All Points East is back. The return of the essential music festival comes with its first headliners of the year, Jamie xx and Kano, joined by an immense line up of special guests. Moving three months later into the year to the August Bank Holiday, All Points East will take place in Victoria Park on 27th – 30th August 2021. More shows are to be announced for the weekend. Tickets are on sale from Wednesday 10 March at 10am GMT, and previous All Points East customers can buy from today in the pre-sale.

Jamie xx makes a huge return to the East London stage, headlining the Saturday night of All Points East. London born Jamie Smith, better known as Jamie xx, is an acclaimed DJ, remixer, producer and one third The xx. Known for his groundbreaking solo music and carefully curated remixes, Jamie initially found major success in his band The xx, who’ve released three albums to date including their Mercury Prize winning debut xx.

 

As a solo force, Jamie has flourished. 2011 saw the release of We’re New Here, his full length reimagination of the late, legendary musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron’s final studio album, I’m New Here. In 2015, Jamie released his acclaimed debut solo album In Colour. Featuring some of the year’s biggest crossover tracks – “Gosh”, “Loud Places” and his collaboration with Young Thug and Popcaan, “I know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)”, In Colour saw Jamie nominated for GRAMMY, BRIT and Ivor Novello awards.

 

Following production work for the likes of Drake and Alicia Keys, a ballet score (“Tree Of Codes”) and a collaboration with Headie One and Fred Again.. on their GANG mixtape, Jamie returned with new solo music in 2020. “Idontknow” was his first release in nearly five years and quickly became one of the year’s most talked about club tracks, garnering huge support from the likes of Ben UFO, Four Tet, Caribou, HAAi and Bicep. We’re expecting some of the most loved tunes from Jamie’s formidable catalogue as well as some highly anticipated new music on the All Points East stage.

 

The legendary London artist Kano emerged during the mid-2000s as one of the UK’s most skilled MCs, he has continued to grow artistically as well as commercially over the coming decades. First establishing his name with underground hits such as 2004’s “P’s and Q’s”, Kano went on to create one of his fundamental releases, Home Sweet Home, for which he subsequently took the 2005 MOBO Award for Best Newcomer.

 

Following the more commercial 2007 effort “London Town” featuring Craig David, Kano guested on tracks by artists such as Gorillaz and Chase & Status while releasing several underground mixtapes and independent albums in addition to pursuing his acting career. After a break between albums, in which time Kano starred in hit TV series Top Boy, he returned in 2016 for his biggest success to date with the U.K. Top Ten-charting, MOBO-winning and Mercury Prize nominated Made in the Manor. He returned in 2019 with sixth album Hoodies All Summer, previewed by singles “Trouble” and “Class of Deja” and winning stellar reviews across the board.

 

In recent years, Kano has breezed through a headline slot at Glastonbury’s Park Stage, two national tours and a sold-out-in-minutes show at the Royal Albert Hall. Now in 2021, he is back where he belongs at the top of the bill. Welcome to All Points East!

 

London-based producer/singer/songwriter Tom Misch blends hip-hop-inspired beats with smoothly soulful vocals and guitar, offering up the perfect soundtrack to a summer festival. Since 2016, he’s rapidly become one of the UK’s most exciting new artists, gaining over 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify and playing sold-out tours across the globe. His debut album Geography broke him into the mainstream and featured the singles “Movie” and “Lost in Paris.” What Kinda Music, a collaboration with Yussef Dayes, arrived in April 2020 and we can’t wait to hear it live.

 

slowthai is an unstoppable force and one of a kind. He’s often known for his raw, emotionally direct lyrics that address the struggles and concerns of British youth. The debut album Nothing Great About Britain came out in 2019, receiving a nomination at the Mercury Prize. slowthai released his follow up Tyron in February this year.  Welcomed as stunning evolution – the new music showed a different side to the Northampton born artist, including an uncharacteristically soothing track ‘feel away’ featuring James Blake and Mount Kimbie.

 

An All Points East favourite, Little Simz returns in the wake of her latest LP Drop 6. The record was universally praised and track ‘might bang might not’ became the soundtrack of the summer. Before this, Little Simz had already released two critically acclaimed albums, including iconic GREY Area in 2019, toured the world and received admiration from her musical peers and heroes including Kendrick Lamar. Plus, she has a fan in the legendary Ms. Lauryn Hill and Gorillaz, who each invited her to join them on the road.

 

West London musician and poet Arlo Parks is one of the most talked about emerging artists of the past year. Pulling from a broad range of influences, including bedroom pop, indie, and R&B, she broke through with the 2019 single “Cola,” which caught the eye of the music industry, placing her on the BBC’s Sound of 2020 list and landing her a deal with Transgressive Records. Parks then released the dreamy singles “Eugene” and “Black Dog,”. Her debut Collapsed in Sunbeams, was released in January to critical praise, peaking at No.3 on the UK Albums Chart.

 

Nubya Garcia is a rising star from the exciting London jazz movement who already earned worldwide acclaim. Her first ever solo LP, SOURCE offers up a dynamic and exploratory collection that has positioned her as one of the most promising artists in the UK.

Hailing from Coventry, Pa Salieu has already taken the UK music scene by storm with his critically acclaimed debut album Send Them To Coventry. This year is set to be a massive one for Pa who was crowned the winner of BBC’s Sound Of 2021 in January – we’re ready for an energetic live performance like no other.

 

Also on the bill is someone our co-headliner Jamie xx knows very well. Romy is best known as one silky-voiced third of The xx, and in recent months she’s been expertly carving out her solo career. At the end of 2020, she released euphoric pop banger ‘Lifetime’ from her first forthcoming solo album that promises huge Euro-dance vibes. We’re hoping it arrives in time for festival season!

 

The Australian DJ and producer HAAi also joins this epic Saturday bill. Prepare for a set full of personality and dark, trippy dancefloor sounds much like her debut EP Systems Up, Windows Down. HAAi was first discovered playing at a small Dalston bar in 2016, given a residency at Brixton nightclub Phonox and hasn’t looked back since. The Montreal trio Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu veer between classic pop, rock, electro and jazz as you can hear on their highly anticipated and thrilling record Renegade Breakdown where no two tracks sound the same.

 

Fred again.. is a producer and songwriter who describes his own music as ‘Actual Life’, a trademark sound featuring vocals uncovered from the unlikeliest sources. From this technique came his newest release ‘Actual Life’ filled with dance floor inspired euphoria.

 

Q’s sound encompasses a myriad of musical influences from R&B, soul and alternative rock. His latest EP ‘The Shave Experiment’ showcases his versatility and offers cool summer sounds – the perfect soundtrack for a sunny Saturday in Victoria Park. seeyousoon are the Floridian nine-piece and collective that rallied together over a love for Mos Def, Jadakiss, The Mars Volta and Amy Winehouse. The idea? To bring friends together and create dope music. The result is hard-hitting beats and unique flows filled with energy – the perfect soundtrack for a sunny Saturday in Victoria Park – the perfect way to open the Saturday of All Points East.

 

Jim King, CEO of European Festivals at AEG Presents, says, “It feels so great to finally be announcing our first day of All Points East 2021. The chance to be back in the summer sun in Victoria Park is itself alone a reason to celebrate. The fact we are coming back with such a great first line up announcement makes this an even sweeter moment. There are some exciting changes this year, including our move to the August Bank Holiday weekend. We welcome two sensational co-headliners for the Saturday, Jamie xx and Kano, as well as a host of amazing artists. We can’t wait to welcome back live music in the UK and be back dancing with you all later this summer.”