Other Brighton music festivals may come and go but thankfully The Great Escape snowballs on regardless.
This year’s city-wide showcase brings an impossible to count amount of bands, solo artists, MCs and DJs to town in the middle of May. Just take as long a look at the full list below and try and get your head round it before your eyeballs go squiggly.
Local favourites old and new rub up alongside hotly tipped Brit acts and barely known international newcomers at almost every venue you could stumble into, including this year’s bespoke new area The Beach, a 2000 capacity stage sited, as you might imagine, on the beach itself. The final Beach show on Saturday 19th is a Brighton special too, with The Go! Team, Demob Happy, The Magic Gang, Fur and Chappaqua Wrestling (plus your old friend ‘Very special guest’).
There’s just the one Spotlight Show this time around, a GRM Daily showcase at the Dome on the Saturday, featuring Mist (pictured) & MoStack, Steel Banglez, Fredo and Ebenezer. Standalone tickets have all sold out but Great Escape three-day and single-day ticketholders can still sign-up on the festival website for first-come, first-served entry.
Grime fans will also be well served by the late addition of Novelist to the festival bill, playing the East Wing of the Brighton Centre on the Thursday, as well as appearing in conversation with Sir Spyro at The Old Courtroom on Friday afternoon.
The Great Escape always seems to sell-out just in time but for now tickets are still available (priced £70 for the full weekend).
Full line-up:
23 Unofficial / 3rd Line Butterfly / 47 Soul / 77 : 78 / 808Ink / Aadae / ABQ / Adoy / Ady Suleiman / Æ Mak / Aeris Roves / A Festival, A Parade / Áine Cahill / Aivery / AK/DK / AK Patterson / Alaskalaska / Albert Af Ekenstam / Alex Hepburn / Alex The Astronaut / Alexander Briggs / Alice Boman / Alicia Harley / Allana Verde / All Our Exes Live In Texas / Alma / Ama Lou / Amaroun / Amyl And The Sniffers / Anais / Annabel Allum / Anna Burch / Apre / Aquaserge / Ari Roar / Arthur Jeffes / Art School Girlfriend / Ashley Henry / Audiobooks / Auőur / Au/ra / Avec / Awate / Bad Gyal / Bad Sounds / Bakar / Basement Revolver / BC Camplight / The Beaches / Bearcubs / The Beat Escape / Benin City / Benny Mails / Big Tobz / Billy Carter / Billy Lockett / Black Futures / Black Midi / Blanco White / Blessed / Blind Butcher / Blossom Caldarone / Bloxx / Blueprint Blue / Bobii Lewis / Bodega / Boniface / Børns / Bossy Love / Boy Azooga / Brass Rave Unit / Breathe Panel / Brigitte Laverne / Broadstrokes / Brooke Bentham / Bruno Major / Bully / Bülow / Call Me Loop / Canshaker PI / Cari Cari / Carmody / Carnival Collective / Cassia / Catherine McGrath / Chappaqua Wrestling / Charles Watson / Charlie & The Lesbians / Chase Atlantic / Che Lingo / Chris & Charlie / Chroma / City Calm Down / CJ Mirra / Club Drive / Coin / Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5 / Conner Youngblood / Connie Constance / Cosmic Strip / The Creases / Crewel Intentions / Crimer / Crooked Teeth / Cuckoolander / Dama Scout / D.A.N. / Dancing On Tables / Dan Stock / David Keenan / Day Fly / Daysormay / Declan J Donovan / Declan Welsh And The Decadent West / Deep Throat Choir / Delaney Davidson / Delgres / Delilah Montagu
Demob Happy / Denzel Himself / Dermot Kennedy / Devarrow / Didirri / Dizzy / Dizzy Fae / DJ. Flugvel Og Geimskip / DJ Raff / Don’t Problem / Douglas Dare / Drahla / Dream State / Dream Wife / Durand Jones & The Indications / Dylan Cartlidge / Easy Life / Ebenezer / Ecca Vandal / Ed Prosek / Elsa Hewitt / Emiko / Emily Cappell / Erol Alkan / The Eskies / Esther Joy / Eves Karydas / Fabrizio Cammarata / Faers / The Faim / Fangclub / Fanny Andersen / Feet / Ferris & Sylvester / Figure Walking / Fine Creatures / Flohio / Fontaines DC / Forever Cult / Franc Moody / Frazer / Freak / Freak Heat Waves / Fredo / Fred Well / Freya Ridings / The Frights / Fur / Gaffa Tape Sandy / Gaika / The Ganjas / Gareth Esson / The Garrys / Gender Roles / Gangahr / The Gentle Good / Gentle Stranger / George Glew / George Taylor / G Flip / Giant Party / Giant Swan / Gideön / Ginger Snaps / Girlhood / Gizmo Varillas / Goat Girl / God On My Right / The Go! Team / Grace Carter / Great News / Gus Dapperton / Haiku Hands / Hak Baker / Haley Heynderickx / Hallouminati / Halo Maud / Hammer / Hangmans Chair / Happy Meals / Harrow Fair / Harvey Causon / Hatchie / Hatis Noit / Hattie Briggs / Helena Deland / Hello Delaware / Hello Piedpiper / Her’s / Hero Fisher / Hillsburn / Himalayas / Hockey Dad / Högni / Holiday Oscar / Hollow Coves / Homebound / The Homesick / Honey Lung / Hot Dreams / Hotel Lux / The Howl And The Hum / Hungry Joe / Hunter & The Bear / Husky Loops / Ida Mae / Idles / Iguana Death Cult / Ilgen-Nur / Iman / Insecure Men / Izzie Gibbs / Jack River / Jack Vallier / Janice / Japanese Breakfast / Jaz Karis / Jealous Of The Birds / Jerry Williams / Jimothy Lacoste / Joan / Joel Baker / Joe Taylor / Jordan Mackampa / Joshua Burnside / Josin / Joy Crookes / Joycut / Kai Whiston / Kalpa / Kamaal Williams / Kamille / Kat Cunning / Kate NV / Katie Von Schleicher / Kawala / Keeva / Kid Katharsis / King Nun / Kioko / Kirill Richter / Kirke Karja Solo / The Kite String Tangle / Knightstown / Knucks / Koates / Kofi Stone / K.O.G & The Zongo Brigade / Kojey Radical / Kops / K-Phax / K Trap / Kyara Pamyu Pamyu / Kyle Craft / Lady Bird / Lady Sanity / Last Train / Laurel Halo (DJ) / Laurie Mann / Leah Dou / Le Boom / Le Motel
Let’s Eat Grandma / Lewis Capaldi / Life / Lilla Vargen / Lilly Ahlberg / Lily Moore / Lion / Lisa Morgenstern / Little Destroyer / Liv Dawson / Locks / Lola Young / Lo Moon / Lotto Boyzz / Louis Baker / Love Sick / Love Ssega / L U C A / Lucia / Lucie Barât / Luke Marzec / Luna Bay / Maad / Maddy Storm / The Magic Gang / Magic Island / Mahalia / Maisie Peters / Maison Book Girl / Malena Zavala / Mali Hayes / Malory / Mansionair / Manu Crooks / Marscians / Mary Miller / Mavi Phoenix / Max Frost / Maximillian / Megan Nash / Mehtola / Mellah / Men I Trust / M Huncho / Michael Jablonka / Mikaela Davis / M.I.L.K / Milk Teeth / Mina Rose / Miraa May / Miriam Bryant / Mist & MoStack / Mnnqns / The Modern Strangers / Moncrieff / Moss Kena / Mother’s Cake / Mr Bongo X Discojuice / Mrphy / Ms Banks / The Murmurtrons / Murphy / Naaz / Nadia Nair / Naked Elephant / Nana Adjoa / Nao / Naomi Scott / Nashexx / Native Sun / The Nectars / Nêhiyawak / Nelson Can / Nervus / Nia Wyn / The Night Café / Nikhil D’Souza / Nilüfer Yanya / Nina Nesbitt / The Ninth Wave / Noah Khan / Noble Jacks / Novelist / Now, Now / Noya Rao / Octavian / Odd Couple / Odette / Olympia / Onipa / Only The Poets / ONR / Orchards / The Orielles / Paceshifters / Paigey Cakey / Pale Grey / Pale Seas / Pale Waves / Parting Gift / Partner / Peach Pit / Peaness / Perrosky / Phantom Isle / Phobophobes / Phoebe Bridgers / Pillow Queens
Pip Blom / Pitou / Plaza / Polo / Polo & Pan / Poppy Ajudha / Pretty Vicious / Promiseland / Psychic Markers / Psycho Comedy / The Psychotic Monks / Puma Blue / Puppy / Pvmnts / Queen Zee / Rachel K Collier / Raheem Bakaré / Rahh / Raleigh / Rascalton / The Regrettes / Respectfulchild / Rews / The Rhythm Method / Riley Pearce / Rina Sawayama / River Matthews / Rocks FOE / Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever / Rose Dive / Rosemary & Garlic / Ross From Friends (Live) / Ruby Empress / Ruthanne / RVG / S4U / Sado Opera / Saint Raymond / Saltwater Sun / Samana / Sam Evian / Sam Fender / Sam Johnson / Samm Henshaw / Sassy 009 / Saweetie / The Saxophones / Say Sue Me / Scuffle / Sea Girls / Self Esteem / Shadowlark / Shadowparty / Sheafs / Shiners / Silverlake / Simone Tang / Skeggs / Skinny Pelembe / Skrapz / Sleep Token / Slowthai / Slugabed / Snail Mail / Soccer Mommy / Soham De / Sonny / Sons Of Kemet / Sophie And The Giants / Sorry / The Spook School / Sportsman / Sports Team / Steel Banglez / Stella Donnelly / Stereo Honey / Stevie Appleton / Sun Arcana / Sunstack Jones
Superorganism / Superparka / The Surrenders / Suspect / Suzi Wu / Swimming Girls / Swimming Tapes / Tamino / Team Picture / Teeks / Teischa / Teleman / Ten Fé / Ten Tonnes / The Teskey Brothers / Three Body Trio / Tim Chadwick / Tirzah / Tom Grennan / Tom Tripp / Tom Walker / Tors / Touts / Towkio / Trampolene / Trillary Banks / Trixie Whitley / Trudy & The Romance / Tshegue / TTY / Tuvaband / Tyne / Underwater Boys / Valeras / The Vegan Leather / Veronica Fusaro / Vida / Virginia Wing / Vissia / Vistas / Voodoo Love Orchestra / The Vryll Society / Vuélveteloca / Walrus / The Wandering Hearts / Warmduscher / Wet Red / Whenyoung / White Room / Whyte Horses / Wild Front / Willow / Wowh / Wwwater / Wyldest / Wyvern Lingo / Xavier Darcy / XTRM Tour / Yassassin / Yazmin Lacey / Yellow Days / Yukon Era / Yussef Dayes / Yusufla / Zapatilla / Zuzu
Various venues, Thursday 17th – Saturday 19th May 2018