For “This is What We Mean Day” at the All Points East music festival, Stormzy took over London’s Victoria Park with a curated lineup of stellar talent — including Kehlani, Sampha, Knucks, Lucky Daye, WSTRN, and Ms Banks. The pinnacle of the day was a magnetic, captivating headlining performance by the star himself, with creative direction by the one and only TAWBOX.

Stormzy’s long-time creative director team consists of Amber Rimell and Bronski, and has directed some of the biggest shows. Between Dave’s 2020 BRITs performance and Stormzy’s iconic 2019 Glastonbury show, TAWBOX is renowned for their innovative artistry and ability to transform the essence of music into a visual dimension.

Their impeccable vision for the All Points East set was taken up a level by Mother Earth, who rained down on the the performance for a magical, spiritual experience. During “Rainfall”, the rain really did fall, and by the lyric “and the rain was pouring” in “BBYG pt2”, it was pouring. Connecting everyone in the audience, there was a togetherness that was absolutely priceless.

We had the pleasure of hearing from Amber and Bronski of TAWBOX about their origins, working with Stormzy, and how they stay inspired.

See images from the performance…

And now for the interview…

Hey TAWBOX! Tell us who you are and what your mission is?
Amber: We are creative directors for live performances with music artists. we love to create memorable moments.

Bronski: We love working closely with music/artists, dreaming up how an audience can experience the music in a live environment. That could be at a concert or on TV. Design, Sonics, Choreography, and even silence. Light and dark, highs and lows, pace and pause. There are so many contrasting ways to deliver performance, and we are lucky to be able to explore and breathe that every day.

How was TAWBOX born? What were the early days like for the business?
Bronski: We met working together for an artist. Amber was a pro dancer at the time, and I was in production. Within a few years, we realised that we were both so insanely passionate about performance and music that we had to give it a go.

Amber: Making performances look way cooler and asking lots of questions!

We’re super excited about Stormzy taking over London’s Victoria Park, for ‘This is What We Mean Day’ at All Points East. Talk us through the process of curating such a large scale project?
Amber: The process starts months and months before with planning, sketches and mood boards, then progresses to finishing touches, colour palettes and show flow.

Bronski: Having worked with Stormzy for a number of years now, we have a great relationship and a lot of trust. With the latest album, ‘This is What I Mean’, we had created this tone-on-tone world. Drapes, warmth, depth in styling. So we knew this was what we would start TIWWM Day with. It was just how we evolved the show. We had to have that dramatic turn to trigger the ‘high knees’ section. So, we treated all our drapes as reveals. Revealing towering columns of video and light that the audience would not have realised was there the whole time. And to throw further flavour on that… the columns could all move and rotate, allowing us to have every track in the set from that point in the show onwards have its own bespoke look.

What is it like to work with such an iconic names within the industry, such as Stormzy?
Amber: Very humbled and grateful to work with such talented music artists

Bronski: It’s ALL about the music and the artists. We are blessed every day to collaborate with such incredible talent and awesome human beings.

You guys were also the brains behind Stormzy’s iconic 2019 Glastonbury headline performance and Dave’s 2020 BRITs performance. What was the inspiration behind both of these projects?
Bronski: These were two hugely different performances. One was a headline festival slot, on one of the most famous stages in the world, with a huge audience in the field and on TV. The other was an award show performance, one track largely focused on a TV audience. For Glasto, we worked closely with Stormzy on celebrating South London and Black British Culture. Daves’s BRITs performance was about supporting the lyrics visually through a camera lens.

What is one bit of advice you would pass on to someone who is embarking on their creative career?
Amber: Go with your gut.

Bronski: It’s important to always remember those moments when something creatively inspired YOU. Channelling that energy into how YOU can make an audience feel. You can make them gasp, pause, cry, laugh, go fucking mental. There will always be a part of your audience who are experiencing your medium/content for the first time. And we all love to remember how we experienced something the first time. Now imagine that your audience experienced that with you.

How do you guys stay inspired and fuel your creativity?
Amber: I love reading and researching.

Bronski: A lot of music. I’d say 40/40/20 split on the latest, personal catalogue, and exploring. Also, knowing when to clear the head, even if sometimes it feels impossible.

What has been the biggest standout project for you and why?
Amber: There are a few overall. It’s the pride I feel seeing an artist grow and go on their journey; Glastonbury wasn’t just a moment but a movement.

Can you share any new upcoming projects with us? What is the rest of 2023 looking like for you?
Amber: It’s looking busy, but it’s a secret.