The Great Escape 2016 - Preview / Recommendations (Friday)

No messing, no commentary on the event (you can find that on yesterday’s post), I’m just going straight in with 5 music makers that are on my list of possible (venue capacities permitting) acts to see at this year’s Great Escape festival, which takes place in Brighton city centre at a variety of venues between 19th and 21st May. Then I finish by tossing up a link to a recommendation for a band on the Alt Escape line up as well.

Here are my choices from the Friday line-up. (You can find Thursday's choices on this link here) If you’re going you can see all these 5 selections with no clashes (unfortunately my Alt Escape bonus pick does clash). If you’re a regular reader of Breaking More Waves none of these choices will in any way surprise you.

Note: You should also go and see Have You Ever Seen The JaneFonda Aerobic VHS? On Friday at the Queens Hotel at 14:30 because with a name like that and being from Finland they can be nothing but incredible. Also in between Black Honey and Declan McKenna at Wagner Hall  there’s Loyal, an act that is very much loved by the blogosphere, so they’re going to be worth sticking around for. Don’t go to the bar instead.

Xylaroo 13:00 The Pop-Up Stage

If singing sisters are a thing (and the evidence suggests they are – The Staves, First Aid Kit, Haim…er…..The Nolan Sisters) then these sisters, one of two acts we’re recommending from the Sunday Best stable are another name to add to the list. I tipped Xylaroo as One to Watch for 2016 last year on the blog, so go on, take my advice and watch them.

Pleasure Beach 15.30 Spiegeltent

I’ve seen (and maybe in some cases written) words about Northern Ireland’s Pleasure Beach that compare them to Arcade Fire, War On Drugs and Bruce Springsteen. This is the point where I should say ‘but that’s just lazy journalism’. But it isn’t – because those comparisons have some basis of truth. It’s not lazy journalism – it’s accurate journalism. Lazy journalists are the ones who work for a couple of hours in a day and then call it quits to go down the pub / watch TV. Anyway, I digress. I have no idea what Pleasure Beach are like live, but if they sound anything like their recorded material they should be pretty marvellous.

Alice Jemima 19.00 Jubilee Gardens

The unsigned artist that I’ve posted the most about in the history of Breaking More Waves, but now she’s signed to Sunday Best. She recently released a rather clever tune called Liquorice. It went top 10 on the Hype Machine. She’s playing BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend. It’s all very exciting. This is why you should catch Alice Jemima at Great Escape. If you see a man explode like a bomb in front of you – that’s me. The excitement got too much.

Black Honey 20:30 Wagner Hall

The band most likely to 'do a Wolf Alice' over the next year or so. Need I say any more? Rock ‘n’ roll with a nostalgic twangy cinematic twist. Breaking More Waves regulars.They’re the real deal and genuine contenders. If you haven't seen them yet, make Black Honey a must. 

Declan McKenna 22:30 Wagner Hall

The winner of the Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition in 2015. Two fascinating, unusual and assured singles in the form of Brazil and Paracetamol. Another of Breaking More Waves’ Ones To Watch 2016. A young but rare talent doing something different in a crowded field of the singer songwriters. For once someone that isn't Ed Sheeran-like or r'n'b influenced pop

Alt Escape Bonus Pick: Majik 19.15 North Laine Brewhouse 

New Music: Pleasure Beach - Magic Mountain

Belfast band Pleasure Beach made their way onto the Blog Sound of 2016 poll longlist, a survey I’ve helped run for the last few years, although I’ll be taking a backseat for 2017, then nearly clambered onto the shortlist top 5 (1 more vote would have done it). It’s therefore no surprise to learn that as I write this a number of blogs have already picked up on their new song Magic Mountain, a thunder horse of a song, full of musical punch the air jubilance. It’s one of those burly rock tunes that makes the non-musicians amongst us air drum like no is watching, or mime into a hairbrush microphone whilst pulling shapes and doing rock star slides on our knees. It’s a song that goes POW! It’s a song that goes BAM!  It’s a song that you need in your life right now.

Magic Mountain will be released on April 22nd via Faction Records. 

Pleasure Beach have two confirmed shows at The Great Escape in Brighton in May. You’ll almost certainly find me at one of them.

Pleasure Beach - Magic Mountain

Pleasure Beach - New Waves

Here’s a song / new band that’s been slowly working its way round many of the blogs over the last week or two. Now finally it’s our turn. (Yes, don't you know – music bloggers all have to stand in a virtual queue and wait for their turn to jump on the bandwagon, although sometimes the queue gets a bit impatient, all hell breaks out and there’s a massive scrum to see who can get some words out first.)

Pleasure Beach (the band) has nothing to do with Blackpool’s famous thrill seeking amusement park on the North-West coast of England. Instead they have a lot to do with Northern Irish bands Yes Cadets and In An Instant, various members of which form this new group. Their debut song Go has a propulsive and hypnotic weight to it, like a classic Arcade Fire song fuelled by wonky but brilliant electronics. It’s a tune that the word whoosh was invented for. It sweeps you off your feet. It sounds sunny and intense at the same time, and it’s actually a break up song. But if you’ve ever read and learned the rules of pop (available from all good high street vendors) you’ll know that nearly all of the best songs about splitting up and broken hearts often hide the sadness with a joyful beat and a high spirited tune.

A really great start for this new project. Pleasure Beach are Lisa, Kat, Alan, Richard and Rachel. Enjoy.

Pleasure Beach - Go