LIVE REVIEW: Barry Can’t Swim – All Points East, Victoria Park, Mile End

All Points East has always prided itself on curating a forward-thinking electronic bill, and this year was no exception.

Chase & Status set Victoria Park alight with their trademark mix of drum ’n’ bass and fire-burst theatrics, while earlier sets from Overmono and Sammy Virji kept momentum building in anticipation. But tonight’s focus belonged to Scottish producer-DJ Barry Can’t Swim, celebrating his birthday with a headline set that cemented his rise into festival headliner territory, backed by an eclectic supporting cast including Confidence Man, Prospa, Shygirl and the evergreen Orbital.

Confidence Man deserves special mention. Their set was part rave, part theatre, all chaos. From LED cone bras to Calvin Klein briefs over jeans, the Australian electro-pop collective leaned hard into 90s nostalgia while whipping the crowd into frenzy. Their cheeky anthem Gossip—the reason fans waved placards scrawled with “TINA SAYS YOU’RE A CUNT”—was pure dancefloor release, halfway between Basement Jaxx and pantomime, the perfect aperitif for what followed.

As the main stage fell silent ahead of Barry’s arrival, plumes of purple and pink smoke bled into the night, before the word CHANGE strobed crimson across the giant screen. He emerged with The Person You’d Like to Be, a track that balances gospel choir flourishes with trip-hop introspection, calling to mind Baz Luhrmann’s Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen). But within minutes, he snapped the mood sideways with About To Begin—a euphoric club rush that shook off introspection and turned the park into one vast, collective dancefloor.

Much like Confidence Man earlier, Barry incorporated throwback flourishes—lush ’90s piano riffs, a full live band complete with strings, trombone, and saxophone—while reimagining them through his own kaleidoscopic lens. Kimbara pulsed with the joyous energy of Gloria Estefan’s Dr. Beat, while flashes of Tame Impala psychedelia reframed it for 2025. The reflective moments (Woman, recalling Moby at his peak) were slipped in without puncturing the momentum, adding texture to a set that was both high-octane and heartfelt.

Midway through, Barry paused to marvel at how far he’s come: from playing to 350 people at Hoxton Hall just three years ago to commanding nearly 40,000 here tonight. It felt like a landmark moment—not just for him, but for the festival too, a reminder that electronic artists can command the headline slot with as much presence as any rock band.

If there was a flaw, it was only in the production design: the giant screens occasionally sank into black voids, leaving the stage lighting feeling unbalanced, like a photographer’s flashbulb misfiring. But that was a minor distraction in an otherwise exhilarating night. By the end, Barry Can’t Swim had turned All Points East into one giant birthday party, proving not only that he belongs in the headline tier, but that electronic music is thriving at its summit.