New music’s the best, really, isn’t it?
The bands. The buzz. The feeling that you might – just might – have discovered something that’s going to soundtrack the rest of your life. It’s finding a new song and letting it blare out throughout your good days; it’s stumbling across a new album and inadvertently having it score your worst. It’s a comfort blanket, and a fortress, and quite possibly the greatest thing in the world.
The only occasional problem with new music is that there’s just so damn much of it. But fortunately, that’s where The Great Escape comes in.
Over the course of three days in the sometimes-sunny seaside city of Brighton, The Great Escape serves as a one-stop shop for any new music fan worth their salt to catch a bunch of the best emerging artists on the planet in one fell swoop. And fortunately for you, we made sure to head down for the duration to catch a bunch of the best sets from across the weekend and report them back to you, the lovely readers of One on One.
So, what are you waiting for? Scroll down, you muppet.
Been Stellar
The hotly tipped New Yorkers showed why every music publication under the sun has been hailing them as Ones To Watch with a full-to-the-brim set on the Thursday of the festival.
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Love Fame Tragedy
The Wombats’ Murph Murphy delivered a short and sharp set of expertly crafted (and semi-neurotic) indie-pop goodness. If you’re not familar with the project, you’re missing out – over the course of two full-length records, Murphy has shown that Love Fame Tragedy isn’t the kind of side project that was created as a home for off-cuts that weren’t quite good enough for The Main Band’s album, but that it’s an artistic endeavour as valid (and infectious) as any on the festival’s billing.
If it’s upbeat bops you’re after, direct your ears towards Slipping Away; or if you’re interested in an early contender for Song Title Of The Year, we’d suggest you head straight for the immaculately named Don’t You Want To Sleep With Someone Normal?
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Cardinals
The noise-loving Irishmen delivered a killer set of honed and refined alt-punk-rock on the Thursday of the festival. They’ve already been tipped by the NME and One on One – so needless to say, we think that they’re going to be humungous.
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Home Counties
This London bunch have been on our radar for a while, but it’s a slew of buzzy recent live dates – and the release of their brilliant debut album Exactly As It Seems that’s tipped them from being Ones To Watch into being an act that You Should Probably Be Listening To Right Now. Their set at The Great Escape was packed, and pummelling, and as infectious as an irksome cough in a primary school classroom: they’re only going to get bigger (and better) from here.
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Good Neighbours
Six words, dear reader: massive, eloquent, and excellent indie bangers. They’re going to be everywhere.
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Want to know more? Well, this gallery of some highlights from The Great Escape 2024 should give you a pretty good idea of ‘the vibes’ from the festival:
