The Great Escape Round Up: The Good, The Great & The Going Again Tips

Situated in the (sometimes) sunny Brighton, The Great Escape brings together the best emerging artists, alternative music and highly tipped acts of the year. Dubbed the SXSW of Europe, this year’s festivities saw a number of music industry professionals along with budding festival goers enjoying the music, the drink and the…sun.

Day 1, it was all about the XL stage. Full to the brim, everyone anticipated the star line up. Kicking off the proceedings was the hotly tipped singer/songwriter & producer Lapsley{ =nofollow}, whose captivating songs and powerful performance left an undeniable impression on the crowd.

The stunning French/Cuban sisters who make up the musical duo Ibeyi{ =nofollow}, which aptly means “twins” in Yoruba, left us mesmerized performing songs and dazzling acapellas from their debut album. Their jazz and electronic tones mixed with the influences of the Yoruba chants of their ancestors, created an incredible vocal masterpiece with their harmonies ringing throughout the venue.

New kid on the block Shamir is a ball of fun. You are guaranteed a good time when he performs. Taking the headline slot at the prestigious XL stage, Shamir kept the crowd moving with a mixture of his bouncy basslines and catchy lyrics, bringing out your inner groover. Hailing from Las Vegas, The Great Escape was Shamir’s first time in the UK and guess what? His album just came out. Result!

Friday, the weather was measurably better allowing me to trot around to a number of stages. Kicking off with Swedish singer Elias, think of a younger James Blake with incredible style and an epic smoke machine. Performing his debut single Revolution, he wowed the crowd with his powerful vocals and mighty production.

JP Cooper performed lovely renditions of his songs off of his indie/soul EPs ‘Keep The Quiet Out’ and ‘When The Darkness Comes’, equipped with his trusty guitar and extremely smooth voice, he’s definitely one to keep an eye and ear out for.

Over at the VEVO stage Columbian stunner Kali Uchis gave a show stopping performance. She sung sultry songs off of her debut EP, Por Vida, and sported her signature 60’s colourful attire with white platform heels and flowers in her hair. What more could you ask for?!

Finishing off the celebrations, Saturday brought a selection of great alternative acts with Slaves commanding one of the biggest queues of the festival, storming the stage with their electric, head knocking songs and outspoken lyrics.

Other great acts at the festival you should check out include:

The Going Again Tips

Bring a charger, or better yet a portable charger.

In this day and age we all seem to be victims of FOMO (the fear of missing out). With phones at the ready to capture those all important riffs and stage dives, a charged battery is the key to saving those memories and keeping all your friends on Facebook & Instagram updated with how much fun you're having. Between gigs keep your phone charged with one of these wonders.

Wear comfortable shoes.

The Great Escape happens across 35 different venues in Brighton. From Horatio Bar at the end of the pier all the way to the Brighton Dome near the center of Brighton, so come equipped with some comfortable (and stylish) footwear. Oh and don’t forget to bring an umbrella, it is England after all.

The Gig planner doesn’t tell you everything.

Secret gigs, where art thou? Not on the gig planner. In and around the scheduled gigs on the planner there are other performances with some killer line-ups that aren’t advertised. So get talking to some people and you might just get the low down.

Plan your day.

The day starts from around 12pm with emerging acts taking the stage and goes up until the wee hours of 3.00am. There is so much great music throughout the day, sometimes all at once, so decide who you really want to see, find out where they are playing and plan your time; so you don’t find yourself sprinting across the center of Brighton, drink in hand.

Find out more about The Great Escape here.