‘VARIOUS ARTISTS’ – ‘VARIOUS VENUES’ – THE GREAT ESCAPE, BRIGHTON 13-16.5.26
Taking over the city of Brighton every May, The Great Escape is the world’s leading new music festival for discovery, bringing together 450+ emerging artists from around the world across 35+ walkable venues, alongside a globally respected music industry conference.
At its core, The Great Escape is all about discovery. This is where you find your next favourite artist before anyone else. From buzzing basement gigs to packed-out headline moments, the festival is designed for exploration. Step into a venue, catch a set, then head next door and discover someone completely new. Some of the world’s biggest names have played here early in their careers, and every year the next wave begins in Brighton.
Once again this year our team were out in force! Striving to cover as many new and up-and-coming artists at The Great Escape as possible which ran from Wednesday 13th to Saturday 16th May. There was also a whole host of ‘Unofficial Escape’ events happening throughout Brighton & Hove at the same time again this year, featuring literally hundreds of additional acts to see, and so where possible, we dipped into some of these events for a full rounded perspective of things.
With an extended team, we were able to witness many exciting new acts from a whole host of different music genres from right across the globe. There are far too many acts to cover in just one article, so we have split them up into sizable chunks for your enjoyment. So without further ado, lets get cracking…..
WEDNESDAY 13th MAY:
MOON IDLE – Lion & Lobster 16:00 – 16:30
As was the case last year, the opening act of my Great Escape 2026 was Moon Idle performing an early set on the Beluga Stage at the Lion & Lobster as part of the underground Alternative Escape. Tucked away in the corner of the pub, the Brighton four-piece quickly drew the crowd to attention with their shimmering Indie textures that blend trip-hop, dream-pop, shoegaze, and alt-rock into a hypnotic, reverb-drenched sound featuring singer Quilla’s mesmeric vocals floating across each song. They quickly drew an appreciative pub crowd to attention, never an easy feat. Their latest single ‘Delay Me’ released last month and given an airing this afternoon is well worth checking out. A great start to this year’s proceedings.
(Martin J Fuller)
ZO LIEF – Bella Union 17:30 – 18:15
I started my festival with a visit to Bella Union Vinyl Shop in Gloucester Street to see Dutch/British psychedelic dream pop duo Zo Lief. They were playing to promote the vinyl release of their ‘Hypnosis’ EP. They are the 2025 Record Store Day unsigned winners! This is an outstanding feat. The competition involved a band/act sending in a two-minute video. There were over 400 entries from all over the UK, with the winner being picked by a panel of judges. Zo Lief are partners Laura Chen (vocals/guitar) and James Attwood (bass). They also had Matt Fogarasi-Willis (drums) with them for the performance. They played a delightful 12-song set that included five of the six songs off the ‘Hypnosis’ EP as well as the title track from their first EP ‘Believe What You Believe’ along with a bunch of new songs. My favourite of the new songs was the catchy ‘One To Zero’, while I loved the closing two songs, which are both off the ‘Hypnosis’ EP. These were ‘You (A Burden)’ and ‘Stop The Party’. They did have a few issues with the way the amp was set up and also the laptop wouldn’t move on to start the next backing track without a press of the space button, but none of this hindered an impressive performance. The 12” vinyl of the EP is available to pre-order and will be released on 29th May.
(Ian Holman)
EMNW – Daltons 18:15 – 18:45
Kicking off this year’s Great Escape adventure for yours truly are dual MC duo Emma and Menu, who collectively are EMNW. They hail from Japan and they are purveyors of their home country’s retro mash-up style of blending Punk, Ska, Hip-Hop, and Nu-metal, which is delivered with bucket loads of smiles, energy and enthusiasm. Clearly the word’s out on them as there’s a sizable queue of punters prior to Daltons swinging open their doors. EMNW are accompanied by four guys who look after twin cd style mixing decks plus electronics and laptop, drums, guitar, and bass. It’s their first ever Brighton concert and the venue is rammed from the very start! Their opening number perfectly describes The Great Escape ethos, it’s called ‘Good Vibes Only’. We are treated to seven tunes in all, with the penultimate being a cover of Limp Bizkit’s ‘Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle’. It’s an energy filled onslaught with a constant barrage of electronic bouncy rap-rock tunes all the way with these guys. I must flag up the drummer who was superb! It’s certainly a lively start to the festival and they blew the punters away with their happy smiles. My notes read at the end “Gosh that was fun!”. They gave the room a shot of adrenalin, which hopefully would last all day. They absolutely nailed it and they took a combined bow at the end. No wonder they are at the forefront of Japan’s new heavy music wave.
(Nick Linazasoro)
SUNNBRELLA – THE PRINCE ALBERT 18:15 – 18:45
The upstairs of the Prince Albert fills up, with a polite distance between the stage and the mostly lanyard-adorned crowd. “A lot of men here” sums up the audience for the Czech-rooted but London-based Nu-Gaze of Sunnbrella. From the opening notes of the fuzzed-out yet dreamy trip-hop of ‘Flowstate’ to the hyperpop-vocal pulsing of ‘Nothing Forever’, Zbirtka blends his dance roots with current production to create something that exists slightly out of time in an empirically 2020s-via-y2k way. “I have my citizenship ceremony, so you won’t be able to get rid of me… reform or not”, David jokes, to polite laughter from the audience. Heavily modulated harmonies with Nancy Whang of ‘Stay Away’ signal the yearning overstimulation of ‘Kiss On Credit’ before the shimmering spoken word of ‘House Arrest’ shreds your ears with high-note vibrato strings. While leaning heavily into their new-wave of shoegaze via hyperpop, the Moby-via-Slowdive interpolation of ‘Fever Dream’ remains a highlight as David Zbirtka & co. channel every ‘90s influence into something wavily early hours. Across their 30-minute slot, Sunnbrella sketch something abstracted, shuddering and furious, balancing clear respect for their predecessors with their own sound. With mostly seamless segues between tracks, Zbirtka’s project is steeped in digital anemoia, encapsulating the sound of kids who grew up posting filtered photos of their parents’ record collection, believing they were born in the wrong generation but still love SOPHIE.
(Keir Shields)
ELIN HALL – Patterns Downstairs 19:15 – 19:45
I made my way over to Patterns Downstairs to see acclaimed Icelandic-Canadian singer, songwriter, and actress Elin Hall. Elin initially trained as a professional ballerina until an injury forced her to stop at age 16. She turned to music and has released multiple No. 1 singles on the Icelandic radio charts as well as two critically acclaimed albums. As an actress, Elin has received immense critical praise for her film and television work, mostly notably for her award-winning performance in the 2024 Cannes-selected film ‘When The Light Breaks’. For tonight’s performance, she performs six songs, and I was totally blown away with her amazing vocals and acoustic guitar playing. She opened with ‘Heaven To A Heathen’ and followed up with her latest single ‘Tachylite’, and tells us Tachylite is a name of a lava rock – her father is a first responder when a volcano erupts in her Icelandic homeland. ‘Wolf Boy’ is about a terrible lover. Elin hopes that none of us relate to that and she tells us that the song is obviously not about herself. The fourth tune ‘Is She Pretty?’ is a sad song while there’s no introduction to ‘Lost To The Fog’ which is sung without the use of her guitar, it’s a faster-paced song with more beat to the backing track. The final track of the set is ‘America’ and it’s about people having to leave their country to follow their dreams. This was an amazing set. Elin said “It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a dream” and thanked everyone for coming to see her.
(Ian Holman)
CYN CWSG – Komedia Studio 19:15 – 19:45
My first band of the official Great Escape were Cyn Cwsg, which translated to English means Before Sleep. This North Wales quartet is helmed by Tomos Lynch on lead vocals and guitar, their sound is described in their bio as; trades dreaminess for something raw and unguarded. Blending harmony-soaked rock, oddball country, and hallucinatory pop, they write with humour, heartbreak, and quiet defiance. This evening they played an excellent 8 song, 28 minute set starting with a track from their ‘Pydru yn yr Haul’ EP, called ‘Only Time’, this was a great opening song, it really reminded me of early 90s Indie bands such as Kingmaker and The Family Cat. Vocalist Tomas asked “Everybody good? we are not from around here, anyone been to Wales…North Wales?!” The second song of the set was another in English. It had deep drums, cool guitar riffs. Sadly, I don’t know the name of the song, but it was short and sweet. We had a language switch to Welsh for the next song taken from their first EP, full of beautiful, layered guitars, the drum pattern forcing me to toe tap throughout. The pace dropped for another song sung in Welsh ‘Megan Plis’, this is the next single and demonstrated the variation in the band’s sounds. ‘Spanish Tragedy’ another new one came next, its tempo was definitely slower, but it was a fab song with those layers of guitar powering up again as it went through. Tomas spoke once more “We are coming to the end of the set, thanks for coming and putting trust in languages you don’t necessarily speak or even know exist to be fair, so big respect to that”. The song that followed was in Welsh and I didn’t quite catch its name, however it had everyone together singing the chorus. ‘You Do Right’, the final song, was a great fast lively number, with a great drum frenzy ending. I really loved this set, you can see why they have been invited on to BBC 6 Music to session twice, their sound is quite retro in an early 90s way, but fresh as ever, it’s great to hear songs in other languages too. I look forward to following their new EP and hopefully an album.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
MUDRAT – Daltons 19:15 – 19:45
Dalton’s is still a sweaty buzz after EMNW, and that electricity carries straight into MUDRAT. Sean Thompson, aka MUDRAT, wastes no time getting right in the faces of the Brighton crowd, spitting lyrics that bite with a rap-punk delivery built for chaos. The songs hit hard, tackling social issues with a raw urgency, while crushing guitars and bass give the whole set a bruising, full-throttle edge. From the opening moments, the room is moving, the energy is fierce, and MUDRAT makes sure this year’s festival gets another properly explosive start.
(Cris Watkins)
WINTER GARDENS – Concorde 2 19:15 – 19:45
We move along to the BBC introducing Stage at the Concorde 2 in order to catch Winter Gardens who now comprise Ananda Howard (vocals, tambourine), Jamie Windless (guitar), Ed Fair (bass guitar, Novation keys), and Connor McCorkindale (drums, drumpads), as Jasmine Ardley has recently left to concentrate on her own band. ‘Elegia’ by New Order is their intro music of choice and what a great way to get the punters interested. Interestingly, the album from which this is culled was ‘Low’ and this dropped on this very day back in 1985. Today Winter Gardens are all clad in black and their set commences with the solid deep bass synth sound of ‘Honeymooners’. As per usual Jamie is the most animated of the bunch as he throws his axe around. It’s solid electronic tinged ethereal post punk poppy numbers all the way. There’s layers of reverb-soaked guitars and melodic basslines intertwined with driving percussion, creating a sound that feels both expansive and immediate. The effects on some in Ananada’s vocals worked rather well. I’ve said this before, but here is a band that deserves to be playing stadiums, such is the enormity of their sound. One day the world will hopefully catch on!
(Nick Linazasoro)
DIE TWICE – Komedia Basement 19:30 – 20:00
At a surprisingly sparse Komedia Basement, Brighton-based Die Twice take to the stage. Led by frontman Olly Bayton, the band are explosively melodramatic, with soaring instrumentation grounded by deeply personal lyrics. Formed in Exeter, Die Twice wear their ‘male manipulator music’ influences on their sleeve, unapologetically adding themselves to an ancestry of yearning men. The star power comes entirely from Bayton’s truly astounding voice, which unleashes wails that would make Jeff Buckley widen his eyes. The slightly jangly opening notes, interspersed with piercing stabs of guitar, on opener ‘Jalapeño’ instantly lay down their alt-rock credentials, hooking a crowd that feels like they came here on a whim into paying attention, all before Bayton fills the acoustics of a stunned room. 2024 debut single ‘Paris’ has the bluesy fingerprints of Jeff Buckley’s ‘Forget Her’ all over it, with a brooding atmosphere to its howling, while ‘Wishbone’ doubles down on their influences with an arpeggiated guitar wail crescendoing alongside Bayton’s remarkable vocals. With a set concluded with two unreleased, but similarly swirling soars in ‘Easy On The Blow’ and the cacophonously conclusive ‘Between The Lines’, it feels like Die Twice have earned every comparison to their male manipulator influences. The band boasts arguably the best frontman in Brighton, presenting unadulterated emotion viscerally cut from the heart, while instrumentally evocative of ‘The Bends’, yet laced with enough Gen-Z oversharing to avoid the dreaded ‘tribute band’ status.
(Keir Shields)
GIRL IN THE YEAR ABOVE – TGE Beach Deep End 19:30 – 20:00
My official 2026 TGE Festival kicked off at a busy beach venue with Cornish/Irish band ‘Girl In the Year Above’ who offered up a set full of Celtic charm, indie intensity and genuinely infectious energy. The six-piece balanced huge, emotionally charged moments with lighter touches, in no small part aided by charismatic frontwoman Jennifer Ball, whose powerful vocals shifted dramatically during the course of the performance whilst still retaining a familiar warmth. From up-tempo numbers like ‘Mama, My Heart is Achin’’ and set closer ‘Wet Paint’ to slower songs like their new single ‘Ode to the Glory Days’, the band manage the shifts in tempo effortlessly. With their first UK headline tour beginning next week, ‘Girl In the Year Above’ certainly has the feel of a band very much on the up.
(Martin J Fuller)
GILSKA – Concorde 2 20:15 – 20:45
Guildford’s ‘Dark-Pop Princess’ GILSKA (pronounced Jill-Ska) brought a real sense of star quality to the BBC Introducing stage at Concorde 2 delivering a confident, sassy performance that belied her status as a new artist. Drawing the crowd in with dramatic build-ups before exploding into waves of dark-pop energy and huge danceable hooks, tracks like ‘Will You Be Mine’ showed off her slick pop instincts while recent single ‘Love Me Hate Me’ pushed into heavier territory. Looking every bit the future alt-pop star, GILSKA carried the set with confidence and charisma ably abetted by her two guitarists and drummer. By the time they closed with the euphoric ‘Finish What You Started’ the set was over all too soon. A new single beckons soon as does another live lounge appearance next month. It certainly feels like GILSKA are ready to move beyond the Introducing stage.
(Martin J Fuller)
MICAH SAGE – Komedia Studio 20:15 – 20:45
Kicking off my evening at Komedia Studio we have Micah Sage, an alternative pop artist from Calgary, Canada, backed by her band members on bass, guitar and drums. The first song of the set ‘Secret Like’ was taken from her third EP ‘Girlfriend’. It was a great fun poppy start to affairs, at the end she asked the audience if we could hear her, it transpired her guitarist had stepped on one of the cables disconnecting her microphone. With technical issues then sorted we had another from the EP called ‘Friendly’. Micah told us this was her first time ever playing outside Canada and the first time in the UK and thought she could be coming here to play to just 3 people and never imagined the room would be full (which it was) and she couldn’t believe how her dreams were coming true. We were told the next songs were all brand new, so we had to keep them a secret. The first of which was veering further into pop territory, the second was more chilled and indie like. Micah held a bubble gun behind her back and let 1000s of bubbles fly behind her, a great spectacle. The final two songs of the set were ‘Reflex’, the first was introduced with a heartfelt meaningful story, and the final song was ‘Favourite Ex-Girlfriend’ who happened to be in the audience this evening and was presented with a sash to wear. During this closer Micah came out into the audience. I really enjoyed this set, whilst pop is not my normal go to sound; Micah excels in her genre, great mellow, thoroughly enjoyable, warming songs and all delivered with such positivity and banter. It might be her first time in the UK, but surely won’t be her last.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
POLLYFROMTHEDIRT – Green Door Store 20:15 – 20:45
At a Green Door Store, I’ve not seen this packed since Wunderhorse in 2023, Darlington-based Pollyfromthedirt suddenly materialises on stage to an audience still deep in conversation. Dressed like a County Durham MF DOOM, the mononymous artist spams ‘yeah’ on his laptop with the commitment of a year 9 music class. As a glitchy DIY poet bridging the gap between Neil Young and Alex G, his set is unsurprisingly polarising; many grey heads leave within 5 minutes, claiming “this is shit.” Whether this is down to a coy stage presence or the stuttered-out trance of opener ‘Don’t Shoot Now’ simply not landing for the older members of the audience remains unknown. However, he seems entirely unbothered, his bare-necessities approach of only an acoustic guitar and laptop speaking for themselves. From the dread-filled finger-picking of the King Krule-adjacent ‘Sounds like Hell’ to the ambiently Lo-fi closer ‘The Dirt’, he is poetically downtrodden. The centrepiece of an impressive set, though, is the timely ‘There’s No Such Thing As England’: a bedroom guitar gloomer, preluded with bedtime BBC-style fanfare, in a middle finger to flag-shaggers. With a voice drenched in Bon Iver’s lo-fi resignation, Pollyfromthedirt’s bare-bones, post-Brexit DIY-cynic approach proves that sometimes less is more, holding an unsettling mystique that is sure to linger within a post-election audience, in spite of a few early leavers.
(Keir Shields)
FLETCHR FLETCHR – Komedia Basement 20:30 – 21:00
I’ll be honest, Fletchr Fletchr were a happy accident. I only caught them because I wanted a decent spot for headliners The Molotovs, assuming they probably wouldn’t be my thing. A few songs in, that assumption was well and truly flattened. Rohan Fletcher’s vocal delivery is packed with heart, while the band deliver a set bristling with emotion, energy and some genuinely stunning indie-rock tunes. The crowd are soon bouncing, and Jet Black lands like the high-energy anthem it clearly is. A surprise discovery, and one of those festival moments that reminds you why you turn up early.
(Cris Watkins)
RIBBON SKIRT – TGE Beach The Deep End 20:30 – 21:00
We have a short stroll from Concorde 2 onto the TGE Beach site in order to catch Montreal-based post-punk/grunge outfit Ribbon Skirt, who are led by Anishinaabe, musician Tashiina Buswa and guitarist Billy Riley. Today they are plying their wares on the NME stage. The giant marquee is absolutely rammed, and I’m guessing that folk have got in early in order to catch the latest dotty press darlings Angine de Poitrine who are on afterwards. Ribbon Skirt dropped their debut long-player ‘Bite Down’ a year ago and have steadily been climbing the ranks since then. There’s a guitar strum in order to build anticipation and then the four players (vocals & guitar; guitar; bass; and drums) begin to offload their raw and gritty sounds, but not uncontrollably so. There was much head bobbing and body rocking throughout their half-hour set by the crowd. But for me personally, they weren’t as good as I thought that they were going to be, which is a shame.
(Nick Linazasoro)
HEMI HEMMINGWAY – Patterns Downstairs 21:15 – 21:45
New Zealand singer-songwriter Hemi Hemingway and his four bandmates brought a sharp mix of offbeat charm, tightly-wound indie energy and groovy riffs to Patterns, delivering a set that encompassed a range of styles from goth to post-punk and new wave which blended seamlessly. Contrasting witty lyricism, a touch of theatrics with driving guitars and soaring saxophone featuring throughout, the band quickly pulled a curious early crowd to full attention. There was a confidence to the performance, with each song landing harder as the set progressed. The band closed out with their best track ‘Desiree’ featuring discombobulating synths with Hemi’s captivating vocals driving it along. In a festival packed with emerging talent, Hemi Hemingway stood out for his stage personality as much as the band’s eclectic sound.
(Martin J Fuller)
JOAN & THE GIANTS – Komedia Studio 21:15 – 21:45
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia and taking in their first ever shows in the UK, we have four piece Alt Pop-rock band Joan & The Giants. Fronted by vocalist Grace Newton-Wordsworth with her red hair and white flowing dress. They started the set with the lively and rocking ‘Wolves’, next was a song which was introduced about Grace being single, it was called ‘Sleep Alone’, this one really showcased her vocal range, angelic at times, a beautiful song. The next tune was her new single and was written about an abusive relationship Grace had been in, the song was called ‘Mamma Don’t Cry’. Graces’ on stage persona was lively and fun and always upbeat despite the more saddening reasons why she may have written some of the songs, she gave great stories and anecdotes, always something I like to see to help connect with the audience. We were treated to a brand “New one” and then ‘Still Breathing’, before another rocky one ‘Born In The Wrong Time’, this had Grace jumping about all over stage. She strapped on her Fender Telecaster for the final song ‘Cool Kid’ and encouraged crowd participation, this was the liveliest number during the set and a great soaring end. What a start to The Great Escape festival. Her manager at the end very kindly gave me some special Joan & The Giants rock pieces that she’d smuggled in from Australia, a nice memento of a great set.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
ROOM SERVICE – Concorde 2 21:15 – 21:45
Room Service are a highly entertaining London and Brighton-based multinational six-piece indie rock band that incorporates a multitude of musical genres. They are formed of French vocalist Helena Marchand, Portuguese vocalist Nez Garcia, French guitarist Thomas Conrad, English guitarist Zach Wright, French bassist Melvin Vernet, and American drummer Devin Curry. For tonight’s performance at Concorde 2 for BBC Introducing, they start with ‘Holy Stress’, a danceable song that is melodic and includes harmonic vocals from the pair of lead vocalists. The second song gets the crowd moving and clapping along. It is the debut album title track ‘Plastic Cosmic Fantastic Hotel’, it’s a groovy and funky number that features jangly guitars and bass solos. Next, we get two new ones; these are both ballads ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ and ‘Council’. Nez then explains how people from different countries and backgrounds should get along with each other as this band clearly does and sings ‘Elevatorlude’ in his native Portuguese language. We then get back to the crazy stuff with ‘Move’, ‘Go Outside’, and ‘Hot Dog’, which gets the crowd dancing. The set finishes with the funky foot-tapper ‘Jcvd’, a comical song about legendary Belgian actor and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme. For this, bass player Melvin wears a Van Damme face mask and switches places with Helena, who takes over on bass. The band then handed out copies of their CV to the audience, asking “Please sign us”.
(Ian Holman)
ANGINE DE POITRINE – TGE Beach The Deep End 21:45 – 22:45
Every year, there’s one; whether that’s 2023’s baroque pop of The Last Dinner Party or the Celtic bars of Kneecap, one act always outgrows their stage between booking and showtime. While The Kooks were billed as ‘headliners’ for The Deep End, a mysterious back injury promoted the viral absurdists Angine De Poitrine to the coveted opening party slot. Booked ahead of a viral KEXP set, the tent is undoubtedly 2026’s buzziest set, with many polka-dotted fans crammed in and a queue snaking down the beach. While slated by some as “overrated” – an act of jealousy for the scarcity of their tickets in my eyes – the Papier-mâché, polka-dot, yin-and-yang duo of ‘aliens’ Khn and Klek need very little introduction, yet still have to be seen to be believed. Think a microtonal math-rock Mr Blobby on a bad trip; Angine De Poitrine are entirely unpredictable and the antithesis of AI. From the boundless, dissonant dadaism of opener ‘Yor Zarad’ to the buzzingly acidic ‘Tamebsz’, there is a sense of wonder in the tent. Regardless of whether the crowd is distracted by the flopping phallic nose of Klek or just cannot keep up with the snaking rhythms, they seem hypnotised. In the final third of their hour, ‘Sarniezz’ is head-spinningly fluid in rhythm, flitting time signatures easier than people swap banks, while the vaudevillianly gurgled notes, yet remarkably bouncy rhythm of ‘Utzp’ allows for some movement in a crowd. In a final one-two punch, the audience does get a merciful sing-along moment with the funked-out, sizzle of the micro-tonal looping of ‘Fabienk’ inspiring mimicry of notes very little of the audience would’ve known a year ago, while closer ‘Sherpa’ is deliriously ever-changing, captivating and primed for circle pits. With small talk between tracks reduced to grunts, close to Tom Waits doing an impression of Pingu’s dad, Khn & Klek are monosyllabic, letting their musicianship do the speaking. While there are some slapstick antics on stage to keep the audience transfixed, there’s a feeling that everyone in here would be just as happy if they only played their songs. While tonight’s industry-mixing tent doesn’t engage in the riotous behaviour of Monday’s Electric Ballroom show, there are plenty of hands making triangles and bobbing in a slightly more restrained showing of believing the hype around maybe the most bizarre buzz band of all time.
(Keir Shields)
JUDE KELLY – Komedia Studio 22:15 – 22:45
Closing the stage this evening at the Komedia Studio was New Zealand singer-songwriter Jude Kelly. The first song was ‘Siren Song’, a single released a year ago from her now released debut EP ‘The Seven Spirits Of Her’. I really had no idea what to expect but blow me sideways, what a voice Jude has, this was the most beautiful thing to hear. The second song was ‘Lucky’ written “about feeling how lucky we are and about us getting out of a rut”, again Jude’s voice soared and soared, you could have heard a pin drop as everyone was just totally mesmerised. Jude told us that this was meant to be a whole different experience with a band, but sadly her drummer was injured just before they were set to leave, so things were changed up to her simply going solo with an acoustic guitar, something she had done for 8 years prior to recording, so we were told “there is a bitter sweetness to it”. ‘Clarence’ was our next song, Jude told us when writing the EP, each song was given a working title each of a person’s name and this one just ended up sticking. The next song was to be ‘If You Love Me, Let Me Go’, however Jude seemed a bit agitated on stage, maybe it was the heat or lighting or possibly just how intensely the crowd were silent and so focused on her, she stopped and asked for some water, I joked “£5’s” as a staff member handed her the bottle which made her and the crowd laugh, I hoped it might to break the tension a little and make her feel more at ease. Jude started to play the song, but stopped apologising saying she felt like she was in a fete and asked to sit down, mentioning the lights. Now seated with the lights turned down Jude started again, but sadly had to stop again mentioning she did not feel well and had to take a minute and left the stage. Thankfully for us all, she did return and played the song in full, standing up with the lights on and my what a wonderful song sung so beautifully, such a voice, such a talent. She received a huge applause, warm and resounding, sadly it was just four songs for us, but they were so good who needs to be greedy for more. Jude is supporting Lewis Capaldi during his New Zealand tour later this year. I am 100% going to go and buy that EP right now.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
LEMONSUCKR – Concorde 2 22:15 – 22:45
I’m back at Concorde 2 for local rising stars LEMONSUCKR, who comprise Guy Ferris (vocals, tambourine, cowbell), Oscar Post (guitar, bv’s), Ollie Thomas (guitar, bv’s), Jake Andrews (bass) and Matt Saunders (drums, presets). They laid out their statement of intent when they dropped their excellent 5-track ‘H.E.A.T.’ EP last year. If you’re a fan of Working Mens Club, Fat Dog, and IDLES, then listen up! LEMONSUCKR live shows are becoming legendary and are nothing short of chaos, with a hot-bloodedness and confidence afforded only to a group of people who are all singing off the same songsheet. This evening’s set, however, takes things up yet another level and the crowd are all seriously up-for-it! The dance beats of ‘Sedated’ (from the EP) kick in and all is well with the world. From time to time, various members of the band clambered off the stage and join us for that up-close-and-personal vibe. ‘Instant Kinks’, ‘Werk’, ‘Stain’ (released last week), ‘House On Fire’, ‘Grandaddy’, ‘H.E.A.T’, and ‘Rugrat’ make up the rest of the set. Killing Joke’s ‘Follow The Leaders’, The Cure’s ‘Killing An Arab’ and the Eurobeats of Giorgio Moroder all spring to mind within the (all too short) half hour set. The crowd bounce along in appreciation, and not to put a finer point on it, but LEMONSUCKR absolutely blew the house roof off! I was even handed a drumstick and cowbell (taken from the drumkit) by the band in a fruitless endeavour to join in. I hope I didn’t spoil it too much for those around me. Of the 36 live sets I witnessed across the 4 days, this was the runner up best performance!
(Nick Linazasoro)
LONNIE GUNN – The Hope & Ruin 22:15 – 22:45
Brighton based New-Jersey native Lonnie Gunn turned The Hope & Ruin stage into a gloriously chaotic blur of bubblegrunge brilliance. Backed by a razor-sharp band, balancing gritty guitars with biting humour and undeniable pop hooks with an effortless charisma. The set oscillated between powerful mosh-ready anthems contrasted with more vulnerable moments, all delivered with a magnetic confidence. Brighton’s famed DIY scene thrives on artists like this – unpredictable, brilliantly creative and impossible to ignore. An artist on the way up and one of my favourite Great Escape performances this year.
(Martin J Fuller)
THE MOLOTOVS – Komedia Basement 21:30 – 22:15
After the year The Molotovs have had, they hardly need an introduction. With Kentish Town Forum sold out more than seven months in advance and a second date added, it is no shock to see the venue absolutely rammed when they hit the stage. The temperature rises instantly as Matt and Issey command the room, backed by superb drumming from Noah, tearing through a blistering set of sharp, swaggering mod-rock. Their frenzied cover of Bowie’s ‘Suffragette City’ is a rush, while ‘Johnny Don’t Be Scared’, ‘Today’s Gonna Be Our Day’ and ‘More More More’ send the crowd into full voice.
(Cris Watkins)
BIG WETT – Alphabet 23:00 – 23:40
It could have been bed time, but I figured after an evening or more calmer singer /songwriter performances something a bit lively might be in order and boy oh boy, lively is what we got at Alphabet with Australian performer Big Wett. A packed room with a very youthful audience were all geared up for it and it was all going to be all new for me. Coming on stage in her shades to ‘She Got That Thing’, Big Wett called out “How we doing tonight, you’ve got Big Wett, I got into London at 6am yesterday, it’s so great to be back in the UK” and we were straight into ‘Number 1 Pussy’. The set started with her dressed in a red gown, but it was not long until that was dropped and the clothing continued to reduce. The crowd went mad for ‘Bags’, Big Wett spun round revealing the back of her top had 69 emblazed across it, I think the song was also called ‘69’, a quick run off stage and back, she was now wearing a big bright pink strap on dick for ‘King Dick’, which was waved and spun around. Another costume change, top now gone, mini skirt on, we had ‘Crazy’, followed by ‘GSpot’ and ‘Eat It’. Possible more were in-between, but the set finished with ‘Hold Up Ur Body’ then ‘Eat My Ass’ which had everyone singing along. So if you’ve not worked out what sort of music we are talking about here, well, Big Wett is bringing you the finest slice of sexy swears danced and delivered to wicked club beats. This was a non-stop party, each song melding into the next, the crowd lapping it up, dancing, laughing and all having fun. Big Wett delivered it all at gas mark 10, relentless scantily clad dirty dance moves done in the coolest and most hilarious way you could imagine. If you can’t imagine then make sure you get to one of her gigs, what a set that was.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
COWZ – The Font 23:00 – 23:40
On my way home, I decided to pop into The Font for a swift pint. I didn’t realise the Brighton Rock & Roll Circus — a 4-day alternative festival — was taking place, so I stayed to watch Brighton’s very own Cowz take to the stage. And when I say stage, I mean it’s right on top of the bar! The two-level space was packed with everyone from music lovers to students just getting carried away on beer. Luckily, Cowz hit the ground running with their track ‘Ur Fave Song’, which quickly grabs attention: distorted vocal raps from Saga and Tasha laid over a sharp electro beat. Ending with their next single ‘Miss Antoinette’. With its satirical swipe at the upper classes, though I’m not sure the crowd picked up on the message — but I certainly did, and it’s a fast, hard-hitting tune that really packs a punch. I really enjoyed the whole concept of the gig above the bar idea and it certainly suited these two Brighton vixens. Catch them next at The Hope and Ruin on 30th May and then at Daltons on 13th June.
(Stephen Willcox)
Further Great Escape reviews will follow…………
