It’s a sunny Thursday in Brighton – and on the surface, it’s just like any other weekday morning in an English seaside city.
Tourists are plucking chips from cardboard containers, with one eye on their snack and the other on the horde of seagulls loitering above them, primed and ready to swoop down and steal some triple-fried goodness from their hands.
Small children are lingering next to ice cream vans, their pleading eyes begging their parents for a generous helping of sugar-in-a-scoop. (With sprinkles, of course).
There are couples, and families, and solo wanderers, all taking in the views of the seafront and the rolling shores of the never-ending pebble beach. It’s sunny, and serene, and all somewhat idyllic.
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There is, however, one minor detail that we might not have mentioned.
You see, if you were to take a short walk from said seafront, you wouldn’t be met with a crowd of young families, holidaymakers, and daytrippers. Instead, you’d be confronted with the sheer mass of the global music industry spilling out of the dozens of pubs and venues that make up Brighton’s cultural hubs. You’d find music lovers dashing between rooms to catch some of their favourite new artists, as well as a handful of old favourites. (But more on those later).
And, most importantly, you’d be greeted with more amazing live music than you could shake a stick – or an ice cream cone – at.
For this isn’t just any weekday in Brighton: it’s the Thursday of The Great Escape.
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Globally known as the United Kingdom’s premier new music extravaganza, The Great Escape is, on paper, a multi-venue event that celebrates and highlights the best new musical acts from all corners of the globe.
What that means in practice is that any well-meaning punters, and the team here at One on One HQ, are somewhat spoiled for choice. After all, how are you possibly supposed to pick who to see when the schedule of every venue in this city is packed full of top-tier talent from the moment they open their doors?
So, we did what any self-respecting music fan would do – and we just wandered. We strolled through the streets, taking in anything that caught our eye, and popping our heads through the doors of any space that looked like it might, possibly, be popping off.
And frankly, dear reader, it worked out rather well for us.
Amongst our first stops was a (very) intimate set from none other than UK indie-pop legends, The Hoosiers. They played a flawless career-spanning set, taking in highlights from their latest long-player, Compassion, as well as more than a handful of bona fide pop classics from their seriously weighty back catalogue. Yes, including the omnibanger that is Worried About Ray.
And it all took place in a pub in the middle of Brighton, because of course it did.
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With that, Team One on One strolled outside and continued into the night, hungry for more new music – and oh, did we find it.
First up, we had the kind of gospel-tinted soul music that feels like it’s been around for decades, and yet is somehow being delivered by a recently signed American man in a basement in the middle of Sussex. A powerhouse vocalist, Brother Wallace is blessed with one of those voices that stops you in your tracks. And if that doesn’t do it, his heavyweight combination of arena-sized pop hooks, gospel influences, and a genuinely stellar band almost certainly will.
We then dashed over to a room above a pub for a too-short and razor-sharp set from fast-rising punk-rocker Hyphen. A somewhat angry, yet undeniably charming, individual, Hyphen makes the kind of unapologetically political punk that wouldn’t sound out of place soundtracking a march through London. He’s brash, energetic, brilliant, and exactly what you need at 11:15pm on a Thursday.
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And then, as if by magic, it was Friday morning.
If we tried to run you through every band we saw on the Friday of The Great Escape, we’d probably be here all day. No, scrap that – we’d definitely be here all day. So, to save you
Making their Alt Escape debut, alternative duo lavender brought their uniquely atmospheric take on indie-pop to Brighton. Playing a stellar half-hour set of cuts from their debut album, we’re having a barn dance, the band delivered an excellent performance to a packed-out room that couldn’t help but move to the grooves of their gorgeously layered blend of hazy indietronica and arena-ready choruses.
Later in the day, Bristol-based four-piece My First Time played a genuinely barnstorming set at the Soundwaves stage. They might not have released more than a couple of EPs, but we’re genuinely convinced they’re going to be massive. Take the spikier moments of Blur, pair them with electro-punk production that’s reminiscent of The Prodigy if they’d never moved past their rock influences, and pop some chronically self-aware lyrical titbits about the follies of youth and young manhood on top. It’s raw, visceral, and utterly brilliant, and you need to check them out.
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And then? Well, frankly, it all gets a bit hazy from there.
There were more bands, label showcases, and pints pressed into our hands by friends new and old. We definitely saw some more music, but we’d be damned if we could tell you exactly what it was.
All that mattered then, and all that matters now, is that it was brilliant. And is that not the spirit of The Great Escape? You don’t need to know what’s going on, or even who you’re watching. All you need to do is embrace the chaos, trust the curation, and buckle up for a fantastic few days in the hands of one of the best festivals on the planet.
