‘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. 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.
This is our last installment. You can find the others below:
SATURDAY 16th MAY (PART TWO 18:30 TO 00:45):
SARAH CREAN – The Bootlegger 18:30 – 19:00
Talented Dublin-born singer-songwriter Sarah Crean performed a six-song set at The Bootlegger as part of the official Alternative Escape. Sarah is currently based in Brighton and has previously released indie-pop songs that show raw emotion with layered, melodic arrangements. Her newer material appears to have a bit more bite to it and is mainly guitar-driven. With Sarah for this evening’s show are four additional band members. Valentina plays keys, shaker, and adds backing vocals, Lilly is on bass and also adds backing vocals, while the drummer and additional guitarist also plays with Canned Pineapple. Sarah provides a cool, confident melodic delivery to her vocals. The first three unreleased songs are ‘IW2BSH’, ‘Calypso’, and ‘Grown Ups’. The only released song of the set is ‘22 Angel’. It’s a fuzzy slow-burner and, as per the other songs in the set, is also catchy. The set closes with two upcoming singles. The first of these is ‘Baby (I’ll Always Be The Lead)’, for which Sarah encourages the crowd to sing along. This is set for release on 28th May. ‘Dreamer’ will get a release later during the summer.
(Ian Holman)
FANCHON – The Font 19:00 – 19:40
The five-piece, fronted by the eponymous solo artist performing under the name ‘Fanchon’, is quoted as “One part French and four parts English.” They cite their influences as a mix of Alice in Chains (as was clear from their soundcheck), Freshwater and Sylvia Plath. The intro of the first track is saturated with a heavy early-nineties Indie-Rock instrumental, contrasting and yet complementing the crisp, harmonic lead vocal. Together, they offered a refreshing new take on an old genre. The self-styled “Post Grunge Dream Core” band are based in London. Fanchon states that her lyrics are poetry-based (hence the reference to Plath); while her vocals offer a “Power Softness over heavy energy instruments.” The band created an immersive wall of sound. One track recalling the dEUS track ‘Hotellounge’ (be the death of me) to my ear. Fanchon introduced the track ‘Perish’ by informing the audience it had been available since the previous Friday. It opened with another hefty instrumental and a vocal echoing the late Delores O’Riordan—no mean feat, when many have intentionally tried and failed to do so. By the end of their set, Fanchon had woken the long-dormant Indie Rock fanatic in me. If you are looking to drown yourself in heavy rock with a poetic edge, this is the band you have been looking for.
(Jess Kemp)
ANNA DE LLOR – Green Door Store 19:15 – 19:45
I decided to make an unscheduled early visit to the Green Door Store and was lucky enough to catch Ana De Llor, this was a pitstop I was glad to have made. Ana is Lisbon, Portugal born, but now based in London. Her music is very different from my normal go to but it was no less enjoyable, quite striking and mesmerising to tell you the truth. She creates dark avant-pop, merged with ancestral folk traditions and avant-garde electronics. We were all welcomed to this 30-minute set by Ana who was wearing a very striking dress with “Welcome to the church of queer, everyone is welcome, but you don’t have to join up”. One of the songs the set took in was ‘Cuando End Era Pequenina’ sung in Portuguese, filled with slow deep beats, totally enchanting us, we also had a new one ‘Sweet Gentle Love’. We were then told “I hope you are ready to change the vibe”, and true to her word it was a real change from soaring vocals, her producer and beat maker who was the only other person on the stage fired up some dark tribe like dance beats and Ana sang and danced as the song gained tempo, the producer was also on vocals, sounding like a devil or a dark overlord. Ana told us the album is coming soon and asked if any dykes were in the house, as the next song ‘Bullshhh’ was a dyke revenge song, this one had real heavy beats. The final song of the set was Ana’s first single from 6 years ago and was called ‘Lilith’. What can I say! This set felt very cinematic, you could imagine Ana’s music being used in the movies over dramatic scenes, her voice is out of this world, the lighting throughout was mostly red which really enhanced the mood and vibe, the room was packed out so I have been clearly missing out on her.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
GOODBYE – TGE Beach The Deep End 19:15 – 19:45
At Komedia Basement in the afternoon, I overhear “they’re calling everything shoegaze these days” as a retort to a description of local legends Goodbye, a highly anticipated act with multiple sets across the weekend. A hodge-podged collage of various Brighton band members, all involved in the grassroots scene for years before colliding to make music that falls at a sinister intersection of shoegaze and pop haze, with an unsettling rhythm section doubling as a flood warning. Throughout a set opened with the ethereal gore of ‘Meat’, their synergy is impeccable; no note is out of place from the opening shuddering track of resigned anger at objectification to the set’s end. After ‘13a’ frontwoman Megan Wheeler states “Usually I get to sing with the wonderful Sarah [Ryan], but she’s lost her voice.” Whilst the harmonies on recent EP ‘These Things Take Time’ are a highlight, Wheeler’s voice is strong enough by itself, holding a sharp intensity that’s as stunning as broken glass under moonlight but just as cutting too, with some truly impressive vocal runs. With only 3 released tracks given airtime, the focus is firmly on the future: with torrential rain adding to the ambience (“it was on our tech rider” Wheeler jokes), their dreaming intensity flirts with Cocteau Twins. A band rarely comes out so fully formed and so confident in their sound, yet when a group spends a year rehearsing before even playing a show, they’re bound to come out as a supergroup of Brighton’s scene. A representative of the best parts of the city, from Alfie Beer and Sarah Ryan’s immaculately constructed, reverb, delay and echo-laden guitar sounds to Elik Reddy’s unpredictable drums, they operate with the heft of Slowdive, while melodically intersecting with Belle & Sebastian. As a jumble of every ‘cool’ 90s group, I wouldn’t be surprised if Simon Raymonde has already been kicking their door down to have them on Bella Union.
(Keir Shields)
LONNIE GUNN – Horatios 19:15 – 19:45
Last year, Lonnie Gunn was one of my favourite new discoveries at TGE, and it has somehow taken me 12 months to catch her live again, so I’m early and firmly planted at the front of Horatios for this one. Backed by a full band, Lonnie Gunn arrives in a full-length white lace dress, looking every bit the anti-goth, before kicking off with two favourites: the alt-pop perfection of ‘Lucky Girl’ and the beautifully dark, twisted ‘Lovebite’. The set flies by far too quickly, with none of the songs outstaying their welcome, each landing around the three-minute mark or under. Closing with the double whammy of ‘I Miss Everything’ and ‘EX GF’, with its delicious blend of dreamy vocals and crashing guitars, this is another TGE set to remember — and another note to myself not to miss Lonnie Gunn next time she plays.
(Cris Watkins)
RIFKA – Dust 19:15 – 19:45
Locally born and raised in Brighton, Rifka delivered a genuinely special hometown performance, blending heartfelt alt-pop songwriting with an intimacy that made the packed room feel almost private. Backed by a three-piece band, she moved effortlessly between delicate acoustic passages and richer electric piano-led moments, with subtle tempo shifts giving the set a dynamic ebb and flow. New song ‘The Party’s Over’ stood out alongside 2025 single ‘Mother Cradle Me’, the whole set elevated by her distinct vocals drawing you in with a smoky warmth and emotionally open delivery. Fresh from unofficial SXSW shows in Texas and with growing momentum behind her, this show had the feel of an artist fully embracing her moment. A rapturous response from the crowd, alongside visibly proud friends and family confirmed there’s plenty more to come given her undeniable potential.
(Martin J Fuller)
KATE PEACHES – The Mesmerist 19:30 – 20:10
I’ve now made my way to The Mesmerist for my final trio of Escape related performances. First up is an artist I’ve been wanting to catch for some time now, having been a great advocator for her previous band Slant. I’m talking about Brighton-based songwriter Kate Peaches of course! With her flowing locks and an Akai MPK mini synth, plus a guitarist with a laptop, they set about summoning the punter’s innermost good-time party animal instincts as they dive straight into the music. The opener is a dance tune with dreamy synths with a dollop of Kate Bush/B-52’s style vocals and theatrical flair, which reminds me somewhat of former Brighton based artist Circe. The mixing levels aren’t quite right on this, but by tune two the slight error is rectified. It’s an even more dancey number akin to the best Kylie Minogue club numbers. Track three is her new single which is even more of a bopper with a Human League ‘Dare’ album vibe. Next up is a tune which has a retro 80’s Hi-NRG beat, and is eclipsed by another stomper ‘Baby Princess Queen’ which is another humongous offering of Hi-NRG beats which is better than any Eurovision offering today. The punters loved her! It’s been a busy year thus far for Kate with a trio of singles already dropped: ‘Easy Action’, ‘Tell Her All The Time’ and ‘Bored’, and surely it can’t be long before an EP or even LP is in the offering! I’ve finally popped my Kate Peaches cherry and I’m looking forward to catching her uplifting set in the very near future!
(Nick Linazasoro)
POUCH – The Bootlegger 19:30 – 20:00
If you like your music fast-paced, upbeat and full of energy, and you haven’t seen Pouch (previously known as Bacci Pouch) yet, then it’s about time you did. They’ve been playing the Brighton circuit with the same three-piece line-up of James Neighbour (lead vocals, lead guitar), Charlie Heasman (drums) and Sam Raymer (bass, backing vocals) for a couple of years now. There’s a mix of Buzzcocks and The Only Ones in James’ vocals, the drumming is fast-paced and punchy, and the guitars are uptempo and infectious. For tonight’s performance at The Bootlegger, they play an eight-song set that wouldn’t look out of place on a ‘Greatest Hits’ album. They start things off with debut single ‘Learn To Love’ and follow up three of the four songs off their debut Pouch Core EP. These are ‘It Ain’t Pretty’, ‘Normal People’, and ‘Everyday’. Following ‘Someone Else’s Clothes’, James asks if you are from Brighton; you will know the next one. It’s their only cover of the set, Fatboy Slim’s ‘Rockafeller Skank’. The penultimate song of the set is the excellent unreleased track ‘Girl On The Phone’. They finish things off with second single ‘When The Lights Come On’.
(Ian Holman)
A.R.T. – The Font 20:00 – 20:40
A.R.T. style themselves as “London’s sax-fuelled Indie funk rock party band.” From their appearance on stage dressed in loud multicoloured apparel, so bright that half of the band had decided to wear shades. The lead singer owes more than a slight nod to a young Ricky Wilson in delivery as well as stage wear. Unlike the other bands of the day, the five-piece stretched across the elevated stage at The Font with their lead vocalist out on the stage extension usually given over to guitarists. Consummate self-promoters, they had placed an oversized QR code just to the left of their lead so that even the most nearsighted member of the audience could scan it. Specializing in feel-good, upbeat festival-ready tunes the band had brought a sizable chunk of fans with them to fill the audience. They had also already played two other sets earlier in the day. The first busking from the back of their van, (much to the ire of a few passers by) and the second just an hour earlier at the Black Lion. The band gave every track their absolute all and were clearly having fun playing together. The inclusion of a saxophonist gave their crowd-pleasing performance a slight edge; they avoided tipping into pastiche by the sheer exuberance and showmanship of the entire group. The band knew how to work the stage and the crowd. Offering a combination of gang vocals and slick, practiced delivery, A.R.T. comes ready packaged for the festival circuit. Good upbeat fun for everyone.
(Jess Kemp)
AUGUST – TGE Beach The Deep End 20:15 – 20:45
With the unenviable task of following up the hometown heroes of Goodbye playing the beach stage, August are a mysterious bunch. With a name-dropping bio (including Tom Waits, Beck, and Harry Nilsson) on The Great Escape’s app, no one has any idea what to expect, but having Dork and So Young writers present is a good omen. The result is melodic yet still rough-around-the-edges, like giving Gilbert O’Sullivan poppers and launching him through a Sex Pistols show; each member brings a unique element to their Kaizen dynamism. It is a set you experience, at once familiar but something you can’t entirely place. From the thunderous smash of Opus Kink adjacent opener ‘Pellmel’, August are a speculum prying your eyes open and forcing you to experience them in all their shabby-chic charity shop galore, only a keyboard holding a semblance of sanity. The stage presence across all members is something spectacular, with their frontman, Rory Wilson, flailing like a Thunderbirds puppet through songs that are arty but constantly on the verge of exploding. “It sounds like Wunderhorse”, I overhear during ‘Freelancer’, which has shades of ‘July’ in its stop/start car-stalling thump. However, this label feels reductive; with a final one-two punch of the bluesy ramble ‘Bobbing For Apples With My Nephew’ to borderline spoken word in ‘Dirt’ for the first time this weekend, I’m stumped for words – August is practically impossible to do justice to in the written form. If Angine De Poitrine can be a buzz band, there is no reason why August can’t be. With no music out currently, Wilson jokes it’s a “clerical error.” You’ll have to see them; I promise you’ll leave a convert.
(Keir Shields)
JAZZ CUTI – Dust 20:15 – 20:45
Jazz Cuti brought a beautifully off-kilter electronic energy and warm charm to the Dust stage, the French via USA singer-songwriter commanding keys and vocals along with her two guitarists and drummer, enriching the sound. Drawing from Afro-American, Caribbean and UK electronic influences, her sound melded R&B smooth grooves with vocals drifting between French and English. ‘FREE style des Artistes’ stood out among the groove-led textures before the tempo eased for a striking ballad, offering another glimpse into the rich sonic world of her forthcoming debut album being released this summer which will be well worth checking out.
(Martin J Fuller)
LISL – Green Door Store 20:15 – 20:45
Continuing the evening at The Green Door Store, we have LISL who hails from Germany, another new artist for me. Kicking things off on the stage we have a drummer and guitarist who start the set playing a rather slow ethereal introduction, LISL then took to the stage picked up her guitar and we took off into indie guitar heaven. LISL told us this was her first time in Brighton and thanked us for the applause. The second song of the set was ‘A Little Lost’ taken from her ‘I Don’t Know If It’s Irony’ EP, again this was a very enjoyable indie number. Switching to keys now, LISL nervously called out “Give it up for my band”, there was no mention of the song name, but I really like it, as it progressed it ventured towards a more shoegaze sound as did the next number, which will be on her next EP. LISL told us that she writes in her bedroom about her social anxiety. I must admit she did seem quite nervous and shy whilst performing, but this dissolved as the set went on, her vocals becoming stronger and feeling more at ease with the audience. The final two songs of the set were ‘Girls Like You’, this was about putting girls on pedestals, something LISL finds annoying and ‘Flight Mode’ this one will be coming out soon and had the crowd participation in a sing along. I really enjoyed LISLs set, it was gentle and calming, her soft voice quite understated, my foot tapped and my head nodded throughout, LISL hits the Indie nail bang on with the hammer.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
PAIGE KENNEDY – Chalk 20:15 – 20:45
I was totally clueless when it came to Paige’s music — I’ve only ever seen her make comedic skits on Instagram, though I’ve noticed her name on lineups for other gigs before. Chalk is one of the larger grassroots venues in the area, and tonight it’s pretty full, with everyone clearly looking forward to the show. Paige arrived on stage dressed in a surgical gown and wearing piercing grey contact lenses; she looked like a lunatic who’d just escaped from an asylum. As ‘Medical Emergency’ kicked off — a fitting start — she stripped off the gown to reveal a loose, white top inspired by a straitjacket. Her sound blends electronic and guitar-driven alt-pop, with plenty of non-binary, queer-friendly themes running through both the music and the visuals. With a full band behind her, ‘Oh Honey’ had a real edge: the two synths, bass, guitars and drums all got a thorough workout. Paige was confident and natural on stage, chatting casually to the crowd and drawing out responses almost like a psychoanalyst with a patient. ‘Lingerie Model’ was pure, upbeat pop, and soon had everyone dancing. She closed with 2019’s ‘Finga’, sending anticipation through the roof as we all waved our Fingers in the air in perfect unison. I really enjoyed the whole set — it was great to hear such unapologetic, catchy alt-pop.
(Stephen Willcox)
CURRLS – The Mesmerist 20:30 – 21:10
I’m based at The Mesmerist for three acts, with the second of these being local heroes and rising femrock/garage rock stars Currls, who really do seem to improve every time I catch them live. The venue is obviously expecting this to be a livelier set than the previous one and as I return from the bar, there’s been a metal crowd barrier installed between us and the trio. The female band are primed and ready to show us what they’ve got! The tools of the trade are guitar with lead vocals from Holly, Sal on bass and backing vocals, and Hannah on drums. Currls are known for their electrifying fast-paced blend of raw garage rock, punk and sludgy pop and that’s exactly what us punters were rewarded with this evening! They open up with ‘I Know A Girl’ and show us they are seriously honing in on their perfect sound. Surely it’s only a matter of time before these get even bigger, they now not only look the part, but sound the part as well! There’s a great vibe circulating around the busy bar that is being filled by frontwoman Holly’s powerful vocals which perfectly cut through the raw power of the music. They are tight, thunderous, and drive each song forward at speed. They debuted a brand new song, but its title wasn’t introduced, but ‘I Can’t Figure It Out’ was introduced and on completion received a deafening applause. Holly even got the crowd to split into two for their closing Ramones-esque number (and my favourite) ‘Family Man’. It was an adrenalin filled performance which they more than filled beyond the venue’s capacity. They absolutely nailed it! Catch Currls headlining The Hope & Ruin with support from Masca, and Aly on Friday 29th May.
(Nick Linazasoro)
GREENWING – WaterBear Music Bar 20:30 – 21:00
Four-piece high-energy alternative rock band GreenWing are from Saskatoon, Canada, and they are very happy to be in Brighton for the festival on their first visit to the UK. Having already played at Green Door Store on day two of the festival, they are at the impressive WaterBear Music Bar for their second and final performance. They were so impressed with the Green Door Store that lead vocalist Matt Stone is wearing one of their t-shirts. Not only that, Matt and his other band members, Anthony Allegetto (guitar), Declan Hills (bass), and Nathan Henry (drums), have all got rat tattoos as a memento to playing there. They play an eight-song set, drawing on inspiration from classic punk and post-rock. Their energetic feel-good rock anthems sound heavier live than they do on record, and by the sound of it, they so want to come back to the UK to play again in the future.
(Ian Holman)
HOT PROPERTY – The Font 21:00 – 21:40
The six-piece emerging London-based Rock and Roll band Hot Property style themselves as “blending authentic 70’s style rock energy with modern flair.” They are, at this point, most known for appearing as the AI de-aged Rolling Stones in the video for the Super-Agers of Rock track ‘In The Stars.’ As soon as they took the stage it was easy to see how this might have come about. Their style is sheer ’60/70s rock flamboyance. They have released several singles with a ‘retro-rock revival’ sound. The band are very much keeping the soul of ’60/’70s rock alive for the next generation. Similarities to their obvious heroes do not stop with styling. Corrigan throws Jagger’s moves, also channelling his delivery. However, it was guitarist Lucas Arshad who wore Jaggers’ face in the video. The gathered audience, many of whom arrived with the band, took to the group with enthusiasm. While they were performing their own material, their heavy homage to and connection with such a well-known heritage act made it difficult to consider ‘Hot Property’ as a separate entity. Their cover of a personal favourite, T. Rex’s ‘20th Century Boy’, was a very welcome addition to their set. We look forward to seeing how Hot Property continue to evolve.
(Jess Kemp)
BITTER FLY – Green Door Store 21:15 – 21:45
Next up at The Green Door store were Bitterfly, a 5 piece alternative rock band from Saskatoon, Canada. Whilst looking at their stage set up, I noticed the two guitarists had 8 string guitars and the bass was a five string, the band spotted me and said “that’s because they like to rock”. The band are Ariel Bueckert (lead vocals), her brother Andrew Bueckert (lead guitar), Kyle Casey (second lead guitar), Alex Zurevinsky (bass) and Anthony Pawluk (drums) who was sporting an Oasis T-shirt. The band who have strong prog rock influences describe their sound as “Dream Prog”, started the set with ‘Sirens’, a great strong opener, real throbbing baseline. Next came ‘Host Club’ which definitely was channelling 70/80s rock vibes with the guitar sounds. Ariel told us the rest of the set was going to be new songs that they have been testing out whilst on tour and to follow their Spotify for releases. The first of these was ‘Pink Noise’ a song written about when you are in a mood and you have a great support system of friends who want to help, you just want to be left alone, this had a slower start, but it was not long before the guitars ramped up, all 3 guitarist nodding away as they played. The fourth untitled song was “the closest I’ve got to writing a love song, it’s about being afraid of falling in love” Ariel explained, this was probably the slowest and calmest song of the set, I enjoyed it as did the crowd. Ariel thanked everyone for coming, saying that they are a small town band, it’s been so great to come to the UK, and to this festival and see so many great bands from around the world, a real experience. The next track ‘Grind Down’ was written by Andrew, a much heavier number, loads of raging guitar, it reminded me a little bit of the band Garbage, Anthony who by this point had stripped off his Oasis t-shirt was slamming those drums, a brilliant and enjoyable song. Arial beckoned everyone to step a few pace forward and make room at the back for people to come in “Come closer, I might scream, but I don’t bite” someone in the crowd shouted “Bite a fly” and Ariel retorted back “No we are Bitterfly, although maybe we could do something with that”, she continued the next untitled song as if she “was a serial killer or so”, a great song with a slow moody intro. The final tune of the set was ‘Blunt’, a real heavy one, ending with Ariel screaming the vocals. All in all, a fantastic set from a band I think are fairly new, the packed out room loved it, I was nodding along as were many of the other 6music dads.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
HOME COUNTIES – Horatios 21:15 – 21:45
With such demand for Home Counties politicised bounciness, the queue snakes all the way down the pier; even the delegates’ queue is on a 1-in, 1-out basis. Regrettably, this means I only managed to catch their final 3 tracks – of these tracks, the landlord-indicting, celebrate-the-small-wins ’You Break it, You Bought it’ is pogo-inducing, and so full of funk I wish I’d sprinted down the pier to get in on time. Cutting an immensely grateful presence, frontman Will Harrison is thanking absolutely everyone he can think of before barrelling into the clubland-electronic, clap-your-hands of ‘Uptight’ paralleling Adult DVD’s dancefloor-mania. With the pier well and truly shaken beneath us, it seems like it’s time to call the contractors; Home Counties have other ideas – closer ‘Posthumous Spreadsheets’ is a slightly bizarre choice, slow-burn, spoken-word cadence when ‘Uptight’ has just provoked a crowd hungry to dance. Fortunately, its final act introduces the driving electronica, even if the order should’ve been swapped.
(Keir Shields)
MOTHER SOKI – Dust 21:15 – 21:45
Mother Soki’s first show on British soil at Dust saw the Minneapolis-based dreampop artist and her guitarist/synthman (whose name I didn’t catch sadly) delivered a wonderful set, blending dreamy shoegaze textures with flashes of ‘90s-inspired synth-pop and alt-rock despite flying in the same day from Amsterdam where they’d played as part of her first European tour dates. Built around vintage-style synths, heavy guitar swells and spacious, ethereal vocals, the set had a nostalgic feel, but still felt very much at home in the contemporary era. Mother Soki’s ability to fuse softness with distorted intensity gave the show its own distinctive identity which was incredibly atmospheric throughout in the low blue backlighting. Her single ‘Rivet Gun’ has already racked up over 17 million Spotify plays since its launch last year and ‘Sliver’ my personal pick on the night, drifted between hypnotic beauty and bass-heavy undertones with effortless cool. An immersive half hour.
(Martin J Fuller)
CONGRATULATIONS – Quarters 21:30 – 22:00
For the people of Brighton, Congratulations are as much a part of the family as seagulls stealing your chips or a drag artist singing ‘I Will Survive’ at the home end of the Amex. The Quarters venue was packed to the rafters across two levels, with plenty of cowboy hats dotted throughout the crowd for some reason and everyone waiting eagerly for the band to appear. To roaring applause, the band wasted no time getting down and dirty with ‘Get 2 Me’. Jame’s drums kicked the sound into life, while Leah’s confident vocals instantly got the crowd buzzing. Next up, ‘Fought 4 Love’ was dominated by Jamie’s guitar riff as he shredded notes that blasted out like machine-gun fire across the room. With ‘Dr Doctor’, Greg’s basslines stepped into the spotlight, and from that moment on, the audience was fully behind the group. They closed with 2024’s ‘Ice Tea’. Leah climbed onto the barrier, leaning out to sing face-to-face with her fans, soaking up every bit of their love and warmth, while the whole room whooped, hollered, and chanted along to the hypnotic chorus. The end result was a big, sweaty, beautiful mess — absolutely magical!
(Stephen Willcox)
SPIRAL DRIVE – WaterBear Music Bar 21:30 – 22:00
My last review of the festival is for dynamic Austrian-German psychedelic rock five-piece band Spiral Drive, who played at WaterBear Music Bar. Their set flips effortlessly between dreamy, spaced-out psychedelia and heavy fuzzed-out stoner rock riffs, and they are a delight to hear and see. They play three released tracks ‘Echoes’, ‘Heatwave’ and ‘Space Train’ as well as three new ones ‘Never Say No’, ‘Green Vanilla’ and ‘Reality’. As you may gather by its title, ‘Space Train’ is the more spaced-out song of the set, while the other five tracks are on the heavier side of psychedelic rock. ‘Green Vanilla’ was my pick of the set, closely followed by the grungier sounding ‘Never Say No’. I’m surprised they have not played Brighton Psych Fest, although lead vocalist Raphael Neikes did say they would be back in the UK in September playing a couple of shows. Finally, I recommend checking out their cover version of The Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ which was released in 2024.
(Ian Holman)
YUMI AND THE WEATHER – The Mesmerist 21:30 – 22:10
My final act for this year’s Escapes is Yumi And The Weather, which is the music project of Brighton-based musician/artist/videographer Ruby Taylor, who draws influences from indie, shoegaze, and synth-pop genres, creating music that is both catchy and atmospheric. Yumi is on lead vocals and Guild guitar action and today is joined by Simon on Fender Mustang bass and backing vocals, and Tom on drums and laptop duties, who I know as being Ciel’s stixman. It’s been quite a while since I last saw Ruby, but it’s great to see her back on the local circuit in the build up to her third album that is being released later in the year. Tonight there are many punters in the house. The drums are prominent and drive the beats. This is a new beast compared to when I saw Yumi a few years ago in central Brighton. The vocals are almost too clean for their new heavier indie rock sound, but I’m rather enjoying the meaty bass action going down here. They played the single which came out three weeks ago which had a bass twang akin to early 80s Cure. It’s an altogether rockier set than my last encounter and I for one are more happier about it. They previewed a tune from the forthcoming album which had a slower beat, but was hopefully a good indicator of what is to come. Once again, the drumming was solid on this tune too. They played another new one which will hopefully be out this year, we are informed. It’s a fast guitar strumming epic tune of motorik proportions that mid 80s New Order would be proud of. I have to say that for me it’s the choice tune of their set, which signals an improvement in my mind. It’s called ‘A Plan’ – you heard it here first and it’s epic with its motorik beats. Their final track they played afterwards was just as good! Yumi is now well and truly back on my radar .
(Nick Linazasoro)
CHEST – The Font 22:00 – 22:40
The London-based Indie-Rock quintet from Norwich offered a visually subdued antidote to the earlier flamboyance. The band’s lyrics explore a pervasive malaise with society. Their single ‘The Machine’ explores the escalating fear of an all-encompassing grasp of digital technology. Lead vocalist Joel Reader’s physical posturing contrasted with his bandmates’ absolute absorption in sound. The band blended perfectly, accenting the lead vocals from Reader. Teo Koschak was one of the only drummers of the day who held back rather than threatening to drown out his bandmates. The soaring vocal melodies, anthemic choruses, and emotive indie pop-rock blended into a sound both reassuringly familiar to anyone around in the early days of the ’90s, with a modern ‘Noise Rock’ flavour. The band were at once likeable, with music that is danceable and engaging, enough to move the audience’s bodies unprompted. The EP ‘The Never Really Here’ is available from your favourite medium of listening.
(Jess Kemp)
FEET – Horatios 22:15 – 22:45
Onto their tenth year of playing The Great Escape, Feet have become to the festival what Coldplay are to Glasto: a house band. With multiple support slots with the likes of Inhaler under their belt, it is genuinely mystifying that Feet haven’t cracked the mainstream yet. Opening with the garage rock indecision of ‘Changing My Mind Again’, a restless crowd is whipped into a frenzy; this might be the most sweaty set of the weekend, with pints knocked everywhere. Over 30 minutes, several new songs debut, with a response suggesting that half the crowd already knows them. Either that or frontman George Haverson is holding the crowd so tightly in his tambourine-clad hand they don’t care; even allowing Haverson to crowd-surf at. By the time the frenzied punk-via-doo-woop of the dizzying ‘Petty Thieving’, the crowd has detonated. With energy peaking, Do Nothing frontman Chris Bailey is brought on stage for a duet of ‘Arena’, as a sort of teaser for their upcoming set – a self-aware but crushing reality bites moment of indie bands. Even with a slowed-down track to close and a lack of ‘English Weather’ on the setlist, Feet cement themselves as a throwback to the 2010s indie rock scene, unfortunately trapped in cult status despite the sweaty energy they generate everywhere they play.
(Keir Shields)
NCY MILKY BAND – One Church 22:30 – 23:00
Hailing from Nancy in France, NCY Milky Band’s first trip to England proved to be a memorable one at One Church, the four-piece blending guitars, synths and bursts of saxophone into a swirling, acid-tinged psychedelic soundscape which is impossible to definitively categorise. Their set carried a mesmeric quality throughout, drawing the assembled audience into their hypnotic grooves, rhythms and explosive melodies, the big sound managing to fill the vast former-ecclesiastical space. A nice live discovery.
(Martin J Fuller)
MILLY ON AIR – Patterns Downstairs 23:00 – 01:00
As a final bonus in this year’s proceedings, I took in an unplanned 20 minutes of the two hour ‘Milly On Air’ set at Patterns as there was remarkably no queue outside. ‘Milly On Air’ transformed the venue into a euphoric late-night dancefloor, delivering a set packed with driving house rhythms, acid textures and hypnotic techno grooves. The Bristol selector moved effortlessly between heads-down intensity and hands-in-the-air moments rooted in the spirit of underground club culture. The gathered crowd seemed to be lapping it up and partied-on well past midnight when I exited to wrap up my 2026 Great Escape on a high note.
(Martin J Fuller)
DO NOTHING – Horatios 23:15 – 23:45
Closing out the weekend are the angry talk-singers of Do Nothing, like a millennial Mark E. Smith ragebaiting an Instagram comments section. They are twitchy and sarcastic post-punk stalwarts, dressed like a chino and button-up-adorned waiter. In a bold move, the jittering grifter rant of ‘LeBron James’ is aired second, like he’s trying to wake up a flagging audience. Frontman Chris Bailey indiscriminately raises his voice at random intervals to a room already swaying, keeping the room on their toes as he can ‘almost taste the sale’. Each track seems to have an impatient rhythm, deeply syncopated and unsettled, providing a vehicle for Bailey’s in-and-out of melody ranting in a sort of unstable hijack of karaoke. In a surprising move, the unreleased synth-driven ‘Stars’ gets an airing, and the most committed to singing Bailey is in the entire set, while ‘Nerve’ is a rare showcase of vulnerability that retains its spikiness but is slightly more straightforward. Dispelling the cynicism, he states, “You’ve been here since Wednesday… you could easily be horizontal by now”, evidently grateful that an audience at Horatio’s has chosen one last hurrah before they’re ready to take off their wristbands. Throughout, it feels like the band is gradually softening, content to shake off the sarcasm in their lyrics with the closer’s lyrics of “I’ve got this life I don’t really like”, especially poignant given their status on an indie label. As a final hurrah, Do Nothing are the opposite of what their name might suggest, providing dry lyrics backed by heavy rhythm and closing out my first Great Escape.
(Keir Shields)
HEAVY WILD – The Rossi Bar 00:00 – 00:40
First up for the Submarine Cat, Rossi basement party is Heavy Wild, a band I’ve not heard of at all, and I’m going to do nothing but dance. They are a five piece, London based Lo-Fi, alt rock band, led by vocalist and song writer Wolfgang Harte. Their seven song set took in ‘Freeze’, ‘Dope Gods’,’ Lonely Dawn’, ‘Wasteland’, ‘Carolina’, ‘Death Dreams’ and ‘Destroy’. Wow, this was quite the set indeed, it was hot, it was sweaty, it was dark, there was barely any space for the band at all, so the bass player was out in the crowd. Vocalist Wolfgang had on black clothes including a long black jacket, sunglasses, black cap, his long black hair hanging down and a beard, you could not really see him, quite the mysterious character, but his vocals as he moved about back and forth on the small stage were all you needed, they were echoey with lots of reverb. And those drums, real full on meaty drumming, add in glorious Korg synth, flaming hot guitar and the pulsing Fender Bass, Heavy Wild were cooking on full gas. I’m not sure what I expected, I had figured maybe a metal band or heavy rock with shouting, but this was glorious, pushing more towards shoegaze which is right up my street. Next time I see them I’ll be sure to make more notes rather than rock out! What a set, glad I’d not gone to bed!
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
ALABAMA 3 – The Rossi Bar 00:45 – 01:30
When I got wind that Alabama 3 were playing a very late/early hours set at The Rossi Bar, I postponed going to bed and getting sleep and raced over to the venue a good hour early as this was not something I wanted to miss. The Rossi Bar certainly was feeling the effects of its popularity with empty drinks fridges and most beer taps drunk dry. After the crowd had been warmed up by Heavy Wild, there was a very quick turn around and 3 members of Alabama 3 were on the tiny stage; co-founder and lead vocalist Rob Spragg, vocalist Zoe Devlin (aka Devlin Love) and Greg Fleming (a.k.a. Wizard), each looking super cool and wearing western cowboy hats. There were no instruments tonight, Greg was working a digital set up, essentially bringing us the beats and sounds we all love and connect with the band. The mood in the room was fun and party-like, everyone looking for one big dance to close the Great Escape in style, and boy did we get it. A 45 minute, 11 song set that took in ‘Woke Up This Morning’, ‘Whacked’, ‘Losing Game?’, ‘Country Boy’ for which everyone was told to wave their hands in unison, ‘Hypo Full Of Love (The 12 Step Plan)’, ‘Sister Rosetta’, ‘Speed Of The Sound of Loneliness’ in which Develin encouraged us to link arms and dance round. Rob called out “One for those in the basement, acid house is the way forward right” before ‘If I should Die Tonight’. After that “Drop…. Drop….. Drop……Droppppp” Rob bellowed out as the mega bassy beat dropped for ‘Power In The Blood’. The winddown to the set had the more country’esque ‘Fulsom Prison Blues’ punctuated with the crowd chanting “Whoop whoop, that’s the sound of the police” as the song melded into the final number ‘Hello I’m Johnny Cash’. What a set, what a party, there were no breaks between the songs, everything moved seamlessly along like a club night. After having watched The Sopranos in full again recently, it was a big tick to hear the song live at long last. When the sent ended Rob said “Great Escape, thank you so much Good night, god bless, now let’s get f*cked up”, sadly for me bed beckoned, but next time I will.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
That’s all folks!
