It might sound surprising to some that The Great Escape festival will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this May but for festival goers it’s a celebration of new music.
The epic festival features performances from an impressive 400 acts across thirty plus venues and plays host to 18,000 festival goers.
We’re really excited about the festival so we’ve prepared a shortlist of must see bands.
Broods
Our first band is Broods, which is a duo from New Zealand. Brother and sister Georgia and Caleb Nott make brooding pop with haunting vocals. Georgia has soothing vocals filled with emotion and ache, which only adds to the band’s dystopian love songs.
The band has toured with the likes of HAIM, CHVRCHES, Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding.
Broods’ debut album, Evergreen was released in 2014.
We like Bridges:
Haelos
This next band is from the UK and its music does all the talking. Haelos are from Bow in East London and are not afraid of bold and powerful sounds. The tracks we’ve heard so far (Dust, Earth Not Above) have completely mesmerized us with their big bass and soft vocals. Following the attention from Zane Lowe, Annie Mac and Hew Stephens Haelos are now signed to Matador (Queens of the Stone Age, Savages, Belle and Sebastian and Kurt Vile)
We like Dust:
Ibeyi
Ibeyi are something quite special indeed. These twin sisters are French Cuban and are the daughters of the late Cuban percussionist Angà Diaz. One of the siblings plays percussive instruments (Cajon and Batas) whilst the other plays piano. The combination of these sisters art is simply stunning with blends of modern pop, hip-hop and of course Caribbean sounds of their father’s Yoruba culture.
We like Ghosts:
Honne
This UK duo’s music is packed with good vibes and we love its smooth groove. Hailing from Somerset and Wiltshire passing by Bow, singer Andy met producer James at Uni and instantly hit it off. Japan instilled the idea of Honne: a Japanese word for True Feelings with no Western equivalent, describing the contrast between what one really thinks, and what they project to others.
We like All In The Value:
Say Yes Dog
Two German guys meet one Luxembourger and in Berlin the trio make music. This is pretty much the story of Say Yes Dog except that there is also a pretty decent sound behind this trio, which we describe as French house meets indietronica. Most of the band’s time is spent in studios and this has finally paid off with a record deal with French label, Wagram.
We like A Friend:
Tears and Marble
Tears & Marble are a duo from The Hague in the Netherlands. The two introduced themselves on the internet with a cover of Haddaway’s What Is Love and quickly the internet was talking and radio stations and music critics alike. Bella Hay and Chris Kuhlen are hypnotising and we can’t help ourselves but when we hear their music we succumb to nostalgia and sadness in the most wonderful way.
We like We Don’t Like You:
Kate Boy
Kate Boy is an electronic pop band from Stockholm, Sweden. The trio’s single, Northern Lights can only be described as pop genius and impressively was writing the night the band met. Unsurprisingly the song spread like wildefire over the internet and scored the band gigs across 23 countries before even being signed.
We like Northern Lights:
M.O
M.O aren’t reinventing the wheel but rather bringing back some old-school garage sounds. This young female trio has packed their music with dirty 90s garage and we like it a lot. Their debut track, Wait Your Turn was premiered by Mistajam, who said they were ‘the only group you need to worry about’. We like the simplicity behind the music and the girls’ retro look.
We like Dance On My Own:
Mew
Originally from Denmark, Mew is an exciting band with quite a dramatic sound. Best described as experimental rock that’s been dipped in dream pop, Mew’s music is layered and expansive as it is charismatic and melodic. The band has been around for almost two decades now and is still making songs that feel contemporary.
We like Satellites:
Kate Tempest
Of course this is a very short list and The Great Escape has many, many more acts for you to discover but not only that it also features famous acts worth checking out and one of those that shouldn’t be missed is our personal favourite Kate Tempest. Mercury nominee and force of nature, Kate Tempest will be taking the festival circuit by storm this summer. Be sure to see her.
We like Circles:
The Great Escape takes place in Brighton between 14th and 16th May. You can find more details on TGE’s website.
