Trailblazer. Game-changer. Pioneer. James Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem are many magnificent things, and they proved worthy of all the praise they’ve ever received as they closed out Day Four of All Points East in style.
The celebrated New York group had topped the bill at the inaugural All Points East in 2018, and their 2024 headline set played out like the return of a dance-punk prodigal son. And it was as though they’d never been away.
A stream of hits and deep cuts unfurled while the band cooked up a swirling, musical maelstrom behind frontman James Murphy. ‘Losing My Edge’ was an epic barnstormer, while the irresistible hook of ‘I Can Change’ was an early highlight.
Preceding an emotional ‘Someone Great’, Murphy told the crowd: ‘‘Yesterday, we lost a very dear friend of ours, Justin Chearno. We’re all fucking destroyed. We’re trying our best. We love him and miss him. This sucks. Thank you for being here and being a part of it.’’ Chearno was a co-founding partner alongside Murphy of the Michelin-starred restaurant and wine bar ‘The Four Horsemen’ in Brooklyn, New York.
And, later, a tender moment came as Murphy put his arm around keyboardist Nancy Whang as ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ drew to a close. Next, he dedicated the tear-soaked ode ‘New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down’ to their dearly departed friend. It was powered by grief, which translated to the heaving crowd.
Displaying a mighty live sound, the returnees proved that time hasn’t dampened their bludgeoning sonic force. In fact, they’ve aged like a particularly fine Merlot.
LCD Soundsystem’s headline performance delivered in spades, and credit goes to a group who were able to spread joy through the fug of their own grief. To close out their stunning set, the insistent piano motif of ‘All My Friends’ tumbled out: a song packed with enough escalating grandeur to feel like the perfect parting shot.
Before them came a bill that reflected the unique blend of its headliner, as day four see-sawed between dance and rock.
On a bill stuffed with inspirational artists, an argument can be made that few creatives have had more of an influence on modern pop in the last fifteen years than reclusive electronic maestro Jai Paul. The Londoner has been a singular underground voice, who found himself spilling over into the mainstream. Having been sampled by everyone from Beyoncé to Drake and many in between, his appearance was significant on many levels, not least the fact that this show was his UK festival debut. It was a long-awaited homecoming, and this exclusive performance more than lived up to the anticipation.
Flanked by a versatile live band, splashes of funk, dance and electro produced a vibrant, contagious aural cocktail. There was fun in the form of a cover of Jennifer Paige’s late-90s pop tune ‘Crush’, but there was also a seriously sumptuous, no-nonsense musical mission statement that dominated throughout too. The lascivious funk of ‘BTSTU’ and the pop nous of ‘Jasmine’ delighted.
Surveying the loving crowd, Paul announced, ‘‘My parents are here as well.” This set felt like an event. Closing with the explosive cross-cultural colour of ‘Str8 Outta Mumbai’, the mercurial musician begged the question of why audiences have seen so little of him. That is surely going to change.
Unequivocally established under the category marked ‘‘legends’’, Pixies descended upon All Points East in fine form, blowing away a huge crowd on the East Stage. The lycanthropic yowl of Black Francis commanded attention, and he steered his band through a classic catalogue to satisfy every taste. There was the ascending dirge-like crunch of ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven’, the lurid lyrical sleaze of ‘Hey’, and the shiny 60s pop-bop of ‘Here Comes Your Man’. In between the hits, the band raced through album tracks from their celebrated first chapter, and gave an exclusive preview of their upcoming album, The Night the Zombies Came.
With a typical no-between-song-chat policy in full force, any displays of onstage extravagance was left to guitarist Joey Santiago, who prised his guitar cable from his axe to make wild and wicked sounds during the breakdown of Come On Pilgrim’s ‘Vamos’.
As dry ice coated the stage for a scintillating ‘‘Where Is My Mind?’, the Pixies’ return to Victoria Park was something to behold.
Bringing an unadulterated, unapologetic club vibe to the outdoor space of the West Stage, Joy (Anonymous) thrilled onlookers with their infectious dance music. Limbs were constantly in motion onstage and out in front by the crowd too. Their celebratory set was topped off by a surprise guest appearance from Ezra Collective to boot.
Over in the Cupra North Stage, Sofia Kourtesis brought people in from the field. The tent was packed out as the German electronic artist satisfied the curious, and enlisted converts. Kourtesis provided the perfect set-up for Floating Points, aka Sam Shepherd, who also brought an enthralling dance set to the masses. As well as the known favourites, the celebrated London producer performed new illuminating single ‘Ocotillo’ on the day of its release, from his incoming album Cascade. The single takes a different path to previous releases and opens to beautifully plucked harp notes from Miriam Adefris
Elsewhere, Jockstrap brought their esoteric, genre-bending musical collage to the East Stage. Before a huge crowd, the London duo, made up of Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye, entranced onlookers with their rhythmic left-turns and giddying tunesmithery of their Mercury Prize-nominated debut album I Love You Jennifer B. They sounded like LCD’s twisted sister in full flow. Ellery’s stage attire was a curious sight too, donning giant prosthetic legs that looked like they were a cross between a robot and a peculiar rock formation. All told, their eccentric electroclash dazzled.
The dreamy shoegaze of NewDad lit up the East Stage. The Galway group enthusiastically tore through their shimmering standout 2024 debut, MADRA in front of a large crowd. Cementing a year that has seen the group carve a fiercely upward trajectory, this celebratory set provided further evidence of a group feeling increasingly at home on the biggest stages. ‘Sweetly Sick’ and ‘Angel’ were groove-laden, atmospheric trips into murky melodic undertows, while ‘I Don’t Recognise You’ evoked the heady, alt-rock sway of Smashing Pumpkins’ classic single, ‘Today’.
Acknowledging their graduation from a much smaller stage at All Points East two years ago, singer and guitarist Julie Dawson paused to reflect: ‘‘There’s so many of you! This is our second time playing here and it’s so much fun. Thank you.’’
The group closed out their set with a distortion-drenched trek through their album’s title track, explaining that ‘Madra’ is the Irish word for ‘dog’, and inviting the crowd to bark. They may not have done as instructed, but they looked doggone impressed.
Astral Bakers delivered a bewitching set, dispatching their stately, melodic indie to raise the curtain on the West Stage. The Parisian group won new fans as they dipped into their 2024 debut album The Whole Story, including their naggingly catchy calling card ‘Beautiful Everything’.
Additional highlights from APE Day Four included DJ Tennis, Floating Points, Monobloc, and many more, while Gilles Peterson returned to his traditional DJ slot to get the day started on the BBC Radio 6 Music Stage.
Today sees the return of APE presents Field Day, featuring a headline performance from Justice.
The final headliner on Sunday will be The Postal Service / Death Cab For Cutie (Sunday 25 August).
Photo credit: Phoebe Fox
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