Our roving photographers caught these bands/artists in action, plus a few exclusive portraits: The Molotovs, Sword II, Pamela, Bean Machine, Elin Hall, Girl In The Year Above, Fliss, Ava Joe, Sunbrella, Polly From The Dirt, The Healing Power of Horses, Brooki, Clt Drp, Featurette, Milah Sage, Banshimoku, Betty, Nxdia, Olga Myko, Suzan Kotcher, Ashaine White, Sleepazoid, Tygermylk, Darcie Haven, Matt Ifield, Jamica Moana, and Salarymen.
Brighton came alive with the sound of new music as The Great Escape celebrated its landmark 20th anniversary with four days of discovery, connection, and unforgettable performances.
Welcoming music fans and industry professionals from around the world, the festival once again transformed the city’s seaside streets, venues and stages into a global showcase of emerging and established talent, with artists representing more than 50 countries performing across more than 40 venues throughout Brighton alongside a packed conference programme.
In collaboration with an expansive network of media and industry partners, this year’s edition delivered a broad line-up. At the Brighton Dome, Spotlight Shows from electroclash icon Peaches, and fast-rising Irish trio Kingfishr delivered some of the weekend’s defining moments.
Viral Québec polkadot-clad duo Angine de Poitrine provided the soundtrack to a rollicking opening party on the Beach Stage, joined by Montreal rock outfit Ribbon Skirt and Cornish-Irish group The Girl In The Year Above, ensuring a riotous start to the festival.
Wednesday’s opening day highlighted the breadth of talent on offer across the city. Netherlands-based neo soul artist Bnnyhunna impressed at Patterns Upstairs with a smooth and soulful set, while London dance-punk duo The Itch ignited the downstairs venue with frenetic energy and sharp-edged hooks. Over at Komedia Studio, New Zealand artist Jude Kelly delivered a standout headline performance as part of The Great Escape’s Lead Country Partnership.
International showcases continued throughout the week, with partnerships including Sounds Australia, Flowing Water: China Sounds, Inspired by Tokyo and The Portuguese Discovery shining a spotlight on some of the most exciting emerging talent from across the globe, reinforcing The Great Escape’s role as a vital meeting point for international music communities.
Thursday maintained the festival’s momentum with another eclectic mix of performances. Margate collective Pigeon delivered a joyous, rhythm-heavy set, while Dead Dads Club – produced by Fontaines D.C.’s Carlos O’Connell – blended sharp songwriting with hazy indie textures. Experimental folk group Madra Salach captivated audiences with stirring, atmospheric performances that demonstrated the festival’s continued appetite for genre-defying artistry.
Friday saw a series of high profile stage takeovers bring fresh energy across Brighton’s venues. Notion’s packed programme at Quarters featured compelling sets from PVA, Sassy 009 and The Orchestra (For Now), while NME’s showcase at The Old Market brought together Mandy, Indiana, Girl Scout, Chanpan, and Any Young Mechanic for an evening of live music. DIY’s takeover of Horatio’s on Brighton Pier celebrated emerging alternative talent with performances from Mên An Tol, Airfic, Y and more.
Heavy music also had a strong presence across the weekend as Download Festival teamed up with Kerrang! to present The Download Stage at seafront venue Dalton’s. Rap-rockers Native James and Frozemode were joined by Comastatic, Ally Nicholas, OVERSIZE and many more ahead of the festival’s return to Derbyshire next month.
Alongside the music programme, The Great Escape’s industry conference once again brought together talents from the international music sector to provide insights for attendees. Highlights including keynotes from Spice Girl icon Melanie C, electroclash icon Peaches alongside ILĀ, as well as two leading live agents, Emma Banks and Natasha Gregory.
Melanie C discussed her progression as an artist and the changes in attitude toward mental health in the music industry: “that’s an area where we thankfully have seen some change. In the 90s, you couldn’t cancel a show because of mental health reasons or even health reasons”.
She added: “Unless you were physically unable to do it, you had to get on with it… I was diagnosed with depression in 2000, and I was shocked because I had no clue. I was weirdly relieved because it had a name, and I’ve since then had talking therapy. Take care of yourself.”
Reflecting on politics in art, Peaches said: “I’ve been called a ‘political artist’ a lot of times. I am a political artist, but I like to say I’m not interested in a being a political artist. I’m interested in equality.
“I have not started the politics, I have not made this politics, I have not put marginalised people, queer people, trans people into very precarious situations, unsafe situations. To call me political is counterproductive, I’m just reacting to political actions to squash down people’s human rights. And I like to do that in a humorous, disarming way.”
Image above: Betty performing at 162 meters high in the Brighton i360 tower (MW)
Saturday’s closing party brought the festival to a triumphant close as post-punk favourites Shame delivered a characteristically lively performance with support from Tooth, August, Goodbye, and Orchard.
Two decades on, The Great Escape continues to bring together artists, audiences and industry leaders to celebrate the power of new music – and will do it all over again in 12 months’ time. See you there!
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The 2027 edition of The Great Escape Festival: 12th – 15th May.
Photos by:
Manja Williams (captioned MW)
Alex Asprey (captioned AA)
Melanie C by Simon Redley (not taken at TGE)
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