AS far as music festivals go, The Great Escape festival is by far the most important event of the year, attracting a loyal crowd of music fans to the vibrant streets of Brighton. Over 400 bands from around the continent will come together to showcase their music, playing gigs across Brighton’s 35 music venues. This festival is notorious for shining the spotlight on the next big thing, so Glass has put together a list of our top picks to watch out for during the busy weekend.
Plaitum
Dreamy, dark electro-pop duo Plaitum always bring a huge atmosphere to the stage with their noisy sensual set consisting of heavy synths and powerful vocals from lead singer Abi Dersiley. The duo, who have recently been on tour with Phantogram as well as their own headline tour have become a true favourite of ours and are definitely one not to miss.
Where: The Arch
Flamingods
This five-piece formed in Bahrain celebrate a hybrid of cultures in their music which has been described as ‘hard to pin down’. Founded by Kamal Rasool, the band experiment with psychedelic soundscapes and sounds from the East, making their live show a cultural explosion as snippets of sounds challenge your mind in the most exciting way. Expect to see an array of instruments on stage.
Where: The Haunt, Komedia Studio
Homeshake
Canada-born Peter Sagar (Homeshake) evokes gracefulness with his down tempo-chill melodies. His latest album Fresh Air is effortlessly produced with airy sounds of R&B and electronica undertones. His music is perfect for winding down.
Where: Bleach
Francobollo
Francobollo, means postage stamp in Italian. They explained this to the audience when I first saw them at Y Not Festival last year, and I’ve been following them ever since. Organised chaos best describes Francobollo as messy guitars stop and start keeping the audience on their toes. The band have a reputation for having fun on stage and this adds to their mischievous charm.
Where: Bleach
Madame Gandhi
LA’s Madame Gandhi already has a name for herself in music for being MIA’s drummer. Not only is she a talented musician but she also gained attention for running the London Marathon, free-bleeding on her period in order to raise awareness for period shaming. To round it all off she’s now touring with her solo project that explores both music and activism whilst exploring the female narrative.
Where: Sallis Benny Theatre
HMLTD
Heralded as the “ones to watch” for quite some time, HMLTD, previously called Happy Meal Limited have gathered a cult following after making a name for themselves as art pop pioneers. Their performances aren’t shy of expression and it’s not uncommon to see unusual paraphernalia or crowd surfers flying across the venue. Their live show will stay with you forever and you’ll find yourself asking “what did I just witness?”
Where: The Haunt, Prince Albert
Sultan Of The Disco
South Korea’s Sultan Of The Disco give you exactly what their name promises – soul/funk/disco jams with a modern twist. They were an absolute hit when they played Glastonbury, so you can only imagine the show they’ll put on in Brighton.
Where: Latest Music Bar
Tsar B
Tsar B’s debut track Escalate is easily one of the most gripping songs I’ve heard in a long time. Her music accumulates heaps of tension with building versus that explode into heavy drops. Definitely one for fans of FKA Twigs.
Where: Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Komedia Studio
Code Walk
Code Walk are a duo from Copenhagen who met studying a course on electronic music. Their minimalist beats and suave synths are perfect for any electronic dance lovers.
Where: Komedia Studio
Dream Wife
Dream Wife met at art school in Brighton and went on to work together as artists on a creative performance piece, before starting a band. They’ll be returning to the very streets they met on to play their catchy riffs.
Where: Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Wagner Hall
by Katrina Mirpuri
The Great Escape Festival is on from May 18-20 in various venues in Brighton
Find out more about tickets and general event information on the Great Escape website.
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