Rachel Chinouriri, The Last Dinner Party, Doechii: The Best of All Things Go 2025

All Things Go, the quintessential music festival for the girls, gays, and theys, enjoyed another expansive year. Festivalgoers embarked on a three-day musical journey at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, USA. Dressed in glittery, whimsical outfits and singing their hearts out to their favourite artists. A sense of unity was in the air, and the artists didn’t shy from tapping into politics, one of our favourite things about the festival (a special mention to Sunday (1994) holding up a sign that read, “He’s On The List.”)

Sonic Hub was back at All Things Go this year, and though the sun was far too hot for the end of September, the weekend was stacked with impressive performances from both smaller and well-established artists. From Rachel Chinouriri to Doechii, here are some of our favourite performances of the weekend.

THE ACES

It can’t be easy playing a 1:40 pm set on the last day of a three-day festival, but the Aces made it look like a breeze (which we desperately needed as the sun was scorching). The four-piece band strutted onto the main stage with both the style and aura of true (super gay) rockstars, and, in only 30 minutes, captivated their audience with their dynamic stage presence, fun lyrics, and glittery disco-pop sound. 

Lead singer Cristal Ramirez’s vocal performance was nothing short of stunning and sultry, and their ridiculously catchy and unapologetically queer songs, like ‘The Magic’, ‘Gold Star Baby', and ‘Girls Make Me Wanna Die’, breathed new life and energy into the tired, overheating crowd. 

A band perfectly suited for All Things Go, the Aces helped kick the last day off with an electrifying performance that left us eager and excited to see them headline a show of their own (they’re going on tour this November, so keep an eye out for that!)

THE BEACHES

“Sing along if you also need a lobotomy,” Leandra Earl, guitarist for the four-piece girl rock band The Beaches, jokingly encouraged the audience. That unserious (but a little serious) statement almost sums up the Beaches as a whole; their music is for party girls who are a little silly, a little messy, and a little toxic. 

The Toronto-based band brought their catchy pop-rock hits, gritty guitar solos, and infectiously fun and slightly chaotic energy to the Chrysalis Stage on the first day of All Things Go, singing about heartbreak, Sunday scaries, partying, the harrowing consequences of dating polyamorous girls, and, of course, blaming your ex. The Beaches are a perfect festival band: diehard fans screaming every word to every song were by no means absent, and even those who weren’t familiar with the band danced and jumped up and down, matching the band’s fun-loving energy. That being said, everyone knew the words to ‘Blame Brett,’ and screaming, “Blame my ex, blame my ex, blame my ex,” with a huge audience was hugely cathartic and spurred a wide sense of unity. 

The Beaches are skyrocketing to fame on a global scale, and they always stay fresh, hugely entertaining, and truly hilarious onstage.

RACHEL CHINOURIRI

Rachel Chinouriri has already established herself as one of the most exciting alt-pop acts of this generation and a true alt-pop princess of sorts. The British-Zimbabwean singer-songwriter attracted a massive crowd at the main stage on day three of All Things Go, a staggering feat for her first U.S. festival performance. Dressed in an early 2000s, cyberpunk-esque ripped top and miniskirt, Chinouriri literally hit the ground running; she ran, jumped, danced, and beamed her way across the stage and directly into the audience’s hearts, all without missing a single beat, note, or word. 

Her stage presence, dynamic and magnetic, and her upbeat, ultra-catchy indie and alt pop hits kept everyone on their feet and moving. ‘Can We Talk About Isaac?’, ‘All I Ever Asked’ and ‘Never Need Me’ were clear audience favourites, with the sound of the crowd screaming every word enthusiastically. 

In fact, on three separate occasions, we thought we had reached the end of the set, as the audience knew every single song so well. 

Chinouriri herself appeared to be deeply touched by the welcome she received. With her voice thick with emotion, she thanked the crowd multiple times for their support and love, truly moved by the enthusiastic reception to her performance and artistry. Regardless of how familiar you are with Chinouriri or her music, you couldn’t help but feel a wave of happiness for her, and that the right person was made famous.

THE LAST DINNER PARTY 

The Last Dinner Party embodies a unique charisma, both in terms of their music and their aura - think  Renaissance painting, female pirates, dramatic, rock music. Their headlining set on the first day of All Things Go felt akin to watching a rock opera; all five members were dressed in coordinated Renaissance faire attire, and lead singer Abigail Morris delivered an emotionally raw and intensely dramatic vocal performance. 

With haunting, poetic lyricism, show-stopping guitar solos, and Morris’ stunningly powerful vocals, the Last Dinner Party guided the audience on a hazy journey through their limited but impressively complex discography, as well as a taste of their upcoming album, ‘From the Pyre’. Showcasing their integrity, the band also uses their platform to hold a moment of silence for the genocide in Gaza, encouraging people to donate directly to medical aid for Palestinians: no separating the art from the artist here.

The musical world the Last Dinner Party has carefully curated is not only sonically fresh and unique, but also deeply immersive and incredibly easy to lose yourself in. As the band captivated the audience with their ‘gothic, baroque pop’ blend (a description we must credit to Pitchfork), we truly felt like we had entered their mysterious, yet bold, creative sphere. In an increasingly oversaturated music industry, the Last Dinner Party certainly stands out as true artists and masters of visual imagery, the unique blending of genres, and creatively poignant lyricism.

DOECHII

There’s nothing that can be written about Doechii that hasn’t already been expressed tenfold. She is nothing short of a generational talent. Though her set was criminally short at 50 minutes, no other performance that entire weekend held a candle to her, and we would like to think All Things Go was a special one for her, too. 

Doechii instantly had the audience wrapped around her finger; we jumped when she said to jump, and we screamed when she said to scream. The most unique thing about her performance was that it felt like it never, ever stopped or even slowed down at all. Supported by the iconic and deeply talented DJ Miss Milan, she blended her songs seamlessly into one another; the show was almost a remix of her top 20 (ish) hits.

The setlist was near perfection, punctuated with new classics like ‘Nissan Altima’ and ‘Denial Is A River’ with older, deeper cuts, like ‘Crazy’ and ‘Spookie Coochie' getting their chance to truly shine. Doechii’s stage presence was otherworldly; taking your eyes off her was an impossible task. She did everything, and did it all expertly, deftly rapping every single word while dancing, striking power poses, and running around the stage. 

Throughout the performance, Doechii intentionally took time to express her gratitude for the primarily queer crowd, reminding them how special and important queer safe spaces are, especially in a tumultuous political climate. At the end of her set, after disappearing offstage for a few minutes, she reemerged shoeless and surprised the audience by performing ‘Balloon’, her collaboration with Tyler, the Creator. 

As his track played, she thundered up and down the stage, singing gleefully with the audience, taking videos with people’s phones, and pausing to dance it out with her fans. This moment felt incredibly intimate, in a genuine moment of human connection between Doechii and every single person attending. It truly felt like we were all invited to Doechii’s party — and that’s the true mark of a phenomenal performer.

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WORDS ALLYSON PARK