Stormzy to headline All Points East 2023 and curate ‘This Is What We Mean Day’
Stormzy is set to headline All Points East next summer, curating an entire day of the London festival under the banner ‘This Is What We Mean Day’.
The rapper’s upcoming third album, ‘This Is What I Mean’, is due out November 25 and was previewed recently by lead single ‘Hide & Seek’. It follows 2019’s ‘Heavy Is The Head’.
Stormzy has now become the first headliner of All Points East’s 2023 edition, and will take over Victoria Park on August 18 for ‘This Is What We Mean Day’, an entire day of festivities curated by the rapper.
He said in an announcement video (watch below): “I was thinking what’s next, cos we’ve done three O2s, shut that down. I said to the team, we gotta do something bigger, something better, something different. We were having back to back meetings, bouncing ideas. Then it hit me, I started jotting down ideas thinking – live band, need a live band.
“August 2023, a summer time thing, outside, for the people, always for my people. So August 2023, Victoria Park, more info coming soon….This Is What We Mean Day. Hard.”
A full line-up of artists for ‘This Is What We Mean Day’ will be announced soon.
Pre-sale tickets will be available from 10am GMT on Tuesday, November 15 for those who pre-order ‘This Is What I Mean’ here. General sale tickets will then go on sale here from 10am GMT on Thursday, November 17.
Since the announcement of the new album, the rapper has spoken about the “beautiful” and “spiritual” experience of recording the album on a secluded island and revealed that he’s written a song that he reckons is worthy of this year’s Christmas Number One.
However, in a new interview Stormzy said he’s “made peace with the idea that no one may like it”. Speaking about the new record in an interview with Rick Rubin for i-D, Stormzy explained how he finds it “impossible to figure out what people want from me.”
“This idea of being in the studio, thinking you have to make a certain kind of song… it’s the least creative place you can be,” he said. “And really, the audience doesn’t even know what they like – and I know that because I’m the same when I’m listening to music.”
“I feel like this album unlocks whatever freedom I’ve been looking for – both as a man and as a creative. It allows me to spread my wings,” Stormzy said. “I’ve made peace with the idea that no one may like it.”
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Will Richards
NME
