All Points East 2022: The National bring the crowd alive on Friday in Victoria Park

Friday was the day of indie and mellow music at All Points East in Victoria Park, with beloved American band The National headlining the main stage. Earlier on in the day, the fascinating Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius, bewitched the West Stage with his usual grace. His stage presence is always something behold. Almost as if he was on a performance high, he moved with class and elegance, mimicking a Greek statue. His sensuality, often touched upon in several of his songs, was on full display here, especially during songs like Other Side and Queen. He was clearly born to perform. After him, it was the turn of American indie-folk band Fleet Foxes, who didn’t exactly catch everybody’s attention but still provided 75 minutes of pleasant entertainment, especially thanks to Robin Pecknold’s angelic voice, which made the sunset over Victoria Park even sweeter.

Elsewhere, at the 6Music stage, various DJs and performers, including Nathan Fake and Veronica Vasika, took turns, never failing to make people dance.

On the main stage, Mogwai brought their calming, magical energy to the audience, playing a carefully crafted, well-paced set of ten songs. Following that, headliners The National took the spotlight and the crowd finally came alive. The Cincinnati-born band, guided by a very quiet but charming Matt Berninger, played old and new material, the highlights being Bloodbuzz Ohio, an all-time favourite of many fans, and Day I Die, which strangely made everyone jump, despite its sad connotations. To perform Rylan (one of the best tracks from their latest album, I Am Easy To Find, which came out in 2019 to rave reviews) the band called young singer Eve Owen, whose frail but beautiful voice turned out to be a great addition. The festival performance came just a few days after The National unveiled new single Weird Goodbyes, which features Bon Iver and was part of the setlist as well. Speaking about the song, Berninger said: “It’s about letting go of the past and moving on, then later being overwhelmed by second thoughts.” This sums up the feelings that seeing the band live usually elicits: a strange kind of inexplicable melancholy. Berninger dedicated a number, Pink Rabbits, to his parents, who celebrated their 55^th anniversary on Friday, in one of the very few moments he talked to the fans. The National closed their set with About Today, while the crowd slowly headed to the exit with smiles on their faces.

Diletta Lobuono
Photos: Ambra Vernuccio

For further information and future events visit The National’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 Weird Goodbyes here: