PHOTOGRAPHY By Bethan Miller-Carey, Shot by Nee & Khali Ackford courtesy of All Points East
For most artists, a headline set is an opportunity to look back at the songs that made them. For Jorja Smith, Friday’s All Points East became an opportunity to look around — at the artists, sounds and generations of British music that have shaped her career, many of whom were now standing beside her onstage. Curated by Smith and her label FAMM in collaboration with the festival, the 45,000-strong day brought together R&B, Afrobeats, jungle, garage, rap and pop, culminating in co-headliners Smith and Tems closing out the festival.
The Nigerian R&B powerhouse emerged onstage through a cloud of smoke to the opening notes of ‘Crazy Tings’, immediately turning Victoria Park into a sea of voices, before following up with ‘What You Need’ and ‘Essence’. Then came Dave. His arrival for ‘Raindance’ brought Tems’ global take on Afrobeats and R&B into conversation with one of Britain’s defining voices in rap, creating a meeting of two artists whose sounds have travelled far beyond their respective scene.
Elsewhere, Ayra Starr brought her Afropop to a packed North Arena, appearing in a bedazzled metallic bra and micro-mini skirt before tearing through new material from Starrgirl alongside fan favourites including ‘Rush’, ‘Sability’, ‘Commas’ and ‘Bloody Samaritan’. kwn made a surprise appearance during Starr’s set for ‘Amazing’, while Nia Archives took over the West Stage with her unmistakable blend of jungle and electronic music. Odeal, another of the newer names on the bill, would later return to the stage alongside Smith for ‘Coming Home’.
The breadth of the lineup felt intentional: Katy B, Loyle Carner, AJ Tracey and Devlin brought different chapters of Britain’s musical history onto the same stage, while newer artists like soulful breakthrough act Sekou and pop girl group XO reflected how those influences continue to evolve in the hands of a new generation. The result was a snapshot of British music at its most interconnected, with contemporary R&B drawing freely from the genres, artists and influences that surround it, both at home and around the world.
That sense of connection became even clearer when Smith took to the East Stage. Opening with the moody, soul-inflected ‘Blue Lights’, the song that first introduced her to so many listeners, she initially allowed her own catalogue to take centre stage before gradually turning the headline set into a celebration of the artists and sounds that have accompanied her journey.
Odeal joined Smith for ‘Coming Home’, followed by Kyla for ‘I Lied, You Lied’. Nia Archives then returned to the stage for several tracks, including ‘Crush’, which also saw AJ Tracey make an appearance. Loyle Carner followed for ‘Loose Ends’, while Devlin joined Smith for ‘This City’, turning the headline set into a journey through the many corners of British music that have intersected with her own. It was less a run of guest appearances than a mixtape brought to life, with each new arrival revealing another part of Smith’s musical DNA.
Perhaps the most poignant full-circle moment came thanks to Katy B. After footage of a schoolgirl Jorja singing along to Katy’s ‘Katy on a Mission’ played onstage, the singer herself appeared to perform the track alongside Smith. It was a small but telling reminder of how much has changed since Smith was the young artist absorbing the music around her. The songs that once formed part of her musical education were now being performed alongside her, by artists who helped shape the landscape she would eventually become such an integral part of.
And that was what made Smith’s headline set feel bigger than a run of impressive cameos. Her collaborators represented different generations, scenes and sounds – from garage and UK rap to jungle and contemporary R&B – but together, they mapped out the musical ecosystem that has surrounded Smith throughout her career.
For Smith, this felt particularly fitting. Since emerging with ‘Blue Lights’ almost a decade ago, the West Midlands artist has built a career from precisely this kind of musical fluidity – pulling from soul, jazz, R&B, garage and beyond without allowing herself to sit neatly within any one category. At All Points East, she was able to turn that history outward, bringing together the artists who influenced her, the peers who have worked alongside her and a newer generation now finding their own place within the same ecosystem.
By the end of the night, All Points East had offered more than a showcase of two global R&B stars. It had become a celebration of musical lineage, collaboration and the increasingly blurred boundaries between Britain’s scenes, with Jorja Smith standing, quite fittingly, at the centre of it all.
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