ALL POINTS EAST 2023 - FIELD DAY // VICTORIA PARK, LONDON
Dance descends on London for a celebration of the genre
★★★★★ (5/5)
APHEX TWINS HEADLINING ALL POINTS EAST 2023 - FIELD DAY
PHOTOCREDIT: ANDREW WHITTON
The scale of the musical offerings provided by Field Day means that pounding basslines can be heard for a fair distance in every direction as fans approach Victoria Park. The masses of revellers easily stream inside thanks to the efficient planning and layout of the All Points East venue. Once inside, fans are treated to 6 stages of various sizes which today are host to a collection of some of the best in dance music.
First to greet those that make their way through the entrance, the BBC 6 Music Stage proves consistently popular throughout the day with masses enjoying the visuals and music. Though it is not for all as one unimpressed party-goer was heard to comment "I like techno but that's just noise" to one particular set.
However, that is part of the beauty of the diverse Field Day lineup, if you find an act that isn't to your tastes you are a few steps away from an entirely different musical offering. Perhaps more than any other day in the All Points East festival lineup, Field Day relies on providing consistent high-quality talent throughout. Which serves to make the whole day the experience.
This leads to a day that includes such eclectic offerings as a DJ set from indie shining star Art School Girlfriend, a brass-backed performance from Bonobo as well as a stacked selection of electronic offerings from the likes of Jon Hopkins and Fever Ray. The sheer volume of acts means that you discover new favourites throughout the day that will no doubt make their way into the playlists of many that attended.
The dedication to the arcane music collection was perhaps best shown by Arca who performed one of the best attention-grabbing sets of the day through the powerful use of musical acumen and impressive stagecraft. The assembled crowd was enthralled by the Avant pop, Reggaeton and Dance provided by the genre-blending innovator.
In the CUPRA North Arena, Supergroup Moderat generates some of the most intense traffic of the day as the tent is filled and spills into the ground outside. The darkness of the tent provides an apt backdrop for their retina-scorching visuals and incredibly tight flow of songs.
As time draws in towards the headliner, the East stage becomes rammed as the other stages finish and thousands descend for the intense musical stylings of the influential Aphex Twin. The crowd is tight-knit as they stand in the darkness of the night, waiting with anticipation for one of electronic music's most well-known acts.
The start proved a bit of a stumble, as with little fanfare the music simply began to a bit of bewilderment from the surrounding crowd. This only lasted a few minutes, however, before the entire audience was captured by the abrasive power of the Aphex Twin set.
Interestingly the headline act's performance presents one of the day's most difficult to navigate. Eschewing traditional headliner trappings in favour of a dark set that provides a punishing bombardment of sounds and visuals.
For the first hour, this provides amazingly intense energy which is an exceptional feat for a gig of such scale, especially in an open-air venue. The foliage of the trees being used as screens for laser projections transforms Victoria Park into a rave, as the dark skies make such a huge venue feel intimate and energetic.
The visuals do play a large part in the energy of the set as a collection of lights, lasers and art augment the performances and accompany the rhythmic beats. Morphing between the producer's face to cover countless celebrities. Among the assorted references, we see the faces of Dua Lipa, Charlie XCX and the late SOPHIE.
The set does prove to struggle in keeping up the intensity as it progresses and several music fans stream out of the venue, some citing the sound quality. But there are still many thousands to enjoy the collection of sounds and beats that reverberate from the sound system. Energy does return as the set nears the end and as the lights come up you are presented with the faces of fans that are satisfied, shaken and with ringing ears, as they make their way from the venue. From the conversations that now replace the music, the general opinion is that the set was fantastic and delivered exactly what they wanted and how they wanted it.
This closes a day that has presented a plethora of the best in electronic music and which has seen countless fans enjoying sets from their favourite, and future favourite, artists. Curating such large amounts of talent paints a strong future for the Field Day festival, which will no doubt return in the future and again provide an essential experience for any electronic music fan.