The Maccabees All Points East review, setlist and surprise guest: indie legends create millennial fever dream amid dust chaos

The South London indie legends were playing their biggest show for more than eight years, after recently getting back together, and 2000s classics like Precious Time and Pelican ended in glorious singalongs.

All Points East convinced the band to get back together for the show, and guitarist Felix White was constantly geeing up the crowd by telling them he wanted it to be “the best Maccabees show ever”.

Jamie T was the band’s secret guest, who joined them for Marks to Prove It before embarking on a riotous version of his own anthem Sticks ‘N’ Stones.

The Maccabees came on after joyful performances from Bombay Bicycle Club and CMAT, which turned east London into some kind of millennial fever dream as the sun was setting.

However, the headline set was blighted by sound issues, and the festival in Victoria Park, Hackney, threatened to be derailed by the almost dystopian amount of dust floating in the air.

The dry weather and several days of revellers trampling the grass down had created a thick layer of dust on the surface of the park.

In certain heavy thoroughfares, the distance became a haze as it was churned up by festivalgoers heading towards the bar or toilets.

Many people chose to wear Covid masks or bandanas over their faces, which sometimes made you feel like you had travelled back in time.

The haze at the end, as people were heading home, had a truly dystopian feel to it, however thankfully it was not too bad on the main stages.

With a line-up very much catered to the Noughties indie scene, Wakefield band The Cribs blasted out a set of bangers, such as Hey Scenesters and Mirror Kissers, creating a fervent mosh pit in the crowd.

Then came Irish phenomenon CMAT, who threatened to steal the show with a gloriously uplifting set of soulful pop.

The singer from Dublin, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, is set to release her latest album Euro-Country in a few days, and brought the crowd to life with an energetic and emotional performance.

Take a Sexy Picture of Me and Running/Planning were joyous singalongs, while I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby! Saw the whole festival embark on a two-step.

During her final song, Stay for Something, CMAT charged into the crowd for a dance, before emerging with a cowboy hat.

We criss-crossed through the dust storm to the West Stage to see Bombay Bicycle Club, and the North London locals turned All Points East into a big boogie with their indie funk.

Classics such as Shuffle and How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep had the crowd dancing around joyfully as the sun set behind the stage, while more recent songs such as Diving showed the band’s continual development.

And Always Like This was the perfect climax to a set full of energy and fun.

Then it was just left to the Maccabees to bring the house down, and they did not disappoint.

The set roared to life with classics like Latchmere, Lego and X-Ray, an emotional throwback to 2006.

The band’s real strength is the transitions within songs between beautifully tender moments and then raucous high-energy rock.

These were perfect for All Points East, which saw revellers go from cuddling one another to jumping into mosh pits within seconds.

First Love, Precious Time and Love You Better encapsulate this part of the Maccabees’ songwriting, however sound issues frustratingly cut short the end of the latter.

Jamie T’s surprise appearance turned the crowd into a frenzy, before a stunning encore of Toothpaste Kisses, Grew Up at Midnight and Pelican saw the Maccabees crown a spectacular comeback.

The Maccabees All Points East setlist

1. Latchmere
2. Lego
3. X-Ray
4. Feel to Follow
5. Kamakura
6. William Powers
7. Wall of Arms
8. First Love
9. Love You Better
10. Precious Time
11. Can You Give It
12. Spit It Out
13. Silence
14. No Kind Words
15. Marks to Prove It (with Jamie T)
16. Sticks 'N' Stones (Jamie T cover with Jamie T)
17. Something Like Happiness
18. Toothpaste Kisses
19. Grew Up at Midnight
20. Pelican