Jungle at All Points East: Review and setlist, with Gabriels and Erykah Badu - ‘Crowd can’t help but strut’
Masterful sets from Erykah Badu and Gabriels, and a headliner in new disco kings Jungle - who don’t put a foot wrong - saw All Points East through to a win despite a heavy half-time storm on Saturday.
The headline set comes off the back of Jungle’s new hit album Volcano. The record follows their formula of hook-heavy disco stompers, in a good way.
Live in Victoria Park they top a day that recovered perfectly after a biblical deluge which paused the music for an hour and a half in the late afternoon.
With acts like these, as well as stars including Raye and Nia Archives, the festival was always going to be in safe hands.
Jungle
While the set got heavier as the night grew late, it was packed with the kind of accessible grooves that make everyone (and I mean everyone) strut when they walk onto the dancefloor (park), and many thrust their fingers into the air.
Tracks like Us Against the World and The Heat are irresistable festival fodder.
It’s like they’ve asked an AI to filter out the most infectious 70s choruses, and worked them into the most infectious beats.
Good Times is bouncy silliness and Busy Earnin’ has all the familiar joy that a closer should.
Jungle setlist at All Points East
Us Against The World
Candle Flame
Dominoes
The Heat
Heavy California
Beat 54
Problemz
I’ve Been In Love
Back on 74
Casio
Romeo
Bonnie Hill
Cherry
Happy Man
You Ain’t No Celebrity
Coming Back
Don’t Play
All Of The Time
Holding On
Good Times
Keep Moving
Fire
What D’You Know About Me?
Time
Busy Earnin’
Erykah Badu
The band take the stage in matching orange boiler suits, sinking into a funk groove for more than ten minutes as the Erykah Badu tension builds. It’s lovely but is she going to come out?
When the singer arrives it’s a heck of an entrance, robed in a coat of many colours and boots that appear to be made of puppets stitched together.
Then it’s into On and On and she has the crowd in the palm of her hand. Window Seat is brilliant (”I just want a chance to fly”).
As a stage presence and singer she is A-list. Stunning.
“My name is Eryka Badu. I like y’all. I love you London.”
Gabriels
Gabriels are the perfect outfit to lift the crowd after the storm. Blame is wonderful and the stomping Love and Hate In a Different Time is one of the best singles of recent years.
A cover of Tina Turner’s Private Dancer is a perfect selection for the band, while singer Jacob Lusk puts in a showstopping performance for .We Will Remember.
“If you ever feel like nobody loves you, I love you,” Jacob tells the crowd. “It ain’t going to be bad all the time.”
Elkka
Until the storm hit, Elkka was putting in a brilliant house house and techno set, filling the North Stage tent with thousands who then welcomed the shelter.