Grab a ticket to the UK's best new music festival!

The Great Escape, the UK’s very own South By South East Sussex. A place where the music of the moment converges to form a giant multi-genre showcase of the most up to date, up-and-coming talents from the UK and abroad.

This is the festival for rising stars, with names on the bill on the verge of blowing up, or who have a lot of hype circulating around them. Often, this it the last stage they’ll play as a small-time act.

With so many talented artists and DJs heading to the coast, we thought we’d take you on a round-the-world tour of the artists heading to TGE 2018!

Superorganism - UK

Meet Superorganism, an international group consisting of members from New Zealand, Japan, Australia, South Korea and Lancashire, whose ages range from seventeen to thirty-two, all living under one roof in London’s East End.

The band rose to prominence at the start of 2017, releaing ‘Something For Your M.I.N.D’ - a sensationally technicolour pop tune which picked up plays on both Frank Ocean and Ezra Koenig’s radio shows. Since then, their momentum is in no way slowing down, with sold out debut shows around the world, TV performances on Jools Holland and a debut self-titled album on Domino Records.

Ruthanne - Republic of Ireland

Chances are, you don’t know who RuthAnne is, but you’ve heard her lyrics. Penning smash hits for the likes of Britney Spears (“Work Bitch”), Jojo (“Too Little Too Late”), One Direction (“Where Do Broken Hearts Go”, “No Control”) Pentatonix, (“Misbehavin’”) Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha’s (“In The Name Of Love”) and co-wrote Nial Horan’s debut solo album, Flicker.

Now pursuing her own material, RuthAnne’s 2017 solo debut takes the gritty R&B of the nineties, with inspiration coming from the likes of Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys, and blends it with the storytelling of 1970s songwriters.

M.I.L.K - France

 

M.I.L.K's music has a summery, sunny feeling that oozes from his intoxicating blend of sun-soaked RnB and slacker-esque yacht rock - perhaps the reason why Capital Music France and Interscope (USA) have quickly grabbed the signature of the young Frenchman with a long awaited debut EP, A Memory Of A Memory Of A Postcard, on the way.

Joycut - Italy

Seeing JoyCut onstage is a glimpse into a not too distant future; men and machine in perfect harmony, creating an electro post-rock symphony of swirling synthesizers and primal, driving drums. Since their formation in 2007, the band have composed the official anthem for the Italian national football team during the 2014 World Cup as well as touring with Chemical Brothers and holding a residency at Clermont Ferrand’s Coopérative de Mai. Keep an eye out for their new album dropping very soon!

Laurel Halo (DJ Set) - Germany

Dark and moody strains of electronic music that takes influence from Detroit all the way to Berlin. Laurel Halo, a mainstay of the London-based label Hyperdub, will be bringing her shape-shifting, experimental sounds to Brighton.

Nana Adjoa - Netherlands

Nana Adjoa is a Dutch-Ghanaian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist combining melodic and soulful vocals with experimental and alternative sounds. Taking heavy influence from 90s British trip-hop, Nana contrasts far out beats and sounds with witty, biting lyricism - a style evident in her debut single, ‘The Resolution’ and her follow up ‘Late Bloomer’ which secured her place on Dutch National Radio and slots on Spotify and Apple Music playlists.

Nelson Can - Denmark

With a strict “no guitar” policy, Nelson Can take focus on creating intricate music through layers of drum, bass and harmonies and whistling. Taking an unconventional, DIY approach from their music to the way they’re storming the music industry, Nelson Can are a force to be reckoned with.

Veronica Fusaro - Switzerland

“In the night”, says Fusaro, “that’s definitely when I’m most creative, and especially at this time of year I can’t help it. During the autumn and the sun and the light starts to fade by early afternoon, you can either be sad or be creative”. The night is a recurring theme throughout Veronica Fusaro’s music; her new EP “ICE COLD”, shimmery post-R&B best played under moonlight.

Kirke Karja (Solo) - Estonia

Hailing from Estonia, Kirke Karja will be bringing a new solo performance to Great Escape this year. Kirke is an endlessly busy musician who has studied piano, composition and free improvisation and who currently studies as a doctural candidate at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. If this wasn't enough, Kirke also works as a freelance musician and holding a leading position in several musical collectives including the nine-member group, Pae Kollektiiv.

Sassy 009 - Norway

Young trio Sassy 009 create mystical, intimate and minimal music, that effortlessly floats between house, pop, techno and experimental. Combining their sound with obscure visuals, they create a dark and danceable experience which earned them a feature in The Fader.

Ruby Empress - Sweden

Attention for the Gothenburg four-piece has snowballed in such a short time, and rightly so. Combining beat driven psychedelic disco with soundscapes made up of dark eerie choirs, classical music and dreamy falsetto vocals, Ruby Empress create minimalistic pop that also has a deep, cavernous feel. This Scandinavian indie-electro pop outfit, who don’t shy away from a guilty pleasure or two, are definitely ones to watch.

Högni - Iceland

Högni Egilsson is one of the best known contemporary singer-songwriters to emerge from Iceland in recent years. Before enrolling in composition at the Iceland Academy of the Arts at 21, Högni was already known among his peers as an extremely talented musician after growing up mastering the violin, guitar, piano as well as jazz improvisation.

2007 saw the release of Sleepdrunk Seasons, the debut EP album by Hjaltalín - an indie rock group fronted by Högni, and within months his voice and compositions were everywhere in Iceland; on television, radio and stages across the country.       

Sado Opera - Russia

Extravagant and eccentric are two words that come to mind with Sado Opera. The St. Petersburg band who are now based in Berlin have become one of Germany’s craziest and most impressive musical imports. The resident band at Wilde Renate, one of Berlin’s most notorious nightclubs, Sado Opera have travelled all over Europe with their mix of disco, boogie and electro-funk, as well as being selected by Conan O’Brien as a musical symbol of Berlin for his TV special about the German capital.

47 Soul - Palestine

“It is rare you find a band with such a unique sound and vibe” writes MTV’s Line Rindvig, a factor that is undeniable when listening to the sounds of 47 Soul. The band combine traditional Palestinian street music and dance, Dabke, with deep electronic beats influenced by Middle Eastern sounds. Using an arsenal of analogue gear, guitars and tripped-out vocals in English and Arabic, 47SOUL celebrates freedom and the struggle for equality around the world through music.

Nikhil D’Souza - India

Following his dreams, Nikhil D’Souza left behind Mumbai at a time when original music wasn’t overly encouraged, heading to America in search of something more than just local cover bands. Inspired by the sounds of Jeff Buckley, Nikhil’s introspective lyricism and guitar playing took him from feeling out of place to a record deal with East West in the UK and a debut single release in 2017 entitled, “Beautiful Mind”.

Adoy - South Korea

Drawing up images of sun, sea and good times with friends whilst contrasting these with deeper motifs of dreams, the future and loneliness, ADOY create polished, blissful indie-pop that has seen them perform on major stages including Pentaport Rock Festival, EBS Space and NAVER Onstage. Catch their upcoming second EP, dropping in May!     

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Japan

Japan’s most influential music star is heading to Brighton. “PONPONPON”, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s debut single, has been played over 123 million times, and her album, Nanda Collection debuted at No.1 on Japan’s national music charts, selling over 400,000 physical copies. In 2016, the pop icon embarked on her 3^rd world tour and collaborated with producer Yasutaka Nakata, featuring pop star Charli XCX. A true icon, and the most followed Japanese artist on Twitter, don’t miss out on a monumental pop figure taking to TGE stage this year!

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Australia

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever have carved out a unique place in the local music for their infectious guitar hooks, undeniable melodies and dense and intelligent lyrical style. Using unmistakably-Australian dry wit and wide-eyed lyricism, their music never loses your attention - landing their French Press EP on many ‘Best Of 2017’ lists, including The Guardian/The Observer’s ‘Hidden Gems’, and No.13 in Paste Magazine’s Best New Artists.  

TEEKS - New Zealand

Rasied on a diet of music, performance and strong Māori cultural influences, TEEKS’ took his first step into the music industry through the prestigous Pao Pao Pao development initiative created for establishing emerging Māori artists. Throughout 2017, TEEKS refined his live performance; deep and sonorous class soul merged with modern electronic soundscapes.  

The Beaches - Canada

Comprised of sisters Jordan and Kylie Miller, Eliza Enman-McDaniel on drums, and Leandra Earl on keys and guitar, The Beaches combine the raw energy of garage-rock with the outrageous in-your-face appeal of glam-rock to create songs that resonate their aurora of cool.

Label this group a “girl-group” and you’ll receive a collective eye-roll; this is a rock’n’roll band defining themselves with their music rather than an all female band in a male-dominated rock world.

Japanese Breakfast - United States

Michelle Zuaner wrote the debut Japanese Breakfast album in the weeks after her mother died of cancer, with the intention of quitting music entirely after its completion. However, that wasn’t the case. When Psychopop was released to acclaim in 2016, she was forced to confront her grief as the music and its subject was thrown into the spotlight.

Her follow up album, Soft Sounds From Another Planet, builds upon both the subject and the music of her debut, reflecting upon her experience of her initial release whilst striving forward musically.

The Ganjas - Chile

Across a career spanning 18 years, Chilean neo-psych band The Ganjas have released 10 albums to to date, earning them a cult following and a place as one of the most influential bands of Chile’s independent scene.

There we have it - 23 different countries worth of artists, all heading to Brighton for one of the best new music festivals in the world!

For the full line-up, tickets and more - click here!