There’s a lot to love about The Great Escape.
Not only does it take place within the more-then-scenic confines of one of the UK’s most picturesque seaside resorts – seriously, why haven’t we moved to Brighton yet? – but it’s also inarguably the best new music festival in the country.
Spread over three days and more stages than you can shake a reasonably priced pint of pale ale at, the festival has spent the last decade cultivating a well-earned reputation as the perfect start to the summer. Oh, and as a place that can break even the sturdiest of souls. After all, not only are you trying to cram in as many gigs and showcases as possible, but you can barely move without passing by a bar, burger van, or bespoke cocktail-making contraption. Sure, it’s fun – but sometimes, it’s a lot.
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Luckily, your friends at One on One have your back.
That’s why we headed down to the South Coast for three days of music, sunshine, and revelry, and all with the ultimate goal of sharing our highlights with you, our beautiful readers. So, without further ado, here’s an almost-definitive list of our highlights from The Great Escape 2023.
Coach Party
The Chess Club-signed Isle of Wight rockers – no, not those ones – seemed to be on something of a mission at The Great Escape. Over the course of the festival, the four-piece managed to squeeze in three sets, with each seeming to even louder, even longer, and even better. They’ve been tipped by The Rolling Stones and supported by every major music publication worth their salt – we’d suggest checking them out soon before you have to do it in an arena.
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Sandrayati
An artist whose sound might best be described as ‘the soft sonics of Joni Mitchell, married with the delicate soundscapes of Ólafur Arnalds’, Sandrayati’s set on the Friday night proved to be a perfect respite from the chaos of The Great Escape. Marrying a harrowing falsetto with melodies so sweet they’re practically sugar, the Iceland-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
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Mary In The Junkyard
Little is known about London-based punk-noise rabble Mary In The Junkyard: and we’ve got a feeling that that’s the way they like it. What we do know, however, is that their sets at The Great Escape were almost impossible to get into, and that what we did see of them suggests that they might be the natural heirs to the crown of ‘British punk’s next big thing’.
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Pretenders
Chrissie Hynde, innit? Enough said.
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Lauren Spencer-Smith
We’re assured that she’s a ‘platinum-selling singer songwriter whose single, Fingers Crossed, took TikTok by storm upon its release upon its release in 2022’. If you ask us, though, Lauren Spencer-Smith is better remembered as one of the best live acts we’ve seen all year.
The nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter has just announced a supermassive UK tour for later this year, and we think it’s well worth heading down to. After all, who doesn’t want to spend a pleasant evening crying their eyes out to lovelorn ballads and songs about unrequited love?
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NOISY
If you’re a fan of Fatboy Slim, indie-rock music, and/or a gargantuan party, then you could do worse than to check out a NOISY show. In our eyes, the Worthing rabble-rousers are the closest thing to a guaranteed good time this side of Berghain and you’d be daft to miss out on seeing them.
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