We Caught Up With Absolutely At All Points East, A Day of Women Rewriting the Festival Rulebook

Victoria Park was alive with something different this weekend. By the time the last notes of Escapism rang out, the air was thick with sweat, smoke, and an energy that only comes when 50,000 voices rise in unison. RAYE had just signed off a day that felt like a declaration, women commanding the stage, rewriting what a festival lineup should look like. From the very start, it was clear this wasn’t just about headliners. Early in the afternoon, we drifted between stages and found ourselves standing shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, nodding along to the jazz inflections of Joni Rhodes & Friends. Her horn section blew warmth into the shaded corners of the park, setting the pace for a day that would keep expanding, reshaping, surprising.

The Cupra North Stage buzzed later when sisters Amma and Absolutely performed, both visibly emotional, both commanding crowds in their own right. We caught a glimpse of RAYE tucked to the side, beaming with the pride of a big sister watching history fold in on itself. These weren’t just slots to fill; they were family moments, stitched into the fabric of the festival. Absolutely, performing at All Points East 2025 marked her first festival showing, it was a milestone in her transition from behind-the-scenes writer to a rising artist in her own right.

“This whole day has been very surreal,” she said backstage after her set. “My two sisters are performing today, my whole family’s here, and it’s my mum’s birthday. It feels really celebratory. And it was my first time performing at a festival with my own music, so seeing so many people come to my set was really cool.”

Absolutely’s career began in songwriting, penning tracks for other talents in the industry since the age of 16. But a move to LA pushed her to carve out her own sonic identity. “I worked with producer Dave Hamlin and we would just create for fun, without any particular intention,” she explained. “We developed this really cool sound that became the shape of my first album. At some point I thought, ‘Why don’t we just put this out?’ and I just kept working from there.”

That decision paid off. Her music, an eclectic blend of alt-pop, electronic textures, and experimental sounds, has resonated deeply with listeners. At All Points East, her breakout track I Just Don’t Know You Yet sparked one of the most powerful moments of her set. “People were crying, getting emotional, really touched by the song,” she recalled. “It showed me how much it’s resonating. After I performed it, the crowd applauded for like a minute. It was so beautiful and overwhelming.”

By evening, things had turned into a carnival of sound. NAO poured heart into Antidote, dedicating it to her children, while Cat Burns laughed about expecting an audience of seven, before realising she had thousands belting her lyrics back at her. Montell Fish asked cheekily if there were any “freaky fans” in the park, and judging by the cheers, there were more than a few.

And then came the giants. JADE stormed the stage with the command of someone born for it. “All Points East, let me hear you scream!” she roared, shifting gears from Little Mix staples like Touch into her own solo identity with Angel of My Dreams. Her joy was palpable; she told us how she’d been in the crowd last year watching Victoria Monét, wishing to swap places. Now she was living that wish in real time.

Tyla’s debut UK festival set, meanwhile, was a flex in curation and presence. She brought the pulse of Johannesburg with her dancers, Amapiano rhythms, and the kind of high-energy staging that made even the most casual onlookers move. The real gasp-inducing moments? When Wizkid appeared for Dynamite and Darkoo slid in for Favourite Girl. The crowd erupted so hard that it felt like the ground was shaking beneath us.

FKA twigs headlined the West Stage and was ethereal, precise, magnetic. Her set was all heat and smoke until she peeled it all back for cellophane. Just her voice, near-a cappella, falling across the field like glass shattering in slow motion. The silence that followed was reverent, thousands of people holding their breath as if afraid to break the spell.

Finally, RAYE. Horns, choir, pyrotechnics, and raw gratitude. She threw herself into every lyric, from the furious bite of Prada (flames shooting skyward) to the vulnerability of her James Brown cover. At one point, visibly overwhelmed, she reminded us of her early days: “I’ve played a lot of sh*t gigs… but this, this is the kind of moment a little girl dreams of.”

Her new track Where The Hell Is My Husband? landed like an instant classic, choreography, chants, and the promise of a September release teased by merch that was selling faster than anyone could stock it. By the time she closed with Escapism, the park had transformed into one massive chorus.

Speaking to Absolutely, she also aspires to develop her artistry to the level of her sister, speaking about her artistic identity she says "I feel like I’m really stepping into it now, the fantasy, immersive music that feels otherworldly. I’ve been doing that for a while, but now it feels more refined and I know what the direction is. I’m finishing my second album, which sits in that world. It’s very theatrical, fun, and experimental."

Walking out into the cool night, past the trampled grass and discarded paper cups, there was a sense we’d witnessed something unrepeatable: women not just headlining, but reimagining the very architecture of a festival day. It felt less like a concert and more like a collective dream, one that left us buzzing long after the lights dimmed.