Review: 5 Acts At Great Escape 2017 That Had The Wow Factor

Brighton’s Great Escape, Europe’s largest new music festival, is like a live version of a new music blog, with over four hundred artists vying for your attention playing shows in clubs, pubs, churches, hotels and other locations of the south coast town. The key word with the Great Escape (much like this year’s event’s weather which went from heavy rain to sun) is variety. In just over 72 hours of being in Brighton I saw indie, country, folk, jazz, pop, soul, funk, disco, rap and many other genres, witnessing 37 full sets.

Of those 37 performances, the quality level was very high and so it’s impossible to say which gigs were the best. However, there’s something very exciting about seeing an artist for the first time and their performance leaving you breathless and giddy. So, whilst I went to shows by acts that I’ve witnessed already such as Alice Jemima, Skott, Casi, Pumarosa, Liv Dawson and Jerry Williams and they were all hugely enjoyable, these five gigs by musicians that I'd not seen before had that ‘wow’ factor that you can only get the first time you see a band or solo performer. They came from all sorts of genres and, reflecting the Great Escape’s truly international curation, from all over the world.

Sigrid (Coalition) Norway

It might have been raining outside, the venue ceiling was dripping inside with leaks but Sigrid just can’t stop winning and spreading sunshine. A superb Later with Jools debut, an outstanding debut EP and positive reviews from critics and fans alike, the new pop lady on the block had a lot to live up to and she delivered. Sigrid was as charismatic and praiseworthy as I’d imagined. Yes, of course Don’t Kill My Vibe gained the biggest cheers but the rest of her set was coated with enough quality to suggest that alongside other new potential pop stars such as Maggie Rogers and Skott, that it’s possibly time for Perry, Gaga and Spears to move to one side. 

Sultan of the Disco (Latest Music Bar) Korea

On entering the Latest Music Bar for a K-Pop Night Out (which actually took place in the afternoon) guests were greeted by friendly Korean hosts and handed glow sticks, cute animal temporary tattoos and leaflets about the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It clearly wasn’t going to be an ordinary gig by UK standards. And it wasn’t. 

In a sweaty basement bar Sultan of the Disco delighted with non-stop dance routines, classic disco grooves and funk not dissimilar to Chic, The Jackson 5 and Bruno Mars together with a joyful cover version of Ghostbusters; which you can see a clip of by clicking here from my Twitter feed. Dressed in kimono style dressing gowns, shades and headbands the band threw to the audience cuddly toy versions of Soohorang and Bandabi the Winter Olympics 2018 mascots and at one stage lead singer Nahzam Sue played keyboard by being held mid-air by other band mates. Band’s don’t normally do encores at Great Escape, but there was no way the audience was going to let Sultan of the Disco get away without playing one. 100% fun.

The Rhythm Method (Brighthelm) UK

The Rhythm Method (pictured below) are the sort of band that could only come from the UK. Or rather England. More specifically London. They channel The Streets, Madness, Squeeze, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, and The Pet Shop Boys. Lead vocalist Joey told the late night drunken crowd “You don’t want to be here, we don’t want to be here,” whilst looking thoroughly pissed off and I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious. They had catchy hooks, bored sounding half spoken-word lyrics that referenced politics, pubs and sex and opened with a song that, if I’m not mistaken, mentioned salad cream. "Play Home Sweet Home," shouted someone in the audience referring to the duo's most well known track. "No," replied Joey. And they didn't. And it didn't matter. You’re either going to love them or hate them and if they get around to releasing an album I suspect there’s the potential for it to be an instant cult classic.

Confidence Man (Komedia) Australia

Confidence Man are a group that make every regular indie rock band, every bland music by formula pop band and every Drake wannabe seem as boring and pointless as ironing socks. Janet Planet, Sugar Bones, Reggie Goodchild and Clarence McGuffie came dressed in a baby doll dress, way too-short shorts and two gothic beekeepers hats respectively and for 20 frenetic minutes bombarded the audience with comic strip sassiness, high energy dance routines, (click here for what they were doing) and Lucozade fuelled skilfully crafted electro bubble-gum tunes. That’s all the time it took for Confidence Man to quickly become one of the most talked about bands of the day. I can’t wait to hear and see more.

Tom Adams (Unitarian Church) UK / Germany

Sat at a piano in the corner of the church Tom Adams (pictured below) created the closest thing possible to heaven. Placed somewhere between Phillip Glass and Sigur Ros, Adams’ contemplative modern classical pop with choir boy falsetto voice and soft ambient electronic backing was a beautiful still moment amongst the craziness, the crowds and the energy of much of Great Escape. It was a perfect way to end the Friday evening. He’s already created one of my favourite records of 2017 (Silence), and the live incarnation was just as good.

The 37 artists I saw at Great Escape and Alt-Escape 2017 were: 

Benny & The Hair Nets, Fable, Porshyne, Confidence Man, Jade Bird, The Van T's, Be Charlotte, Liv Dawson, Songe, Swimming Tapes, Sigrid, Shitkid, Nilufer Yanya, Tom Grennan, Cosima, Salen, The Rhythm Method, Flamingods, Slotface, Rosie Carney, Hazel English, Childhood, Matt Woods, Wrabel, Sarathy Korwar, Julie Byrne, Tom Adams, Alice Jemima, Bokito, MC Sniper, Sultan of the Disco, Jerry Williams, Matt Maeson, Off Bloom, Casi, Skott, Pumarosa

Preview: The Great Escape 2017 (Part 2.2 - Music Tips)

Following yesterday’s post of 5 Breaking More Waves approved acts that I’m recommending to watch at 2017’s Great Escape in Brighton here are a further 5 that, should you be a little overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of music on offer at the festival, you might want to consider watching. If you fancy watching them all, this is possible - the timetable allows you to catch all 10 with a bit of planning.

Alas the Royal Pavillion pictured above isn't one of the venues at the festival, but if you do have any spare time in Brighton when the music isn't on, I'd recommend a trip there as well as Resident Records store, the North Laines, Brighton Museum and a stroll along the seafront.

6. Alice Jemima (UK)

Regular readers won’t be in any way surprised to find Alice Jemima on this list, she has after all been one of the most featured artists on Breaking More Waves since 2011. Alice first played the Great Escape 2 years ago at a small Alt-Escape event watched by about 10 people. Last year she was on the main programme with just one afternoon show at the outside venue of Jubilee Square. This year she returns with several million streams on her Spotify, 2 shows at Great Escape (one late night and one opening) and a debut album of softly sung indie singer songwriter pop with touches of electronica, that fulfils on her promise. 

Latest Music Bar 23.00pm May 19th
Komedia Studio 12.15pm May 20th



7. Bokito (UK)

Not to be confused with Kero Kero Bonito, Bokito come to Great Escape with a strong debut song (Better At Getting Worse), a decent amount of support from music blogs and a nomination on the Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition longlist. With a lead singer that looks like a metal band but ‘dances like an African woman’ (his words) and having drawn comparisons to Vampire Weekend, Everything Everything, Metronomy and Jinja Safari, Bokito will be playing their blend of tropical indie in the Queens Hotel, one of the stranger venues of Great Escape – the space is basically a staircase lobby below the reception. But everyone has to start somewhere – I saw Dan Smith from Bastille play this space, before he’d even formed Bastille (see this review from 2009 here).

Queens Hotel 13.30pm May 20th



8. Sultan Of The Disco (South Korea)

Two of the best things about Great Escape is the sheer variety of music on offer and the fact that there are many international showcases. This year one such showcase is a South Korean extravaganza, which will include rapper MC Sniper, rock band The Monotones and the incredible Sultan Of The Disco who first came to prominence in the UK following an appearance at Glastonbury Festival 2014 (although they formed in 2006). Taking inspiration from soul and funk, Sultan Of The Disco are all about dance moves, costumes and lots of entertainment. 

Latest Music Bar 15.15pm May 20th
Latest Music Bar 22.30pm May 20th



9. Casi (UK)

Back in 2013, another music blogger, Chris from The Metaphorical Boat tweeted me about a singer called Casi Wyn, suggesting he thought she would be my metaphorical cup of tea. At the time the music she was doing didn’t really grab me. Fast forward two years and not only had I changed my mind (see here) but Casi (minus the Wyn) had played a Welsh music showcase at the Great Escape in 2015. Since that time her music has developed even further significantly and her expressive electronic pop song The Beast encapsulates just how good she has become. She’s back at Great Escape 2017 and is now firmly one of my recommendations.

Coalition 21.15pm May 20th



10. Skott (Sweden)

Striking electronic pop from Sweden? Yes, it’s Skott, one of Breaking More Waves past 10 Ones To Watch for 2017 and the last of my tips for the Great Escape 2017.  You’ll find a number of the 10 acts that I featured as One to Watch for 2017 on the Great Escape bill such as Jerry Williams, Hazel English, Cabbage and Liv Dawson but it’s Skott that takes the glittering, icy crown with her dramatic multi-blog approved sound. Catch her immediately after Casi on Saturday night.

Coalition 22.15pm May 20th

Preview: The Great Escape 2017 (Part 2.1 - Music Tips)

With less than a couple of weeks until 450 bands and solo performers and 1000s of punters descend to the seaside in Brighton for the annual orgy of new music that is The Great Escape, most music geeks will already have worked out their must sees, possible sees and might sees, with spreadsheets, apps and good old fashioned bits of paper being utilised to work out their timetables.

If you’re one of those people then this post isn’t for you. However, if you are organised but haven’t been to Great Escape before you might want to check out Breaking More Waves practical tips guide for making the festival work for you by clicking this link here.

If you’ve been less industrious in your timetabling or are looking at the full list of artists and are thinking ‘I only know about 4 of these’ then this post is for you. Put your trust in Breaking More Waves and allow this blog to act as your filter. With no messing, I’m recommending 10 acts playing Great Escape 2017 that come with the Breaking More Waves seal of approval – 5 are featured in this post and 5 in a further post published tomorrow. There should be no surprises that they’ve all featured in some form on the site before.

1. Confidence Man (Australia)

The fact that the two front persons in Australia’s Confidence Man are called Janet Planet and Sugar Bones should be enough to recommend them to you without any further information, but if I add in on point dance routines, pop songs that buzz so hard with energy that they might explode into confetti showers at any point and more fun than you thought humanly possible, then you’ll understand why Confidence Man are one of the must sees of Great Escape. Take a look at the live video below and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Novelty pop maybe, but life (and therefore music) doesn't always have to be serious.

Komedia 12.10pm May 18th
Sticky Mike's Frog Bar 23.30pm May 18th
Horatio's Bar 13.30pm May 20th




2. Jade Bird (UK)

Jade Bird was the subject of an introducing post on Breaking More Waves in Summer 2016 and still there’s been no official single or EP release. Yet with slots supporting the likes of Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Tom Odell and Mahalia and a number of festival slots besides Great Escape confirmed (Latitude, Bushstock, Field Day) Jade is clearly working towards that. Catch her mix of acoustic folk, country Americana and pop early.

Patterns (Upstairs) 13:15pm May 18th 
Prince Albert 22.30pm May 20th



3. Sigrid (Norway)

In 2015 one of the main highlights of my Great Escape was Norway’s Aurora whose mesmerising performances were so good I ended up seeing her twice. Norway could win again in 2017 with another single named pop star. Sigrid’s Don’t Kill My Vibe has already been a huge on line hit and Great Escape is her’s for the taking.

Coalition 20.00pm May 18th
Wagner Hall 16.30pm May 19th



4. Rosie Carney (Ireland)

Rosie Carney is another artist that first featured on Breaking More Waves in 2016. Making beautifully poignant songs awash with meaning and melancholy, Rosie will appeal to those who love the music of the likes of Billie Marten, Lucy Rose and Laura Marling.

Jubilee Square - 13.45pm May 19th



5. Tom Adams (Germany)

His debut album Silence was largely recorded in his one bedroom flat in Berlin and is already one of my favourites of the year. It’s a quiet and gentle record formed largely of soft piano, ambient electronics and Tom’s haunting falsetto that transports you to another place. Thankfully his one show at Great Escape is in a church – which seems the perfect location for his music. If you want something far away from the rock ‘n’ roll shenanigans of much of Great Escape, mark down Tom Adams as one to watch.

Unitarian Church 22.30pm May 19th

Preview: The Great Escape 2017 - (Part 1: Practical Tips For Music Nerds)

City based multi-venue new music festivals might be omnipresent in the UK these days, but Brighton’s Great Escape remains the mother of them all, being bigger, longer and bolder as it showcases a far more diverse range from all over the world than other similar British events.

Running from Thursday to Saturday Great Escape brings over 400 acts to the pubs, clubs and venues of the south coast of England and that doesn’t even include the Alt-Escape, which is a collection of generally free to enter showcases taking place alongside the main festival programme.

This year as it has done for the last few years, The Great Escape also features a number of larger Spotlight shows. These include Slaves playing at the end of Brighton’s most famous landmark the Palace Pier, using the Horror Hotel as the setting for a 1,000 capacity gig. The show will also include Ellie Rowsell from Wolf Alice DJing on the dodgems and the audience being asked to wear Horror Hotel themed fancy dress. West Sussex’s own Rory Graham aka Rag ‘n’ Bone Man will also be performing at a spotlight show, at Brighton Dome, returning to a place he first played in 2012 when as an unsigned artist he supported Joan Armatrading after his girlfriend had entered him for a talent search competition.

However, for me, The Great Escape isn’t about larger established names, it’s about watching and listening to as much new music as is humanly possible, mainly checking out acts I’ve never seen before, as well as a few favourites that I've seen before.

Over the next few weeks, if you’re into new music (and I assume you are otherwise why would you be reading this blog?) you’ll probably see plenty of articles with tips of acts to see at the festival. A word of warning - if you see an artist being asked in an interview for tips never trust them, they'll generally tip their mates, someone that has or is supporting them or someone on their label. However, I hope you can trust Breaking More Waves, as I'll be suggesting a handful of artists to see in a post later this week. 

But before that, if you’ve never been to the event or even if you have here are my practical tips on how to get the most out of it.

Warning: These are tips for people like me, namely those who want to see as much live music as humanly possible during the course of 3 days, not those who want to catch a handful of bands and spend time chatting to their mates / ‘networking’ with music industry types in the many pubs of Brighton. Or in other words, total music geeks.

So here are my 5 basic suggestions.

1. Eat A Big Breakfast

Because trust me you’re not going to have much time for food the rest of the day. The music starts as early as 11.00am on some days, so eat a big breakfast around 10am and then just grab food as and when you can in between venues / bands. Why spend an hour sitting down and having a leisurely lunch when you can grab a sandwich walking between gigs and catch another band?

2. Wear Sensible Footwear

OK the Great Escape is hardly Glastonbury, and you won’t need wellies, but if you’re planning on seeing lots of acts (over 10 a day easily) you’ll be on your feet a lot, so choose your footwear wisely. Even though venues are, with just a few minor exceptions, close together, you'll still be doing a fair amount of walking as well.

3. Plan, Re-Plan And Plan Again (And Have A Plan B and C)

Virtually all of the Great Escape regulars I know say they enjoy the military like planning of what they are going to see almost as much as the event itself. Some use the app, some the website, some a spreadsheet, some the good old fashioned pen and paper list. It’s very easy to decide who you want to see in advance as The Great Escape publishes Spotify playlists of virtually every act on the bill. The idea of the festival being a ‘discovery’ event as it used to be is not quite true, or rather your discovery can be done equally as much before as during the festival. You can now know what every act sounds like before you hit Brighton – the question is just how good are they live?

Of course, with most venues being relatively small in size, queues and being ‘at capacity’ are an integral risk of the festival for punters, but with good planning, you should be able to mitigate most of that. The app also gives updates on if venues are full or not (although in my experience this can't always be fully relied on - but it's a useful guide). The key thing to take into account is if there’s an act you really want to see, don’t risk turning up 10 minutes before they are due to play. I’d recommend getting there at least for the act before, maybe even earlier if its a 'buzzy' act or very small venue. But if you can’t get in, take note of my next tip.

4. Never Stand In A Queue – Unless You’re Waiting For A Venue To Open Or Are Certain You’ll Only Be There For Five Minutes

I remember one year at Great Escape walking past a 200 capacity venue where Alt-J were due to play (they were one of the buzz bands of the moment and just breaking through). The venue was already full and there were at least 80 people queuing outside. They were never all going to get in. My advice in this situation - take a punt on something else. You might be surprised at what you find. Why waste time in a queue? Unless of course it’s to ensure you get into a venue before doors open. Back in 2007 I queued outside the Red Roaster Café for half an hour before the doors opened to ensure I got in to see a singer who was 2^nd on the bill. I was third in the queue. That singer was called Adele. In hindsight it was a good decision. (Note: I had already brought food from a local supermarket and ate that whilst queuing, ensuring I followed my own time saving guidance.)

5. Try To Catch At Least 1 Artist From A Country That You’ve Never Or Hardly Ever Seen Live Music From Before

One of the things that sets Great Escape apart from other Festivals is the number of international showcases it has. What’s important to remember with the artists playing these shows is that they will often represent the cream of emerging talent from that country. Therefore the quality will be high. This year for example, one possible showcase that is on my list is a South Korean one. After all, who couldn’t resist a band like this…..(albeit Sultan of the Disco are not particularly new).

Keep an eye out on the blog for later this week I’ll be posting some musical recommendations for this year’s Great Escape. 

Sultan Of The Disco