ALL POINTS EAST 2023 - HAIM // VICTORIA PARK, LONDON
Los Angeles Rock royalty rules London
★★★★★ (5/5)
Closing out the 2023 season of All Points East, Haim played at the top of a bill that packed some of the best acts from a variety of genres into one day. Over the 5 stages available, acts of all sizes, treat the concert-goers to a medley of indie hits.
Dream-pop act Unflirt presented an impressive tour through her blend of spacey shoegaze, ethereal vocals and catchy choruses. Cresting the wave of the 2000s pop renaissance will no doubt see her climb up the bill quickly.
Opening the West stage, Isabel LaRosa played electonica-infused dance-rock which was warmly received by the crowd. LaRosa exhibited an electric stage presence, an impressive feat on such a large stage. Similarly, the xx's Romy leaned more towards dance and electronic influences as she played to a receptive crowd that danced eagerly to her set.
Durand Jones brought an air of coolness as his rich soul vocals delivered howling screams, beautifully backlit by the summer sun.
Solo project, Snail Mail played to an impressive-sized crowd as Lindsay Jordan and her backing band made their way through their 90's grunge-tinged rock. Soft vocals intermingled with walls of driven guitars to the cheers of the audience.
Singer-songwriter Grif brought her brand of R&B pop through a display of layered vocals that built into energetic crescendos as the backing band weaved electronic and organic elements to create a rich sound. Debuting superb new track "Vertigo" saw an artist confident in their material which elicited a unified waving of hands in the air by the crowd.
Josef brought moody soul and jubilant pop to a packed West Stage as he played through tracks from his debut album "Permanent Damage". From the number of people in the crowd singing along you can begin to understand how the singer has risen to such prominence so quickly. A summer of playing the biggest festivals around has refined Josef and his band into a sleek hit machine as they deftly hop from more somber tracks to an energetic singalong of "Joe".
Girl in Red played the second of two All Points East sets, displaying her ability to control a crowd. Choreographing crowd interaction, crowd surfing and making her way into the audience during "I wanna be your girlfriend "which sounds much heavier live than the gentle sounds from the studio recording.
Alt-electro pop duo Confidence Man filled and overspilled the Cupra arena as they played their mix of rhythmic tracks. Those in attendance reveled in the sound, which meant that by the time Haim was ready to take to the stage the fans were in elated spirits.
Rock music has always both aimed and struggled to blend new references in a way that provides commercial appeal. This has proved no challenge for the Haim sisters and over the next 90 minutes they make their way through synth, country, R&B and countless other influences alongside the classic vestiges of guitar solos, on-stage antics and the ever-present bass face.
Fresh from supporting Taylor Swift on the record-breaking Eras tour, where they played to enthused stadium crowds, Haim are now headlining their own massive events which see singalongs, cheers and tears.
Tonight the set contains large amounts of tracks from the multi-genre infused soft rock "Women in Music pt III". From the performances tonight, you understand why the record received widespread acclaim.
Opening with "Now I'm in It", the band launches into an amazing cut of 80's synth-driven pop-rock. Covering dealing with a bout of depression you can see in the crowd the strength of the meaning relayed in the track. Further highlights of the set included the earnest "If I Could Change Your Mind", the powerhouse "Gasoline" and the cool breeze of "Summer Girl" with an accompanying saxophone solo.
In the Encore "The Wire" sounds as razor-sharp as ever, and displays the timeless nature of the band's discography. While "The Steps" shows Haim's strength at producing feel-good Eagles adjacent rock.
Closing the final weekend of All Points East Haim showed how the band made their way from Los Angeles to worldwide rock stars. The strength of tonight's performance was written on the beaming faces of the fans as they made their way from Victoria Park. Luckily fans of the band have little time to wait before seeing them again as Haim is set to play the O2 Shepards bush in London on the 31st of August. If tonight's show is anything to go by, it will be one to remember.