All Points East returned to Victoria Park on Friday for a day deeply rooted in R&B, soul, Afrobeats, and UK music, with Jorja Smith and Tems topping a line-up tailored perfectly to a warm London summer evening.
Curated in collaboration with Jorja Smith and her label FAMM, the day brought together established heavyweights and some of the most exciting new voices in British and international music. With Kwn, Ayra Starr, Odeal, and Nia Archives appearing across the festival grounds, there was a genuine sense of artistic cohesion to the programming rather than just a random collection of names sharing a site.
One of the sweetest early moments came from Kwn, whose set arrived just as the weather decided to cooperate. By her third song, the sun broke through the clouds, washing the stage in warm natural light and transforming the atmosphere. Just beforehand, Kwn handed out fresh flowers to fans in the front row—a small, intimate gesture that made her performance feel deeply personal despite the scale of the festival.
Over at the North Arena, Ayra Starr delivered one of the day’s highest-energy sets, bringing out Kwn as a special guest. Their joint appearance served as an effortless reminder of how much this line-up centered on a new generation of artists whose sound comfortably crosses between R&B, Afrobeats, and alternative pop.
Odeal was another major standout. Backed by a live band and dynamic dancers, his performance constantly shifted in scale. At points, he stripped everything back to sit alone in a chair, letting his raw vocals take center stage, before expanding back out into full choreography. That structural contrast gave his set real narrative movement from start to finish.
As evening approached, Tems arrived at the precise moment the sun began to dip behind Victoria Park. Her set unfolded across golden hour, with the warm light providing a naturally cinematic backdrop to her vocals. Performing with a full band, Tems sounded completely effortless, her voice carrying across the park without ever feeling forced.
The highlight came when Dave made a surprise appearance to join Tems for “Raindance,” their UK Number 1 collaboration. The track already possesses all the hallmarks of a massive festival anthem, but hearing the pair perform it together as twilight settled over London created one of the loudest, most electric reactions of the entire weekend.
By the time Jorja Smith stepped onto the East Stage to close the night, expectations were understandably high. Marking a decade since the release of “Blue Lights”—the track that first introduced her to the world—her headline set felt like both a celebration of her journey and a confident look toward the future.
Supported by a stellar live ensemble, Jorja moved seamlessly between early favorites and fresh material. Rather than overwhelming the stage with excessive production, the visual design complemented her presence: soft lighting filled the massive space while keeping the performance remarkably intimate. She effortlessly guided the audience through every era of her career, transitioning from a full-band arrangement into a lively DJ segment that brought out multiple guest stars—with a surprise appearance from Loyle Carner standing out as the ultimate highlight of the night.
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