More about: The Great Escape Festival

One of the biggest weekends in music is here as The Great Escape gets going tomorrow. Spread around Brighton, hundreds of artists take over stages across town in a hectic three-day festival highlighting some of the most exciting names in new music right now from all across the world.

Before you pack out your schedules and try to balance a million heartbreaking clashes, here are out must-see acts across the festival.

Lets Eat Grandma

;

Already delivering an incredible album this year, Let's Eat Grandma are at the top of their game right now. Merging '80s dancey vibes with an alt-rock grounding, Two Ribbons houses so many tracks that we’re dying to see live as the duo are joined by a larger live band to bring the whole sound to life. After playing a career-changing set at Coachella back in 2019, the band have become a bucket list live act. Bringing a huge amount of energy into any room, the key-board touting duo transforms into a massive sound storm of dancey fun the second they hit the stage — so definitely don’t miss catching them in an intimate setting this weekend. (LH)

Thursday 12 - 10:15pm @ The Old Market
Friday 13 - 10:15pm @ Amazon New Music Stage

Fat Dog

It happened in 2016 with Shame, in 2018 with Fontaines D.C and in 2021 with Wet Leg: that all-consuming hype for a new and exciting band. Get ready for it to happen again, this time with new London band Fat Dog. It's hard to label them with anything solid, but Fat Dog — consisting of several members including a drummer in a Scooby mask — veer wildly between nu-metal and hardcore alt-electronica, straddling Papa Roach, The Prodigy and travelling circus music. Expect the entire venue to turn into a mosh pit. (JA)

Thursday 12 - 2:15am @ Green Door Store

Stella Donnelly

This is the first time in a while that we’ve been able to catch the Aussie singer over in the UK, so don’t miss out on seeing Stella Donnelly. Having recently announced a new album, the lead single ‘Lungs’ continues her legacy of delivering endlessly fun songs, full of humour, sharp observation and catchy beats. Fan fave tracks like ‘Seasons Greetings’ and ‘Tricks’ are sure to give you a boost of energy thanks to her sunny disposition and joy-dipped voice, while other tracks like ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ offer something more serious and thought-provoking for a dash of intellect to the weekend. Stella’s live sessions for Tiny Desk and Triple J are always quick to become high streamers, racking up high views on YouTube, so make sure to catch it IRL. (LH)

Friday 13 - 7:15pm @ Chalk
Saturday 14 - 3:35pm @ Amazon New Music Stage

Miso Extra

Miso Extra throws a lot at the wall to create her lo-fi hip-hop, and so much of it sticks that you can't see the paint for noodles. Satisfying and perfectly rounded, her sounds are an unusual see-sawing of computer-programmed beats overlayed by Miso's gentle tones, both in singing and rapping voice. You need to be there to really get it, but rest assured that this will be on of those gigs you can brag about being at when Miso Extra is written in large font on festival posters in a couple of year's time. (JA)

Friday 13 - 9:00pm @ The Arch

Softcult

Canadian twins Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn know that "the world still needs riot grrrl" and so they're bringing that energy to their grunge-y music themselves. Already popular in the UK for their dark EPs Year of the Rat and Year of the Snake, Softcult have not dropped a stinker yet. You'll be able to hear their atmospheric tunes in person this weekend on Thursday and/or Saturday. Expect this one to be well-attended, because the shiny darkness of Softcult's music is too good to miss out on seeing live. (JA)

Thursday 12 - 9:00pm @ Volks
Saturday 14 - 2:30pm @ Green Door Store

Piri + Tommy

The TikTok hyperpop-dance duo stormed the internet with ‘Soft Spot’, a track that still dominates our FYP. Made up of a musical couple including singer Piri and producer Tommy Villiers, their joint project is high energy, genre-melting and super dancey. Slowly making the rounds of their first live shows, the reaction is already overwhelmingly positive, promising a set that's perfect for letting off some steam and dancing your way into a late festival night. With three huge club filler tracks already out, its a great chance to get a sneak peak of what’s to come and add a dash of night out vibes to the beach-based weekend. (LH)

Fridat 13 - 11:30pm @ The Arch
Saturday 14 - 7:45pm @ Concorde 2

Katy J Pearson

If you’re after something a little mellower to kick off another day, Katy J Pearson’s sets are a great one to ease you in. With a nostalgic '60s sound that's reminiscent of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, her vocals land somewhere between Dolly Parton and Kate Bush with classic folky country vibes and strange twists. Her discography offers both soft acoustic ballads and bigger cuts, as the recent single ‘Talk Over Town’ sees her moving in a more electric, full-sound direction. As a live act with a dedicated cult following, you definitely want to get to know Katy. (LH)

Thursday 12 - 8:15pm @ Komedia Basement
Saturday 14 - 3:00pm @ Horatios

Issue Three of the Gigwise Print magazine is on sale now! Order here.

More about: The Great Escape Festival