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Adam Kidd

 

The Great Escape began it's 10^th Anniversary edition for me on a grim, grey and wet Thursday morning. The queue for delegates passes spilled outside The Brighton Dome and into the rain but nobody was complaining – we would all be sleeping in our own beds tonight; unless we'd come from elsewhere in which case we'd still be in a nice hotel, B&B or even, worst case scenario, some mates' couch. I must admit when The Great Escape, which has since become Europe's leading festival for new music, first rolled into town I was sceptical. Now, however, after a few years attending I am fully converted – there are ups and downs, highs and lows but that's the same with any good festival. The Great Escape offers up a fantastically diverse line-up – many of them will be new names you might not have heard of – and invites you to immerse yourself in three days of discovery, trudging round the beautiful city of Brighton, visiting venues of many sizes and shapes to fill your ears with a great selection of what you may well be spending the next couple of years listening to. This is your chance to hear it first.

My first port of call turned out to be a bit of a mistake at The Hope & Ruin, not because Liberto Wolf were bad, far from it. I knew nothing about them and popped in, in part to have a look at the new layout of the venue, as I'd shamefully not been to visit this Brighton stalwart since they'd given it a major makeover earlier this year. The space looked fab, with a bar repositioned to create a larger floor space and a better stage to boot. As I took this in I realised I was not alone, there were two more BrightonsFinest men in the room. So, despite enjoying the ambient guitar sounds Liberto Wolf were offering up in their set-opener, I felt it was only right to move on and find another venue to make sure we were covering us much as we could at the festival.

 

I'd heard some time ago that this 10^th anniversary edition of the festival was going to put the spotlight on UK acts, as quite often a foreign nation's music industry are invited to partner with the festival to curate the line-up. I couldn't quite see how this had been worked out when I perused the festival line-up and found that the clutch of venues in, what I consider to be, the centre of Brighton were all hosting international acts. I'm no xenophobe though, so I decided to plunge myself in and see what was on offer. First I popped over to the Green Door Store to check out the Canadian showcase. Cai.ro were on stage and the venue was packed, the main room was impregnable, but I could see enough from the edge of the room and, thanks to a PA speaker rigged on the bar side of the wall, could hear pretty well too. Cai.ro describe themselves as a mix of folk and orchestral rock. This led me to expect a large ensemble band like their fellow countrymen Arcade Fire but Cai.ro are a lot more mainstream pop oriented and less 'Indie' than them. Their singer had a powerful voice with a big range that reminded me of David Paich, from Toto, perhaps because there's something quite 80s about their soaring melodies, 'History of Reasons' is a memorable tune, although it maybe be a bit MOR for some tastes. I can imagine these guys doing well, but not sure if it'll translate over here – you don't hear a lot of this sort of thing breaking in the UK nowadays.

 

After that I crossed the road to check out Bad Weed at the Austrian showcase at The Prince Albert, certain I'd heard the name before. They weren't playing their allotted slot, and instead another Austrian group were tuning guitars and getting ready to wow an unsuspecting audience. It was serendipity that caused me to stumble upon Bulbul, and what a fantastic band they turned out to be, definitely one of my top 3 discoveries of the festival. This powerful three-piece played heavy kraut rock, with motorik beats and ridiculous levels of fuzz on the bass. They were incredibly tight and inventive but also an awful lot of fun and full of surprises. After a couple of tracks of ridiculously tight, cleverly arranged grungy math rock they started to show their experimental edge, it started with a guitar being played with a spoon and took thinks to levels of unexpected I was not prepared for – on one song their bass player picked up a tennis racket, fitted with a guitar pick-up and a long nylon string stretched over it, while their guitarist picked up a parasol, which was also fitted with a pick-up. Somehow they were able to play an amazing piece of music on these toys – which totally blew me away. They used everything around them to create sounds that could be thrown into the mix, it was like watching a musical version of a great Jackie Chan fight scene – all performed with knowing grins and perfect timing – both comedy and musical. They announced at the end of the set they would be performing at two more stages in the next couple of days, doing two completely different sets – an experimental drone set and an orchestral one. Brilliant and completely mad – I hope they come back to Brighton soon.

Next I checked out an act who had been recommended to me from several different places. Klaus Johan Grobe were hard to get a look at in the jam-packed Swiss showcase in the Komedia Studio bar. They had a great sound, kraut beats, with driving clicky bass guitar, up front organs and other synthesisers with vocals from the drummer and keyboard player. The retro sound was not a million miles from contemporary psychedelia influenced acts like Tame Impala or Connan Mockassin, at times they also sounded similar to Metronomy, when they used more sea-side style organs. It's unfortunate but I'm pretty sure this band would be much more popular in Britain if they didn't sing in their native tongue. Their song 'Koordinaten' was a bit of a stand out track, showcasing some fun with live vocal delays and a melody on a lead synth sound that Joe Meek would have happily used on 'Telstar'.

 

Later I thought I would dip in to one of the Alternative Great Escape stages, every year any venue not in the main event tends to get taken over by promoters keen to present their own selection of up and coming acts – a great chance to see some fantastic bands for free if you were unable to get a wristband in time. This years Alternative Escape had line-ups that, at times, challenged those of the main event. I nipped in to Inspired Artists showcase at The Latest but was a bit disappointed by Grace Solero, as I'm sure they were disappointed by the turn-out. They were good at what they did, but their Goth-styled heavy rock was not my cup of tea at all. I waited them out though as I was here to get a look at one of BrightonsFinest's long favoured local acts – Moulettes.

 

Moulettes are a fantastic local band and this was a great opportunity to see them up close and personal. For the uninitiated their sound is hard to describe – we've got cello, bassoon, auto-harp, strings and keyboards up front with guitar, drums and bass playing their part less prominently than a lot of groups who play progressive rock and folk music nowadays. It is all blended together beautifully, with great hooks, clever ideas and wonderful vocals coming from all parts of the band. I'd seen them live before but it was great to be right at the front in a smaller venue, I was particularly taken by Hannah Moulettes' stand-up cello, which has 5-strings so she can play higher melodies that might normally belong on a viola. I had not seen the band perform with guitarist and singer Raevennan Husbandes before, so I'm assuming she's a new addition to the fold – but she may well be an old friend returning to the team considering how well she fit in. This band seem to have a shifting line-up and are always looking for collaborators if the list of guest stars on their latest album Constellations is anything to go by. My favourite moment from a short set, which was full of highlights, had to be the beautiful folk track 'Songbirds' from their second album which saw bassoonist Ruth, Hannah and Raevennan each taking verses. When their voices combined for the chorus the effect was blissful. They finished the set off with a spirited performance of 'Lady Vengeance', driven along by drummer Ollie Austin's metronomic snare fills. Hannah explained that they were channelling their disappointment with the recent election results into the angry monkeys that populate the intro but for those four minutes I only had music on my mind.

 

Finally I made the long trek to the isolated venue of Wagner Hall, tucked away behind Western Road and run by Vevo who seemed to have spent a lot of money on the stage set-up. I haven't seen so many lights and tin foil put in one place since Top Of The Pops in the early 90s. I was here to see Kali Uchis, a Columbian singer raised in Virginia, North America. When I got to the venue I was a little disappointed not to see a live band set up, as I was kind of hoping her modern soul with shades of the 60's and 70's would involve a hot soul band backing her up – which was what I was in the mood for! Uchis certainly had the look, her pouty demeanour reminded me a little of Amy Winehouse in her Back To Black heydey, she had big 60s hair adorned with the same flowers that flowed down her mic stand and wore a tight pair of retro bell bottoms. She was backed by one sultry DJ, who played the tracks and silently sang along to the backing vocals behind her but despite Uchis obvious flair the show didn't really ignite me. The tracks were great, laid back and featuring a bit more of a dub-reggae influence than I was expecting and Uchis vocal is smokey and more understated than someone like Winehouse, but it felt like they'd been arranged into bite-size chunks for this performance which had the effect of wrong-footing the audience. Also the arrangements were too short and the tracks lacked any crescendo that might let the crowd know one track had ended and another begun. Although this didn't feel like the ideal setting to see her for a live show, I felt like Uchis has a great sound and good songs which I'm sure we'll all be enjoying this Summer.

My first port of call for Saturday was Jesse Davidson at Concorde 2. For some reason Jesse didn't get a description in the guide but I had a listen to a couple of tracks on Soundcloud and decided it was worth a visit – I live in Kemptown, so Concorde 2 wasn't quite as far out as it probably seems to some. Jesse and his band play sophisticated, epic and moody pop, but the sound engineer in the venue obviously didn't have a hangover as the bass guitar and kick drum were almost unbearably loud, which didn't really suit their style. I thought there were shades of Grizzly Bear to their sound, especially in Jesse's rhythm guitar playing, which really reminded me of Daniel Rossen's, with it's dynamic, reverb-soaked sound with emphasised off-beats in pick-scraped jazzy rhythms. At times their sound was quite similar to fellow Australians Tame Impala, especially when the retro, Paul McCartney-esque bass playing got funkier. His jazzy vocal delivery reminded me just a tiny bit of Jamie Cullem and they somehow managed to create a sound that was both sunny and melancholy.

 

My plan was then confounded by stupidly getting the Paganini Ballroom confused with the Hanbury Ballroom, which is also in Kemptown. It would have been just about feasible, by scurrying up the concrete staircases on the seafront, or even making use of the beach lift, which the Concorde have to allow to operate through their premises, to flit between the two venues if it had been the ballroom I was thinking of! It sounded like The Indien from The Netherlands would have been a nice slice of vibe to follow in Jesse Davidson's wake but unfortunately it was not to be. Still, it was such a beautiful day I decided to take five minutes on the beach, once I'd realised my school boy error, and then check out the next act at Concorde. Safia – another Australian act which the festival programme provided very little information about – played moody, modern electro dance pop and have recently had the accolade of being picked to support Lorde on her Australian tour. The three-piece had a synthesiser heavy set-up with lots of pad drums and their sound is characterised by Deep House bass and beats – here the heavynes of the Concorde PA seemed far more appropriate. Singer Ben Woolner has a soulful vocal that reminds me at times of guys like Sam Smith, and he was also possessed of an impressively high falsetto, especially seeing as he was having to deliver so early in the day. Most of their tracks were mid tempo with melody lines played on bubbly high pitched synths. Their sound strayed into modern mainstream pop territory that's not really my cup of tea but they are a good live band and Ben in particular is a great performer.

 

Next on my agenda were Mugwump, downstairs at the newly named Patterns – which used to be called Audio. It was a lovely trek in the sunshine, but it made me think, if the weather had still been like Thursday I would probably not have gotten to a venue like Concorde 2 without borrowing a bicycle for the weekend. Patterns was dark and cave-like when stepping out of the glorious sun and they seemed to be another venue on a mission to wreck ears, with the kick drum samples from Mugwump's mix being driven to levels I found uncomfortably loud despite my ear plugs. On paper I liked the sound of what Mugwump do, an indie/electronic mix with a smorgasbord of influences, in practice I found it very repetitive, the sort of music I would only enjoy very late at night, dancing in a club, under the influence. I couldn't hear the vocals and found all the sophistication that might be going on was getting lost under that overly loud kick which only ever seemed to do one thing. I nearly left after the first track I heard, but I'm glad I stuck with it as I really liked bass line on their last track, which had hints of Alex James famous 'Girls & Boys' bass-line but placed in a much darker, grittier context.

 

After lunch I headed to Brighton Dome Corn Exchange to check out a couple of interesting bands I'd been hearing about, Bad Breeding are a stand-offish, aggressive punk band – taking the energy and temperament of UK punk circa 1977 rather than the watered down skater version that's been coming out of America ever since. Unfortunately I was faced with yet another sound system where they had turned the bass sub woofer's into fart machines making it impossible to hear any midrange. They gave a spirited performance but it was a little strange, either their singer was drunk or he wanted everyone to think he was. He spent large portions of their set in a heap on the stage and the rest of it charging around the photographers pit, getting in the faces of the front row (including mine). Eventually he climbed over the barrier and stood amongst the crowd, who were either really excited by this occurrence or a little frightened, depending on how well they knew the band. Their sound was very thrashy, with a three piece set up driven by unrelenting furious guitar playing and heavily distorted solid bass. The vocals were either spoken word or screamed but although the live show was a visceral experience, nothing really stood out musically for me. It all washed over me and each song seemed indivisible from the next, but this might have been deliberate as when each song ended they filled the PA with white noise and inaudible samples of recorded speech making it impossible for the audience to know when to applaud.

 

I stayed at the Corn Exchange for Girl Band, from Ireland. They seem to have visited Brighton a few times recently but I hadn't made it down to any of those shows. They had quite a good sound which reminded me a little of indie band Maximo Park, although they lacked a charismatic front man like Paul Smith, who makes that band an entertaining prospect even if, like me you find their material can be a little dull. Ultimately I found Girl Band to be a bit repetitive and their songs didn't really take me anywhere, they seemed to be a bit stuck in the mid-tempo and, although the room was swelling in anticipation of Slaves set I decided it was time to make a move. I didn't see any of the gigs in the Brighthelm last year and was surprised as it had one of the best stage sounds I'd heard and is a decent sized room, it does feel a bit community hall – but at least it has decent toilets (I tried to go in the Corn Exchange but the toilet roll dispenser had been ripped off the wall long ago and not replaced!). I wasn't too taken with Orla Gartland – a female poppy singer-songwriter who was finishing off her set when I arrived at the venue. She was pretty middle of the road, playing the sort of songs that should get picked up by American teen sitcoms with any luck. She was very smiley and bubbly though, so although it's not my thing I do wish her well.

 

Next up at the Brighthelm were Novella, a band who met in Brighton but got their act together while studying, presumably at art schools, in London. They played psychedelic retro dream pop songs which often featured extended wig-outs with kraut rock style motorik beats – their first track, for example, began with an intro so long I was starting to think they might end up being an instrumental band, but it was far from dull. The tight drums and fantastic bass playing had a really hypnotic effect. This was one of several bands at the festival who seemed to study at the Paul McCartney school of bass guitar, not a bad quality at all in my opinion. Between each song a sitar tone could be heard gently piped through the PA which was presumably coming from a small white box which the keyboard player bent down to fiddle with every time they came to a stop. Their sound at times reminded me of the Velvet Underground, and one stand-out song in particular featured that original break beat from the Beatles song 'Tomorrow Never Knows' which The Chemical Brothers also referenced for their song 'Let Forever Be' – it was very appropriate amongst the sitar tone and the rest of their psychedelic rock credentials. I really liked the way the two guitarists played together, but this was slightly compromised by some issues with their levels, it felt as if their distortion pedals were set too quietly, as when they wanted to kick things up a notch they often actually got quieter.

Next I tried to see Rhodes at the Speigeltent, another act I keep hearing great things about but it was “one in, one out” and they weren't offering a separate queue for us cheeky delegates to jump in, so I decided not to stick around and made my way to The Haunt where the queue for delegates was actually larger than the one for wristbands! I had already decided to put my foot down about catching Gengahr as Saturday night head-liners, so I decided this time to grin and bare it – probably the only time I waited for any real amount of time in a queue all festival. When I got into the rammed venue the sound I was hearing coming from Shamir made it well worth the wait and made me disappointed I was only able to catch his last two songs. Shamir is an American singer-songwriter from Las Vegas, Nevada, who played an infectious brand of energetic synth-led groove pop rock. It reminded me of Basement Jaxx with the last track powered along by a chaotic chromatic synth riff. I couldn't get a clear look at the guy, but he was leaping about the stage and making full use of the space whilst delivering some great, soulful vocals, the sound reminded me a bit of Prince too at times and I'd gladly check them out again, next time I'll try and catch the whole set!

My final band of the festival were Gengahr and I was really glad I made the effort to catch them, it's been a startling rise in the last year for this group, who seemed a little shy as they announced this was their first time playing the Great Escape Festival. Their song 'She's A Witch' has been in rotation almost constantly in the BrightonsFinest office lately and I was keen to see what the fuss was about. Their recordings reminded of MGMT, particularly in the falsetto vocals, but they're more original than simply one reference point and one of those bands whose sound is larger than the sum of its parts. At times, in a live setting, the lead vocals seemed a little on the thin side, but the melodies were fantastic and whenever their singer and drummer combine their voices the sound was perfect. It was their lead guitarist who I couldn't take my eyes of though, he had a great way of moving around the stage, totally caught up in the songs, lost in the performance. I loved his guitar sounds too, using lots of pitch altering effects, sweeps and delays to make his instrument sound more synth-like than guitar at times. I was also pleased to find that they were far from a one-hit wonder band, although the aforementioned 'She's A Witch' was certainly a stand out track they played it really early and treated us to a number of sophisticated album tracks halfway through the set. They were trying these out live in advance of the records release next month and the band were almost apologetic about trying them out on us, but they were warmly received and everything sounded great. They're a very tight band with a rock solid drums and bass duo providing a foundation which the guitarists can dance freely on top of. They cemented their festival highlight status by ending with another great single 'Powder' and I knew I'd be queuing up to by their début album as soon as it comes out (if I can't blag myself a copy to review earlier).

This year I treated the Great Escape as an opportunity to immerse myself in the discovery of new music, in contrast to last year where I was on a quest to catch all the fantastic up and coming Brighton acts that permeated the bill. This year I felt that Brighton was a little under-represented with several of our inclusions on the main festival bill being relegated to stages like the Spiegelpub, which was open to the public and incredibly hard to make an impact at, but I suppose the organisers didn't see as much to get excited about coming out of our little seaside city this year. As a result of my decision to pursue the new I actually enjoyed this year's festival even more than last year, although I saw a lot of bands that didn't do it for me it was worth it for all the bands I'd never heard of before they were announced who really excited me. Bulbul, Jesse Davidson, The Magic Gang, Shamir and Novella are all groups I'll be looking out for in the year ahead, but the pick of the bunch were Gengahr – my BrightonsFinest colleagues who have been raving about them the last few months are spot one: this band are really going places! Roll on Great Escape 2016 – we'll be there with bells!

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It would have been a normal gig time for the Aussie four-piece, Flyying Colours, if they were playing in their home town of Melbourne, but for the surprisingly full crowd, 12:30 felt like a very early gig. Filling the main room of the Komedia with swirling reverb guitars, they did their best to get the crowd going with a high energy performance. Their newest single ‘Running Late’ (off their second EP ROYGBIV) was a memorable track having the familiar mix of soft male and female vocals with the Flyying Colours’ refreshing psych-pop shoegaze sound. After chucking guitars in the air and scraping them against their distorted amps, I’m sure the crowd left with their heart rates a little higher.

 

The Hope & Ruin hosted the best in BIMM’s up and coming talent, and I was fortunate to see Bristol four-piece Liberto Wolf. There seems to be a bright future for this young band as not only are they a bunch of brilliant musicians, they also serve up an interesting sound. You can hear that the alternative-indie pop done in their post-rock way takes inspiration from so many different modern bands; Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, David Bowie, Public Service Broadcasting, David Gray and a bluesy rock. It may be a sound that has been done before, but there is definitely something about Liberto Wolf that is extremely likeable.

 

Sulk Station seemed to astound everyone who made the journey down to Sticky Mikes Frog Bar in the pouring rain. The duo started with Tanvi Rao performing a beautiful solo with her keyboard and strong elegant vocals, before Rahul Giri added a minimal electronic beat in the next song. Their enticing melancholic sound switches between dark dubstep-esque sounds and trip-hop beats with hints of influence from their native India, which then moulds perfectly with the layered vocals. An early highlight of the festival, and a band to watch out for when they are in the UK.

 

Thankfully the rain had subsided, and sun was out for everyone to enjoy a drink at the Jubilee Gardens. Jeanne Added gave a rousing performance, commanding attention on stage which was justified by the quality of her songs. My favourite track, ‘A War Is Coming’ (from her new EP), has a cool new-wave noir sound which is certain to get stuck on repeat in your head. The brooding megaphone effect on her vocals never lets the listener be totally comfortable – but mixed with songs from her first EP, you soon realise there is a softer side to Jeanne Added.

 

Cristobal And The Sea are a London based quartet, but bring a multi-cultural sound having musicians from France (vocals/flute), Portugal (vocals/guitar), Spain (vocals/bass) and Northampton (drums). Being heavily influenced by the South American Tropicália movement, there is a lot to like about this band who’s main focus is to get everyone moving. The 60’s sounding surf pop isn’t just great on record, it’s fantastic live – engaging with the crowd on every occasion and dancing whilst playing their instruments created a party atmosphere in the Paganini Ballroom that was extremely contagious. A must see if you come across them on a festival line-up.

 

To Wagner Hall where SOAK was performing on a beautifully decorated stage. Better known as Bridie Monds-Watson, the now 18 year old singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland came to fame two years ago after stealing the Radio 1 airwaves with her tales of adolescence, family and friendship. Now performing for the third time at The Great Escape Festival, she captivated the audience with her soft and delicate Derry voice. Onstage with just a guitar and her confident stage presence, 2015 is bound to be SOAK’s year.

 

Down to the seafront to join the massive queue at Coalition to see Ibeyi (which means twins in Nigerian). It’s easy to see why the French-Cuban twin sisters draw in such an almighty crowd, as their combination of modern and traditional influences along with their glorious vocals is a force to be reckoned with. The completely crammed venue was treated to a beautiful performance by the duo, as you would expect, that was rounded off by the accapella outro on their self-titled debut which was met by emphatic applause. After a brief exodus, the venue soon filled back up to capacity for Shamir holding the XL Recordings headline spot. The set started with one of the female backing singers giving an introduction, but done in a detuned baritone voice. A bubbly Shamir bursts on stage and goes straight into his energetic electro pop. The 20 year old from Las Vegas has a way with the crowd, his infectious personality keeping them moving with an onslaught of catchy lyrics in a countertenor voice and joyful dancing around the stage.

 

Les Big Byrd was my headliner of day one. The Swedish psychedelic band have been gaining a lot of hype in their homeland for their alluring space rock. The kraut sound had the crowd swaying and bobbing to the music, but felt a little generic for the genre. Frontman Joakim Åhlund put in a charismatic performance, was completely absorbed by the motorik beat, but didn’t seem to add much in the way of sound apart from a near inaudible washy guitar – amalgamating in a performance that didn’t quite hit the level I was expecting.

 

C Duncan couldn’t have been a better act to start off the Friday of The Great Escape. The Scottish act played a strong set in front of a surprisingly large crowd which managed to fill the Brighthelm Centre. Their exquisitely smooth sound could be likened to a mix of Fleet Foxes and Alt-J with their harmonised vocals gloriously echoing around the hall. I was surprised to see that they were playing to a drum backing track, but hopefully this isn’t the usual set up as it did seem to take a little bit of their magic away. Being signed to Brighton’s Fat Cat Records, we hope it isn’t too long before we see them again on our south coast.

 

If you were still hung over from the previous night, Spring King was just what you needed. Their frantic indie punk was loud and energetic, and you can definitely see why they have generated a reputation for raucous live shows. With the drummer singing lead vocals, it was up to the rest of the band to create a lively and chaotic atmosphere (if their music wasn’t already doing that for you) by jumping around the stage. The Mancunian band finished their set with one of the guitarists playing on top of the drums, making it a memorable show. I stayed in the Brighton Dome Studio Theatre to see Boxed In. East London producer, Oli Bayston, has been getting rave reviews for his debut solo project by mixing up Krautrock influences with electronica ideas. His song ‘Mystery’ stood out getting a great response from the crowd, but for me his songs seemed to get lost on a continuous motorik beat like ‘All Your Love Is Gone’ were the real highlight.

 

Perhaps my favourite act of the entire festival was Andy Shauf’s performance at the Green Door Store. There weren’t many times where the audience was completely silent for the duration of someone’s set, but the bands delicate musical style did just that. Starting their performance with the brilliant ‘You’re Out Wasting’, which had the band practically stroking their instruments and whispering the vocals – really set the tone. Andy’s songs narrate about heartbreak and regret, isolation and loneliness, drawing in the listener with its sparse and light instrumentation. A perfect and astounding live performance in the relatively intimate venue which had the crowd holding their breath.

 

There was a lot of interest in Yosi Horikawa – with the Unitarian Church full with fascinated music lovers, intrigued to see the Japanese producer’s original ideas for making beats. Starting with field recordings, he builds up a sound laced with changing electronic effects which has a unique organic quality. The set ranged from abstract beats to a more dance minded sound which were merged together with ambient field recordings. In one track, ‘Bubbles’, Yosi built up multiple layers of what sounded like bouncing ping-pong ball samples creating this hypnotic beat with a delicious synth sound behind it which had the audience captivated.

 

Maybe I didn’t understand what The Garden were about, but I thought their show at The Haunt was ridiculous. Fletcher Shears on drums and Wyatt Shears on bass create intense snippets of egotistical punk tracks which don’t last much longer than 2 minutes. Having songs with lyrics such as “You have a face, I have a face” and “Red, yellow & green”, it didn’t seem to match their obvious ability they had when playing their music. When the duo put down their instruments and sang to a sped up Drum’n’Bass backing track they energetically bounced around the stage doing forward rolls, going in the crowd and jumping off speakers, which had the young crowd going nuts – but for me The Garden were a pair of talented idiots.

 

A small trek to St Georges Church to catch the end of English Heretic. They have created a distinctive sound with the main focus on thought provoking spoken word. Their post-punk, folk, ambient inspired music, full of driving beats and soundscaping synths, was put to a 70s looking video and strong poignant lyrics. A full audience was in attendance for London’s Rival Consoles aggressive yet calming electronic beats. The forward thinking sound is jam-packed with disjointed clunks, emotive melodies and dramatic crescendos. The man behind the music, Ryan Lee West, was deeply absorbed into the beat he was creating, vigorously bobbing to his droning bass, which mesmerized the enthralled crowd with the help of the modulating visuals behind him.

 

Next, to a very intimate performance of Brighton’s very own Black Peaks at The Hub. The have been getting great attention from an assortment of BBC Radio 1 DJs, including being one of Zane Lowe’s final Hottest Records. Mixing aggressive hardcore, post-rock and math rock, they create an engrossing whirlwind of energy. It’s not all noise and scream, even though there is a fair bit of that, their interesting song structures and catchy riffs will win over any sceptic. There was a strong support of fans losing their shit enforced by charismatic frontman, Will Gardnier, who commanded the audience, pushing the near breaking point atmosphere to new levels. An impressive set from these local lads, and I’m sure it’s not going to be long before Black Peaks become one of the top heavy rock bands in the UK.

 

On entering Patterns downstairs area, which was hosted by Noisey, NAH and Ho99o9 were fiercely posturing toward the sound deck, screaming into the microphone telling the sound engineer to make the drums “as loud as humanly possible”. This sound check almost felt like part of the performance and really built up anticipation in the room for what was to come. NAH is one man on a drum kit with a sample pad, playing an unsettling punk full of anxiety and shouting intense lyrics – a similar sound and effect to a Young Fathers live show, not knowing whether you should make eye contact or not. With the audience a little dishevelled by NAH’s performance, there was barely any time to prepare for what was to come. Ho99o9 (pronounced Horror) performed undoubtedly the most memorable show of The Great Escape – arriving on stage in balaclavas, with one in a long wedding dress, the trio produce an aggressive gauntlet of punk mixed with Hip-Hop. It was a visceral performance of lewd samples, a racing drum beat and outrageous lyrics, which was shocking in the best possible way. Ho99o9’s intimidating attitude got the crowd going mental, especially when Eaddy dived into the crowd starting a manic moshpit. Now all shirtless with the drum kit in disarray, their intense half hour set left the audience feeling uncomfortable, disturbed but wanting more of their chaotic rhetoric. A must see live band.

 

I head upstairs in Patters to watch Loyle Carner, who was one of the artists I was most looking forward to see at the festival. Over the past year I have been obsessed with his mellow beats and truthful lyrics. It is easy to see what kind of Hip-Hop has influenced his sound – the relaxed style of Slum Village, the laid back feel of J Dilla or the jazzy vibes of A Tribe Called Quest. After hearing great things of his show on the Thursday night, excitement was an understatement. Loyle owned the stage, getting the audience bobbing and swaying to his effortless flow, with his producer and best mate, Alex Burey, in control of the super smooth beats. Having already done tracks with Kate Tempest and touring with Joey Bada$$, I would say the future is bright for the 19 year old South London rapper.

 

No better way to finish the night than with drunken skanking to up and coming reggae act, Kiko Bun. I wasn’t the only one getting sucked into Kiko’s old school sound, as the Komedia was full of adulated smiles for the London (via Panama) artist. With track like ‘Sticky Situation’ and ‘Where I’m From’, it was impossible not to move to their bouncing basslines and catchy chorus’s. Kiko Bun is the perfect sound for the summer, so make sure to catch him when he is touring this year’s festival circuit.

 

Leaf Rapids perfectly lulled you into the final day of The Great Escape. Keri and Devin Latimer from Winnipeg, Western Canada, dished out the softest sounding folk which had the audience at the Green Door Store in awe. Keri’s voice was incredible with every song sounding like the softest lullaby. As well as playing the acoustic guitar she also played the theremin, which had a real haunting effect when used with a looping peddle. They did a brilliant cover of David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, but their song ‘Virtual Machine’ really stayed in the mind throughout the day.

 

The audience where amazed by the quality of Ady Suleiman’s set at the Dome Studio Theatre. Ady and his band could be the complete package, mixing soulful R&B with urban influences. Having a strong band behind him definitely helps, but it is his truthful lyrics and brilliant voice which really gets the attention. Songs about a girl in Lidl or struggles with dealing with mental health comes through with a rare passion which is hard to ignore. Having performed at Giles Petersons World Wide Awards as well as being signed by Sony, it shouldn’t be long before Ady Suleiman will be performing on Later With Jools Holland and amazing the British public.

 

A trip to the brilliant Spiegletent to see French five-piece Bristol. They are the new project from Nouvelle Vague producer Marc Collin, which is dedicated to covering trip-hop songs reinvented as the soundtrack to a 60s movie. Bristol were fronted by a brilliantly charismatic female vocalist and an amazing male guitarist who had a strong countertenor voice. Their dramatic alternative sound covered songs by Portishead, Tricky, Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack, bringing a new life to their classic tracks.

 

One woman band, Vilde Tuv, seemed to make the large Paganini Ballroom feel like an intimate space. She was onstage with just a bass drum and her hypnotic guitar and brought a calming atmosphere with her songs of love, life and death in her native Norwegian, which had the crowd captivated and cross legged on the floor. Her quaint lo-fi sound perfectly replicated the same feel as on records, making for a very pleasant show.

 

Slug are a band I have been hearing an awful lot about across the radio waves, without completely understanding why. I now know what the fuss is all about, as they were one of my highlights of the entire festival. All dressed in black with frontman Ian Black (previously of Field Music) in a dinner suit, the band brings a rock pop sound which is a mix of Jack White’s guitar lead belters and the Young Knives quirky yet catch tunes. The band had a great stage presence with Ian joking with the members of the audience and getting a static crowd to dance. They put together a fantastic show full of guitar solos and vocal harmonies. This was the last gig for a couple of the band members, which is big shame as Slug all have a great rapport onstage with each other. Definitely a band we are sure to hear about for years to come.

 

I entered The Arch hearing Ekkah performing ‘Forget Me Nots’ which samples Will Smith’s summer disco classic ‘Miami’. It was certainly enough to persuade me get my groove on along with the rest of the audience who were in a disco induced boogie. Longtime friends Rebekah Pennington and Rebecca Wilson have a modern disco classic in their debut single ‘Last Chance To Dance’ which got a great reaction from the crowd. With a funk ridden band to support them, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ekkah held a spot on Radio 1’s playlist before too long.

 

Fire Records showcased a number of their brilliant bands at The Basement as part of the Alternative Escape, and I was fortunate to see Virginia Wing. The quartet’s enveloping rhythms were a mix of synths, electronic gismos and Alice Merida Richards saintly vocals which was on top of an extremely tight electric guitar, bass and drums. Their sometime haunting avant-garde indie pop falls into a genre of its own, merging the likeminded sounds of Sterolab, Broadcast as well as kraut ideas.

 

An unfortunate downfall of The Great Escape is that if you want to see a relatively popular band, you end up having to queue and missing out on other acts worth seeing. I waited 40 minutes in a massive queue outside the Dome Studio Theatre to see Songhoy Blues – and boy, was it worth it. Deriving from Northern Mali, the four piece have recently taken the UK by storm with their traditional bluesy rock, becoming one of the most played artists on BBC 6Music, and it’s easy to see why. Their set was like no other at the festival – apart from being ridiculously good music, the ecstatic feeling Songhoy Blues emitted had a brilliant effect on the crowd. It is quite rare that you see a show where every single person in the audience is smiling and so willing you mirror the bands energy. With lots of long jamming periods and a more up-tempo pace to their songs, the crowd was in pandemonium. Lead vocalist Aliou Touré’s massive smile and jubilant dancing had everyone moving, clapping and cheering to the infectious rhythms, and wanting the set to last forever.

 

There has been a recent resurgence of shoegaze bands of late, with Pinkshinyultrablast leading the way. The quintet from St Petersburg, Russia put together a heady cocktail of shimmering guitars and airy vocals that whisk you into an abyss of traveling reverb. A rammed Sticky Mikes Frog Bar turned into a sonic cathedral where shoegazer’s could bob, sway and get lost in the ethereal monotony Pinkshinyultrablast released – and after an hour of dense melodic soundscaping jams, the audience craved more.

 

Enormous crowds waited patiently as Paul Hartnoll tried to sort out some technical issues, giving everyone time to grab one more drink from the Fiddlers Elbow pub before he started his [8:58] Alternative Escape show. Paul took everyone back to his Orbital days, donning the signature head torch glasses and an assortment of electronic toys at his disposal. The crowds energy raised with every intensity gaining effect added to [8:58]’s brash electronic beats. Paul, standing over his equipment like Terminator, was joined onstage by local talent Fable to sing ‘Cemetery’ which she sang on his album. This was a massive set full of fat basslines and blistering beats of experimental techno bangers – then he dropped Halcyon and Chime, and things really went nuts.

 

It was a fitting finish to have Brighton indie rock legends The Maccabees do a surprise closing party show at the Corn Exchange. The band who have been active since 2004, released their faultless debut Colour It In in 2007, and are now about to release their fourth album Marks To Prove It in July this year. Long gone are the days of small intimate show, The Maccabees are now a headline band who will only ever play the big stage which took away a big part of what is so special about their early emotive tracks that had a real personal quality. That said, as soon as they started playing ‘Latchmere’, they had me jumping and the rest of the auditorium going crazy. Fan favourites ‘No Kind Words’ and ‘Pelican’ had the crowd in a raucous dismay – crowd surfing, pogoing, and a lot of sing making for a celebratory end to the tenth Great Escape festival.

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