Festivals
Review
Field Day 2023: Latex, bondage swings, and the elusive Aphex Twin
It was a club culture kid’s dream line-up on a sunny August day in Victoria Park.
Day two of this year’s All Points East came in the form of Field Day; an electronic music day festival with a line-up that ran the gamut. From deep house to techno, Jersey club to electro-reggaeton, and dance remixes of alt R&B ballads, Field Day 2023 was an ode to club culture kids. With this diverse line-up came an even more diverse crowd – thousands of fans descended upon east London’s Victoria Park dressed in head-to-toe sequin jumpsuits, Y2K Diesel ensembles, all-black latex fetish gear, and cyber-punk archival outfits that looked like they were pulled straight out of The Matrix.
On entry, we’re greeted by the BBC 6 Music Stage, with sets from artists such as NYC-based DJ quest?onmarq, who seamlessly blends UKG, soulful house and breakbeat. Over on the East Stage, Juliana Huxtable paired her flaming orange locs and bright green leopard print outfit with an unabashedly queer and Afrocentric solo set veering from bass-heavy techno to EDM to J.J. Fad-inspired hip-hop dance breaks. Considering Huxtable was supposed to play a B2B set with Berlin-based DJ LSDXOXO (who was unable to perform at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances), the DJ showed no signs of pressure or nerves during her sudden eleventh-hour solo set, mixing her cross-genre electronic hits with timely vocal samples repeating the phrase “artificial intelligence”, and playing a ballroom-ready remix of Peaches’ infamous ‘F*ck The Pain Away’. If it wasn’t for the uncharacteristically sunny weather, one could close their eyes and be transported directly to the dancefloors of Berghain.
With a bright smile and an even brighter sparkly green jumpsuit, Jayda G delivered a joyful deep house set on the East Stage that would make Frankie Knuckles proud. Love is clearly at the heart of her performance, featuring groovy transitions between classics such as Blaze and Barbara Tucker’s ‘Most Precious Love’ and C+C Music Factory’s ‘Deeper Love’, before the lyrics “I can love enough for the both of us” (from Jayda’s own song ‘Both Of Us’) close out her summer afternoon rave.
The branded stalls also had DJ performances of their own – a particular highlight was hearing a dance remix of millennial party-starter track ‘Tik Tok’ by Ke$ha. Will we ever know what it feels like to “wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy”? No. Do we sing along anyway? Absolutely.
Over at the CUPRA North Arena, hundreds of fans squeeze under the bright blue circus tent to hear live renditions of English producer SBTRKT’s eclectic discography. Accompanied by a live band, SBTRKT adds a new dimension to his sound, with standout drum performances on ‘NEW DORP. NEW YORK.’ and ‘Wildfire’. Kelela took the CUPRA stage next, channelling her inner Grace Jones with a hooded chainmail dress. She makes sure she tells the audience “I love me a remix… I come from DJ culture” – fitting, considering she pairs her ethereal R&B vocals with previously unheard remixes of hits from her latest album, Raven. Blending the track from Jay-Z’s ‘F*ckwithmeyouknowigotit’ and Pop Smoke’s drill track ‘Dior’ with the lyrics to her own song, ‘Happy Ending’, Kelela teases fans with a potential remix spinoff of Raven after the success 2018’s remix album, TAKE ME A_PART, THE REMIXES.
Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett
Complete with chains, latex, leather, fake blood, a floral arrangement and a bondage swing on the East Stage, Arca delivers an electrifying hyperpop performance, fusing reggaeton and dembow sounds with her sex-positive, queer-celebrating lyrics. “Okay…so…do you want to see me play with the bondage swing?” she asks a receptive crowd, who are also dressed in matching fetish gear, and have been patient with Arca as she deals with technical difficulties with the multiple on-stage instruments she impressively handles on her own. After a resounding “YES!” from the audience, and with the sound fixed, Arca hops onto the swing, where a camera with a top-down view of her sultry performance is ready to project everything to the audience. The perfect sundown set.
Credit: Andrew Whitton
Finally, after Bonobo closes the West Stage – no small feat, considering the DJ-producer had a field full of people dancing as freely as if it were an intimate club gig – all stages wind down to give fans the time to make the pilgrimage to the East Stage, where headliner Aphex Twin is poised to give the festival’s closing performance. It’s a sensory overload: lasers, a light show, futuristic visuals in keeping with the cyberpunk theme throughout the day, and experimental techno with a minimum BPM of at least 150. It’s like an avant-garde vintage Nintendo game soundtrack, and a far cry from the ‘Avril 14th’ Aphex Twin. This is ‘Digeridoo’ Aphex Twin in full stride, giving the crowd one last chance to rave before the day is over.
All Points East continues until 26 August 2023, with tickets available here.
Photo credit: Matt Higgs
