What made All Points East 2025’s kick off a spiritual experience?

If there’s one thing Cleo Sol, SAULT, Nao, Mariah the Scientist, Sasha Keable, Kirk Franklin, Joe Kay, Gotts Street Park and (big breath) Ms. Dynamite have in common, it’s soul. And not just in genre. The line-up at All Points East opening night last Friday was one for people who want to hear real music with a slushy margarita in hand, not one for those chasing chart bangers with a warm pint and an ‘ironic’ bucket hat on.

Gotts Street Park opened with subtle class, their rich analogue sound lifted even higher by surprise guests Celeste and Pip Millett — a proper treat for the early crowd. Miss Dynamite came next, nostalgia cranked up to a hundred, So Solid Crew anthems rattling Victoria Park like it was 2001 again. Kirk Franklin then flipped the place into something church-like, gospel joy pouring out across the tent, while Nao — arguably one of the UK’s most criminally underrated performers — stepped up with a set that was soulful, effortless and connective. It was a shame more people didn’t stick around, but with a bill this rare, you can’t blame them for panic-saving a spot at the main stage.

Then SAULT arrived (a little late after their last-minute set change, but worth the wait). At most festivals, you know what you’re getting. Often generic and polished. But SAULT wasn’t that. It was a full-blown production of theatre, choir, ritual and mythology. Cloaked figures drifted across the stage, an orchestra with strings, harp and piano. It felt a little like a fever dream. That was the beauty of it, though. You weren’t meant to catch every detail or have it spoon-fed to you. It was a rare moment of genuine immersion over instant gratification. 

After such a hefty spiritual experience, Chronixx was the release the whole day had been building towards. Heavy bass rolling through the park, the sun finally buggering off behind the crowds — a rare blessing in England, but it was bloody hot — everyone moving,  ‘Skankin’ Sweet’ having the crowd grinning ear to ear. And after Chronixx came the moment no one expected: Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) appearing in an oversized robe (an entrance only he could pull off without irony), launching into ‘Umi Says’, the 1999 track rooted in his mother’s age-old words about shining your light, even in struggle. It was an apt transition into Bey’s own proclamations: “Free Gaza. Free Palestine. Free Sudan. Free Congo. Free minds.” A reminder that his art has always carried weight far beyond the stage.

By the time headliner Cleo Sol walked out, the park was hushed, her voice pouring over Victoria Park. When ‘Sunshine’ hit, the whole crowd lifted with her, thousands of voices singing every word back — one of those rare festival moments where everyone is in sync. Then came ‘Don’t Let It Go to Your Head’, her band weaving all the parts together with effortless beauty. But what made it even more powerful was her realness. Mid-set she pulled out her in-ear, clearly frustrated by the distractions being fed to her when her essence is all about connection and intimacy. Her penultimate song, ‘Know That You Are Loved’ was tear, hug and goosebump-inducing — evidence that Sol’s music is all about genuine intimacy. 

So, overall, not everyone understood the five-hour set at All Points East this year. But art is subjective after all. For those who did, though, the festival felt as much like a pilgrimage as a performance — proof that music still has the power to feel sacred, even in the middle of east London.