Who To See At The Great Escape 2017
26.4.17
Its that time of year where I decide to write about The Great Escape. The Great Escape is a festival that is situated around different venues around Brighton and happens every May. The whole point of the Great Escape is so that many people can discover a fresh new sound and honestly I think it's such a great idea and I really, really need to go one year. There are over 400 artists confirmed to be playing this year and this is only a small selection. Here are a few names that I think are totally worth checking out whether your going or not going.
From Finland the 21 year old is heading to Brighton to perform at this years Great Escape. Her catchy and unforgettable songs are ones to give a listen if your a fan of cutting edge pop with an urban soulful sound then this is definitely something for you. ALMA appeared on a Finnish tv show in 2013 when she was 17 called Idols where she finished 5th. She was then signed to Universal in 2016 and released her first single called Karma. A song worth checking out - Dye My Hair.
Sigrid
Having released her newest single 'Don't Kill My Vibe' Sigrid is definitely one to keep an eye on within the next year or so. Sigrid is from Bergen , Norway and is set to appear in Brighton for this years Great Escape. Honestly she is one that I'm excited to hear more music from as don't kill my vibe is an actual banger. She's set to go far so go and check her out if you are going to the Great Escape as she's someone you will not want to miss on seeing. Listen to - Don't Kill My Vibe.
ShitKid
Asa Söderqvst or better known as ShitKid , started ShitKid as a project whilst she was playing around Gothenburg in a feminist punk band with two of her friends. The names of her songs are interesting and her sound is very unique but I think thats why I really like her music as its something I've not really heard before and just sounds like some of these punk bands from the 70s and 80s. A song worth checking out - Sugar Town.
Agar Agar
Clara and Armand from France make up the techno pop duo who met in art school in Paris. They then posted a few songs onto Soundcloud along with the first hypnotic single "Prettiest Virgin" last April. The duo then went onto release their first E.P in September of last year. Definitely go and check these out if your looking for something to dance to. To me there is almost an essence of Human League and Depeche Mode thrown into their sound which gives it an 80s vibe about their music. A song to listen to - You're High.
Agar Agar
Clara and Armand from France make up the techno pop duo who met in art school in Paris. They then posted a few songs onto Soundcloud along with the first hypnotic single "Prettiest Virgin" last April. The duo then went onto release their first E.P in September of last year. Definitely go and check these out if your looking for something to dance to. To me there is almost an essence of Human League and Depeche Mode thrown into their sound which gives it an 80s vibe about their music. A song to listen to - You're High.
Tom Grennan
After appearing on All Goes Wrong by Chase and Status , Tom gained a rather large amount of people listening to his music. Tom has been backed by MTV and the BBC as one to watch for 2017 and you can see why as he has such an incredible voice. Tom is someone to really keep your eyes on in the near future as I reckon it won't be long till more and more people find out about him. His sound is chilled and is something that you'd probably most likely to listen to on a Sunday afternoon. A song worth checking out - Sweet Hallelujah.
Sultan of the Disco
Sultan of the Disco are from South Korea and honestly if you haven't listened to them your totally missing out because they are just bonkers but I bloody love it. The Korean band want to bring a vintage sound to modern day listeners and are heavily inspired by 70s funk and soul bands such as Chic , Kool and the Gang and the Jackson 5 which you can tell when listening to their music. They've played festivals such as Summer Sonic in Japan and Glastonbury , where in 2016 they signed a contract to release their debut album. The video I have linked by the way is ridiculous and it made me cry because its hilarious ! A song worth checking out - Weh eh eh eh eh .
Dodie
Dodie is a youtuber and is also a singer/songwriter. After releasing her first E.P last year and went on a UK tour which sold out rather quickly. Dodie's music is a like a pic n mix of emotions , whether it be a sad song that will make you cry like 'When' or the song that makes recorders cool , 'Theres A Hole In My Tooth'. Dodie is probably going to draw quite the crowd and you'll be lucky to be there because I give it a few years and Dodie is going to be drawing bigger crowds in much bigger venues. Song worth checking out - When.
Judas
They've played some of the biggest festivals including a slot on the main stage at last years Leeds Festival and played some proper big named venues such as KOKO and Concorde 2 despite only being a band for 2 or 3 years. After releasing their first few songs Judas are becoming rather well known for being a brilliant band to see live as I've heard they are pretty good. I'm possibly seeing them in June so I'm excited to see what they are like. They've also just released a new song called 'Some People' and I can confirm its pretty good. A song worth checking out - Youth Of The Young Age.
Dream Wife
Rakel Mjöll who originally comes from Iceland , Alice Go and Bella Podpadec who are both from London met whilst attending an art school in Brighton where they formed a fake girl band for a exhibition. They wrote songs which they recorded , made a spinal tap inspired mockumentary and even performed at the opening of the exhibition. What turned into a project for an exhibition became a reality. Influenced by artists such as Debbie Harry and Grimes their sound leans towards a edgier side of pop music with a hint of grunge-y inspired 90s rock music. A song to give a listen to - Somebody.
Fuck Art , Lets Dance
Oh look its Chloe's first time that she's used a really bad expletive on her blog. Fuck Art , Lets Dance are from Germany and be prepared to dance. Their music comes across as music that you can just let yourself go to and forget about the all the crap that is happening in the world at the moment. They haven't released anything since 2014 but here is to hoping that 2017 will be the year they bring out new music ! Song to listen to - Fake Love.
Cosmo Pyke
Combining elements of indie , jazz , blues with a mixture of hip hop thrown in there and is from south east London. The multi-instrumentlaist and songwriter made an appearance in Frank Ocean's video for Frank's song 'Nikes'. His song 'Social Sites' is about an ex girlfriend and how social media plays a part in relationships. Cosmo's music is perfect if your a fan of Frank Ocean , Miguel and Childish Gambino because it has that 70s soul vibe about it. A song to listen to - Social Sites .
Madame Gandhi
Based in Los Angeles , Kiran Gandhi or better known by her stage name Madame Ganhd . Kiran is an activist and electronic artist who writes music that empowers and celebrates women and the female voice. She used to drum for M.I.A and ran the London Marathon in 2015 with her period flowing freely which of course became pretty iconic. She also Needless to say if you like music that talks elevates the female voice then go and check out Madame Gandhi. A song to listen to - The Future Is Female (feat Merrill Garbus of of TuNe-YaRdS) .
The Amazons
If you don't follow me on twitter then you won't be aware of how I've not stopped listening to these for a good month or so. The Amazons are from Reading and are already set to become huge. They've been backed by MTV for ones to watch this year and also made it onto the sound of 2017 long list. They are just about to release their debut album and have played a bunch of sold out dates around the uk and europe on their own headline tour. If you like massive sounding riffs and even bigger sounding rock then these are worth giving a listen. Song worth checking out - Black Magic.
Jerry Williams
Jerry hails from Portsmouth and is heading to Brighton in May. Her music is sounds best on a sunny day down by the beach which is perfect for the Great Escape as its right by the beach. All of her music is self released and she co produced's with Dan Carey who's worked with Miles Kane along with Rich Turvey who has worked with the likes of Blossoms and Clean Cut Kid in the past. and her EP 'Lets Just Forget' picked up best produced release at the unsigned music awards 2016. Song to listen to - I'm Not In Love With You.
Ten Tonnes
Ethan Barnett or better known as Ten Tonnes shot to attention when he released his debut E.P in 2016 and newest single 'Sliver Heat' this year. The younger brother of George Ezra has supported the likes of The Magic Gang and Blossoms on their tours and last year played Reading and Leeds where he drew a lot of attention to the BBC Introducing stage. You'll probably be seeing a lot more of Ethan around this year so if your going to The Great Escape then definitely
go and see him live for sure. Song to listen to - Lucy.
Fishbach
from a small town in the east of France , 25 year old Fishbach is someone you need to be listening to as her music is refreshing. the echoing synths contrast well against her whisper like voice that ranges from a gentle softness to a harsh yet deep tone. her sound is a mixture of synth pop and rock. All of her songs are sung in french as french is her first spoken language (obviously). I feel like Flora (Fishbach) is influenced by a lot of 80s music as there is a lot of use of synths in her songs , particularly the song Béton mouillé which is heavy synth combined with the drowsiness and deep tones of Fishbach's voice. Song to listen to - Un autre que moi.
Honey Lung
Drawing influences from bands such as Smashing Pumpkins and War on Drugs , Honey Lung released their debut E.P called 'Kind of Alone' last November. This year they gained a new member and are developing their sound a lot more this year. They've sold out shows at The Social and have played to packed out audiences in Brighton's Green Door Store and Camden Assembly so you might want to get to the venue they are playing at this years Great Escape as these are something you really do not want to miss. A song to listen to - End of Time .
Fuck Art , Lets Dance
Oh look its Chloe's first time that she's used a really bad expletive on her blog. Fuck Art , Lets Dance are from Germany and be prepared to dance. Their music comes across as music that you can just let yourself go to and forget about the all the crap that is happening in the world at the moment. They haven't released anything since 2014 but here is to hoping that 2017 will be the year they bring out new music ! Song to listen to - Fake Love.
Cosmo Pyke
Combining elements of indie , jazz , blues with a mixture of hip hop thrown in there and is from south east London. The multi-instrumentlaist and songwriter made an appearance in Frank Ocean's video for Frank's song 'Nikes'. His song 'Social Sites' is about an ex girlfriend and how social media plays a part in relationships. Cosmo's music is perfect if your a fan of Frank Ocean , Miguel and Childish Gambino because it has that 70s soul vibe about it. A song to listen to - Social Sites .
Madame Gandhi
Based in Los Angeles , Kiran Gandhi or better known by her stage name Madame Ganhd . Kiran is an activist and electronic artist who writes music that empowers and celebrates women and the female voice. She used to drum for M.I.A and ran the London Marathon in 2015 with her period flowing freely which of course became pretty iconic. She also Needless to say if you like music that talks elevates the female voice then go and check out Madame Gandhi. A song to listen to - The Future Is Female (feat Merrill Garbus of of TuNe-YaRdS) .
The Amazons
If you don't follow me on twitter then you won't be aware of how I've not stopped listening to these for a good month or so. The Amazons are from Reading and are already set to become huge. They've been backed by MTV for ones to watch this year and also made it onto the sound of 2017 long list. They are just about to release their debut album and have played a bunch of sold out dates around the uk and europe on their own headline tour. If you like massive sounding riffs and even bigger sounding rock then these are worth giving a listen. Song worth checking out - Black Magic.
Jerry Williams
Jerry hails from Portsmouth and is heading to Brighton in May. Her music is sounds best on a sunny day down by the beach which is perfect for the Great Escape as its right by the beach. All of her music is self released and she co produced's with Dan Carey who's worked with Miles Kane along with Rich Turvey who has worked with the likes of Blossoms and Clean Cut Kid in the past. and her EP 'Lets Just Forget' picked up best produced release at the unsigned music awards 2016. Song to listen to - I'm Not In Love With You.
Ten Tonnes
Ethan Barnett or better known as Ten Tonnes shot to attention when he released his debut E.P in 2016 and newest single 'Sliver Heat' this year. The younger brother of George Ezra has supported the likes of The Magic Gang and Blossoms on their tours and last year played Reading and Leeds where he drew a lot of attention to the BBC Introducing stage. You'll probably be seeing a lot more of Ethan around this year so if your going to The Great Escape then definitely
go and see him live for sure. Song to listen to - Lucy.
Fishbach
from a small town in the east of France , 25 year old Fishbach is someone you need to be listening to as her music is refreshing. the echoing synths contrast well against her whisper like voice that ranges from a gentle softness to a harsh yet deep tone. her sound is a mixture of synth pop and rock. All of her songs are sung in french as french is her first spoken language (obviously). I feel like Flora (Fishbach) is influenced by a lot of 80s music as there is a lot of use of synths in her songs , particularly the song Béton mouillé which is heavy synth combined with the drowsiness and deep tones of Fishbach's voice. Song to listen to - Un autre que moi.
Honey Lung
Drawing influences from bands such as Smashing Pumpkins and War on Drugs , Honey Lung released their debut E.P called 'Kind of Alone' last November. This year they gained a new member and are developing their sound a lot more this year. They've sold out shows at The Social and have played to packed out audiences in Brighton's Green Door Store and Camden Assembly so you might want to get to the venue they are playing at this years Great Escape as these are something you really do not want to miss. A song to listen to - End of Time .
There are also spotlight shows taking place who include Rag n Bone Man who has managed to sell out the individual tickets to his spotlight show or if you have a great escape ticket you can register to win a free ticket to the gig which will supported by Ray BLK. Besides Rory playing a spotlight show , Slaves will be playing a very special gig on Brighton Pier and its set to be an incredible evening on the iconic Brighton Pier that overlooks the sea with a glow of neon lights from the fairground rides which is also sold out. Your ticket also comes with a wristband that entitles you to unlimited rides on the fairground rides that are on the pier. You can buy tickets for the Great Escape now even though they are selling out super fast. If you want more information I shall leave a link to the website for more information on the festival.
Speak soon ,
1 comments
I'm definitely adding The Great Escape to the list of music festivals I want to attend! Some of the artists you mentioned are intriguing and I can't wait to check out their music.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching Dodie on Youtube for years now and I'm so proud of how far she's come! She's going to be fantastic at the event!
Diana
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