The Great Escape expands to 4 days & announces 120+ additional acts

Tuesday 4th February – The Great Escape, the festival for new music, has today shared details of a new Spotlight Show for 2025. On Wednesday 14th May, renowned singer-songwriter and co-frontman of The Libertines Peter Doherty will perform alongside eccentric post-punk six-piece Warmduscher, Welsh indie-punks Trampolene and more, as part of a very special showcase from Strap Originals, Doherty’s own independent record label, to celebrate the arrival of Doherty’s new album ‘Felt Better Alive’. With a curated line-up of hotly tipped new artists, this separately ticketed show will take place at The Deep End as part of a TGE Brighton Beach takeover.

The unique showcase will also form part of an expansion for 2025, as The Great Escape will open its doors even earlier with an expanded live music programme on the Wednesday of the festival. Bringing more incredible showcases and venues to the festival experience, this year will feature four full days of music programming for the first time ever with doors open from 5pm on Wednesday 14th May at venues across the city.

Additionally, The Great Escape has shared its annual showcase The Road to The Great Escape is set to return to King Tut’s, Glasgow on 9th and 10th May, and Whelan’s, Dublin on 12th and 13th May, with a selection of artists performing ahead of the Brighton event.

Today, the festival has also announced a mammoth 120+ new additions to the 2025 line-up. With a momentous selection of emerging acts plucked from across the globe, The Great Escape 2025 will welcome some of the finest new talent from the worlds of pop, rock, rap, R&B, folk, soul, indie, electronic and beyond.

Heading to Brighton this May, today’s line-up additions include Northern Irish rapper Jordan Adetunji, queer industrial-pop artist Lynks, high energy indie phenomenon The K’s, rising art-punks Man/Woman/Chainsaw, dreamy transatlantic trio Sunday (1994), breakout rapper Black Fondu, hotly-tipped indie-rockers Westside Cowboy, Australian post-disco act Donny Benét and many more.

Alongside the festival, The Great Escape also hosts the UK’s leading music business conference, which has announced its industry collaborators for 2025. Each representing different areas of the music industry, the collaborators will curate different days of the conference and use their vast networks to help shape and elevate the programming. Thursday 15th May will be presented alongside the Council of Music Makers and The Association of Independent Music, Friday 16th May will be programmed alongside the Night Time Industries Association and Saturday 17th May will see the festival collaborate with Youth Music and BBC Introducing.

Synonymous with new music discovery and acting as a springboard for rising artists, The Great Escape is the festival for new music. Playing host to over 450 up-and-coming artists and hotly tipped talent across 35+ walkable venues, alongside the music industry-led TGE conference, the festival will kick off the 2025 season from 14th – 17th May in Brighton. Tickets for The Great Escape festival start from £81.24 and are on sale HERE.

With several thousands of music fans from across the country and globe descending on the Brighton seaside for The Great Escape every May, fans are urged to book their accommodation early. Festival dates at recommended hotels are available for booking now via The Great Escape website HERE.

ALTERNATIVE & INDIE

Renowned for championing the very best in indie and alternative music, 2025 will once again see The Great Escape welcome some of the genre’s finest new talents to its expansive selection of seaside venues. Alongside a special Spotlight show from singer-songwriter and co-frontman of The Libertines Peter Doherty, the 2025 festival will feature performances from eccentric post-punk six-piece and Strap Originals signees Warmduscher, high energy Merseyside indie phenomenon The K’s, ‘90s-inspired alt-rock outfit Witch Post, hotly-tipped indie-rockers Westside Cowboy, infectious indie-pop multi-instrumentalists Vona Vella, richly experimental London collective Talk Show, post-punk and baroque-pop fusion RABBITFOOT, gritty indie-rock soloist Peter Xan, unadulterated art-punks Man/Woman/Chainsaw, otherworldly Brighton quartet The New Eves, Bristol-based noise-rockers Heavy Lungs, riff-laden doom-rockers MOULD, Franco-British indie-dance duo PAMELA and jangling indie-rock quarter Hungry.

Furthers showcases will see riotous Leeds rock’n’rollers Fuzz Lightyear, nostalgic chamber-pop artist Gus Tiramani, emerging post-punk and electronic trailblazer Flawless Issues, Australian post-disco act Donny Benét, laidback, lo-fi indie-pop artist Callinsick, Nashville-based indie-rocker Annie DiRusso, dreamy folk-rockers Dump Babes, dreamy transatlantic trio Sunday (1994), slacker rock singer-songwriter CJ Wiley, acclaimed South African indie-rockers Shortstraw., unapologetic and unfiltered Folk Bitch Trio and Vancouver grunge trio The Jins take to the stage.

Today’s new stack of names also includes Trampolene, Real Farmer, Search Results, Edredon Sensible, Alix Fernz, Wayside, Eggy, Armlock, Sly Withers, Hachiku, TRAAMS, Silver Gore, Patche, Makeshift Art Bar, Harry Strange, Goodbye Karelle, Bria Salmena, Park National, Jo Hill, Basht., Total Tommy, Field Guide, Stella Bridie, Bold Love, Route 500, Acopia, GANS, Evan Williams, Sam Tudor, Blood Wizard, HotWax, Astral Bakers, Declan O’Donovan, Goodbye, George Bloomfield, Men An Tol, Bottle Rockets, Abdomen and YES AND MAYBE.

GRIME, RAP & HIP-HOP

From the worlds of grime, rap and hip-hop, festivalgoers will be treated to showcases from BAFTA Award-winning musician, visual artist and conjurer of melodies L E M F R E C K, breakout rapper and producer Black Fondu, femme-powered hip-hop five-piece NADUH, emerging British rap pioneer namesbliss, melting pot of modern production and ancient sounds Tjaka, Chicago-based industrial rap duo Angry Blackmen, dynamic grime and D’n’B artist Maïcee, unpredictable Faroese genre-defier Silvurdrongur and Northern Irish rapper and singer Jordan Adetunji.

FOLK, AMERICANA & COUNTRY

For more folk-flecked offerings, fans can look forward to catching a selection of the finest Americana and country-inspired acts at TGE 2025, with performances from shoegaze-fuelled folk act Yasmin Coe, intricately ethereal singer-songwriter PEM, modern folk storyteller and arranger Ragnar Finsson, avant-garde blues nine-piece Bishopskin and gothic folk-rock act Jordi Alkema.

Vital new voice on the English folk scene Yoshika Colwell will also be showcasing at the festival, alongside rising alternative-folk six-piece The Slow Country, Brighton folk-rock shoegazers Ladylike, Irish folk multi-instrumentalist Odhran Murphy, post-rock and folk hybrid Van Zon, emerging singer-songwriter Junior Brother, transatlantic duo DUG and poetic songwriter Clara Mann.

JAZZ, R&B & SOUL

Soulful sounds will take pride of place at this year’s festival, with a selection of acts flying the flag for R&B and jazz across the weekend. Today’s line-up additions include ethereal Swedish multi-instrumentalist Becky and the Birds, emerging Faroese R&B act Tamara Mneney, South London soul singer Raelle, award-winning Canadian actress and rising R&B star Aqyila, DIY metal and R&B fusion act Sebastian Gaskin, soulful and empowering Jazzygold, Kenyan-New Zealand reggae musician Muroki, New Zealand pop and R&B band Drax Project, the playful and era-blending GeminiCrab (Malika Tirolien & Caulder Nash), West End performer and emerging artist Lola Moxom, warm and soulful gospel-inspired singer James Emmanuel and unique R&B-meets-electronic artist Yoko Gold.

ELECTRONIC

Fans of innovative electronica and trailblazing dance can look forward to catching Belfast-based interdisciplinary artist, DJ and live electronic act Mount Palomar, immersive, introspective storyteller Max Baby and French DJ Canblaster at TGE 2025.

POP

Avid pop fans are also in for a treat at the 2025 festival, with a hotly-tipped selection of acts bringing their infectious melodies and optimism rhythms to the Brighton seaside. Performances will come from the likes of rich and cathartic singer-songwriter Nadia Kadek, soulful Dublin singer-songwriter and producer MOIO, mesmerising, coming-of-age artist Mitch Sanders, outlandish industrial pop artist Lynks, emotive Irish pop powerhouse Bradley Marshall, introspective bedroom-pop artist Indoor Foxes, Syndey-based nostalgic synth-pop duo GAUCI, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Norweigan-Irish chamber-pop singer Tara Nome Doyle, Australian pop songwriter Kita Alexander, Ontario multi-instrumentalist Billianne and bilingual 18-year old singer-songwriter Nancy Williams.

PUNK, ROCK & METAL

For those looking for heavier sounds, Johannesburg-based thrash-punks Twenty One Children, chaotic flower-punk band and 2024 Steve Strange Award winners Aggrasoppar, gritty and dark alternative rockers Green Star, alt-rock trio Sex Mask, semi-fictional outsider ouija pop supergroup The Moonlandingz and angsty post-hardcore punks Pageant Mum are amongst the punk, rock and metal acts set to take to the stage in 2025. They will be joined by innovative noise-rockers Jools, enigmatic alt-punk band KNIVES, dark and driving four-piece Gloin, Isle of Wight jank-punks The Pill, bedroom emo-pop artist REDD., Aussie alt-rockers DICE, two-headed art-punk Grimelda and Queensland punk-rock four-piece Beddy Rays.