Stormzy at All Points East 2023, Victoria Park: ‘You could feel the glory of God in every drop of rain’

Stormzy has reflected on his All Points East 2023 headline show in a candid post on Instagram. The rapper kicked off the Victoria Park music festival with his This Is What We Mean Day on Friday (August 18).

The star grew up in South Norwood, Croydon and was visibly touched by the reception at the huge headline London show. He took to the runway into the crowd in the torrential rain, when he might have been forgiven for getting what shelter he could on stage.

In a post to his 3.2 million followers on the picture-sharing platform, Stormzy enthused about the “spiritual” evening on the East Stage. He went discussed the connection he has felt with rain during his career, with Friday’s rainfall marking a special moment for the Toxic Trait artist.

Showing a series of highlights from across the night, Stormzy penned: "Friday was truly indescribable, but I’ll try to paint somewhat of a picture. I walked out and couldn’t believe the amount of people that pulled up for this special day. I said, ‘pour me water’, and the heavens opened up. I said, ‘let the rain fall on my enemies,’ and it rained even harder."

The rapper continued: "We raved, we sang, we danced, we laughed, we worshipped, and we looked for Marcus. And then, when Teni bellowed ‘, and the rain was pouring’ in Blinded By Your Grace Pt.2, you could feel the glory of God in every single drop of rain that fell upon us. It’s funny because somewhere down the line, my career has unintentionally become synonymous with rain and water, and Friday’s events have solidified that."

He went on to describe his Friday show as “spiritual” and said the vibes and atmosphere could "only be felt. It can’t be described". Ending the message to fans, the artist shared his love for his home city as he shared how ‘loved’ he felt after the show.

Taking to the comments, fans and some of the artist’s celeb pals echoed his account of the evening. Former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock commented "icon", while Ms Banks, who also took to the stage as part of Stormzy’s This Is What We Mean Day, wrote: "Too lit."