Saturday 29th August saw history made in East London as Tyler, The Creator headlined his second night of All Points East, joined by superstar guests during his set and a star-studded lineup curated by him throughout the course of the day.
While there have been multiple headliners at Victoria Park over the past few weeks, it was immediately obvious upon arriving at the grounds that this weekend belonged to Tyler, The Creator. A GOLF stall, an inflatable Tyler standing at 10 feet tall and fans dressed as the man himself across various album eras all reminded us who we were braving the weather to see as we stepped into The Creator-verse for 12 hours.
Australian singer-songwriter Jael started the day off right, with a soulful, powerful half-hour slot in the North Arena. She mesmerised an already-packed tent, playing original music to cheers and commotion, winning over unfamiliar listeners with every note. With rich vocals, emotive songwriting, and a confident stage presence, she set the bar high as one of the first performers on the day’s lineup.
Following Jael was Quadeca over at the West Stage, delivering his genre-defying avant-pop in an electrifying set. He flicked from recent to older releases, from ‘Hell of a time’ to ‘SCRAPYARD’, transfixing both his dedicated listeners and nearby wanderers, drawing them over to dance with him. Between songs, he professed his love for London: “My favourite city!”.
After a short interval, rapper Danny Brown took over the stage, sending the energy soaring as he playfully bounced around while spitting fan favourites such as ‘Psychoboost’ and ‘SCARING THE HOES’. His impeccable delivery and unpredictable stage presence made for one of the day’s most animated crowds, as fans mirrored his manic energy.
Fans then made their way over to the East Stage to catch American multi-disciplinary artist Dijon. The heavens opened as he played out his latest album ‘Baby’, elevating the experience by giving it a cinematic feel. His belting restored any energy depleted by the downpour, as he injected joy and movement back into the audience.
The crowd then shifted back to the North Arena for local legend Jim Legxacy. He tearfully expressed his gratitude as his fans’ voices shook the tent, telling us it was the first festival he’d ever even attended. He played out his latest record, ‘black british music (2025)’ against a display of graphics, incorporating everything from his music videos to his dog Bingo.
Daniel Caesar took to the East Stage as the sun began to set, the orange hues perfectly complementing his potent melodies as he belted out hits like ‘Have a Baby (With Me)’ and ‘Best Part’ with the backing of a choir. After the intensity of the earlier sets, Caesar provided a welcome tonal shift, slow, moving, and enchanting amidst all the jumping and the pits of the day.
Rap heavyweight Baby Keem flipped the energy straight back after, as fans moshed to his latest album, the highly-acclaimed ‘Ca$ino’, as well as older crowd-pleasers. Shifting between hard-hitting tracks like ‘family ties’ and more melodic cuts like ‘Dramatic Girl’, he kept the audience engaged and vibrant in preparation for our headliner. The anticipation was building, as fans gradually flocked to the other end of the park to position themselves for the main event.
While fans had taken to different stages all throughout the day, the final show of the night pulled us all back together as we all eagerly anticipated our headlining set back at the East Stage. At 9:30pm, Tyler, The Creator immediately broke out into ‘Big Poe’, clad in costume - hat, boots, jacket and all - and bursting with energy, effortlessly compelling the thousands of attendees to scream and mirror his movements.
He cruised through different eras, flicking from his very first release ‘Goblin’ to his latest drop ‘DON’T TAP THE GLASS’ against a fictional “Victoria Park” tube station as a nod to the city and the grounds hosting him. The performance was enhanced by this intricate stage design - complete with graffiti - as well as elaborate costuming, as we saw him assume character, immersing both him and us in the musical world he’s built over the course of the past decade. For all the variety within his set, it felt cohesive as a whole, as the eras naturally folded into one another, showcasing both his range and evolution as an artist, a true victory lap of a show.
Between songs, he spoke to the crowd, shouting us out for reciprocating his high energy and enthusiasm: “Y’all don’t understand how much y’all have lifted my spirit. Thanks y’all!” - cutting through the curated spectacle to deliver a sincerely felt message. He joked that the night before’s crowd was “dead”: “The energy tonight is f*cking right this time!”, leaving fans giggling and looking pleased with themselves at the compliment.
There was only more excitement when Tyler brought out special guests to perform their respective collaborations. Rex Orange County - who had only been billed to perform his own set on night one - joined Tyler, The Creator for ‘Boredom’, to much commotion. Shortly after, unexpected wildcard rap legend A$AP Rocky took to the runway to deliver his bars on ‘Who Dat Boy’, receiving a ground-shaking reaction as fans echoed the pair’s lines right back at them, well-aware that they were witnessing history.
Tyler concluded his set with ‘See You Again’, one of his career-defining hits and a sweet note to wrap up his two-night run in Hackney, as a softer, slower love song. Fans spilled out of Victoria Park humming and chanting his songs - lively until the very end, invigorated by twelve hours of electrifying acts and a headlining performance that exceeded all expectations.
Zahra Hanif
Images: Pupat Chenaksara
If you enjoyed reading this article please consider buying us a coffee. The money from this pot goes towards the ever increasing yearly costs of running and hosting the site, and our "Writer Of The Month" cash prize.