Concert Review: The Maccabees at All Points East Festival, August 2025
The beloved band, The Maccabees, made a triumphant return to the stage on what felt like the brink of the world, headlining the closing day of the All Points East Festival. As a dusty orange-red haze lingered in the sky above Victoria Park, crowds gathered on Sunday to catch performances by artists like Sorry, The Futureheads, Everything Everything, and CMAT before The Maccabees took the stage to close out the event with one of their first shows since their hiatus in 2017.
Despite the challenging conditions, festival-goers adorned scarves and face masks, determined not to let the dust diminish their festival experience. As attendees scattered across the park to partake in a full day of music, the Ordinary Stage hosted an energetic performance by the New York garage-rock band Slow Fiction. Their set, filled with fervent drums, gritty guitars, and captivating vocals, drew in the crowd, featuring tracks like Brother, Apollo, and the unreleased song 99, which frontwoman Julia Vassalo described as being about navigating large crowds.
On the East Stage, Irish post-punk group The Murder Capital delivered a riveting performance, with a Palestinian flag prominently displayed. Beginning with the intense track The Fall from their recent album Blindness, the band set a compelling tone for their set, marked by powerful vocals and raw instrumentation. Tracks like Can’t Pretend To Know, A Distant Life, and Don’t Cling To Life resonated with the audience, who embraced the band’s potent energy.
During Love Of Country, the band addressed recent attempts to censor artists and expressed solidarity with the Mary Wallopers and Palestine. The crowd responded with fervor, engaging in a chant for a Free Palestine as poignant visuals illuminated the stage. The Murder Capital’s bold statements and solidarity resonated deeply, creating a somber yet empowering atmosphere. Amidst moments of lighthearted banter and laughter, the band showcased their musical prowess, closing the set with Words Lost Meaning, eliciting a spirited sing-along from the crowd.
Over at the West Stage, Manchester favorites Everything Everything took the audience on a sonic journey with their eclectic blend of electronic rock. Opening with To The Blade and delivering standout tracks like Pizza Boy, Cold Reactor, and No Reptiles, the four-piece band immersed the crowd in a pulsating, electrifying performance. Evidently enjoying themselves as much as their fans, Everything Everything’s set was a highlight of the festival, capturing the essence of musical camaraderie and shared enthusiasm among attendees.