CMAT steals the show at All Points East, the "indie carnival"

Nothing says 'bank holiday weekend' quite like a descent into chaos for the National Rail. After a ball ache of a journey, I found myself in London ready for the final day of All Points East festival.

Having had the time of our lives here two years ago when Haim were headlining, Gina G (Essex's best tanner) and I embarked upon a journey into the dusty abyss. There had been a Sky News broadcast and TikTok frenzy in regard to the dust at Victoria Park, and Gina packed us both a pheasant print bandana to brave the storm. It wasn't all that bad in the end, but we looked like we’d “been down the mines” as she put it.

Friends on Instagram may remember that I am currently reading my friend Michael's new book. The Dogwalkers' Detective Agency is out in October, and I got an early look which I am delighted about. I have been in and out of my suitcase since it arrived, unable to give it my full attention and carrying a crippling shame for not having immediately finished it. I turn up to the gate and there he was with his lovely wife Alex in the queue! Thrilled to show him the timestamp on my iPhone, I assured him that I had been reading it just this afternoon. It was a vindicating "I am mortally excited about this but I've been consumed with preparation for my Chappell Roan concerts" moment of reconciliation.

Due to the ball ache of a journey, we arrived to the Cribs a little late but caught the classics. Men's Needs was my favourite as expected, and they put everyone in happy spirits.

Now, I’ll be honest. I know I was here for the Maccabees, and I really do love them and all, but CMAT is just so deliciously great, she made the day for me. Irish people love Irish people and I did immediately warm to her for that reason, but I feel like she's a desperately needed voice today and I appreciate her.

I was at the barricade for her Glastonbury set which was brilliant, but being a bit further back for this one allowed me to see how much everyone relished in watching her. There were several "lovely day for a Guinness" t-shirts floating around. She got everyone involved in the Dunboyne Co. Meath two-step. I mean this as an enormous compliment: when I see her perform, I feel like I'm watching a teenager dancing alone in her bedroom. She is so free, so joyous, so in the moment. She makes me want to skimp about in tights and knickers and dye my hair red. Speaking of the red hair, I thought about her, about Chappell Roan, and how these outspoken red heads have just taken over the world. I am obsessed with them! What a time to be alive?

During the set, CMAT makes a huge fuss of her most dedicated fans. She calls out the girls at the front, on crutches, who are putting the rest of us to shame with their dancing. She notices three girls at the front, all with CMAT dolls, and asks them all to make friends. Having asked the dolls to kiss, she affirms “gay rights! I know it’s indie carnival but there are gay people here, I promise.”

At one point she made a tribute that really touched me. "I dedicate this to all the people in the audience who are not from London but have to live here because there's nothing for them back home." I've never heard anyone call this out before, and I felt really seen.

I live in Birmingham because my family are there and I need, and choose, to be with them. But for music like this, work, lots of things really, I find myself having to travel. It's such a big part of my being that London locals don't have to think twice about; they have the world at their doorsteps. In a lot of cases where I want to have fun or progress at work, I need time and money to travel. It meant a lot to me that she recognised this, and it felt extra potent coming from a girl who accomplished big dreams born from a small hometown. (Don't get me wrong, I'm super proud to be from Birmingham. Seeing the turnout for Ozzy's funeral procession recently was a really warming experience, and chatting to the locals will stay with me forever. But I'd be lying if I said it was the most convenient place to live as a person with creative aspirations.)

Making our way to the West Stage, we loved Bombay Bicycle Club and generally let them jingle away in the background while we caught up. We had a good few months of holidays, boys and conundrums to debrief, so I can’t say we gave them our undivided attention. I can however confirm that, as expected, we all giddily skipped through Always Like This before heading back east for the Maccabees.

I’ve never seen the Maccabees live and it felt extra special to see them in this environment. Dare I say, the dust added to the ambience. The streaming screens were black and white which felt quite poetic, and purple lights made the whole thing seem magical. If I was describing them to someone who hadn’t heard them before, I’d say they kind of make the fairytales and lullabies of indie. Love You Better and First Love were my two favourite songs, and the backdrop of the bright album cover for Colour It In was beautiful against the muted screens.

Having always fancied Orlando, I found myself converted to the charm of Felix as he checked in on us in between songs. He genuinely seemed to care that we were having a great time. Gina tells me she has always fancied Felix, and told me I must listen to the podcast where they were sure they'd broken America only to find that the film they were featured in didn't quite catapult them to new fame heights. Apparently we will all be firmly team Felix after that one.

One thing about me, I don't have the queues and crushes in me, so we did leave a little before the end. We saw in the arrival of "Jamie, Jamie, Jamie f*cking T", paid our respects as late as we could, and walked back to Bethnal Green station debating our respective views on the Beckham family feud. It goes without saying that both of us, glued to our own families, are hoping and praying for water under the bridge on all sides.

Cosy in my hotel and attempting to clean my face, I realised that the dust had in fact swarmed my being. This was my third cotton pad with micellar water on it, and I may be expelling black mucus for the foreseeable. Of all the days to forget my Elemis cleansing balm?

If I thought the journey there was a ball ache, getting home was another story. Luckily I slept badly and decided to get the first train out of Euston, which all in all took me four and a half hours between one diversion and another. I know people think day festivals are an easier feat, but I did 17,000 steps yesterday and loads of hours of travelling. For all of that effort, I’d rather just get myself to a camping one to be honest. That said, I loved All Points East, it is a lovely day out, and we made a promise that we’ll go back every year because we always have a scream there.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get the hairdryer on my Gazelles and see if I can blast the dust off them. That will teach me to go buying a suede pair of trainers.