.jpg)
18 hours ago
4
The Sacramento-formed rockers headlined London's strongest alternative music line-up.
8/24/2026
Deftones Jimmy Fontaine
The U.K.’s rock fans and metalheads haven’t been short of opportunities for headbanging and moshing this summer. Metallica brought its No Repeats set to the London Stadium in July and, a week later, My Chemical Romance’s theatrical re-run of The Black Parade was lauded for its ambition. Then came System of a Down and Queens of the Stone Age forming a super bill at the Spurs Stadium, while Bring Me the Horizon performed their 2006 debut Count Your Blessings in full at a show in Manchester. It has been relentless.
Enter Deftones. The Sacramento-formed group, who sit deftly between the aforementioned acts with a sound that is ferocious, theatrical and, in places, subtle, topped one of the summer’s best bills on Sunday (Aug. 21). The band’s day at All Points East was curated by Outbreak, a festival with its origins in the U.K.’s hardcore punk scene that’s become a haven for metal, rock, rap and hard dance fans.
The full gamut of music’s heavier side was on display at London’s Victoria Park, which over the past weekend has already hosted headline shows from Jorja Smith & Tems, and Lorde; Tyler, the Creator and Twenty One Pilots will have the honor of topping the bill next weekend. Beyond Deftones, there were sets from Bristol punks IDLES, New York’s Interpol, Aussie pub-rockers Amyl & The Sniffers, as well as Deafheaven, EsDeeKid, JPEGMAFIA, Yousuke Yukimatsu and more. The punters’ black, tattered band tees and bandanas weren’t just a preventative measure against the site’s dusty climate, but a sense of pride and belonging in a growing and welcoming community.
As All Points East – London’s coolest alternative music festival – hit its midway point, these were the five best moments from Outbreak’s takeover.
-
A rousing kick-off
The slate kicked off with a sharp one-two punch in New York hardcore punks Show Me the Body, followed by San Francisco blackgazers Deafheaven. Over the past decade, the latter group has pushed its sound continuously forward to integrate sludgy breakdowns and blood-curling screams (2018’s Ordinary Corrupt Human Love) as well as shoegaze euphoria (Infinite Granite). Last year’s Lonely People With Power saw it return to its heaviest material while still retaining the softer, fuzzier melodies, but it was that LP’s gnarliest cuts – “Doberman” and “Winona” – that hit hardest and drew the rowdiest response in the North Arena tent.
-
Turn off the bright lights
The Paul Banks-led post-punk revivalists were dealt a bum hand with a late-afternoon stage time on another scorching afternoon in the capital. When they wrote 2002’s gloomy Turn on the Bright Lights, it must have seemed unlikely they’d still be playing it almost 25 years later on a festival main stage bathed in white sunshine. No bother: The group’s taut playing captured even the most casual of observers, with “Roland,” “Obstacle 1” and “PDA” still sounding sharp and impactful despite the stage setting. A pair of fresh songs – “See Out Loud” and “Wings on Fire” – only raised the excitement for the release of new LP This Mirror Weighs a Ton, due on Friday (Aug. 31).
-
IDLES are back in business
The only band whose fans rivaled Deftones for merchandise over the weekend was the Bristol group IDLES, who’ve now been a mainstay on the U.K.’s festival circuit for nearly the past decade. The set arrived outside of any release cycle, giving the hour-long performance the feel of a greatest hits show, with the band pulling largely from 2018’s Joy as an Act of Resistance, alongside heavy hitters from Tangk (2024), Crawler (2021), and underrated debut LP Brutalism (2017). While Joy’s call for unity in post-Brexit Britain might feel a touch cloying as far-right politics take hold, the songcraft on “Danny Nedelko” and “I’m Scum” remains timeless. Unreleased song “Levitator,” a mainstay on the outfit’s limited 2026 summer run, is sounding promising, too.
-
Private Music Soars
In 2026, Deftones are perfectly positioned: they remain a gateway act for alt-rock fans entering the genre, while still releasing material that holds its own in a hit-heavy setlist. Little over a year on from 2025’s Private Music, the songs they air from the record on the East Stage don’t feel like an obligation, but a necessity. The expansive “My Mind is a Mountain” and “Infinite Source” pack both emotional heft and sheer sonic power from a band whose newest material continues to set the bar for their contemporaries.
-
Old-school bangers hit harder than ever
In the past year, the Deftones had already performed two massive shows in the English capital: Crystal Palace Park Bowl last August, followed by The O2 this February. What keeps people coming back is the timelessness of their 1997 breakout Around the Fur and 2000’s beloved White Pony, two records that defined the sound of the era with singles like “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” and “My Own Summer (Shove It)”. These two ragers and “Change (In the House of Flies)” drew the biggest circle pits and kick up the most amount of dust, while Diamond Eyes’ cuts “Rocket Skates” and “Skates” encouraged side-to-side swooning. They can come back every summer, if they like; London will be waiting and ready.
English (US)