The Great Escape today revealed the first two acts for the highly anticipated Spotlight shows held at the iconic Brighton Dome Concert Hall. The first of two shows will see Sussex sensation Maisie Peters grace the stage on Friday 12th May with the BRIT Award winning Arlo Parks returning to the festival where she played one of her first ever live shows on Saturday 13th May. Access to the Spotlight shows will be via standalone tickets, available on Friday 18th November via www.greatescapefestival.com.
Synonymous with new music discovery and acting as a springboard for rising artists, The Great Escape is the festival for new music. Playing host to more than 500 up-and-coming artists and hotly tipped talent across 35+ walkable venues, alongside the music industry-led TGE conference, the festival will kick off the 2023 festival season from 10 – 13th May 2023 in Brighton, England. Tickets for The Great Escape festival start from £70 and are on sale HERE.
SPOTLIGHT – MAISIE PETERS:
Sussex-born Maisie Peters has dramatically built her dazzling pop career from busking on the streets of Brighton to supporting Ed Sheeran over 50 times in the UK and Europe’s biggest venues. Following signing to Gingerbread Man Records in 2021, Maisie has released the Number 2 album ‘You Signed Up’ for This, being rewarded with a US and UK headline tour which sees her make her return to The Great Escape, following her previous appearance in 2018 to headline the first Spotlight show on Friday 12th May.
SPOTLIGHT – ARLO PARKS:
The Great Escape has played host to a multitude of success stories since its inception, with Arlo Parks being one that stands out the most. After releasing her first EP ‘Super Sad Generation’ in 2019, her first “official” gig took place at the festival in 2019. Since then she has claimed some of the music industry’s most prestigious awards with 2021’s ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ winning the Mercury Prize and BRITs Best New Artist. Spotlight ticket holders will be able to witness the versatile ruminative indie that earnt Arlo Parks these accolades at Brighton Dome Concert Hall on Saturday 13th May.
FULL FIRST FIFTY ACTS REVEALED:
In addition to the Spotlight shows announcement, The Great Escape has also shared the final names to complete their FIRST FIFTY wave of acts. This evening’s live launch hosts gigs across eight East London venues, showcasing some of the world’s most exciting emerging acts ahead of their festival appearances in Brighton next year. Highlights including Melin Melyn taking to the stage at Oslo Hackney, Bambie Thug rocking Paper Dress Vintage and The Dinner Party gracing MOTH Club.
greatescapefestival.com/first-fifty
The acts announced include the pop funk crossover success of TikTok star Stacey Ryan, Dublin-based dance-pop duo 49th & Main, the R&B laced beats of North London’s BELLAH, NYLON-tipped indie breakout star Blondshell, Norway’s alt-pop savant Skaar, Berlin’s enchanting dark pop offering Aime Simone, and the viral lo-fi dance tracks of the talented venbee. Further newly announced acts include Avantdale Bowling Club, Been Stellar, Big Wett, Brimheim, Chalk, CUCAMARAS, Ethan Bortnick, Ethan P. Flynn, Julie Pavon, Kai Bosch, Lambrini Girls, Lemonade Shoelace, MIA WRAY, Phoebe Go, Shanghai Baby, Somadina, Tasman Keith, Terra Kin, The Dream Machine, The Joy Hotel and Wild Horse.
Please see the full list below:
49TH & MAIN
AIME SIMONE
AVANTDALE BOWLING CLUB
BEEN STELLAR
BELLAH
BIG WETT
BLONDSHELL
BRIMHEIM
CHALK
CUCAMARAS
ETHAN BORTNICK
ETHAN P. FLYNN
JULIE PAVON
KAI BOSCH
LAMBRINI GIRLS
LEMONADE SHOELACE
MIA WRAY
PHOEBE GO
SHANGHAI BABY
SKAAR
SOMADINA
STACEY RYAN
TASMAN KEITH
TERRA KIN
THE DREAM MACHINE
THE JOY HOTEL
VENBEE
WILD HORSE
