More stunning weather set up another much-anticipated day at All Points East. Today’s headliners were The National but before that, fellow American alt-rockers Warpaint and The War on Drugs took to the stage. Each set oozed class, swagger and confidence. It was an incredible stretch of live music, each band putting on a jaw-dropping show.
For those who were there, you know what we’re talking about. For those who weren’t, here’s the highlights of each set in approximately 100 words.
WARPAINT
The L.A. quartet are no strangers to the sun and revelled in the heatwave that had descended on London. They were in a playful mood, with bassist, Jenny Lindberg, constantly dancing and Theresa Wayman joking, “We’re glad the sun’s out ‘cause we’re sponsored by RayBan”. They performed a short set, full of zest and zip, opening with ‘Whiteout’, before performing some older tracks. Their stunning harmonies were most profound during set-list stalwarts, ‘Love is to Die’ and ‘Billie Holiday’ whilst the finale of ‘New Song’ provided the fizzing pop song that allowed the crowd to let some energy loose.
THE WAR ON DRUGS
Surrounded by a seemingly infinite number of instruments, The War on Drugs brought their dreamy alt-rock to Victoria Park. They played their big hitters early, namely ‘Holding On’ and ‘Pain’, which got an excited crowd moving and grooving. Their musical talent was clear, as they played with seeming ease using piano, brass and acoustic sounds to create a platform for Adam Granduciel to shine, both with his effortless voice and intricate, rousing guitar solos. ‘Red Eyes’ proved to be the highlight however, with the crowd collectively jumping to the soaring instrumental chorus, whilst a handful of people pretended to know the lyrics.
THE NATIONAL
The brave decision to open with ‘Nobody Else Will Be There’ demonstrated the confidence the Ohio band have right now. Their set was intricately designed and cleverly thought out, as they went from strength to strength. Berninger was at his playful best, tossing wine into the crowd and teasing, “this song is about America’, before serenading the crowd with ‘England’. The finale demonstrated their fearlessness once more, performing the gloomy ‘About Today’, in memory of Scott Hutchinson, before orchestrating the crowd into a singalong of ‘Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks’, as the Dessner’s strummed their acoustics in sync, and Berninger wandered around the stage, taking in the moment, letting the crowd do his job.
