Eight years after helping launch All Points East, Lorde returned to Victoria Park on Saturday to headline one of the summer’s most anticipated bills.
It was a festival lineup dubbed ‘the best of the year’, and it’s fair to say All Points East lived up to those expectations on Saturday. Tucked away in a corner of East London, the festival series continues to attract some of the biggest names in music, with its reputation seemingly growing every year.
For Lorde, however, this was about more than simply topping another impressive bill. “The best lineup I’ve ever been a part of,” she told the crowd midway through her set, during a particularly personal moment. It feels fitting that the acts supporting her had all been curated by Lorde herself, making the occasion feel even more full-circle; it’s what every artist dreams of doing. She’s no stranger to Victoria Park, having played here just two years ago, but this time felt notably different. Her excitement at creating what felt like a defining day in the festival calendar was evident throughout, leaving her visibly stunned on several occasions. At times, you could see Lorde simply taking it all in: the artist who first captured the hearts of audiences over a decade ago now standing at the top of a sold-out festival bill, surrounded by a generation of artists she had chosen to share the stage with.
The breadth of talent spread across Victoria Park’s six stages was breathtaking, and early performances from Nell Mescal and rising EDM star NinaJirachi quickly proved festivalgoers were more than ready for the day ahead. An unwanted plume of dust swept up across the site made conditions a little more challenging than expected, but did little to dampen the atmosphere. By mid-afternoon, rising star Pixie McCann brought a wave of dreamy indiepop to the E3 Stage, and appeared in complete disbelief that she was opening for Lorde, a feeling that many artists on this remarkable lineup could surely relate to.
As far as electronic music goes, it can be difficult to build a performance around the production, but Rose Gray had all the ingredients needed to turn her music into something far more than just a live rendition of her songs. There was a chaotically cool presence about her onstage, and it proved a huge hit with the crowd. Festivalgoers bounced along to Just Be Bodies and Party People before rushing across the site to catch Erin LeCount on the West Stage. Opening with Don’t You See Me Trying, LeCount expressed that feeling that seemed to be shared across Victoria Park: “This is my dream festival lineup!” she told the crowd. Her infectious stage presence clearly resonated, while her unique approach to performing added an authentic touch to her music. Looping every element onstage, she built her songs layer by layer, with a devoted following near the front making their voices heard for The Cinema and Silver Spoon. It was a true highlight of the afternoon, and another reminder of just how much potential sits across Lorde’s carefully curated lineup.
Audrey Hobert carried that momentum effortlessly over on the East Stage. Having written tracks for the likes of Gracie Abrams and Alessi Rose, her own music showcased a production that was both incredibly raw and extravagant. Her witty charisma was infectious and unpredictable, and once a mini trampoline appeared onstage, Sue Me, a track you’ve probably heard on social media, prompted a mass singalong from the thousands watching on. It was the perfect demonstration of Hobert’s ability to excel on both sides of the creative process, proving her talents extend far beyond the songwriting credits that first put her name on the map.
Ahead of the festival, there had been some uncertainty surrounding the timings between sets, but for many eager fans, it simply made for a memorable scramble from stage to stage, with some calling it the ‘biggest race of their life’ on social media. That race began at the West stage, where Sienna Spiro revealed just how much this day meant to her: “As a pact to myself, this is somewhere I want to play until I can headline it.” Thousands of voices echoed back the words to the bigger-than-life Die On This Hill, a testament to the incredible success she has already achieved and her fierce determination to one day follow in the footsteps of Lorde herself.
If this was to be the ‘lineup of the summer’, there needed to be a good reason why. Instead, there were multiple, and one of them was Swedish sensation Zara Larsson, who graced the East Stage for an hour in the early evening. Having started her career over a decade ago, she’s recently enjoyed a resurgence like no other, with her latest record Midnight Sun soundtracking the summer since its release last year. Even after opening with the record’s self-titled anthem, the biggest surprise of the day was still to come.
“You guys are watching HERstory being made right now. Cause something that’s never happened before, and it’s happening right now,” she explained, as screams of excitement threatened to drown her out. PinkPantheress then strutted onto the stage, with the pair performing Stateside live together for the first time ever, a moment that will surely go down in pop history and left Victoria Park stunned. The bar had been set incredibly high, but her energy never let up. The crowd was in full voice for Can’t Tame Her and Pretty Ugly, before a second surprise arrived during Never Forget You, as the iconic MNEK joined Larsson onstage for another standout moment. And just when it seemed she had done it all, she closed with a run of mega-hits, taking the volume to another level. Everyone was dancing to the summer anthem Lush Life, while Symphony threw everyone back to 2016. Victoria Park had witnessed pop history before Lorde had even taken to the stage, and, in Zara Larsson, one of the performances of the summer.
Before Larsson had even finished her set, the North Arena had already reached capacity for PinkPantheress, leaving many festivalgoers to watch on from the outside. The alternative was equally as captivating, with Djo, the musical project of Stranger Things star Joe Keery, headlining the West Stage. Receiving a huge reception from the thousands in attendance, his set provided a refreshing change of pace from the electronic-pop theme that had dominated much of the day. Instead, Victoria Park was treated to a stylish showcase of retro alternative rock, with Keery proving just as compelling behind the microphone as he is on screen. “You guys live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world,” he told the London crowd, earning one of the biggest cheers of the evening before launching into Basic Being Basic. A crowd-wide singalong to End of Beginning brought proceedings to a fitting close, with the viral hit, one you’ve almost certainly heard on social media, proving just as powerful live as it is online.
Taking to the East Stage just before half past nine, Lorde wasted no time in immersing London in her world, emerging behind a mixing desk as a mysterious interlude played. The atmosphere was palpable, and Victoria Park reached full volume from the moment Royals kicked in, before What Was That ramped things up even further. Every song became more than simply a performance, with its own distinctive staging brought to life by Lorde and her dancers, complemented by an extraordinary lighting production and some huge visuals. What began relatively simple gradually grew more ambitious as the set unfolded, allowing Lorde’s world to expand around the sold-out crowd in front of her.
Older cuts Perfect Places and Buzzcut Season worked seamlessly alongside newer tracks like Favourite Daughter and Hammer, with the energy rippling through every corner of the park without letting up. Yet beneath the spectacle, Lorde made time to address the occasion itself, creating a deeply personal, almost intimate moment between artist and audience. Offering some advice to the thousands gathered before her, she told London to: “Wake up, stay awake, and stay alive,” in such a tricky world. The emotion she pours into every song and the intricate choreography of her performances proves just how closely she strives to connect with her audience. That connection has remained at the heart of her journey as an artist, something she reflected on while addressing the crowd: “I felt like I was putting a little message in a bottle and throwing it out there, and it’s very special to me, London, that you have been on the other side for all these years.” Cue cheers, tears, and the vulnerable Liability, which followed and left Victoria Park collectively in its feels; grainy footage of Lorde early in her career reflected onto her, showing just how much this show meant to the New Zealand star.
The set continued to shift gears, moving from its more stripped-back moments into a run of huge dancefloor hits including Supercut, Team and Girl, so confusing, the Charli XCX remix that took the world by storm during her coveted BRAT era. Each were delivered with the energy you’d expect, and at times, Victoria Park felt like one giant euphoric rave that had descended on East London. Lorde introduced David as a song about finding her power, before a huge banner reading “I don’t belong to anyone” moved through the crowd. It was yet another powerful visual reminder of the journey she’s taken to reach this point, a message of independence made all the more poignant when delivered in front of thousands who followed that journey from the very beginning.
Green Light gave everyone the chance to, as the song tells us, “just let go“, and London certainly didn’t fail to do so. Victoria Park erupted, with a fresh burst of energy sweeping through the crowd as thousands danced along to one of the biggest hits in modern music. Yet even that wasn’t the peak. The night reached its euphoric conclusion with Ribs, introduced as “the oldest, most precious song we have” to a rapturous reception. It wasn’t long before the entire park was bouncing again, thousands screaming back those all-too-familiar words, “You’re the only friend I need!” as a wave of love, emotion, and nostalgia washed over East London. In one of the night’s most fitting images, Lorde climbed down to the barricade, getting as close as possible to experience the spectacle herself. And after a night like this, rightfully so.
Saturday belonged to Lorde. The day had been built around her vision, and it was well worth the wait. Judging by the response from the audience throughout the day, it’s difficult to argue against Saturday at All Points East as one of the lineups of the summer. Yet perhaps the most fitting message came from Lorde herself: “I feel so inspired by all of these artists here today.” Seeing Lorde turn the spotlight onto the next wave of talent felt like the perfect full-circle moment for one of the most influential artists of her generation.
Lorde’s return to Victoria Park came just a day after Tems & Jorja Smith’s co-headline show, and ahead of 2026’s Outbreak Festival, which saw Deftones take over East London. Tyler, The Creator & Twenty One Pilots are set to headline All Points East next weekend.
