineffective water gun. With a minor, seemingly random musical interruption to ask the crowd their body counts, the instant regret was clear when her mom raised her hand. A word-perfect crowd went wild as Devon Again closed her criminally short set with fan-favourite ‘cherry cola’. A set that will see the artist on many future festival line-ups.
Erin LeCount
For Erin LeCount, part of Music Is To Blame’s 2026 Ones To Watch, All Points East was her “dream festival”, remarking she had grown up listening to Lorde’s ‘Buzzcut Season’ on repeat. Her dedication was apparent, singing through laryngitis and tonsillitis; “When the Lorde asks you to show up, you show the f*ck up however your voice is”. Well known for her signature DIY approach and self-production, she commanded the expansive stage alone, offering forty minutes of audience catharsis exploring imposter syndrome (‘The Cinema’), repressed anger (‘Godspeed’), and knowing when the person closest to you is the person you need to never speak to again (‘Alice’). Opening with ‘DON’T YOU SEE ME TRYING’, the audience could be heard above her, perhaps making her following introduction slightly redundant; this was a crowd familiar with LeCount.
Wearing a decorative lace dress and lace mask, every move felt calculated yet perfectly fluid, each finger carefully held and hand choreographed to her ethereal melodies. A last-minute re-addition to the setlist, gospel-infused ‘Heaven’, was complemented by a fan’s pride flags as LeCount clutched them close to her chest for the “closest thing to a love song” in her discography. Closing with her most streamed track, ‘Silver Spoon’, LeCount clearly noticed audience members start to slip away, owing to the back-to-back sets. With a laugh, she shouted, “Go see Audrey Hobert go go!” In fact, Hobert’s set gathered a crowd so loud that the lyrics of viral hit ‘Sue Me’ could be heard from the other end of the park.
Sienna Spiro
A band wearing formal suits, with a larger-than-life wooden gramophone-shaped speaker, and a horn section set the stage and the tone for Sienna Spiro’s jazz-infused set. With a pact to keep playing All Points East until she is a headliner, Spiro’s statement 60s look and immaculate artistry suggested this could be sometime soon. Fan favourites including ‘Material Lover’, ‘You Stole The Show’, and sensational ‘Die On This Hill’ were complemented by a cover of ‘Autumn Leaves’, “one of [her] favourite jazz standards”, and tracks from her 2026 debut album, ‘Visitor’.
Zara Larsson
A gentle stampede to the East stage signalled the start of a hotly anticipated set by Zara Larsson. The Swedish singer-songwriter, whose artistic rebrand has skyrocketed her popularity, welcomed the screaming crowd: “London, let's take it to the Midnight Sun!” For a set that has been widely shared on social media, Larsson still found room for surprises.
The audience witnessed “herstory being made”, as PinkPantheress and Larsson gave the first-ever joint live performance of ‘Stateside’. Later, she was joined by MNEK for a nostalgic performance of 2015 hit ‘Never Forget You’. The dedicated All Points East crowd made being chosen as the ‘Lush Life’ dancer a tough competition, and a test of Larsson’s spelling even tougher as she was tasked with spray-painting “Wifey” for bride-to-be Meg. Larsson’s closing statement, “Summer is endless when it comes from within”, said as friends danced hand in hand to the remix of ‘Midnight Sun’, showed her set to be far more than new branding, but an offer of guilt-free fun and freedom that perhaps we are all nostalgic for.
Djo
Djo, the moniker of Joe Keery, headlined the West stage, with many in the audience in his statement witty merch. Directly competing with an at-capacity tent for PinkPantheress, for the multitudes of Djo fans there was no question of where to be. Opening with ‘Awake’, softly singing under red lights, he immediately had the crowd singing along, “I want to hear you”.
The dynamic shifted with ‘Basic Being Basic’, the audience dancing with enthusiasm despite many hours on their feet, as Djo bounced around the stage. His love for London was apparent throughout the set, thanking the audience for “...showing up, with all these great bands on”, before diving into his debut single ‘Roddy’. The set soon became a Stranger Things reunion as co-star Charlie Heaton made a surprise appearance on the screens during ‘Charlie’s Garden’, met with screams of excitement from the crowd. There was no question that ‘End of Beginning’ would close the set, soundtracking those at the back of the field pacing to secure a spot for Lorde.
Lorde
An early start shocked the audience, before further surprising everyone with a snippet of an unreleased track that has been teased across summer festivals. Lorde’s ability to go between conceptual performance art (dancers Evan Sagadencky and NANA sharing an apple in ‘Current Affairs’) and a demand for the audience to “shake ass” demonstrates why, having played the first-ever All Points East in 2018, she was 2026’s headliner. Her commitment to her music and fans was palpable, sharing, “I’ve been making music since I was a teenager. I sort of sang into my family desktop computer into a photobooth just to see what would happen, to see what would come out of me, because I always wanted to connect… It’s very special to me, London, that you have been on the other side for all these years".
Launching into ‘Royals’, the crowd joined in with every word of her 2013 breakout hit, continuing the energy with ‘What Was That’, as Lorde acknowledged the audience with a cry of “All Points East”. The festival's big screens highlighted the detail of Lorde’s performance that could otherwise have been missed by those not willing to miss a set to secure their view; struggling with and pulling her leather jacket in ‘Broken Glass’; projecting videos of her younger self in ‘Liability’ and singing directly into the camera during ‘Hard Feelings’. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time”, the New Zealand artist exclaimed, and it was clear the crowd had been waiting too.
“The mission as the world gets stranger and darker than maybe we, than I imagine is possible… is to stay awake, stay alive”. With ‘Supercut’ and ‘Team’, bookended by tracks from her latest album ‘Virgin’, the audience took this mission to heart. Despite false rumours of an appearance by Charli XCX, ‘Girl, so confusing’ was met with an incredible audience reception. Following an electrifying performance of ‘Green Light’, a giant flag with “I don’t belong to anyone” written in red text and covered with hastily Sharpied names was passed back through the crowd during ‘David’, albeit not far enough back for anyone behind production to experience.
The first Saturday of All Points East closed with ‘Ribs’ as Lorde moved to a b-stage that allowed her to be surrounded by the fans screaming “You’re the only friend I need” to each other, making memories that will last far longer than the dust takes to settle.
All Points East continues next weekend, with performances from Tyler, The Creator on Friday 28 August and Saturday 29 August, and Twenty One Pilots on Sunday 30 August.
Maisy Neale
Images: Aśya
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