Here's hundreds of photos and thousands of words from The Great Escape 2017

<strong>Obviously, if you’re reading this, you’re probably Really Quite Interested in new music. And if you’re Really Quite Interested in new music, you’ll know that there are few better places on the planet to find it than at Brighton’s The Great Escape. The annual jamboree specialises in introducing the bands you’ll be obsessing about for the next twelve months, and this year it’s absolutely no different.</strong> <strong>Across tens of venues, hundreds of bands play over three packed days of both on and off-programme events. Almost every fresh voice you can think of is here, making the weekend the UK’s answer to SXSW.</strong> <strong>Except, really, it isn’t. Because The Great Escape isn’t anyone’s answer to anything. It’s its own festival. SXSW is great - don’t get us wrong - but it’s rammed to the rafters with commercial hook ups and established names. While you may get the odd act popping up that knows their way around, here potential is the name of the game. This year’s stars include everyone from Sigrid to The Magic Gang, The Japanese House to Girli. Strap yourselves in...</strong> <strong>Photos:</strong> Sarah Louise Bennett <strong>Words:</strong> Ali Shutler, Jamie Muir, Stephen Ackroyd <h2 style="font-size:2em;">THURSDAY 18TH MAY</h2> Aussie wonders <strong>Middle Kids</strong> are a band you should put your money on. Judging by the packed Komedia floorboards on show, they’re well on their way to becoming the acclaimed darlings of alt-guitar worlds. It’s a spinning blend, that sounds like a band playing to each other in a garage that the world is now getting to peek into as well. ‘Never Start’ and ‘Edge Of Town’ are just the start, with one EP already sounding like a classic in waiting. If it’s all as good as today’s show, then we’re hooked. The heavens have opened. Brighton downpours aren’t like any other type of downpour, but when you climb up the stairs in Bleach to find <strong>Anteros</strong>, you know the forecast is about to switch up. Even for an early show, the glam-soaked pop they deliver immediately sends the mind to late-night pomp. Whether it’s the dynamite punch of ‘Drunk’, the flicks of ‘Breakfast’ or the immediate charm of ‘The Beat’ - Anteros deliver a set of swagger that’ll make them bonafide superstars in no time. The rain stands no chance with these lot around. When <strong>Dead Pretties</strong> plug straight in at the back of The Black Lion pub, the shattering licks that emerge could put the foundations of it in serious jeopardy. A scuzz-laden shot in the arm - the howls, screams and intensity that radiates out is enough to pull everyone into their orbit, rattling the cages of ramshackle rock. It’s an onslaught that leaves an entire room breathless, and a feeling that Dead Pretties could just possess the sledgehammers to truly cause a stir in the road ahead. The fuses are set with these lot. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Matt-Maltese_Black-Lion_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-22.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15233" /> Following up the raucous Dead Pretties, <strong>Matt Maltese</strong> is an altogether different proposition - yet equally as captivating. Serving up a stunning statement of raw honesty, Matt’s voice rips straight to the core, the vulnerability of ‘No One Won The War’ silencing the room with eyes set firmly on every note and line he delivers. Packed with serenades of a modern age, ‘Vacant In The 21st Century’ and ‘As The World Caves In’ nestle effortlessly in a set that we’ll be looking back on in years to come in envy. The Paganini Ballroom is a majestic building of history and character, so it makes sense that <strong>Goat Girl</strong> unravel the rich portraits of their own with a distinctly modern nod there. Harking back yet distinctly of their own, the opening one-two of ‘Circus’ and ‘Creep’ immediately place the room in captive awe, with a sound that sounds both on-edge and powerful at the same time. It’s a performance that’ll have many following Goat Girl’s next move from here on out, with a set of immense anthems already under their belt. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Marika-Hackman_Paganini-Ballroom_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-83.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15227" /> <strong>Marika Hackman</strong> wasn’t kidding about her new chapter. Every song tonight is taken from ‘I’m Not Your Man’ and every one is driven forward by a beaming self-belief. ‘Boyfriend’ is all daydreams and danger, ‘My Lover Cindy’ dances on its own while ‘Violet’ looms large over the room. Charged with fizzing electricity but never stepping back from the front-facing invitation to get lost in the music, Marika is now an instigator, as well as an artist. It’s big, bold and bundles of fun. If there’s a name that’s been talked about the most in terms of acts to see down in Brighton this year, <strong>Sigrid</strong>’s is the one that jumps to mind first - and her evening set on the seafront at Coalition is nothing short of spectacular. Possessing the pose and presence of a superstar already, it’s an immediate hit-filled set that immediately wraps the packed crowd in Coalition into a frenzy. If there was any doubt as to Sigrid’s future, then tonight it’s chucked right out of the window - she’s going to take the world by storm, and she has the live show to back it up. Pop has never sounded so fresh. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Will-Joseph-Cook_Wagner-Hall_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-48.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15309" /> The crown prince of genre-bending pop, <strong>Will Joseph Cook</strong>’s performance at this year’s festival is already a hub of ready-made favourites. It’s an accomplished ride through debut LP ‘Sweet Dreamer’, with Will embracing the stage with panache and charm - delivering sweet licks like ‘Take Me Dancing’, ‘Girls Like Me’ and an appropriate ‘For Thursday’ all dazzling with a taste of summer hooks. Announcing that his birthday is on Sunday, Will’s Great Escape moment is the candles on the cake for sure. Grab a slice, because it’s bloody delicious. For a band already renowned for being unmissable live, <strong>Shame</strong>’s set at The Haunt could easily have simply been a confirmation of what we’ve already seen. Instead, it’s a step-up of immeasurable levels, a band taking the phenomenal foundations and building a snarling mansion on top of it. Frontman Charlie Steen is a presence that has eyes firmly locked from the get-go, with latest number ‘Tasteless’ ringing out with a gritted tidal wave coming behind it. Only getting better, Shame are a band you need to see, and you need to see them now. So far, every slice of <strong>Pixx</strong>’s debut has come covered in glitter and pastel escape. The fury, aggression and confusion that crafted ‘The Age Of Anxiety’, painted over with a thin layer of positivity. Tonight, there’s none of that. It all comes charging forward as Hannah and her band snarl about the place. ‘I Bow Down’ becomes a hypnotic promise of self-determination while ‘Waterslides’ comes full of warnings and sees Pixx at her flamboyant best. Twisting about the space, the colours are emboldened and the big, beating heart leads the way. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/The-Japanese-House_Wager-Hall_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-27.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15282" /> The midnight set could easily have been created specifically for <strong>The Japanese House</strong>. Full of dazzling electro grooves spanning across Amber Bain’s career to date, it’s a cleansing sight that manages to clear out any thoughts from the full day before it. There’s a real sense of occasion when ‘Clean’ dazzles into frame, with a set that showcases how touring around the globe and arena sets have built Amber into a truly undeniable live performer. Chilling, moving and real, by the time ‘Saw You In A Dream’ and ‘Face Like Thunder’ wraps things up The Japanese House has already won The Great Escape. Everyone has an opinion on festival headliners. Fresh blood, old classics, shut up and play the hits or give the die-hards what they want, it’s a debate that really signals the start of festival season and one that always remains unanswered. Until now. What every festival needs is an evening of <strong>Sløtface Karaoke</strong>. Taking nineteen of The Best Songs Of All Time (plus one by RHCP) and performing it to a room of excitable people at the stroke of midnight sounds like a recipe for disaster but it was glorious in its ridiculousness. Heroes are made over the course of a Natasha Bedingfield classic before they join the trenches to help blast out a slice of Bon Jovi. The band keep the wheels turning with a strict discipline to having a good time and really, what more could you want apart from one more song. <h2 style="font-size:2em;">FRIDAY 19TH MAY</h2> <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Slotface-_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-51.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15252" /> Your New Favourite Band <strong>Sløtface</strong> have been busy this weekend. Six shows alongside their own karaoke party but nothing can dampen the spirits of this band. Yes it’s raining. No, no one cares. The band bring their own sunshine and it’s an infectious sort of beam. The equipment is playing up and they’re essentially playing in someone’s back garden but as soon as ‘Shave My Head’, ‘Empire Records’ or ‘Magazine’ kicks in, we’re taken away to a glossy, coming-of-age movie where anything is possible and everything feels exciting. There are a lot of great bands at Great Escape but few moments feel as special as <strong>Estrons</strong>. It’s 3pm and Tali cannot believe people have turned up. “Shouldn’t you be at work or school,” she asks. This is a set not to missed though. The band’s steady stream of singles leading to this, a fiery and powerful thirty minutes of vulnerability, frustration and celebration as the band pour it out for a world that sits at a slant. ‘Drop’, ‘Make A Man’, ‘Strobe Lights’ all stand proud on their own but back to back, they elevate Estrons to wonderfully, miraculous heights. The mesmeric electronica that moves out of Norwegian/Dutch outfit <strong>Klangstof</strong> is nothing short of mesmerising on a Friday afternoon. A stunning soundscape of cuts from debut album ‘Close Eyes To Exit’, Klangstof’s set is a blissful moment of clarity in the midst of Brighton, and an invitation from a band to submerge yourself in the world they create. It’s sensational. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/INDER_Wagener-Hall_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-15.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15199" /> When stepping onto the stage at a packed out Wagner Hall, <strong>IDER</strong>’s presence is an immediately enticing one. What starts as two figures behind their vast desks of electronics and beats, becomes a warm and shimmering spectacle of glistening pop melodies that are stuck squarely in your brain from the first listen. With only a handful of music out in the world, this is a band who have the potential to invade the charts yet remain the torchbearers of underground flourishes - a chemistry that builds between them but will slowly be experimenting its way to glorious results. It’s official. The Jack Rocks Stage simply can’t contain one of the most refreshing forces in modern pop glory. Queues spill far and wide out of the venue, but inside there’s a bombastic siren ringing around that can only come from <strong>Artificial Pleasure</strong>. Like a message from the past that breathes in the smell of 2017 with a wink and a chant, it’s a moment that throws all inhibitions out of the window. Don’t fight it, embrace it. Artificial Pleasure are the band bringing the unadulterated times back into frame. And we love it. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/King-Nun-_The-Haunt_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-106.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15219" /> If you asked us to name anyone who embraces being in a band more than <strong>King Nun</strong>, we’d be stuck. Closing out the Paganini Ballroom in a sea of luminous colours, the ‘Nuns have an arsenal that would blow away most bands who’ve been around for years. ‘Tulip’ scratches its way across the room and ‘Sponge’ revels in swampy garage-rock heights while pointing the band in only one direction. This is the band you need to see in 2017. Down with boring we always say, and King Nun are burying it for good. <strong>Loa Loa</strong> are the newest of bands. There’s barely a handful of tracks floating around online but tucked away at Brighton Electric, they reveal themselves to be astoundingly great. Their music staggers about the place, love cats with a purpose, before deciding on a direction and jaunting forward with the conviction of a band who have been told over and over again that they’re something to believe in. Except, this all comes from within. There’s belief in the music, and rightly so, since every song is massive with a twinkle in the eye. Well, if you were looking directly into the future, you’d be sparkly too.
 <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/In-Heaven_The-Prince-Albert_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-20.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1001" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15192" /> There’s special bands and there’s special moments, and at The Prince Albert on Friday night at The Great Escape, <strong>INHEAVEN</strong> fulfilled both of those promises. Scorching through favourites like ‘Treats’, ‘Vultures’ and ‘Baby’s Alright’, there’s already a feeling of iconic running through the air. Taking in sweaty high-octane pits that takeover the entire room and the floorboards literally creaking under the full force of their sledgehammer anthems, INHEAVEN paint a masterpiece of what your next favourite band looks like. Next stop, arenas. <strong>Husky Loops</strong> are proper balmy. It doesn’t how many times you watch them perform, their fusion of everything and the kitchen radio never fails to bewilder and delight. It’s the early hours of Saturday morning and the three piece are finally set free. Without a time limit and faced with an audience wanting more, the established chaos tumbles into free-falling spontaneity. Tali from Estrons jumps onstage for a couple of songs and the band’s ‘Dead’ unfurls into an unlikely disco anthem. “Are we weird enough?” they ask, challenging themselves for the next turn. <h2 style="font-size:2em;">SATURDAY 20TH MAY</h2> By Saturday, everyone is weary - but <strong>The Rhythm Method</strong> have the perfect pick-me-up in order. With a sound like no other that manages to blend The Streets/Squeeze and an added dose of Britney pop for good measure, their set on Saturday afternoon is a festival-stealer. Joey and Rowan trade in joyous hooks drenched in larger, a gritty reality to the uplifting beats and shines yet underneath is a raw soundtrack of modern Britannia. And when a set closes out with a slice of ‘Rock DJ’ then one thing is clear. The Rhythm Method are a band you simply need to experience, A glimmer of future guitar greatness, <strong>Sorry</strong>’s set in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday is a welcome insight into what’s ahead. Kicking and punching with an in-your-face rawness that immediately draws you in, there’s a sense that they could become something truly sensational. Ripping through a quickfire set of melodic grungy sharpness, this is a band that in twelve months will be everywhere, and because of that - their set in The Richmond is a snarling sneak peak into a band only set to grow and grow. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/The-Magic-Gang_The-Richmond_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-40.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15295" /> Rocking up to The Richmond, plugging in and kickstarting yet another mini revolution, <strong>The Magic Gang</strong> might as well just take over The Great Escape. Their immediate indie-hooks rise above any other throughout the weekend, meaning that no matter where they rock up the results are the same. Packed crowds screaming along to every sun-kissed note, pogoing bodies and an undeniable sense of pure joy, The Magic Gang’s portfolio of bangers is as breathtaking as they are essential - down to earth and in another world at the same time. Finishing up with the track that started it all (‘Alright’), The Magic Gang are capturing a moment in time before our very eyes. For a band that started out as simply a recording project, Eat Fast live in a fizzing realisation of every influence and sound they’ve ever created. Vest-chested, they deliver scuzzy nuggets from across their two EPs with a glint that never diminishes throughout their blistering set. Sweat dripping off the ceiling? It can only mean one thing. Eat Fast are a band that refuse to slow down for anyone, and Brighton just witnessed why their next move is one not to be missed. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Dream-Wife_The-Richmond_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-90.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15141" /> Straddling the lines between pop and punk without ever getting close to New Found Glory, <strong>Dream Wife</strong> are ferocious. ‘FUU’ is pure fight music mixed with a douse of The Spice Girls, and while the band deal in sharp edges and steep angles, it’s performed in a spotlight reserved for the golden gods of pop. It’s part belief, part surrendering to their new world and it’s utterly mesmerising. ‘Hey Heartbreaker’ bangs the drum for their arrival while ‘Lolita’ twirls with a disco menace. They’re the most talked about band this weekend and for one very good reason. They’re incredible. <strong>Off Bloom</strong> blend genres together like nobody’s business, but live and under the arches at Coalition, the trio are set on a throbbing club-infused party that you can’t help but be sucked into. Chiming across PC beats and intoxicating pop supremacy, their live show is an uncompromising journey across their various flicks and flavours, with recent single ‘Falcon Eye’ grabbing the crowd by the shoulders and refusing to let go. This is a set that doesn’t take them to the next level, it proves that they’re already there. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Superfood_East-Wing_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-77.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15273" /> <strong>Superfood</strong> MK 2 has caused quite a stir, but in their East Wing set they lay out just why it may be the smartest move they’ve ever made. Packing a cocktail of groove-licked hitters, there’s a potent gale that radiates out from them, with ‘Double Dutch’ and ‘I Can’t See’ just two of many fresh cuts getting an airing - jumping through samples and infectious cries that pull together a true platter of influences. What you come away with is the sense that Superfood have an uncompromising belief in the samples and turns they’re now possessing, and by becoming bold and brave they may be on the cusp of something undeniable. Hometown shows are always going to be special, but <strong>Abattoir Blues</strong>’ set at Sticky Mike’s is something altogether more important. Shaking with intensity and urgency, frontman Harry Waugh leads the band through a set that dives right into the depths of darkness with a visceral realness that stares into the abyss and refuses to blink. Pouring everything into their set, they’re a band seizing the moment and grabbing attention, hungry to bring their post-punk heights to the masses. On this form, they’re a band that will succeed too. No matter what you may see over the weekend, one fact is clear. <strong>Crows</strong> remain live music’s best kept secret - with their set at The Richmond confirming just how essential they are. Lead by the enthralling aura of frontman James Cox, they tear the pub to pieces with a ride through their two EPs to date, along with a snapshot of new material too. Seas of bodies fly, words are screamed back and the night ends with James climbing the walls to dive on the packed crowd gathered. This is no ordinary gig, and just like that Crows steal the entire festival. <img src="https://sleevenot.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Girli_Green-Door-Store_The-Great-Escape-Festival-2017_SLB_-21.jpg" alt="" width="100%" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15171" /> Part OMG, part WTF, in the big wide world of The Great Escape, <strong>Girli</strong> draws both casuals and converted alike. Not that the curious looks and sideways glances affect her hyper-active attack on the stage. Paired with DJ-slash-hype-woman, Kitty, the pair bounce, tumble and laugh about the stage. There’s just a handful of singles out in the world but every one has its own stark personality and takes charge of the space tonight. ‘Feel OK’ brings the sunshine before the curled lip promise of ‘Girls Get Angry Too’ is fearless in its intentions. Wonder where it gets that from. Rounding out The Great Escape is a tricky role, but <strong>Pumarosa</strong> have the majestic vibes to rise to that challenge and take it further. Queues pile along the seafront, but aside Coalition those who get in are treated to a stunning set of a band in the zone, serving up a break of fresh air just days after the release of debut album ‘The Witch’. Magnetic in their delivery, cuts like ‘Dragonfly’, ‘Honey’ and ‘Priestess’ surge in mesmeric fashion - feeling more like a celebration and a closing party than just another set from a packed weekend. Rich and cleansing, Pumarosa let the music do the talking. And after everything, isn’t that the most important point of all.