Matt Wellham
After years of photographing and filming the London music scene, Matt’s now based in Sydney, Australia. A lover of the post-punk and alternative movement, he can usually be found in the grassroots venues, camera in one hand and a beer in the other.
The Maccabees make their triumphant comeback as headliners of All Points East, with appearances from CMAT, Warmduscher and more
All Points East has become the essential London day festival since its inception six years ago. Each year, the quality of artists and line-ups stands out for the city, with past headliners including LCD Soundsystem, Loyle Carner and Justice. Spread across two weekends, each day is curated with a specific sound and genre in mind, truly offering something for everyone.
After spending Saturday recovering from what was an exceptionally bouncy Friday night with Barry Can’t Swim, it was time to regroup and take on All Points East’s indie day. There was something special about this line-up, because it had been curated by a band that has been out of the limelight since 2017. Yes, after eight long years and months of anticipation since the announcement, it was time for The Maccabees to make their triumphant return to London.
First port of call was the Cupra North Arena for Prima Queen, and it was a joy to find the tent almost packed out for them. The duo blend their indie sound into catchy, sing-along anthems that you can’t help but move to. As we arrived, they’d just kicked into ‘Dylan’, a rich indie bop with a repeating chorus that had the crowd chanting along.
The audience shimmied as the pair showcased their impressive harmonies, with Louise Macphail climbing up onto their sporty set design to shred a solo before leaping off. Closing with ‘The Prize’ summed up what Prima Queen are all about – comforting rhythms coupled with emotive lyrics, designed to remind friends that they are, in fact, the prize.
It was then time to head over to the X Stage, which protruded above the treetops where two arches lined with lights formed a literal X shape. Beneath it, Man/Woman/Chainsaw took to the stage. The London-based art-punk six-piece draw frequent comparisons to Black Country, New Road, and I can see why. Billy Ward’s vocals recall Isaac Wood, and while their avant-garde style nods to similar territory, Man/Woman/Chainsaw feel fresh, with their own unique take on the post-punk space.
‘The Boss’ quickly got the crowd moving as pits opened and the now famous APE dust spread into the air. For an outdoor stage, they did a great job of making the space feel claustrophobic, reflecting their lyrics that tackle frustration and gender power dynamics. On stage, the band were ferocious; Clio Harwood on violin in particular threw herself around, whipping the front row into a frenzy. It was an absolute joy to watch, and I couldn’t help but wish they had a later slot to make use of the stage’s lighting.
Next up, we made our way to The West Stage for Everything Everything, who will soon be celebrating 10 years of their acclaimed album ‘Get To Heaven’ (released in 2015). Walking out to a flurry of applause, the band were dressed in their trademark matching outfits, this time in light green. What followed was a stacked setlist of pure indie rock bangers. As the electronic beat of ‘To The Blade’ rang out, Jonathan Higgs’ vocals dominated the space. If you’ve ever listened to an Everything Everything track and thought, there’s no way he can sing that live, well, he absolutely can, hitting every single note pitch-perfectly.
Having a career spanning the same era as The Maccabees meant plenty of crossover fans, resulting in a massive crowd giving it their all. The set pulled from across their discography, with ‘Kemosabe’, ‘Pizza Boy’ and ‘Cold Reactor’ all making appearances, before ending with ‘Distant Past’ and ‘No Reptiles’ from ‘Get To Heaven’. Both tracks had the audience screaming every lyric, arms and beers raised high, friends on shoulders. ‘Distant Past’ in particular felt like one giant party. I know I just said this, but it’s a crime Everything Everything wasn’t given a later evening slot.
Taking a wander across the dusty festival site, we caught The Cribs on The East Stage. A band who rose to prominence in the mid-2000s indie explosion, they were back playing to a huge crowd. The brothers brought their brand of indie sleaze to the stage, looking loose, almost sloppy, but musically tight. It was like watching that friend who stumbles around drunk yet never loses balance. The set spanned their 20+ years in the business, with recent single ‘Summer Seizures’ sitting alongside ‘I’m A Realist’, ‘Mirror Kisses’ and, of course, their defining anthem ‘Men’s Needs’, a track that instantly transported me back to messy university nights in Cardiff’s sleaziest indie clubs.
Following The Cribs on the main stage was one of the world’s current indie favourites, the charismatic CMAT. As the backdrop shifted to sky blue with soft clouds, she bounded out in a blue leotard, waving to adoring fans before bursting into ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’. The song is a belter, perfectly blending her sharp lyricism, indie-country style, and phenomenal vocal ability.
This audience might have been the most fun of the day and CMAT thrived on it. She chatted to the crowd between songs like she was down the local pub, except this one was packed with thousands of friends. She had us all dancing the two-step and even encouraged fans holding CMAT dolls to find each other in the crowd so their dolls could kiss. In the golden late summer sun, beers in hand, the atmosphere was infectious. Whether you knew the words or not, you couldn’t help but sing and move along.
Standout moments included ‘I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!’ and ‘Take a Sexy Picture Of Me’, closing out what felt like a deservedly huge set. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future shows; this is one rodeo worth joining.
After a quick pitstop at one of the festival’s many food stalls, we returned to the X Stage for Warmduscher. Known for their gritty, eclectic blend of punk and funk influences, they were here to inject a little chaos into the evening.
‘Midnight Dipper’ came early, and before I knew it, I was face-first in the biggest mosh pit of the day. The crowd bounced to its repetitive bassline as frontman Clams Baker Jr howled “Overtimeeeee” into a distorted mic, sending the pit into a whirlpool of ferocity.
There’s something effortless about Warmduscher. A cool, chaotic energy that bleeds into the music. ‘I Got Friends’ had the crowd going ballistic, with the band orchestrating the madness from the stage. I said they were here to change gears, but they had us firmly stuck in sixth.
Finally, as night fell, The Maccabees stormed the main stage, launching straight into early classics ‘Latchmere’, ‘Lego’ and ‘X-Ray’. Three songs in, it felt like they’d never left. Passion and emotion radiated from each member, captured on the huge stage screens for all to see.
Fans of all ages crammed in, every one of them knowing every lyric. From start to finish, it was one giant singalong. ‘Can You Give’ received a rousing introduction from Felix White: “When this song comes in, I’m gonna count you and the whole do place, and I mean the whole f**ing place is gonna jump. So if you in the back are not feeling it, all we want from you is solid vertical movement. Is everyone with us, yeah?” As strobes lit up the night and the crowd leapt in unison, a massive dust cloud rose, but not even that could dampen the atmosphere.
Mid-set brought a special surprise: Jamie T appeared on stage, sending the audience into chaos as they tore through ‘Marks To Prove It,’ followed by a blistering cover of Jamie’s own ‘Sticks N’ Stones’. Hearing their South London accents belt across the city while fans from around the world sang along was unforgettable.
Later, frontman Orlando Weeks addressed the crowd: “It’s unbelievable that you took that risk, that you paid that money, you put the faith in the love that you had for our band and the love that you had for the occasion that this might be…It’s not lost on us and I want to say a huge ‘thank you’ to you for being the gamblers that you are. Thank you for taking the chance. Thank you to All Points East for saying we should do this and thank you to our management and to all of our crew that made this happen.”
An emotional ‘Something Like Happiness’ set the tone for the finale, before ‘Toothpaste Kisses’, ‘Grew Up At Midnight’ and ‘Pelican’ closed the night, delivering everything long-time fans had waited for.
And with that, All Points East wrapped up for another year. As I walked home caked in dust, reminiscing with friends, one thought lingered: “What other indie legends could APE shift out of retirement?”