There’s more than just the main event at The Great Escape 2010 – we talk you though the Alternative Escape. FRIDAY
Local label I Made This Records and Club Zygotic promotions come together to bring you a stunner of underground line-ups as the musically-warped Amateur Assassins blend the lo-fi fuzz of guitars, off-kilter rhythms and hollered vocals like a mutated Captain Beefheart merged with Gang Of Four. Aged Yummy bring up the fore, bring to mind the driving nuances of XTC with the spoken yelps of The Falls’ Mark E. Smith. Dark, gritty sounds are provided by Brighton’s Umlaut and progressive instrumentals from The Weather Underground, all at The Cowley Club for £3 entry, doors at 8pm.
Carrying on the underground, post-rock alternative fun, Oxford label Big Scary Monsters is back this year showcasing a new host of talents downstairs at the Pav Tav in association with Brighton to Glasgow promoters Wowee Zowee and Two Ticks Presenting Chicago melodic mathcore from GrownUps, Men (the UK ones) play in mockery of the trials and tribulations of everyday haphazards, Shoes and Socks Off brings a melancholic acoustic melody with plenty of hooks, Talons from Hereford bring post-rock mathy notes with the added implement of strings and just announced to the line-up Brighton’s own noisemakers Hold Your Horse Is. Free entry into the wee hours.
Fortune Of War turns the tables on Friday leaning toward something a little more bass-driven as Sunday Best flaunt their wares with special set from LDN electronic badboy David E. Sugar, Disco house from Fear Of Theydon, new kids on the block Sound Of Rum fusing hip-hop, jazz and soul who already put Speech Debelle to shame playing every festival under the sun without even a debut album to their name, and finally keeping the spirits raised, Sombrero Soundsystem join the 9-3am party.
The Loft on friday step out their comfort zone and unleash a furore of noise upon us as Atticus Black presents Ghost Of A Thousand back on homeground along with relentless metal from Brotherhood Of The Lake, scuzzy rock ‘n’ roll with drive from Turbowolf and post-punk rock from Sometimenever, all for free and all ages too.
SATURDAY
Northern Lights pub start early at 5pm in aid of alternative Escape greats and The Beautiful Words album launch. A shimmer of local twee-folk pop delights are in store with Yokoko, The Bobby McGees and stars of the show, Beautiful Word.
Wowee Zowee and Toy Soldier Records present another sublime line-up, this more with a pop-folk theme downstairs at the Pav Tav with Wilkommen Collective dahlings Curly Hair and Laish performing alongside Foxes! and ones-to-watch alt-indie The Hornblower Brothers from 2-5pm, again all for free.
So there you have it, our choice favourites of bands to watch at The Alternative Escape and beyond, this year the wealth of artists from all genres playing is staggering, and as we’ve mentioned here, a lot of them are kindly playing for free, now who can say fairer than that?