If each edition of this year’s All Points East was designed to cater to a particular crowd or sentiment (from the nostalgic rush of Gorillaz, to the tripped-out psychedelia of Tame Impala), then there is no questioning the intention behind a day topped by Fleet Foxes and The National.
Both bands, if from different vantage points, have for years tapped into the notion that nothing can feel too much, no emotion unworthy of examining and agonising over.
Fleet Foxes’ most well-known record is literally called Helplessness Blues, and The National have long traded in heavy subject matter sparking a particular devotion amongst their fanbase.
In short, punters attending Friday (August 26) knew exactly what they were getting in to.
That is not to say the tone was set from the off. Early slots from the inimitable Tune Yards and a highlight performance from Dehd, whose buoyant brand of indie-punk draws to mind the early output of The Drums, provided the sharp shot of energy the sparse, if growing, crowd needed in the afternoon sun.
Things soon took a decisively introspective turn however, with slots from Lucy Dacus on the Ray-Ban West Stage straight into indie-psych solo artist Kurt Vile over on the East Stage.
Lucy in particular effortlessly captivated a crowd eager to feel something, her amiable demeanour wonderfully juxtaposed not only by the strength in her voice but the striking vividness of some of her songwriting (Thumbs a case in point).
Kurt Vile’s easy-going charisma and ear for a melody has seen him work with musicians from Courtney Barnett to Dinosaur Jr. On Friday night, that same charisma was largely on show, bleeding through in his eccentric array of guitar-playing facial expressions and willingness to diverge, whether on vocals or instrumentals, from recorded versions of each track.
A little more pitter-patter with the crowd would have been welcome, but his eclectic and explorative style nevertheless provided the smooth early-evening transition required.
The intense feel-fest really came into its own however as Scottish post-rock outfit Mogwai trawled through a series of brooding epics on the East Stage, before Fleet Foxes took to the Ray-Ban West Stage as the sun was really starting to set.
Performed to the biggest crowd of the day so far, the Seattle band’s catalogue of obnoxiously lovely and wrenching folk has soundtracked every possible formative life moment for many over the years, and it showed.
An adoring crowd stood gazing wistfully as vocalist/guitarist Robin Pecknold and co. ran through a ranging set, including hits such as Mykonos and, of course, closing with Helplessness Blues.
The National’s Aaron Dessner even made an appearance on-stage, a nod to what was soon to come at the other end of the festival.
On a day of clashes and continual running from one stage to another (admittedly unavoidable at an event the size of All Points East), organisers were careful to ensure punters had enough time to trek to make it in good time for the headliners.
“Are you ready to cry at The National?” was but one snippet of a conversation overheard en route to the East Stage reflective of just how willing, even eager, those assembled were to conclude the day on an emotive high. And the band did not disappoint.
Depicted through a black and white filter on screens either side of the stage, vocalist Matt Berninger was on typically entrancing form, his disjointed, strained movements and intense delivery as if attempting to exorcise himself, at times as beguiling as it was strangely hypnotic.
The theatrics would be for nothing though if The National did not have the music to back it up. However, a couple of decades as a band as beloved as they prove they have these in abundance.
Ripping through favourites such as I Need My Girl, Bloodbuzz Ohio and the plaintively beautiful Pink Rabbits, the latter of which was dedicated to Berninger's parents' 55th wedding anniversary, the band's sound more than matched the weight to their subject matter, jumping from big, brash singalong indie to softer, more meticulous numbers, all of which felt ideally-suited to the backdrop of a pitch-black night.
As the band finished almost dead-on 11pm, the overriding sensation was one of satisfaction. Friday may not have had the angst of Turnstile or the late-night danceability of Disclosure, but that was not what people came to enjoy.
What they wanted was exactly what they got, on a day which stands alone among another series of excellent All Points East line-ups.
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