Tuesday 13th May – The Great Escape (TGE), the UK’s leading new music festival, returns to Brighton this week with a record-breaking lineup of over 550 emerging artists from around the world and 750 performances. Performances will take place in more than 30 intimate venues across the city – the highest number in the festival’s history.
As part of Live Nation’s continued support for developing artists, TGE stands as the UK’s premier showcase for rising talent. Celebrated for kickstarting the careers of acts like Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Stormzy, the festival offers a vital platform for musicians to reach fresh audiences and make key industry connections at a critical stage in their careers.
Next year marks 20 years of The Great Escape. Since its beginnings, the festival has played host to future heavyweights of the UK music scene – including Sam Fender, Charli XCX, Skepta, Dave, and Sleep Token – as well as spotlighting artists from over 40 countries each year.
Beyond TGE, Live Nation has long championed new talent, with shows in venues under 1,500-capacity accounting for 70% of its UK and Ireland events over the last 10 years, totalling more than 19,000 performances since 2014.
Brighton-based duo Rizzle Kicks, who first performed at TGE in 2011 and return this year for the Spotlight show, said: “Great Escape is a festival close to our hearts; we used to come as kids. 15 years ago we managed to blag tickets to Chase and Status which was the spotlight show at the Dome. Genuinely can’t believe that’s now us. Buzzing for it.”
Denis Desmond, Chairman Live Nation UK and Ireland, said: “Supporting emerging talent is essential to keeping the future of music strong. We recognise how important it is to give emerging artists the platforms they need to grow – which is why we’ve doubled our investment in new talent since 2018.”
Rory Bett, CEO MAMA Festivals and VIP Nation, said: “The Great Escape is an incredible festival to be a part of – it’s an event that’s helped shape the voices of tomorrow. Everyone loves finding their next favourite artist, and this is the place to do it.”
For more information about The Great Escape, visit www.greatescapefestival.com.
