The Brighton & Hove News Music Team were out in force at The Great Escape New Music Festival. We strived to cover as many new and up-and-coming artists as possible during the event, which took place right across the city of Brighton and Hove at numerous venues of varying sizes from Thursday 16th to Saturday 18th May. (There were also a handful of acts appearing on Wednesday 15th, but we were already scheduled at another event in the town).
With an extended team, we were able to witness many exciting new acts from numerous different genres from right across the globe. It was hard work and we have the blisters to prove it from running all around the city, but was it worth it? Hell yeah!
There are far too many acts to cover in just one article, so we have split them up in date order. This article refers to artists that the Brighton & Hove News team covered only on Thursday 16th May, along with the venue and planned time of the performance. Part 2 on the acts that performed on Friday 17th May can be found HERE and Part 3 for those on Saturday 18th May can be found HERE.
This year’s event was different from previous years as there was growing opposition to one of The Great Escape’s sponsors, which led to many folk choosing to attend ‘Unofficial Escape Events’ instead. We therefore felt that it was essential for us to separate all of the ‘Unofficial Escape’ performances and to run those in different articles, which will also be appearing shortly.
In the meantime, here’s our Official Great Escape reviews for Thursday 16th May….Enjoy!
THURSDAY 16th MAY 2024:
LA SÉCURITÉ – Patterns Upstairs 12:15 – 12:45
I’ve been a fan of this band’s music since hearing their single ‘Anyway’ being played over the PA at The Prince Albert whilst waiting for Bibi Club to come on stage at The Great Escape last year. It became my most played song of 2023 year on Spotify, so I was excited to see them fly in from Montréal for this year’s festival having listened to their debut album ‘Stay Safe’ on repeat. The venue was packed even at 12:15 on the opening Thursday. As with so many great bands, La Sécurité’s sound really comes alive on the stage and their set provided a sensational start to proceedings for me at this year’s Great Escape Festival. The five-piece powered through an 8 song showcase of infectious new-wave art-punk tunes. The three guitarists delivered distorted strings which dovetailed with deep off-kilter synths on which the songs are carried along. Chuck in top level drumming, random percussion and bilingual vocals all of which meld together in a veritable crucible to create a powerful end dynamic. Lead singer Elaine Viens-Synnot has a wonderful deadpan delivery and left the stage to bounce around in the limited audience space to sing ‘Anyway’, elevating the energy levels early on. The final number, the unreleased ‘Ketchup’ is one to watch out for, it has a more shouty-punk energy and was a fabulous way to finish. I can’t wait to see them again.
(Martin J Fuller)
RADIO FREE ALICE – Komedia Basement 12:25 – 12:55
And so it starts, a quick dash in the rain from the wristband collection point to the Komedia Basement and the queue is already stretching up the street, I’m thinking I should have got my act together earlier, but my fears were to be dismissed as it took no time at all to get in and get right to the front for the ‘Australia Sounds Like’ showcase, although it was packed out in no time. Kicking things off are Radio Free Alice, a 5 piece post punk band based in Melbourne. Frontman Noah Learmonth has a very distinctive vocal, quite Robert Smith of The Cure like, perhaps with some hints of The Smiths in there too. The band rattled through a good solid 8 song setlist which took in songs from 2023’s EP ‘Paris Is Gone’ and ‘Look What You’ve Done’. Whilst they are described as post punk, I felt they were a darn good indie band with some fine experimentation thrown in, you have some saxophone in there, bringing some funky jazz flavours, the bass melodies were great, and all the guitars were super tight. I think the future is looking very bright and promising for this band. I really enjoyed their set, despite the band having a bass amp issue towards the end which you could see visibly frustrated them. They kept everything in check and didn’t miss a beat, they were the perfect start to the festival. The lads even kindly signed the setlist for me post show. They will be playing quite a few dates around the UK over May and June, so catch them while they are here.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
AL COSTELLOE – ALPHABET 12:30 – 13:00
Thursday lunchtime and the bar inside Alphabet is already crowded with delegates drying off from the downpour outside. I make my way to the front for my first gig of this year’s festival. The last time I saw Al Costelloe play in Brighton was 12 years ago when her previous band Big Deal did an instore set at Resident. Now solo – although with a 3 piece band this afternoon – and newly signed to Moshi Moshi records, Al treats us to an eight song set ahead of her new album due for release later this year. Starting with ‘Shrink’s Couch’ from last year’s ‘So Neurotic’ EP, this is a confident and assured start to the day, with Al’s captivating vocals quickly silencing the chatter from the back. It’s good to see Al back on stage after taking a break from music, and these new songs bode well for the future, ‘My Whole Life’ and ‘So Neurotic’ being the standouts for me.
(Phil Newton)
AUTOMOTION – Three Wise Cats 12:30 – 13:00
I’m starting Thursday in Three Wise Cats to catch Automotion, a post-rock four-piece from South London who impress with some tasty guitar work from the get-go. Lead vocals are shared between guitarists Ollie and Lennon, whilst drummer Otis and bassist Finton provide a rhythmic foundation with plenty of variety. The five-string bass emits a satisfyingly deep thud, whilst the fills are fluid and ambitious. Corkscrew-haired Ollie sings the opener ‘Frenzy’, backed by a wall of juddering tremolo over a shuffle beat. Lennon takes over with a powerful growl for the steadier ‘Lost In The Spiral Labyrinth’, the twanging riffs punctuated by big clanging hits. Between song banter seems to have gone out of fashion amongst younger bands. We just get an awkward pause to amuse ourselves in as the guitarists stare intently at their tuners. That’s a very minor niggle though, as this is excellent stuff. ‘Speak Of The Static’ is jangly and dreamy, the intensity increasing with a wailing solo from Ollie and cascading flurries of toms. ‘I Can See Now’ is framed by a two-chord arpeggio that reminds me a little of Fontaines D.C. The standout piece for me is a new instrumental, as yet untitled and unrecorded, built around a brilliant dual motif of finger tapped hammer-ons. It moves along very nicely indeed, propelled by a particularly insistent beat. I could listen to that all day. A most enjoyable half-hour concludes with ‘House Of The Hermit’, which builds from a languid jangle to a crescendo of screaming guitars and thunderous whole band hits. A superb set, and a great start to the day.
(Richie Nice)
ELINBORG – WaterBear Venue 13:00 – 13:30
I hot-footed it from Patterns to the WaterBear venue on the seafront in order to see what the Faroe Islands dark electro popper Elínborg Pálsdóttir (known solely as Elinborg) and her two chums had to offer. This turned out to be much much more than anticipated! There’s some magic that happens in Elinborg’s part of the world, with artists somehow deeply tapping into the nature of their surroundings and coming up with true masterpieces! I’m not the only person to have noticed this as Elinborg’s ‘Brimið’ single was recently featured in the Norwegian Netflix TV Series ‘RAGNAROK’. The WaterBear is very busy indeed, but thankfully I bagged myself the best prime position in the whole venue and here I stand (almost) face to face with Elinborg, who is as you would expect on vocals as well as guitar, and her two male chums take care of the two sets of keys, electronics, drums and drumpads. We are given a half dozen ethereal electronic soundscapes within the half hour slot. The stage is hardly lit and has the feel of playing within a cave. The deep bass drumpads reverberate right through my body and Elinborg’s voice made the hairs on my head go prickly. The set includes ‘Sjórok’ which Elinborg informs us means ‘Sea Spray’, and ‘Vera’ which means ‘Being’. This is music to close your eyes to and simply float away to a distant place in a distant land. I have continually been going to gigs since 1978 and this was the very first ever time that I was totally overcome with emotions and was on the brink or crying. I now understand why some people wave their hands in front of their faces in a fan motion in order to endeavour to hold back the tears! Something very special has just happened! I pray that when Elinborg finishes her debut album next year, that she tours it with a Brighton gig!
(Nick Linazasoro)
SAYA NOÉ – Queens Hotel 13:00 – 13:30
Appearing as part of the Hungarian Music Showcase in the Queens Hotel basement, this talented singer-songwriter, who released her second album last year, treated us to half an hour of her superb original electronic alt-pop compositions that have already gained her a big reputation in Eastern Europe. Saya informed us she usually appears with her band back home, however, she had to make do with a portable studio consisting of laptop and synths on this occasion. Saya Noé has an incredible Lana-Del-Rey-esque voice that completely captivated the audience and a warm, engaging manner, her collection of original songs showcasing her talent as a songwriter. Stand out tracks for me were the dramatic ‘Museum Of Sins’ and the dreamy ‘Jupiter I’. During the set she mentioned that she loved Brighton several times and the feeling for those in attendance was mutual for her performance.
(Martin J Fuller)
ASHA JEFFERIES – Komedia Basement 13:10 – 13:40
Second on the ‘Australia Sounds Like’ showcase was Asha Jefferies, the band all dressed wearing flame motif clothing opened the set with the hauntingly beautiful song ‘Stranger’, which also happens to be the opening track on the album ‘Ego Ride’ that only came out last month. Asha’s music style is described as euphoric and tender pop music that will make you want to call your mum, well I am not sure about my mum, but I am 100% going to be calling my friends and telling them to check out her music, as this short 6 song set was right up there for me as a highlight this weekend. They have a very warm sound and energy that makes you really feel instantly at ease as those gorgeous guitars and harmonizing vocals sweep over you. The second track ‘Keep My Shit Together’ which was also played during the soundcheck is a corker of a song, you’ll be singing along to it within seconds. During the final number ‘Brand New Bitch’, the flame cowboy hat was passed around by the band, each taking a turn causing much celebration and joviality on stage and from the packed out audience alike, it was a great way to end the set. This was Asha’s first time performing in the UK, fortunately they have a few more dates in the UK coming up, but I really do hope she comes back to Brighton soon.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
SILA LUA – Jubilee Square 13:15 – 13:45
We’re running 45 minutes late as the torrential rain has pooled in the tent roof so the crew had to drain it all off which meant clearing the area. Once we’re back in everything moves apace and suddenly we have dry ice and a pounding welcome. Sila Lua is a Galicia born recording artist based in Madrid, Spain hence she’s singing in her native tongue. She started her musical career back in 2017 while studying music production in London and released two EPs. She is stunning and so is her stage craft. Multi layers and pounding beats makes us all want to dance. She performed a super acoustic song mid set which was beautiful before reverting to the dance beat.
(Kairen Kemp)
DARTZ – Patterns Downstairs 13:30 – 14:00
Next up for me was a rapid change of tempo featuring New Zealand party punks DARTZ at a full capacity Patterns. Thus far the quartet, who are Danz (vocals), Crispy (guitar), Clark (bass), and Rollyz (drums), have released two studio albums ‘The Band From Wellington, New Zealand’ (2021) and ‘Dangerous Day To Be A Cold One’ (2024), with the latter reaching No.1 on the official New Zealand albums charts. The Kiwi four-piece quickly started firing out their unique brand of snappy and intelligent garage rock: fast-paced guitar-driven anthems that thread the needle between relatable tales of bad nights out and untrustworthy dealers, and hard-hitting takes on issues like decolonisation and landlord-induced anxieties. Their ‘1 Outs Captain Cook’ ditty was arguably their set highlight, mind you their initially quiet ballad of ‘Therapy’ suddenly explodes into action and is a close second. There’s some comedic banter throughout the set as well, with mentions of winning a court case against a landlord. This outfit would be perfect for the Rebellion punk festival. Quite possibly my second favourite kiwi outfit after The Beths.
(Nick Linazasoro)
MUJERES – Three Wise Cats 13:30 – 14:00
I’ve stayed in Three Wise Cats to catch Mujeres, a Spanish power-trio who combine poppy harmonies with a punky energy. They look and sound like they’ve been doing this a long time, playing with the insouciant ease of seasoned performers, although there are a few initial problems getting the sound sorted. The output from bassist Pol’s microphone is weirdly tinny and robotic. Guitarist and lead vocalist Yago quips that it sounds like his answering machine from the 1990s, which raises a chuckle. Opening number ‘Cae la Noche’ (‘The Night Falls’) is briskly urgent, its rock’n’roll vibe accentuated by busy runs up the fretboard of Pol’s short scale Mustang bass. Moustachioed drummer Arau inserts some impressive snare rolls for emphasis, and all three players sing, with pleasing effect. The lyrics are all in Spanish. The second number maintains the upbeat tempo, embellished with a surfy guitar line. Pol has a small keyboard set up, and plays a gently swirling figure to open and close ‘Si Piensas En Mí’ (‘If You Think Of Me’), bookending a middle section of strident punky stomp and a bouncy playout. “We’ll play your favourite one,” says Yago, introducing ‘Tú y Yo’ (‘You And I’), an urgent thrash ushered along by thumping floor tom. I think it is my favourite too, with Pol pushing some lovely bass octaves high up the neck. There’s nothing particularly new or avant garde about Mujeres, but their music is well executed and a fun listen, and is going down well with the crowd here.
(Richie Nice)
CAT & CALMELL – Komedia Studio 13:40 – 14:05
One of the joys of TGE is having the opportunity to see upcoming bands from other countries who may never have played in the UK before. Some may go on to have long and successful careers, others may disappear and never be seen again. Australian pop duo Cat & Calmell piqued my interest with their pre-tour Instagram posts, and they didn’t disappoint. Playing to an eager crowd in the Komedia Studio, the Gen Z self-styled ‘trouble-makers’ take centre stage accompanied by their pal behind them on the decks. All attitude, tattoos and piercings, Cat & Calmell are like an Asian blend of Salt-N-Pepa meets Daphne & Celeste, mixing powerhouse pop with sassy hip hop beats. Current single ‘Give Urself 2 Me’ is a highlight, but the duo prove they have some depth to their songwriting with the softer ‘dramatic’ which featured in the hit Netflix show ‘You’. Whether Cat & Calmell go on to take over the world remains to be seen, but for these brief 25 minutes I’m totally under their spell.
(Phil Newton)
AGGRASOPPAR – WaterBear Venue 14:00 – 14:30
I’ve not much time to get to Waterbear Venue, so I’m pleased there’s no queue. The narrow arched tunnel of the live space is rammed though, and it’s pretty crowded on stage too. Aggrasoppar are part of the Faroes Music Export showcase. They are an experimental and anarchic 7-piece who describe themselves as ‘flower punk/axe killer pop.’ It’s pretty eclectic stuff, with three vocalists, mainly rapping in Faroese over a backing that varies from jazzy to a vibey hip hop, but threatens to lurch into extreme noise at any moment. The bass, drums, keyboard and guitar are supplemented with plenty of samples, triggered from an Akai control surface. There’s not much room, but that doesn’t prevent the three vocalists, who go by the pseudonyms Ayphinn, Dada and Sóljudrongur, from making frequent forays into the crowd. My grasp of Faroese is non-existent, so I’m not even going to attempt to guess the titles, but the opener is a slow and menacing growled rap. Needless to say, the band’s English is just fine, as for the second number we are all gently encouraged to crouch down for my first get-down-and-jump-back-up of the festival. “This is a good position to be in to prepare for the upcoming Faroese apocalypse”, we’re advised, as my knees remind me how old I am. The song explodes into a high-velocity crescendo, concluding with repetitions of the band’s name. To up the surrealism quotient, one of the vocalists recites “Our revels now are ended”, the closing speech from Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, before adapting Gil Scott Heron’s ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ to “the genocide will be live-streamed”. It’s a busy and varied set, and a mesmeric performance, concluding with a manic rap where the band are joined by Joe, the singer of Joe & The Shitboys, who are up next.
(Richie Nice)
VANITY FAIRY – Jubilee Square 14:00 – 14:30
Vanity Fairy has been called the sparkling high priestess of the underground scene. Her costume is a fabulous gold cape and sparkling turban giving a distinctly nostalgic Biba vibe. She’s recovering from an extreme cold, but despite that she’s very excitable, camp and the true meaning of the word Diva. Her vocals are astonishing with a great range and stunning falsetto. She’s an utterly delightful character and the crowd loves her. Twice she is off stage deep into the crowd dancing with people and posing. What an act! Her latest LP is ‘Love From Above’ and the EP and single ‘Top Of The Pops’ is great.
(Kairen Kemp)
CHOSES SAUVAGES – Patterns Upstairs 14:15 – 14:45
From Wellington, New Zealand I now head for Montreal in Canada and take in the sounds of the Choses Sauvages 6-piece, who thus far have released a couple of long-players. Their self-titled debut dropped back in 2019 and its follow up ‘Choses Sauvages II’ was released in 2021. It’s funky, slightly jazz-tinged electronic and nu-disco all the way with this lot, as they utilise their range of keyboards, guitars, bass and drums. I note that the band’s lead vocalist, Félix Bélisle, is back in action again, having already witnessed him performing two hours ago with La Sécurité on the same stage area. I’m digging the late 1970’s disco vibes on offer this afternoon, which wander into psych territory and back. Add to this the vocal sounds (at times) of Talk Talk and the dramatics of Walt Disco (which are culled from Bowie) and here’s the elements that leads me to concur that if they had been formed 40 years ago, they would be signed to Factory Records. Talking of record labels, Simon Raymonde (Bella Union) is standing next to me! The sandwiched punters merrily jigged along throughout the pseudo-disco set …whoop, whoop!
(Nick Linazasoro)
MAGGIE ANDREW – Green Door Store 14:50 – 15:10
Fresh off winning the award for ECMA African Canadian Artist of the Year, singer-songwriter Maggie Andrew makes her first TGE appearance at the Green Door Store as part of the Canada House showcase. With a four strong band accompanying her (2 guitarists, bass and drums) Maggie is a striking presence on stage, dressed in black jacket, crop-top, red hot pants and sunglasses. Opening with ‘ILMIHM’ and ‘Better Than You’ her songwriting and vocals remind me a little of Anastacia or Sheryl Crow – soft rock that perhaps connects better across the Atlantic than it does here in the UK. It might not be my favourite set of the day, but Maggie is a bold performer, ditching the jacket and shades to pick up guitar for ‘About Us’ and finishing with current single ‘Hurt Myself’ which is the highlight of her five song set.
(Phil Newton)
JOE & THE SHITBOYS – WaterBear Venue 15:00 – 15:30
WaterBear is packed for the Faroe Music Export showcase, and next on are hardcore four-piece Joe & The Shitboys. A growling Stooges-style bass riff opens the set, the bassist and guitarist dressed for the farm in bib and brace dungaree shorts. There’s a dep drummer today, who turns out to be the band’s manager, Nathan. Vocalist Joe favours the type of shorts you’d expect to see in a 1980s aerobics video, and wastes no time whipping up the crowd with some call-and-response singing along to the band’s theme tune. “We’re Joe & The Shitboys, and we’re bisexual vegans,” he announces. That’s the introductions done, then. As the title of the band’s album ‘The Reson For Hardcore Vibes’ would suggest, the songs are mostly short sharp bursts of thrashy punk, with witty and cutting lyrics that get to the point very quickly. The setlist is twenty songs for a thirty minute set, which gives you an idea of how long each number lasts. Introducing ‘Kill Your Darlings’, Joe gives a quietly impassioned speech about the Faroese government’s rejection of a recent bill to repeal the country’s restrictive abortion laws. Recent single ‘Please Seek Help’ has a motif of ascending guitar stabs, and I love the cutting humour of ‘Manspredator’ and ‘Drugs R 4 Kids’. Joe manages to part the crowd during ‘Life Is Great, You Suck’, then encourages individual audience members to dance in the gap. My ailing knees get another crouch-down-and-jump-up workout during ‘Macho Man Randy Savage’, and we hurtle onwards with light-speed vegan anthem ‘If You Believe In Eating Meat, Start With Your Dog’. The set concludes with a band-directed stage invasion, with Joe encouraging an unfeasible number of audience members onto the tiny stage. Entertaining, thought-provoking fun.
(Richie Nice)
REALLY GOOD TIME – Prince Albert 15:00 – 15:30
I must be totally honest here and state that the reason I’m watching Really Good Time is to ensure I get into The Prince Albert in order to witness the next act. However, having said that, Dublin’s flying suit wearing Really Good Time quartet have certainly drawn in the punters and it’s a full capacity crowd, with even a few outside the door peering in to watch. The band makes loud, generally fast music that toes the line between noisy and melodic, weird and anthemic. They released their debut EP ‘Escape From The Mountain Of Spit’ in November 2023, with the lead single ‘Mountain Of Spit’ receiving extensive support from Steve Lamacq at BBC6, who incidentally I bump into early tomorrow morning at The Grand Junction. It’s been said that they sound like the ‘Vertigo’ era U2, but although the punters were well behind the band, I really couldn’t see anything extra special going on here, although their final ballady number ended the set in a reasonable rock style drums and guitar bash and back again.
(Nick Linazasoro)
AMELIA ROSÉ – TGE Beach Pirate Studios Stage 15:30 – 16:00
North West London’s Amelia Rose delivered a blissful half hour of soulful electronic infused R&B together with her band consisting of a keyboardist, drummer and guitarist. Notable songs included the unreleased ‘I Don’t Deserve It’ and her latest single ‘Chasing’ , released last month with its oh-so-smooth vibe. This laid-back set was expertly scheduled, befitting both the time of day and the beach location as the sun came out
(Martin J Fuller)
SHARKTANK – Hope & Ruin 15:30 – 16:00
Sharktank are an Austrian band formed of Mile XY, Katrin Paucz and Marco Kleebauer, I am unsure if they are a 3 piece as we had 5 members on stage today. They have been putting out music releases since 2020 with their EP ‘Bad Energy’ and most recently their second album 2023’s ‘Acting Funny’, which has the most funky arty cover, I’d love to just frame and hang on the wall. This is the first time they have played in the UK and we were treated to a fun filled 8 song set, with many of those being taken from their most recent album. We had a slow rousing intro to the song ‘Catalyst’ before it got lively super quick. Their music is a real fusion of genre’s, Mile XY’s 90s vibe rap’s tag teaming with Katrin’s soulful and melodic choruses, overlaid with funky electronics and guitars. The set also included ‘Mud’, taken from their March 2024 EP, this was a very catchy track, really well done in how it switched seamlessly between rap sections and the heavier guitar elements. I thought they were very cool, all wearing fab eye-catching outfits, it was real feel good music, the sort you could picture popping on whilst relaxing in the evening sun with a cocktail in your hand. The Hope and Ruin was packed full for this one and I felt everyone was really into it, I know they have found a fan in me.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
YARD – Prince Albert 16:00 – 16:30
Prior to attending The Great Escape, I religiously checked out and listened to all of the 450 new music artists that were due to appear at this year’s festival. Yes this takes several days, but boy it’s well worth it. I then grade the acts and end up with a few must see bands, and quite possibly at the top of this list were YARD, who are a gripping three piece electro noise band from Dublin, which features Dan Malone (guitar), Emmet White (bass synth, vocals), and George Ryan (synth, beats). Bridging the gap between techno and noise rock, their music can only be described as an intense and immersive sensory experience. It is said that “YARD will leave you sweaty, energized and strangely unnerved”. Having supported bands like Shame, Psychotic Monks, Mandy Indiana, CLT DRP, Scaler, Enola Gay and Chalk and with coveted slots at Eurosonic and Primavera Pro in 2024, YARD are getting stronger by the day. Drawing inspiration from SUUNS, Gilla Band, Death Grips, Nine Inch Nails among others, YARD it appears are creating an experience truly like no other! We are this afternoon bombarded with a half dozen tunes (‘Trevor’, ‘Auto Erotic’, ‘Slumber’, ‘Big Shoes’, ‘Lawmaker’ and ‘Sunlight’), which are industrial tribal and the delivery is full on in-yer-face. The full capacity venue is awash with folk bopping along nicely thank you very much. The atmosphere was set throughout the performance with no house lighting and just the band’s own three lighting panels hanging high up behind them. It really is EBM central here with Emmet’s vocals initially grounded in Robert Smith (The Cure) and Ronny Moorings (Clan Of Xymox) territory, but making their way to ending up like Jaz Coleman’s (Killing Joke) most eye bursting screams, whilst musically it’s akin to French musician Perturbator. This has been a truly sensational experience and my whole being craves for more!
(Nick Linazasoro)
JULIET IVY – TGE Beach Deep End 16:15 – 16:45
Hailing from New York and of Columbian-Chinese descent, this talented young singer-songwriter has already amassed a large, loyal social media following and an extensive base of listeners for her music. Lining up with her three bandmates consisting of two guitarists and a drummer, we were treated to a 30 minute set of sweet pop rock compositions. Looking radiant in a striking light lime coloured dress, Juliet gently engaged with the audience giving us the meaning behind the songs with her wonderful stage charm. Set highlights included ‘We’re All Eating Each Other’ which gained traction on TikTok, and is everything a perfect pop song should be, new single ‘Is it My Face?’, which was released the day before this performance and a special mention should go to a really well-worked acoustic version of Natasha Bedingfields 2004 hit ‘Unwritten’ which has regained popular traction this year. A pleasant half hour.
(Martin J Fuller)
KODY – TGE Beach Pirate Studios Stage 16:30 – 17:00
Unfortunately, I only managed to catch a couple of songs of Kody Glish’s solo set, a London-based underground rap artist with great stage presence, lyrics that impact and some top tunes. Check out the sub-2 minute track ‘Mysteriø’ as an introduction to his music. Kody is featured in the main image on this page.
(Martin J Fuller)
EDEN RAIN – The Tempest 17:20 – 17:40
The BMG venue is tiny but it’s rammed to the rafters in anticipation of Eden Rain the indie/pop darling from Leeds. She’s been making waves with her two latest tracks ‘Closer’ and ‘Ghost Girl’. With just herself, guitarist and backing tracks she filled a very short set with charm and great pop songs. I was particularly enamoured with ‘If It Isn’t Broke Don’t Fix It’. She’s sweet with stories about the songs, engaging the crowd. Eden Rain is excellent lyrically and definitely one to watch.
(Kairen Kemp)
ABBY SAGE – Players Battle Bar 18:30 – 19:00
I’ve heard some amazing female vocalists during this year’s TGE Festival, but for me Toronto’s Abby Sage was the pick. Hugely undersold by the festival bio, she has a truly mesmeric smoky, dreamy voice you can literally melt into, very reminiscent of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval. Appearing here with her three bandmates, two accompanying her on guitar, one on drums, they delivered a truly entrancing set. Every song was wonderful, although the absolute standouts for me were 2023 single ‘Backwards Directions’ and the ‘Hunger’ (of which she let out an humourous expletive at the end presumably due to the intensity). Her first album ‘The Rot’ was released on 1st March, the first track ‘Milk’ being dedicated to her mother and given an airing tonight. I highly recommend you seek out her music and I’d love to see her come back to the UK again soon.
(Martin J Fuller)
MARY IN THE JUNKYARD – Paganini Ballroom 19:15 – 19:45
I’m in the retro glitz of The Paganini Ballroom for a showcase by BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing. DJ Steve Lamacq takes the stage to introduce the first act of the evening, Mary In The Junkyard. They’re a trio who play a sparse and thoughtful sort of experimental indie rock. Vocalist Clari haș a pleasant and distinctive voice with an impressive range, and jangles a Gretsch semi-acoustic. Saya is on bass, with a violin set up ready to go, and drummer David is at the rear of the deep stage area. For the languid lilt of opener ‘Ghost’ the vocal hook almost sounds like it’s being yodelled, and Saya’s echoing backing supplements its ethereal quality. There’s a change of instruments for the second number ‘Coop’, with Clari taking over on bass and Saya on violin, providing a lovely plucked figure in between busy glissando slides. Back on guitar, Clari’s descending progression on recent single ‘Marble Arch’ is accented by some more forceful drum hits and builds. ‘Web’ features a vibey two-chord arpeggio, and everything seems to be going swimmingly until a very noticeable electrical crackle creeps into the sound. There’s a long pause, with much swapping of guitar leads, though unfortunately this doesn’t seem to correct the problem. It’s clearly unsettling the players, but they press on anyway with an eerily atmospheric piece called ‘Midori’, its impassioned vocal backed by swooping violin and tumbling drum fills. The lyric “Trying not to fall off the face of the earth”, seems apposite. David leaves the stage for the gentle guitar and violin piece ‘Teeth’, the body parts in question imaginatively described as “a mouth full of stalactites”. The crackling lead must be in the pedal board somewhere, so the guitar goes straight into the amp for the remainder of the set, which concludes with single ‘Tuesday’. Clari apologises for the lack of overdrive, her technical assessment being “it hates me”. Sound problems notwithstanding, it’s been an interesting and enjoyable set, and I’ll look forward to more of this material being released.
(Richie Nice)
NIGHTBUS – Charles Street Tap 19:15 – 19:45
Starting off the evening, I was determined to be in early and down the front for Nightbus, a Manchester based trio formed of Olive Rees, Zac Melrose and Jake Cottier, I’d been heavily listening to their limited output in the run up to the festival, in fact I had collected their brand new 7” ‘Average Boy’ / ‘Exposed To Some Light’ from Resident Music on my way to the Charles Street Tap in the hope of getting it signed, sadly I didn’t and was gutted to find they’d actually gone into Resident and signed copies 10 mins after I’d picked mine up! Anyhow it was getting to see them live that was more exciting for me as they had been my primary pick to watch for the festival. I was not disappointed, it was definitely a slow easing into the evening as their music style is what is described as the sound of music that captures that late night space when you are coming home in the early hours, quite eerie and reflective, a bit melancholic. Instrument wise the setup is 3 guitars, one of which is a bass, coupled along with a Pioneer DJ set up for the beats. The set was pretty much continuous with no break, much like being taken on a late night journey, the beats and electronics kept on going, but it’s the bass that really powers through in their music like a heartbeat to all of the songs, and the gorgeous shoegaze style guitars layered over the top, matched with Olive Ree’s haunting vocals that makes their music just special. Personally I loved the whole set, but I felt it could have been in a different venue that might have highlighted their musical vibe a bit better, Patterns Downstairs perhaps would have been ideal. Sadly this was the only performance they did during the festival, so I have no way to compare. I have my 7” to listen to now, fingers crossed they put out an album soon, as I know that’ll be on the car stereo on those late night drives.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
OLIVIA LUNNY – Patterns Downstairs 19:15 – 19:45
Canadian singer-songwriter Olivia Lunny took to the stage with her keyboardist on the Roland and delivered us a very punchy half an hour of radio-friendly pop. Olivia informed us she had been in London for three weeks writing music and this was her first time in Brighton, so she’d sampled the chips, rock etc. This show saw her perform a nine song set which included real pop-bangers such as ‘Heartbreak On Repeat’ and 2023 single ‘Fix This’, closing out with ‘I Got You’ her earliest single from 2019. Olivia said we might be able to tell our friends in years to come when we saw her play in a small room at The Great Escape. I like her confidence, and she could well be right!
(Martin J Fuller)
ELLE DARLINGTON – TGE Beach Deep End 20:15 – 20:45
Hailing from Wales, singer-songwriter Elle Darlington has been singing since the age of 4 and those singing skills were certainly tuned up this evening, lining up alongside her keyboardist and guitarist for a fabulous performance. Elle’s songs are mainly written about love and relationships and her music is infused with influences from the likes of Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey. Elle told us her new single ‘Feel It All’ was being released at midnight to coincide with this appearance. The pick of her songs for me were ‘Hiatus’ and the catchy ‘One More Night’. Having already gained traction on TikTok amassing over a million followers and signed to Columbia (Sony), this is a young lady I’m sure we’ll be hearing more of in the future. The beach venue was strangely empty this evening and she deserved more people to be there to discover her music.
(Martin J Fuller)
LEAH KATE Patterns Downstairs 20:15 – 20:45
I was looking to hear something lively and fun to really get the evening going, so took a wild card choice on diving into Patterns Downstairs seconds before Leah Kate took to stage having no idea what to expect. The venue was packed out, so I had no chance of getting up to the stage edge with a wall of folks primed ready to view and record the whole gig via their phones which was a bit bizarre, I mean come on, actually have the respect to look at the artist standing right in front of you. Leah is an American singer from Los Angeles who put out her first release ‘Impulse’ in 2019. Her music style is very pop/rock, incredibly radio friendly with catchy choruses and brilliant sharp confessional lyrics. Boom, boom, boom, those drums banged and Leah’s fast paced 10 song set got underway with the brilliant ‘Super Over’, the title track of her 2023 debut album. The whole gig was pure energy and tempo, she recently supported Anne-Marie on her tour and you can just picture her style of music on huge stadium and festival stages, it felt very unique to be witnessing it in such a small intimate venue. Her stage presence and energy was off the scale, constantly pacing the stage, pulling her hair, gesturing to the crowd, giving a hugely confident and interactive performance to the crowd, who were very much loving every second of it, considering the band was just her on vocals, a drummer and a guitarist, I have no idea how they made it all sound so big. Whilst her sound is not my typical go to music, I was blown away and I think Leah Kate was my unexpected guilty treat for this weekend, expect to see her on massive stages in the future.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
SNAYX – Paganini Ballroom 20:15 – 20:45
Local heroes SNAYX have been extensively championed by this publication for some years, and we’re hardly going to ignore them now. If you’re not familiar, the trio’s modern take on punk is particularly bouncy and energetic, with razor sharp political observation forcefully delivered, but coupled with a sense of fun and inclusivity. They’ve had quite a year, with the release of the ‘Better Days’ EP, and storming shows all around the UK and Europe in front of increasingly larger crowds. The plush carpet and gilt plasterwork of The Paganini Ballroom is hardly their usual milieu, but there’s no doubt they’ll soon liven the place up. Vocalist Charlie is a master showman, whipping up the crowd from the off, recounting the failed loan application of opener ‘Work’ whilst balanced precariously on top of a monitor. Bassist Ollie bounds around the stage firing off leg kicks and fixing the crowd with his famously snake-eyed stare, the rasping growl of his instrument supplemented by an array of effects pedals and a laptop full of electronic goodness. Drummer Lainey is a long way back on the deep stage, her hair flailing wildly as she pounds the urgent beat. They power on through old favourite ‘I’m Deranged’, and ‘Concrete’, from the recent EP. The lilting introductory rhythm of ‘Body Language’ draws a bit more movement from the initially reticent audience, and by the manic crescendo of the piece it’s looking much more like a SNAYX gig. After the snarling vitriol of ‘Boys In Blue’, Charlie thanks BBC Introducing DJ Melita Dennett for all the support the band has received. “They’re broadcasting this,” he observes. “Not sure about this one though..” The number in question is ‘H.A.N.G.’, which ups the invective considerably. The crowd is getting really lively now, and Charlie’s over the barrier to join them for a massive bounce during ‘Sink Or Swim’. The singer is impressed. “I’ve heard this place is haunted. Let’s wake the ghosts!” The band’s traditional set closer is ‘FAYX’, and they try to encourage more inclusive bouncing rather than moshing. Judging by the enthusiastic take-up, those ghosts won’t be resting peacefully for a few minutes yet.
(Richie Nice)
CARDINALS – Horatios 21:15 – 21:45
Cardinals are an indie rock outfit from County Cork, Ireland, fronted by Euan Manning on vocals and guitar. They played a strong nine song set to a capacity crowd, it was certainly something different. I found it to be quite an intense brooding performance, possibly slightly hampered by multiple guitar strings snapping. I believe the band have grown from a four piece to a six piece, however there were five of them here tonight. Lyrically the songs are very strong, coupled with a shoegaze wall of sound vibe with the multiple guitars makes it a potent recipe for success. The song ‘19’ especially had the crowd jumping around behind me. Interestingly the band use an accordion on many songs, I was not too sure how that would add it, but by heck it really works, on the softer songs it brings a soft beauty, but on those guitar heavy songs, it adds a noise layer you just wound not have expected, this was very evident on the final song of the set ‘Roseland’. One thing I would have liked to see was a bit of crowd interaction, I felt Euan could have at least cracked a smile and spoken to the crowd, particularly during the string snap and replacement minutes. I am told that this is just their regular vibe by friends who have seen the band before. I guess it all adds to the mystic and to be fair the rest of the band played a cool long instrumental build up during the string replacement. Certainly they are a band who are going places, I’d love to see them with the sixth member and hear even more of that sound. They are definitely a band to watch and catch on the way up while you can experience them in smaller venues.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
WUNDERHORSE – Chalk 21:15 – 22:00
I’ve heard a lot about Wunderhorse, but haven’t caught them live before, so I’m keen to see what the fuss is about. Chalk is absolutely rammed for their set, with the most densely packed mass of humanity concentrated in the photographers’ pit, so there clearly is a buzz of anticipation. I’m particularly pleased to learn that the band name is inspired by ‘Champion The Wonder Horse’, a TV favourite from my childhood, if not theirs. A guitar-based four-piece, their 2022 debut ‘Cub’ garnered plenty of plaudits for the melodic reflection of its songwriting. They open with ‘Midas’, a recent single and title track of the much anticipated sophomore album, due for release in August. It moves along nicely, driven by chunky rhythm guitar. Frontman Jacob Slater is very much the focus, clad in black and delivering the vocal in a Dylanesque drawl. He’s an intense performer, and is clearly putting some effort into his performance during the brisk strum of ‘Rain’. He seems frustrated that his energy is not reciprocated by the crowd. To be fair, the languid ‘Emily’ is unlikely to inspire a mosh pit on any occasion, and ‘Cathedrals’ is even more downbeat, though it does eventually build to a crescendo. “How many of you are industry?” Jacob enquires? “It’s all very static out there.” Playing something more lively could be the solution, and after a dreamy intro of slide guitar, the urgent arpeggio riffing of ‘Teal’ proves just the ticket. The knot of dancers at the front gradually expands through the crowd, and all is well. I’ll look forward to hearing that new album in due course.
(Richie Nice)
KENYA GRACE – Players Battle Bar 21:30 – 22:00
Having already scored a UK No1 hit last year with the stunning track ‘Strangers’ initially made popular on TikTok (it also topped dance charts in the US and Australia), the venue was unsurprisingly heaving for this performance from South African born Kenya Grace who resides in Hampshire. Kenya informed the audience “I’m going to play you some songs I wrote in my bedroom” and indeed she did just that, against a backdrop of projected graphics. The performance was heavy on the techno and D&B as you’d expect, the acoustics in the former Coalition nightclub bouncing the sound off every surface with the deep bass reverberating through the floor – lovely stuff. I particularly enjoyed ‘It’s Not Fair’, the more techno based ‘Only In My Mind’ and the D&B cover of Britney Spears 2003 hit ‘Toxic’ which saw Kenya perform her wizardry on the electronic pads. The set closed out with ‘Strangers’, written about experiences on dating apps with its infusion of D&B and layered evocative vocals, which sent the crowd away on a high having heard everything they’d come for.
(Martin J Fuller)
DOG UNIT – Jubilee Square 22:00 – 22:30
I’ve made my way to Jubilee Square to catch Dog Unit, a four-piece band who specialise in long and ambitious instrumentals, often linked together like movements in longer musical passages. I like them straight away. Clad in matching blue boiler suits adorned with the band’s name, they are arranged on stage in a horseshoe formation. Guitarists Sam and Henry are seated at the front, house left and right respectively, while bassist James stands next to drummer Lucie. There are extensive arrays of effects pedals, and Sam also has an omnichord, an electronic instrument that simulates harp-like strums. The music is hypnotically gorgeous right from the start. Opening piece ‘Turn Right And Right Again’ begins with sparkling arpeggios and builds steadily in intensity to tremolo strumming and a lovely lolloping bassline. ‘Lab Coats’ has ethereal omnichord strums over an initially steady beat, that becomes more punchy and angular beneath chiming lead and increasingly determined strumming. Personally, I am finding their music utterly blissful. The drums become a stuttering shuffle for ‘When Do We Start Fighting’, underpinning a dancing riff and insistent bass. It all gradually gets funkier, before breaking down to a cascade of tumbling drum fills and huge atmospheric swells of guitar. It’s great stuff. The set proceeds through a variety of moods, concluding with ‘We Can Still Win This’. Bouncing bass underpins chiming riffs of echo-drenched guitar and I am utterly transported. I suspect this set will be one of my highlights of the festival.
(Richie Nice)
JOE & THE SHITBOYS – Horatios 22:15 – 22:45
“Queer vegan shitpunk band from the Faroe Islands that produce high energy shows” are how Joe & the Shitboys are described on their Facebook page, yep, that very much sums them up to T, and what a show this was, full on energy, punk craziness. The long wide stage in Horatios really suited their set and let Joe dressed in his shorts and Hardcore/softcore t-shirt spread his wings with his stage antics. Both the bass and guitar player sporting ripped up denim dungarees kept that frantic guitar sound shredding along throughout, the drummer too was a constant beat machine, having only had 3 hours rehearsal before stepping in this evening, meanwhile Joe held the crowd in the palm of his hand. The band got through a massively long 20 song setlist, some of those songs admittedly were very short, but all high energy with lots of crowd sing back repetition. Joe controlled the crowd with ease, at one point splitting the capacity crowd and selecting people one by one to do their thing in the gap. Then he got the crowd to totally split right to the very back of Horatios and had the centre go at each other pit style. Later in the set he had everyone in the building crouch down on the floor, no exceptions allowed. The final song, the ‘Shitboys Theme’, he himself got into the crowd for that final verse. What a closer for the last show in Horiatios, I’d been ready for bed by that point, but that didn’t half pump some wake up into me.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
SLATE – Komedia Studio 23:15 – 23:45
Cardiff four-piece post-punk band Slate were recommended to me by friends who had seen their show earlier in the day. Their suggestion proved to be spot on, as they gave a great performance at Komedia Studio. Their set started with a moody atmosphere, and on the opening songs Raychi Bryant’s drumming reminded me a little of New Order. Their songs often exploded in an instant, as well as building slowly. Frontman Jack Shephard’s vocals matched the music from softer singing to shouted, and always delivered with passion. As an intro to one song, he read out a poem, which ended, “… sounded just like this.”. Jack was very animated, often singing at the very edge of the stage, very much in the style of Grian Chatten (Fontaines D.C.) and James McGovern (The Murder Capital). Slate played some tracks from their new album, released at midnight, or as Jack added “in 20 minutes”. Their closing number featured cleverly arranged quiet and loud sections. As parts built to crescendo, the three musicians faced each other, while Jack’s passionate vocals rose with the noise. It was a great finish to a very special performance by Slate.
(Peter Greenfield)
THE LIFE – Patterns Upstairs 23:30 – 12:00am
The Life is the new musical project of NYC-based Curtis Everett Pawley, Pawley was already known on the NYC nightlife when a June 2022 exposé in The New York Times revealed him to be one-half of anonymous podcast disruption-duo The Ion Pack. The Life I must say for a new project are a very tight four piece band, but Pawley is no stranger to music having scored music for movies. The band played a seven song set taking in four from the 2023 EP ‘If I Would Do Anything For Love’ with the rest of the set I believe are yet to be released. If I was to think in my mind what would a New York band look like, I think The Life is what I would imagine, they were dressed very cool and wanted the lighting dark, I think that matched their music style, beautiful bass and layered guitar, the songs channelled late night 90s early 00s for me, it was not upbeat, perhaps bordering on the darker side, Pawley used a voice effect on various songs, that really made his style very unique. This was their first show in Brighton and I think the beginning of their musical journey as The Life, let’s hope they come back. You can check out their EP on Bandcamp
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
GUT HEALTH – Patterns Upstairs 12:30am – 01:00am
I had initially planned to be in bed by this point of the evening, but following a recommendation earlier that evening I made my way over to Patterns especially to catch Gut Health. Described as Hypnotic art-punk with a bizarre post-punk edge. Six-piece ensemble Gut Health who are from the Naarm / Melbourne, Australia have been billed as an exciting upcoming band to watch. Their music style is hard to pigeonhole, that’s for sure, massive bass lines, layers of guitars, drums, percussion, keys, it’s all in there, Adam Markmann’s bass really giving it a post punk-ska slant if anything. Following a short protest reading at the start with regards to Palestine, the band got into it for a 30 minute eight song set. Vocalist Athina Uh oh, with her cool red hair was a whirlwind of energy, crazy performance art dance moves and bouncing about, there was no way of stopping the crowd dancing to their set, it was totally infectious. They debuted a new song that they’d only played 3 times before outside the UK called ‘New Plates’, this was a cracking number, I heard someone close by utter there is no way that’s only been played so little, due to it very much being well honed. Sadly it was all over all too quickly, I could have listened to a far longer set, it was a fine way.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
BUG EYED – Hope & Ruin 12:45am – 1:15am
Bug Eyed are guitarist Charlie Sale and singer Blue O’Grady, and for their late show in the small hours at The Hope & Ruin they were joined by a drummer and bassist. Singer Blue, dressed in a Russian Ushanka style hat and school uniform, had a great stage presence, very energetic and excitable, while also relaxed and casual. His singing style had a rap feel to it. The music had a real dance feel, with many in the audience dancing enthusiastically by the second song. This along with many fans singing along helped create a truly fun atmosphere. Their music had variety with ‘Backseats’ having a punchier soft-rock sound, while a new song ‘Ten To Twelve’ was a pop song. Charlie played some great dance riffs, especially on ‘Snug As A Bug’. This was my first-time seeing Bug Eyed, and I got caught up in their entertaining fun show. It was well worth the late finish and getting the night bus home to catch Bug Eyed.
(Peter Greenfield)
BOUND BY ENDOGAMY – Green Door Store 1:15am – 1:45am
Rounding off my first day of festivities are Geneva-based duo Bound By Endogamy, who are an act that were a must see for me! They have been on the case since 2019 and consist of Shlomo Balexert and Kleio Thomaïdes who are both prominent figures in the local squat and punk scene, having been involved in numerous projects over the past decade. On stage, the project format is drums which are in the capable hands of Shlomo, whilst Kleio takes care of the Elektron Octatrack MKII Sampler and delivers powerful in-yer-face French vocals along with a workout reminiscent of a professional boxer. There’s masses of energy going down with these two and I’m certainly along for the ride! Bound By Endogamy delivers a heavy blend of rave, synth-punk, and industrial music. They dropped their self-titled 8-tune album last December which combines raw, growling basslines, crisp analog rhythms, and passionate vocals ranging from breathy to fiercely cutting. They have toured in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Greece, Turkey and now here in the UK, and I for one would seriously love for them to make a rapid re-entry through Eurotunnel back to Brighton. With most folk tucked up in bed during these early hours of the morning, I’m at the front of the Green Door Store with a packed crowd and we are having a wail of a time whilst being bombarded with sounds akin to a dirty version of Suicide meets DAF with an Electro Kraftwerk ‘Numbers’ style vibe with guttural Kleenex vocals atop. Their set is nothing less than an aural assault and I bloody love it, so much so that I took the opportunity to catch them live again a mere 12 hours later, when they rocked the Komedia Studio.
(Nick Linazasoro)
