The Great Escape has announced the FIRST FIFTY acts to play the internationally renowned new music festival in Brighton, from 12 – 15 May 2021.
The Great Escape festival 2021 will include hotly tipped break-out artists such as Arlo Parks, Holly Humberstone, BERWYN, Pa Salieu and AMA, as well as 220 KID, who made his Top 10 chart debut earlier this year, and Bree Runway, hot off her debut mixtape release featuring the Missy Elliot collaboration ATM.
Kicking off the 2021 festival season with its belated 15th anniversary edition, The Great Escape is pulling out all the stops with a cutting-edge line-up and playing host to more than 450 of the world’s most exciting up and coming artists. The Great Escape, which has grown to become the festival for new music on a truly global scale, will take place across 30+ walkable venues in Brighton. With more than 400 acts, including the highly anticipated Spotlight shows, still to be announced, there’s much more to come for The Great Escape 2021! Tickets for The Great Escape festival start from £70 and are on sale HERE.
In addition to a stellar line-up of new talent and established artists, The Great Escape’s music-led conference will feature key figures from across the industry, with a series of insightful panels, topical debates, keynote speeches and network opportunities.
‘The Road To The Great Escape’ has also announced the first acts to play the brand new live music showcase. In the lead up to TGE21, ‘The Road To The Great Escape’ will be stopping off in Glasgow from 8-9 May 2021 and in Dublin from 10-11 May 2021, bringing a selection of the most exciting new talent from The Great Escape’s line-up to multiple venues across both cities.
Artist making appearances in both locations include hotly-tipped alternative R&B singer and rapper BERWYN, one of pop’s most essential new voices Baby Queen, the enigmatic indie alternative guru Oscar Lang, rainbow-hued funky soul pop artist Remi Wolf and punk troupe Chubby and the Gang amongst others. Glasgow will see exclusive performances by Scottish Nu-Folk sensation Lizzie Reid, Glaswegian theatrical punks Walt Disco, and more, while Dublin will play host to exclusive performances from teen pop sensation CMAT, rapper-poet Denise Chaila, one of Ireland’s brightest new talent, plus much more.
With development of the first two vaccines as well as the roll-out of government trials for mass testing and tracing, The Great Escape is confident that a full capacity event can be achieved. Through a mix of vaccine and testing, as well as trial events, the festival will be ready and eager to safely welcome people back to live music.
The Great Escape today also announces Grassroots Suicide Prevention as the lead charity partner for TGE21 for a second year running. Based in Brighton and operating nationally, Grassroots Suicide Prevention is a UK leader in suicide prevention, supporting people in the community to develop the skills and confidence needed to save lives through open and courageous conversations. When purchasing festival tickets and conference passes for TGE21, customers will be given an opportunity to donate to Grassroots Suicide Prevention. More information about Grassroots Suicide Prevention is available HERE.
THE GREAT ESCAPE 2021 – LINE-UP:
FOLK / AMERICANA:
ANOTHER MICHAEL | LIZZIE REID | SKULLCRUSHER
Folk and singer songwriter fans will be treated to a host of new talent, including Scottish nu-folk sensation Lizzie Reid, Another Michael’s unique musical presence, as well as dreamy and atmospheric alt-folk by L.A-based artist Skullcrusher.
GRIME / RAP / HIP-HOP:
BREE RUNWAY | CHE LINGO | DENISE CHAILA | JUICE MENACE | NIKO B | PA SALIEU | TIAGZ
Following the release of her critically acclaimed debut mixtape this month, The Great Escape is excited to reveal that Hackney rapper and songwriter Bree Runway will be bringing her bold genre-hopping debut to the festival in 2021. Joining the line-up will be Gambian by-way-of Coventry’s Pa Salieu, the genre-blurring rapper tipped by tastemakers as one of the UK’s most pioneering new talent, Cardiff-based rap prodigy Juice Menace, as well as Che Lingo, one of the most unique and exciting lyricists in the UK.
R&B / SOUL:
ARLO PARKS | AMA | BERWYN | OLIVIA DEAN | PIP MILLETT | R.A.E
The Great Escape is ecstatic to bring the soulful and poetic shady vocals of London-based artist, poet and songwriter Arlo Parks to the Brighton seaside, alongside alternative R&B singer AMA, the unique blend of hip hop, R&B and nostalgic 90s sounds of singer, songwriter and rapper R.A.E, as well as BERWYN, who broke onto the scene in 2020 with his magnetic, honest and vulnerable debut mixtape and a show-stopping Jools Holland performance of his first track Glory.
POP / DANCE:
220 KID | AARON SMITH | ALEX AMOR | BABY QUEEN | COLE LC | CMAT | GABE COULTER | LUCY BLUE | LUZ | MAE MULLER | MICHELLE | POUTYFACE | REMI WOLF | TAYO SOUND | THOMAS HEADON
Full of ecstatic fizz and electronic buzz, the exciting, eclectic world of Remi Wolf is coming to Brighton for 2021. Also heading across the Atlantic, six-piece collective MICHELLE will showcase their sleek grooves and bouncy beat-making. Meanwhile, Thomas Headon will be swapping the beaches of Australia for the south coast seaside, bringing his synth-heavy brand of bedroom pop along for the ride. Other acts on the bill include the potent emotion of Aaron Smith and anthemic pop princess Baby Queen.
ALT / INDIE:
BLU DETIGER | GEESE | HOLLY HUMBERSTONE | JOEY MAXWELL | KENNYHOOPLA | THE MAGIC GANG | MATILDA MANN | MOLCHAT DOMA | NEWDAD | OSCAR LANG | PEACH TREE RASCALS | PORIJ | VOODOOS | WALT DISCO
Alternative and indie music fans are in for a spectacular array of artists for 2021. Perhaps no artist has garnered as much attention this year as Holly Humberstone with her intimate, driving debut, Falling Asleep at the Wheel, becoming an instant fan favourite. Brighton’s very own The Magic Gang will grace the festival with their infectious rhythms, while New York native Blu DeTiger will perform her icy cool earworms, laden with upbeat optimism and classic indie charm. Oscar Lang’s dream-like soundscape will captivate fans new and old while the club-ready beats of KennyHoopla will have everybody ready to sad-dance.
PUNK / ROCK / METAL:
BOB VYLAN | CHUBBY AND THE GANG | ĠENN
Fresh from their blistering 2020 debut Speed Kills, no amp will be safe from thunderous furore of Chubby and the Gang. Brighton-based ĠENN will be serving alternative post-punk madness with a fun twist, while the raw energy and fierce political fire of hardcore London-duo Bob Vylan will shake the very foundations of The Great Escape 2021.
JAZZ:
EMMA-JEAN THACKRAY
No stranger to The Great Escape, Emma-Jean Thackray will bring her groove-heavy sound to the seaside. A prolific musician, remixer, DJ and band leader, Thackray is one of true stand-out stars of the UK’s thriving jazz scene.
OTHER:
BAD BOY CHILLER CREW
Bradford’s very own Bad Boy Chiller Crew will bring the party to Brighton with their banging bassline-inspired anthems and tongue-in-cheek lyrical flair which has made them infamous up and down the country.
‘THE ROAD TO THE GREAT ESCAPE 2021’ – LINE-UP:
More acts will be announced for The Road To The Great Escape in Dublin and Glasgow very soon.
GLASGOW 8-9 MAY 2021 (Multiple venues):
AARON SMITH*
ALEX AMOR
AMA
ANOTHER MICHAEL
BABY QUEEN*
BERWYN*
CHUBBY AND THE GANG*
GEESE*
JOEY MAXWELL
KENNY HOOPLA*
LIZZIE REID
MICHELLE*
OSCAR LANG*
PEACH TREE RASCALS*
REMI WOLF*
SKULLCRUSHER
VOODOOS
WALT DISCO
DUBLIN 10-11 MAY 2021 (Multiple venues):
AARON SMITH*
BABY QUEEN*
BERWYN*
CHUBBY AND THE GANG*
CMAT
DENISE CHAILA
GEESE*
HOLLY HUMBERSTONE
KENNYHOOPLA*
LUZ
MICHELLE*
OSCAR LANG*
PEACH TREE RASCALS*
REMI WOLF*
TAYO SOUND
*artists playing both cities
Buy your tickets now for The Great Escape 2021 HERE.
