It’s a sleepy Sunday in London: tubes roll past relatively empty, the left side of the escalator is free, and streets that would be filled with bustling corporate bodies instead lie still. Most people are decompressing, lolling on sofas and fending off the Sunday scaries - except in East London, where the opening weekend of All Points East is kicking off. The day prior sees pop royalty take the stage, with Lorde headlining, joined by summer pop princess Zara Larsson and Canterbury’s own PinkPantheress. Remnants of the day remain: a discarded flower clip lies on the ground beside the arena, and a faint trail of glitter sparkles in the dust. Today’s lineup, however, brings a slightly different crowd. Headlined by metal monoliths Deftones, the face gems and pastel makeup has been exchanged for eyeliner and trad goth-esque looks, and fans of all ages queue to see the very best in alternative music right now.
Kicking off the day on the East Stage is Basement, who are no strangers to Outbreak after headlining the festival this summer in Manchester. Hot on their heels after the release of their fourth album ‘Wired’, the Ipswich four-piece are fiery, launching into ferocious new album offerings ‘Time Waster’ and ‘Deadweight’. It’s a blistering set, powering through the newest albums whilst sprinkling in gems from earlier discography – during ‘Covet’, it’s hard to distinguish between the crowd and vocalist Andrew Fisher as the opening soul-crushing lyrics “I don’t want to be with you” echo around the arena. The set closes with the second album's title track ‘Promise Everything', and the crowd explodes, swirls of dust evaporate into the air from swinging arms and legs.
Following on from Basement is producer and rapper JPEGMAFIA, who previously appeared at Outbreak 2024. Before the show begins, rows of young men line the front, and security eye them wearily; Peggy’s reputation for raucous live shows precedes him, and the crowd are expectant, hungry for it. He strides out in a full black suit and gloves, cowboy hat and glasses, eyeing the crowd before launching into ‘Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot’, and the crowd surges forward. He runs through his broadening discography, cherry-picking from critically acclaimed records like ‘Veteran’ and ‘I LAY MY LIFE DOWN’. During the set, there is a pause for the cover, and the crowd cheers in glee – Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ is whipped out, and what would be a vulnerable moment as Peggy croons sans band down the microphone is completely undermined by the wavering autotune, which has some members of the audience laughing and others utterly bemused.
On the West Stage, emerging shoegaze artist Wisp provides a welcome respite to the noise that reigns across the festival, creating soothing walls of noise that ease even the most sun-frazzled. During her set, she admits that last time she played here she was “so nervous she thought she would pee”, whilst sharing her excitement for seeing Deftones. It’s clear to hear Deftones’ influence in her music, the shimmering fuzz of guitars reminiscent of the slower, shoegaze side of Deftones.
Closely followed, Ecca Vandal takes the X stage, borrowing from the more nu-metal side of Deftones as she two-steps around to her latest record ‘Looking For People to Unfollow’.
Flying the flag for punk is Aussie’s Amyl and The Sniffers, who bring an infectious set to the East Stage as frontwoman Amy Taylor struts around, oozing rock and roll swagger as they put on a set that is equal parts riotous and whimsical. In custom Chopova Lowena, Taylor commands the stage with a simple message – get drunk and have fun. Girls are implored to commit crime, and during ‘Me and The Girls’, girls (could be friends or strangers) link arms and mosh together, drinks sloshing over paper cups. But it’s not all fun and games; Taylor and co also emphasise their firm political stance, declaring their love for the trans community and condemning ICE. It’s a punk show as it's meant to be, inclusive for everybody.
Similarly, Bristol punks Idles follow a similar suit, closing out the West Stage. Idles' political beliefs have always been firmly on their sleeve, and the Palestinian flag is draped across an amp, fluttering in the early evening breeze. Frontman Joe Talbot snarls at the crowd as he grips the microphone with a ferocious intensity, whilst behind him guitarist Mark Bowen prances in a magenta dress, holding his guitar like a fairy wand. During ‘Never Fight a Man with a Perm’, Bowen takes his customary descent into the crowd, this time holding drumsticks. As bodies rain across the barrier, Talbot looks up with a faint smile as Bowen mimes drumsticks across the audience, while the rest of the band thrash behind them.
Finally, closing out the festival is Deftones, and for the hour prior fans have been squirming their way to the front. It’s wall to wall, from young teens who found them through TikTok algorithms, all the way to the old-heads who remember ‘Adrenaline’ being released. For Deftones, over the years their audiences have only got bigger, constantly evolving their sound from the ferocious ‘Around The Fur’ to the dreamy ‘Koi No Yokan’ all the way to 2025’s ‘private music’, which was met with critical and fan acclaim. As Deftones open the show of what is their biggest UK show ever (a staggering 50,000), it’s clear they mean business as they open with ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’, and the audience screams back every word.
Clocking in at an hour and a half, Deftones run through a highlight reel of their career, hopping through genres as they work their way across the discography. Deep cuts emerge for the occasion – ‘Mascara’ worms its way back in the set after a lengthy absence, the meandering if slightly sinister bassline recognisable from the first pick, and 'White Pony’s' ‘Korea’ pops up. Throughout the set, their energy doesn’t waver; frontman Chino Moreno rampages around the stage, racing down the stage steps to dance before making a special dart into the audience, to feral cries from members of the audience.
Watching their set, it almost feels like a passing of the baton – each artist taking the stage today owes something to the metal giants, from the sinister witch house of Salem to the volatility of Show Me The Body to the sheer swagger of EsDeeKid. From what began as Sacramento kids playing in their local underground scene, the influence of Deftones has been far-reaching, now spilling outside of counterculture circles into the mainstream. As they close the set full circle with ‘Adrenaline’s’ ‘7 Words’, it feels like a neat tying of the bow, cementing their status as metal pioneers. And if this set is anything to go by, they’re not slowing down anytime soon.
Kaitlyn Brockley
Images: Kaitlyn Brockley
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