Our family holiday this year, was a European road trip. We drove through France to the lakes of Italy and beyond.
We celebrated the 20 year anniversary of Danny and I starting the Green Man Festival with Champagne, looking out over Lake Garda. The children were one and three in 2003 and we had travelled that journey as a family.
Part of the road trip for myself and my daughter, Tex, was getting to Victoria Park in Hackney for All Points East on 28 August to see Haim.
Late to the game, it’s through their ‘Women in Music Pt. 3’ album that I got into them. I love that album so much. Those voices! They play the instruments! So f**king talented and cool!
The boys dropped us in Zurich, where we spent an unexpected night, due to our flight getting cancelled. We had a drink at the station bar.
This meant we now travelled, late morning on the day of the gig. By the time we had checked in to our hotel in Stratford, relaxed for a couple of hours and got to the festival site, it was late on this glorious sunny afternoon. The park itself was lovely to walk through, full of families and friends enjoying their Bank Holiday Monday.
Tex and I got drinks and sat down at a table for a while, getting our bearings and people watching. Checking out clothes, hair, laughing and generally enjoying the vibe.
We thought we were in front of the main stage and watched Scottish singer Josef and his band play some blue eyed soul…but when we went for a walk, we realised that had been the second stage!
Thankfully we reached the main one in time to see a great set by Girl In Red…
Fuelled on by cocktails and sunshine we had a very brilliant time. Soon the sky got darker, the lights more intense and the excitement grew, the crowd building and building.
Haim were so wonderfully brilliant. I sang and danced and cheered with Tex and the other thirty or forty thousand people. The weather was perfect, the crowd were young and happy. Pure enjoyment.
I recorded some of their set –
They ended with ‘The Steps’ – here’s the full version:
After that, we all headed out of the park and attempted to get a cab or walk to tubes and stations. Some cheesy chips and an Uber sorted Tex and myself out.
The next morning, we got the Eurostar and re joined the boys, now in France, to carry on with our incredible holiday.
I felt so darn invigorated from all that wonderful music and all those singing voices and happy people.
All Points East was really well run well too – no queues for drinks or toilets, well laid out site, staff all friendly.
Indie Through The Looking Glass 