All Points East review: Jungle, Erykah Badu and RAYE

After every deluge comes the rainbow; thunder and lightning threatened to derail All Points East on Saturday, until Erykah Badu broke through the clouds, dazzling in her multi-coloured shawl.

The damp start to the evening (August 26) at Victoria Park’s premier festival paused the music for 90 minutes at a time when most revellers were only just arriving.

But, after wringing out their raincoats and swapping the umbrellas for sunglasses, those who stayed were richly rewarded for sticking it out.

Highlights included NIA Archives, RAYE, the aforementioned rainbow-flecked Badu, and headliners Jungle.

NIA Archives were a safe bet early on, when the rain had stopped but clouds still lined the sky, performing under cover at the North Arena.

Crowd-favourite Off Wiv Ya Heads rocked the blue tent, lifting dampened spirits and the decibel levels.

Next up, and over on the uncovered East Stage – now thankfully bathed in sunlight – was Tooting-born RAYE.

Her pared back set was well-timed, gently easing the festival into darkness, with highlights including the ever-popular Escapism.

Despite performing on one of the biggest stages All Points East has to offer, the 25-year-old’s performance felt intimate, more akin to a concert at a residency than at a festival, as she regularly took breaks between songs to talk to fans.

And then, as the (relative) newcomer RAYE exited, it was time for festival-veteran Erykah Badu to begin her set on the other side of the park.

The singer – who has become somewhat known for her loose timekeeping – kept the crowd waiting, but not for long.

As if to pay homage to the shifting weather of the day, Badu, draped in a coat streaked with sunny yellows and sunset oranges, emerged onto stage against a backdrop of LED flashes of lightning.

The 52-year-old appeared to have almost as much fun as the crowd – “thank you, I love you”, she told them at the end – as she weaved her way through a nearly hour-long set, which included On and On and Window Seat.

It was now finally time for the final act of the night, disco group Jungle, who were performing back on East Stage (running back and forth between All Points East’s main arenas is a prominent feature of the festival, although less whiplash-inducing than it might sound due to how small the whole site actually is).

Maybe not for all, but certainly for many, Jungle provided the performance of the day, storming through a setlist of 25 songs and bringing the event to a resounding crescendo.

It was almost impossible not to dance along to even the songs you had never heard before, and the finishing track, Busy Earnin’, provided the perfect tempo to skip towards the exit and out into the night.