The Great Escape today reveals ArrDee, Dréya Mac, Piri & Tommy and Cassyette as the line-up of viral sensations for the festival’s highly coveted Spotlight Show presented by TikTok. Brighton rap phenomenon ArrDee, London artist and dancer Dréya Mac, vibrant dance duo Piri & Tommy, nu-metal pop provocateur Cassyette and DJ Just Yaz will all perform at Concorde 2 on Saturday, 14 May 2022. The Great Escape 2022 ticket holders can register for a free ticket giveaway for the Spotlight Show and standalone tickets for the highly anticipated gig are available now via www.greatescapefestival.com.
The Great Escape, the festival for new music, will be kicking off the festival season by playing host to more than 500 up and coming artists and music-led conference across 35 walkable venues from 11-14 May 2022 in Brighton. This Spotlight Show is set to showcase some of the most exciting new artists, who have enjoyed viral success on TikTok, all now continuing to take off in 2022 and beyond:
SPOTLIGHT – ARRDEE
Brighton-born ArrDee has exploded onto the UK scene with his unique flow, venting real, relatable issues wrapped up in his “cheeky chappy” sound. Having gone viral featuring on the remix of Tion Wayne and Russ Million’s ‘Body’, which elevated the track to become the UK’s first ever Drill No.1, he has made a habit of converting TikTok success into hits like the garage-influenced ‘Flowers (Say My Name)’ and the irrepressible ‘Oliver Twist’. Now with a swathe of UK Top 10 tracks to his name, it’s clear that the 19 year old has something special.
SPOTLIGHT – DRÉYA MAC
West London artist and dancer Dréya Mac is working to become one of the biggest names in rap, building on the success of a huge viral collaboration with FelixThe1st for ‘Own Brand Freestyle’, after her famous verse kicked off a worldwide dance challenge. Having graduated from the BRIT School (whose alumni include Adele and Amy Winehouse), she started her career as a dancer and choreographer, landing a role in the video for Stormzy’s seminal ‘Vossi Bop’ video. Turning her attention to music, with an EP and viral success under her belt already, her artistic talent and unique flow are leading her to great things in the world of UK rap.
SPOTLIGHT – PIRI & TOMMY
Real life couple Piri & Tommy have hit upon a flourishing music partnership since meeting through social media, bubbling up in lockdown and starting to make music as a duo. Their vibrant brand of dance has connected with audiences, particularly on social media through TikTok. The platform became an unexpected source of success for them after their breakout hit ‘Soft Spot’ went viral, receiving a major label re-release, amassing more than 11 million hits on Spotify and bringing the duo to the attention of pop trailblazers such as PinkPantheress and Charli XCX.
SPOTLIGHT – CASSYETTE
Essex-born Cassyette is a flamboyant pop provocateur bringing a unique sound, sense of style and feminist sensibility to rock-influenced electro-pop. Having burst onto the scene, she has already made her mark over the last year, with a debut at Download’s pilot festival, where she gave her own performance and joined Frank & the Rattlesnakes for their headline set. Having provided support for Willow in London and now completed her first UK tour, she’s ready to take the scene by storm in 2022.
Alice Razack, Artists Partnership Manager at TikTok said: “We’re excited to partner with The Great Escape for the very first time and bring such breakthrough new musical talent to our Spotlight shows. ArrDee, Dréya Mac, Piri & Tommy, Cassyette and DJ Just Yaz have built huge fanbases on TikTok through their music and video creations and we can’t wait to see them perform live in Brighton.”
The Great Escape is also announcing over 50 new artists today including Warmduscher, Hope Tala, ShaSimone, Dead Sara, PVA, and KUOKO. They join a mammoth line-up featuring some of the hottest names in new music.
POP / SINGER-SONGWRITER / FOLK
HEDDA MAE | BECKAH AMANI | BEAUX | KUOKO | GUS ENGLEHORN | FIONA BEVAN | CRISTINA HART | B1N0 | RUTI | EDIE BENS | APRIL | ELLIOT ARMEN | ELLIE DIXON | JARKI MONNO
Joining the ranks of this year’s brilliant pop and folk artists are retro-pop queen Hedda Mae, rising pop prodigy Beaux, Hamburg-based songwriter and visual artist KUOKO, lo-fi dream-pop artist April, London-based songwriter Jarki Monno and Alaskan singer-songwriter Gus Englehorn.
INDIE / ROCK / PUNK
WARMDUSCHER | RETRO VIDEO CLUB | GRANDMAS HOUSE | PVA | HOPE TALA | LETS SWIM GET SWIMMING | DEAD SARA | C’EST KARMA | ORCHARDS | SCENE QUEEN | SUGARCANE | DREAM NAILS | SNIFFANY & THE NITS | SOPHIE JAMIESON | TOM ROGERSON | MORGAN HARPER JONES | PLANTOID | THE BUG CLUB | NIXER | PLANET | DITZ
A host of thrilling new artists join the line-up from the indie, rock and punk worlds including mischievous post-punk snarlers Warmduscher, anthemic indie group Retro Video Club, Bristol punk trio Grandma’s House, achingly cool genre-hoppers PVA, bold bossa nova and R&B from Londoner Hope Tala, dynamic alt-rock group Dead Sara, math-rock meets pop group Orchards, honest storyteller Morgan Harper-Jones and impassioned genre-hopper Scene Queen.
R&B / SOUL / JAZZ
CHERISE | DEVA | YAKUL | KYMARA | ARUN GHOSH
For fans of all things jazz and soul, the line-up features Brighton-based four piece and deep-groove lovers Yakul, vocalist, flutist and composer Cherise, Brighton soul singer Kymara, British-Asian clarinettist Arun Gosh and soul singer Deva.
RAP / HIP-HOP
JUICE MENACE | SHASIMONE | YAZMEAN | JESHI | NAMANI | ASHBECK | MATIAH CHINASKI Y DJ PERE | NUKULUK
Building on an already extensive list of the best up-and-coming grime, rap and hip-hop artists, Cardiff-based rising star Juice Menace joins the bill along with energetic singer-rapper ShaSimone, emerging London talent Ashbeck and heavy-hitting wordsmith Jeshi plus many more.
DANCE / ELECTRONIC / INSTRUMENTAL
LIBRALIBRA | NQOBILÉ | MARIA UZOR | TONY NJOKU | HOLYSSEUS FLY | AVAWAVES | ORDBURY COMMON | JESSICA WINTER | UH
The Great Escape is excited to announce the addition of some very exciting artists from the electronic and ambient scenes, including British-African artist, dancer and model Nqobilé, contemporary cinematic duo AVAWAVES and accomplished lyricist, producer and collaborator Jessica Winter.
Making its highly anticipated return to the festival calendar following a two-year hiatus, The Great Escape, the festival for new music, will be kicking off the 2022 festival season, playing host to the most exciting new music, alongside the music industry led TGE conference, from 12-14 May 2022 in Brighton. Tickets for The Great Escape festival start from £75 and are on sale HERE.
