GUIDE & PLAYLIST: The Great Escape 2018

The Great Escape Festival kicks off in just 7 days time (17th-19th May), and we’re ready to tread Brighton’s pebble beach, chomp on some chips, and trek around town trying to catch the best new music acts.

The prolific 3-day event is renowned for championing new music from all genres, and their female-friendly line-up (which Mari celebrated in her recent article about women & festival lineups for Trash) features some of our all time favourite bands. Dream Wife, Queen Zee, REWS, Pillow Queens & Amaroun will all be strutting their stuff by the seaside over the course of the weekend, but we’re excited to discover some brand new talent too.

In alphabetical order, these are the artists we’re keen to catch at 2018’s Great Escape Festival. Scroll down to our Spotify playlist to get better acquainted with them, and make a note of their stage times too…

Audiobooks
Playing at: HORATIOS – 3:30pm Friday 18th

Art School Girlfriend
Playing at: THE WALRUS – 8:15pm Friday 18th

Amaroun
Playing at: THE WALRUS – 8:15pm, Thursday 17th

Amyl & The Sniffers
Playing at: PRINCE ALBERT 11:10pm – Friday 18th & BEACH HOUSE 12:50pm – Saturday 19th

Benin City
Playing at: PAGANINI BALLROOM (THE OLD SHIP) – 11:15pm Saturday 19th

Brooke Bentham
Playing at: PATTERNS (UPSTAIRS) – 6:15pm Friday 18th

CHROMA
Playing at: LATEST MUSIC BAR – 12:45pm Thursday 17th

Deep Throat Choir
Playing at: SALLIS BENNEY THEATRE – 10:15pm Saturday 19th

Dream Wife
Playing at: BEACH CLUB – 8:45pm Thursday 17th

Elsa Hewitt
Playing at: KOMEDIA STUDIO BAR – 11:45pm Saturday 19th

Flohio
Playing at: EAST WING (BRIGHTON CENTRE) – 6:15pm Thursday 17th
KOMEDIA STUDIO BAR – 3:30pm Saturday 19th
SHOOSHH – 9:30pm Saturday 19th

Girlhood
Playing at: DR. MARTENS STAGE – 12:45pm Thursday 17th
THE HAUNT – 7:30pm Thursday 17th

Goat Girl
Playing at: THE ARCH – 9:15pm Thursday 17th

Hatchie
Playing at: KOMEDIA – 12:50pm Thursday 17th
HORATIOS – 1:00pm Friday 18th
THE ARCH – 6:00pm Friday 18th

Hero Fisher
Playing at: QUEENS HOTEL – 1:30pm Saturday 18th

Japanese Breakfast
Playing at: KOMEDIA – 11:15pm Thursday 17th

Jealous Of The Birds
Playing at: BAU WOW – 9:15pm Thursday 17th
JUBILEE SQUARE – 2:00pm Friday 18th

Men I Trust
Playing at: KOMEDIA – 7:15pm Thursday 17th

Nao
Playing at: BEACH CLUB – 10:00pm Friday 18th

Nelson Can
Playing at: DR. MARTENS STAGE – 1:00pm Friday 18th
STICKY MIKE’S FROG BAR – 10:30pm Saturday 19th

The Orielles
Playing at: BEACH HOUSE – 2:30pm Thursday 17th
HORATIOS – 9:00pm Thursday 17th

Phoebe Bridgers
Playing at: KOMEDIA – 9:15pm Friday 18th

Pillow Queens
Playing at: PRINCE ALBERT – 1:00pm Thursday 17th

Partner
Playing at: GREEN DOOR STORE – 1:30pm Thursday 17th
GREEN DOOR STORE – 7:15pm Thursday 17th
THE WALRUS – 2:15pm Saturday 18th

Queen Zee
Playing at: THE HOPE AND RUIN – 10:45pm Thursday 17th

REWS
Playing at: BEACH HOUSE – 9:15pm Friday 18th

The Regrettes
Playing at: HORATIOS 11:15pm Saturday

Soccer Mommy
Playing at: BEACH CLUB – 7:30pm Thursday 17th

Snail Mail
Playing at: BEACH CLUB – 6:30pm Thursday 17th

Stella Donnelly
Playing at: KOMEDIA – 8:15pm Thursday 17th
UNITARIAN CHURCH – 7:45pm Friday 18th
DR. MARTENS STAGE – 1:20pm Saturday 19th

The Ninth Wave
Playing at: HORATIOS – 3:30pm Thursday 17th
THE HAUNT – 9:30pm Friday 18th
MARINE ROOM (HARBOUR HOTEL) – 10:15pm Saturday 19th

The Vegan Leather
Playing at: HORATIOS – 1:45pm Thursday 17th
STICKY MIKE’S FROG BAR – 8:15pm Friday 18th

 

Get your tickets for The Great Escape here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

PLAYLIST: May 2018

Bin your umbrellas and bust out your sunglasses: May marks the beginning of UK Festival season! Whatever the weather, we’ve got a brand new collection of music to see you through the next month. Maybe you’re going to see Bjork or The XX at All Points East (25th May – 2nd June), or perhaps you’re treading the pebbles for The Great Escape Festival in Brighton (17th-19th May)? Either way, scroll through our tracks and listen to our Spotify playlist for new music inspiration…

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Zero’
All Points East Festival kicks off on May 25th with headliners LCD Soundsystem in Victoria Park, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are performing on the same bill. They have four albums worth of gems to pick from, but I’ve chosen ‘Zero’ from 2009’s It’s Blitz! purely because I love watching Karen O parade through the streets in her studded leather jacket in the accompanying video. I’m planning to mimic her every move/cry when I hear it live (it’s my birthday, and I’ll cry if I want to). (Kate Crudgington)

Janelle Monae – Pynk (feat. Grimes)
What a song, what a woman. The first note of ‘PYNK’ right the way through to the end is pure and simple PLEASURE. Janelle Monae collaborating with Grimes has delivered us a pure slice of vagina-pop, where the video is as important as the music. The description of which declares “PYNK is a brash celebration of creation. Self love. Sexuality. And p-ssy power!” Need I say more. (Tash Walker)

Amaroun – ‘Indecisive’ 
Written about emerging from a period of deep denial, ‘Indecisive’ – Amaroun’s latest captivating single – oozes a sweeping emotive power and heartfelt lyrical richness. And, as Jay Brown’s stirring vocals sing the perfectly relatable “I can agoraphobic, London can be overwhelming. Yes, I am addicted, I’ve learnt to live through all the noise”, it’s impossible not to be completely swept away by this dreamy sonic delight. (Mari Lane)

Elsa Hewitt – ‘Catvision’ 
My favourite festival – The Great Escape – takes place this month, and I’ve started putting together a list of artists I want to catch when I’m down in Brighton. The experimental electronic sounds of Elsa Hewitt have been swirling around my skull since I discovered her on the website, so I’m keen to hear ‘Catvision’ live when she plays at the KOMEDIA Studio Bar on Saturday 19th. (KC)

Alyss – ‘Envirus’
Producer and singer Alyss’ EP 3EARTH was released last week and it is gold. Taken from the EP, Envirus is dense in its electronic production, tribal in its beats and soulful in the vocals – needless to say the results are addictive. (TW)

Art School Girlfriend – ‘Measures’
Another artist I’m hoping to catch at The Great Escape, I’ve been soothed by the somber, subdued sounds of Art School Girlfriend. She’ll be playing at The Walrus on Friday 18th. (KC)

Rookes – ‘The Game And The River’
Having supported the likes of Stealing Sheep and She Makes War and set to play at The Great Escape later this month, Birmingham artist Rookes graces our ears with her new single ‘The Game And The River’. Filled with the stirring passion of her deep emotion-strewn vocals, it flows with twinkling folk-tinged melodies and a subtle, soulful splendour, making for a truly uplifting slice of heart-warming alt-pop. (ML)

LIINES – ‘Cold’ 
Manchester trio LIINES have been a long term favourite of ours, especially since blowing us all away their riotous, impassioned energy at The Finsbury a couple of months back, and so we’re beyond excited that their brand new, debut album is due for release on Friday! An immense blast of post-punk perfection, latest single ‘Cold’ is an epic taster of what’s to come. (ML)

Chroma – ‘Vampires’
Chroma were recommended to me by the marvellous Queen Zee (interview coming soon to the website!), so I’m chuffed that both bands will be in Brighton for The Great Escape. I’m excited to see Chroma in the flesh at Latest Music Bar on Thursday 17th – potentially my first gig of the festival! (KC)

Suzie Stapleton – ‘Negative Prophet’
Exuding a dark, brooding atmosphere, ‘Negative Prophet’ is Suzie Stapleton’s protest in an oversaturated world where the powerful feed on the powerless. As the immense power of her deep, raw vocals drift alongside reverb-strewn, blues-ridden hooks, it’s a majestic, and spine-tinglingly captivating, creation. We can’t wait to see Suzie headline for us at The Finsbury next Friday, 11th May! (ML)

Men I Trust – ‘Show Me How’
Canada’s Men I Trust first came to my attention when elusive electronic producer H1987 remixed their track ‘You Deserve This’. I love the reassuring nature of their psych-tinged, lo-fi indie anthems, and I’m hoping to catch them at Komedia on Thursday 17th for their Great Escape set. (KC)

i2m1 – ‘Illusion’
i2m1 is the solo recording project of Irene Carson from Colorado Springs. Starting back in 2015, it has since developed into a multimedia project featuring artist Graham Gale. Their second release Zoo is a collection of 20 songs, “one made for a year of my life..” Irene explains, which reflect her ongoing story. ‘Illusion’ is all synth-laden and dreamy pop – a big slice of me which has me going weak at the knees. (TW)

S4U – ‘Refrain ft JD Reid’
Refrain is the latest single from Londoners S4U featuring JD Reid, which is set for release on 1st June via Different Recordings. Low-slung R&B, and dark electro base all mixed together with some heavy 90s influences. Yes. Please. (TW)