Celebrating our 100th issue meant The Great Escape 2025 had to be something extra special. Taking over three separate stages across three glorious days of seaside mayhem, we brought together festival favourites, buzzy newcomers, and everything in between for a weekend packed with sets to remember. From Coach Party's indie-rock masterclass and SOFY's sun-soaked pop charm to Talk Show’s late-night frenzy and the sheer euphoria of Lynks' closing set, here’s how our 100th-issue shenanigans went down at Brighton's annual showcase of chaos and brilliance.
To get a one-hour slot at The Great Escape, you need to be something a bit special.
Enter TGE stalwarts, and Dork favourites Coach Party. Gearing up to release their highly anticipated second album, the quartet provide just the right amount of indie-rock grit and tongue-in-cheek lyrics to treat the now full-capacity Charles Street Tap for the Chess Club Records stage in association with Dork.
Blasting through searing punk-rock anthem 'Parasite', veering into shoegaze-dream-pop in 'Be That Girl', and serving a heaped spoonful of guitar-drenched dread in existentialist anthem 'What's The Point In Life?', Coach Party turn a cloudy Thursday afternoon into a distinctly more vibrant affair. Proving their undeniable talent to write catchy, grungy bangers with fan favourite 'Feel Like A Girl (FLAG)' from their 2022 EP, whilst also teasing their new era with their latest single 'Girls', the Isle of Wighters once again prove their credentials as leaders of the indie-rock frontier. (CP)
SOFY sits on the cusp of something very exciting indeed. Packing Charles Street Tap to the very back, she makes early afternoons feel like the perfect summer day out, dipping into a wink and a smile at every turn. Indie licks and chewy pop bounce off each other perfectly - 'togethertogether' and a shimmering 'socks' are but two highlights of a special set that feels all the more of a treat knowing the venues and stages SOFY now commands. It sets the course perfectly as a favourite for taking everyday life moments and making them wonderfully brilliant - as a sugar-dose drop of why you should get on board now (and question why you hadn't done so already…). (JM)
Day two and Dork's second stage of the weekend is in full swing. Crammed back into the mirror-walled, sticky-floored upstairs of the Charles Street Tap, it seems a lot of people are keen to see The Pill. And why wouldn't they be? With whip-smart lyrics, catchy instrumentals, and a song about how much they hate mullets, there's really nothing else like them. Opener 'Scaffolding Man' sets the pace, and within minutes, they've got the notoriously inactive Great Escape crowd moshing like they're at Download festival. Between songs they're just as good value, bantering with the crowd and just generally commanding the whole venue like it's what they were born to do. The energy levels are through the roof, especially impressive when you consider that they've been on tour relentlessly this year, coming straight from a Panic Shack support slot in Liverpool the night before and heading to Oxford straight afterwards. They've even managed to find time to write new material, with the one-two punch of 'Bale of Hay' into a brand new song being a perfect end to an already fantastic set. (JH)
Not ones to be upstaged, Talk Show come on stage at 10:15pm like a brick through the proverbial window of most people watching. Seeing off healthy competition at what is fundamentally the headline timeslot of the night, they pack out the room and proceed to spend half an hour sonically battering them. Lead singer Harrison Swann is topless and doing his level best to whip people up into a frenzy, with a tiny mosh pit of die-hard fans starting early and not stopping until the band walk off stage. The Great Escape's scheduling can sometimes be a case of bands playing when there's space rather than at a time slot that fits their sound. With Talk Show, though, the stars have truly aligned, with this being the perfect late-night livener. Thoughts of aching feet and second-day sluggishness are well and truly left at the door for a set, which is one of the highlights of the weekend. (JH)
Saturday night is alright for many things, but none more so than a Closing Party at The Great Escape's TGE Beach. Taking over The Deep End's main room sets from Kabeaushe, Zola Blood, and She's Got Brass set a marker for one final night of seaside revelry. As night falls, piri & tommy elevate the party energy. Their fresh live show delivers an accomplished statement of intent that's impossible to resist. A full takeover adds groove and bounce to the celebration - tracks like 'dog' and 'words' breathe with new life as The Beach fills. What shines is piri & tommy's clear vision for their live experience. Covers of CHIC's 'Everybody Dance' and 'Gypsy Woman', complete with a "La da dee la da da" singalong, keep the dance floor moving while dance routines spread across the stage for 'yoyo' and beach balls fly into the crowd during 'beachin'. Showcasing the future as ultimate party-starters, piri & tommy's biggest era is just beginning. (JM)
If you could design a perfect closing act for nearly four days of cross-Brighton mayhem, you'd choose Lynks. While weary bodies and final embers of energy scatter the streets of The Great Escape, The Beach becomes a magnet for the firework display that only Lynks can deliver - turning Dork's Closing Party into a sweatbox. Returning to a festival rich with memories and marking their first live show of 2025, their performance grows more impressive with each outing. Tracks from debut album 'ABOMINATION' are unstoppable - '(What Did You Expect From) Sex With A Stranger' and 'Use It Or Lose It' hit hard - but it's Lynks themself who commands centre stage. Leading The Beach like the herald of a new wave, they inspire non-stop moshpits and pogoing bodies. What follows raises the stakes: new track 'I Didn't Come Here For Art, I Only Came Here To Dance' reaches new heights of clubland euphoria, while a closing run including 'Str8 Acting' makes their headline moment everything you could want. One of the best live acts performing today, Lynks makes The Great Escape move to their blueprint. (JM)
