Field Day at All Points East 2022: Chemical Brothers join electronic royalty at Victoria Park

All Points East has returned to east London with a swathe of day festivals across ten days. Saturday was Field Day, the concert series’ electronic day. Victoria Park was scorching, filled with a young, hot and hardcore crowd (as the festival wore on it became apparent that the two diligent sniffer dogs tasked with policing the gates for drugs had been overworked for a crowd that size).

The lineup erred towards the harder side of dance music, with minimalist techno pioneers Kraftwerk headlining the West Stage and creators of cacophony like Squarepusher and Erol Alkan playing. 

To enter the festival was to be accosted from all sides by thumping temptations for bass aficionados. The 6 Music stage had an all-female programme that was opened by Mary Anne Hobbs, the softly spoken DJ with the filthiest taste in beats and kept the dance floor filled for the whole day. 

The main stage played host to some excellent new female DJs too. Sydney-born and London-based producer Logic1000 (described somewhat intriguingly as “reclusive” on her Resident Advisor bio) played a joyous dancey set under the blazing sun. Her choice of music certainly wasn’t reclusive: it was sophisticated, party-friendly fare, with classics from Brandi and Monica’s The Boy Is Mine given nuanced and fresh interpretation. It would have been elevated by hearing more of her own music – lush and euphoric as it is – mixed in with the set. But Logic1000 proved a highlight. Another Australian producer, HAAi, took to the stage a bit later, looking blindingly summery in Hawaiian shirt and orange aviators. She was an enthusiastic presence, gesturing cockily to the crowd at each bass drop. She ended her set with her collaboration with Jon Hopkins, the breezy Baby, We’re Ascending. 

Techno producer Daniel Avery was another highlight, playing a set in the North Tent that showed his signature combination of hardness and dreaminess. 

It was interesting to see such a young crowd given the Chemical Brothers’ debut album, Exit Planet Dust came out on the first of January 1995, but their hook-heavy, uncompromising electronica doesn’t seem to age. They opened in big style with Block Rockin’ Beats and Go – driving high-energy tracks. The crowd was busy and excitable and the set was perfectly constructed to elevate the vibe. Hey Boy Hey Girl’s dizzying synths sounded exciting. They mashed up much of their back catalogue into new shapes, such as a mix of Hoops, The Golden Path, Free Yourself and EML Ritual. There was a natural pairing of their wildest tracks: the reeling anthem of hedonism Out of Control and the darkly compulsive Do It Again. The show was saturated throughout with bright, enigmatic visuals on the large screens next to the stage. Delivering a dynamic, freely progressing set that ended in style with Swoon and the powerful sound of Galvanize, the Chemical Brothers are masters of their craft.

Jessica Wall

For further information and future events visit Field Day’s website here.

All Points East is on at Victoria Park from 19^th until 20^th August and from 25^th until 28^th August 2022. For further information visit here.

Watch the video for the single Hey Boy Hey Girl here: