Day three of The Great Escape reminds us how lucky we are to have this festival on our doorstep. Bands come from around the world to play here, and all we have to do is stagger down the down. Yet ironically it was two local bands – Penelope Isles and Lime Garden – that stood out as the highlights of the final day. We also caught some great sets from Audiobooks, Tyne-James Organ, Ntantu, Planet, B1N0, Tony Njoku, Mattiel, Pist Idiots, Coco And The Lost (pictured), Tallies, Regressive Left, Piri And Tommy, Laundromat, Jeshi, Marius Ziska and RATS. We reviewed Thursday and Friday in separate posts.

Audiobooks, Horatio’s
Artist Evangeline Ling and super producer David Wrench make for a fascinating team. Hunched over a bank of vintage synths, he lays undulating, trancy techno beats whilst she delivers spoken word diatribes about everything from the mundanity of modern life to the weirdness of sex and relationships. Audiobooks are surely the most esoteric act at this years’ festival. The music and the vocals somehow shouldn’t work together and yet this duo have crafted something really quite magical. At its heart this is pop music, but it arrives at this destination via a wonderfully odd and circuitous route. Horatio’s bar is absolutely heaving, the crowd lapping up the very peculiar brew they are being served. (JW)

Tyne-James Organ, Amazon New Music Stage
OK, we’re going to be honest here. Two very late nights, a few ales and then a morning in the baking sun has taken its toll and… we came to see the wrong band and only realised after the second song! Still, we rather enjoyed Australia’s answer to Paolo Nutini, especially his Jagger-esque shuffle and his absolute commitment to performing good old timey 70s rock and roll. (JW)

Ntantu, Zahara
Sometimes, a full venue makes you miss a chosen band: sometimes, you then catch something even better elsewhere. On Saturday we ended up in Zahara watching upcoming hip hop artist, Ntantu. Keen that we should remember that name, he orchestrated a call-and-response chant. Him: “NTA”. Us: “NTU”. Then the music got started. Drawing on his childhood, growing up without a father; on his misspent youth as a ‘bad man’; as a university student; and now as a young father, balancing family and career, he has created a set of powerful songs that are both uplifting and inspirational. By the end, the hookworm of ‘Pressure (Oh My Goodness)’ is still repeating in our heads – plus the spelling of his name, which we’ll never forget. (PS)

Planet, Amazon New Music Stage
Planet, on the other hand, is a simple name for a simple band. The Australian four-piece take a no-nonsense approach to power ballad rock and their music is straight down the middle. It’s well performed and lead singer Matty Took has a fine voice that lifts the band above the stereotypical, overwrought cliches that often plague this genre. And we’re definitely sure it was them because we checked with the security man when we arrived. (JW)

B1N0, Zahara
Emili Bosch and Malcus Codolà are from Barcelona, and their band – “‘B one N zero – or ‘Bino’, if you like” – produce experimental electronica, the melodic side of Oneohtrix Point Never or Burial. Intricate keyboard sounds and rhythms are reined in and humanised by a real drum kit and sensitive use of samples, the resulting tracks feeling curiously cinematic. And when, midway through their set, a friend is summoned on stage to perform three songs, the vocals steer the music off in the direction of James Blake at his most affecting. This is electronic music with a pop sensibility – though a track like ‘ACAB’, which manages to combine all the various elements, also nods toward something altogether more anarchic. (PS)

Tony Njoku, Revenge
We really feel for poor Tony Njoku as his battery of digital instruments seems to have completely thrown the sound guy and nothing is working. It’s never easy performing at festivals as artists are deprived of a full soundcheck and as the long minutes drift by a visibly stressed Njoku seems close to admitting defeat. But suddenly something crackles to life and soon enough we are treated to deep house beats, swirling organs, glitching electronics and Njoku’s velvety vocal. It is a fascinating clash between a voice that could be described as trad r’n’b and the programming that sounded almost experimental at times. And he made it to the end in one piece which was a huge relief because at one point we were very worried there would be no show. (JW)

Mattiel, Horatio’s
It’s back to the packed-out pier for one of the more hyped bands of the festival. Shocked by the size of the delegate queue, we only just make it in time. We’re greeted by 8-bit drum beats, a fizzing, fuzzing guitar and singer Mattiel Brown’s huge voice. The hybrid sound fuses 60s psych with an 80s pop sensibility, but Mattiel’s voice doesn’t hit the same heights as on their records and everything seems a little thin. We hear others grumbling and the likely culprit is the straining sound system in Horatio’s. We depart wondering what Mattiel would sound like in a bigger venue and, perhaps, with a full band. (JW)

Pist Idiots, MVT Stage
Another band from the beach-side Australian Takeover, these guys are high-energy, no nonsense, chaotic old-school power rock that reminds us of The Skids. There’s nothing new to hear here, but it’s all delivered with such aplomb that you have to go with it. Just say the band’s name in your head a few times, then imagine what they might look and sound like. You’re right, that. (JW)

Coco And The Lost, Hope & Ruin
Sunbleached after way too much time on the beach, we retreat into the cooling confines of the Hope & Ruin where Coco awaits. Her band has a smooth electro-rock sound and she bounces around the stage, her manicured and flawless vocal soaring over the sugared pop hits. The dark and scuzzy surroundings of the Hope & Ruin do nothing to hold Coco And The Lost back and we’d love to see them in a bigger, brighter venue. What a voice! (JW)

Tallies, Beach Stage
Within a few songs you could probably guess that Toronto-based Tallies were signed to Bella Union. Their polished sound and soaring vocals have dream pop written all over it. Rich, lush guitar licks and poppy choruses place us beautifully somewhere between Mac DeMarco and Beach House. A nice little escape and perfect nod to the local label’s outstanding heritage. (AL)

Regressive Left, Revenge
Technical problems mean that Regressive Left hit the stage a little late – by which time crowd anticipation has reached fever pitch. The band’s name references far-left ideologues, but from the first notes, it’s clear they are there to have fun. Although from Luton, their sound has an 80s New York feel: Talking Heads meets LCD Soundsystem. ‘Bad Faith’, with its angular bounce and impressionistic lyrics suggests that the upcoming ‘On The Wrong Side Of History’ EP could make them huge. Bands can all too often be divided into two camps: those whose recorded albums cannot be reproduced live and those whose live performances cannot be captured on record. Regressive Left are one of the exceptions. Superb, in both incarnations. Check them out! (PS)

Piri And Tommy, Concorde2
So this is where all the kids are! Concorde2 is rammed to the rafters at this Tik Tok-sponsored show and Piri And Tommy are a saccharine sweet delight. Their wide eyed and innocent breakbeat PA is a performance that connects with their equally wide eyed fans and serves as a timely antidote to all the grizzled hairy guys with guitars. And even better, we get a free Tik Tok jumper. Absolute score! (JW)

Lime Garden, Amazon New Music Stage
Day three and Lime Garden arrive at the Amazon Beach Stage to a rapturous reception for their second show of the festival. “How’s everyone feeling? Jaded? Me too.” Frontwoman Chloe Howard then cracks open a beer as she says “Let’s Go Hard” before the disco-funk lick of ‘Fever Tree’ gets tired feet moving again. “This is crazy. Definitely one of the biggest stages we’ve played. I thought no one would be here.” The large tent is now full, and various members of the band wave at friends in the crowd. The whole band are clearly growing in confidence as performers. Guitarist Leila Deeley has been playing since she was seven and this shows in her effortless style and control of the instrument. A new axe goddess in the making. They know how to have playful fun, as anyone who has witnessed them DJ at the Hope & Ruin would attest. New tune ‘Marbles’ sounds like a Balearic house classic. They bring the set home with ‘Pulp’. By any standards this is an absolute banger of a tune that will become a staple of the indie disco if there’s any justice. Lime Garden are going to be huge and they thoroughly deserve it. (NM)

Laundromat, Beach Stage
Another band we’ve heard great things about, yet they had evaded us for longer than seemed reasonable. What better way to build up our excitement than hearing Jack from Penelope Isles exalting his label-mate’s virtues to get you in the mood? Offering a glorious, stripped-back soundscape, Laundromat are the passion project of Brighton-based Toby Hayes. As with so many artists, COVID-19 disrupted what promised to be the first signs of industry hype, stemming from a 2019 show at The Bee’s Mouth. Musically there are nods to Beck with that effortlessly cool, scuzzy sun-soaked sound. While the basslines may recall a slowed down Gang of Four, frankly by this stage of the festival we’ve had our fill of ‘post-punk’ bands, and are grateful to Laundromat to remind us that other sounds exist. (AL)

Jeshi, Amazon New Music Stage
Rising London rapper Jeshi is playing a prime slot on the beach with just a DJ for company. Although he seems a little over-excited and possibly a bit nervous, he really engages with the crowd, standing up on the barrier between the stage and standing area, even jumping into the crowd at one point, and jogging from one side of the stage to the other. Occasionally he lets out a screech of excitement, in between rapping his reflective bars about life on the breadline in the UK to some crisp and bassy beats. Standout tracks ‘3210’ and his collab with Obongjayar ‘Protein’ will appear on his debut album ‘Universal Credit’ due to drop on 27th May. (EB)

Penelope Isles, Beach Stage
At the previous Great Escape, back in 2019, Penelope Isles emerged as the weekend’s surprise star turn. The last time we saw them in Brighton, at the Concorde 2, it was, through no fault of the band, an oddly muted affair, due to a lack of volume and Jack’s guitar being too low in the mix. There are no such issues tonight. They sound phenomenal. They play a slow-burning set, mostly eschewing the pop ‘hits’ of the first album in favour of lengthy dreamlike passages, punctuated by bursts of sonic delay. It’s a sound to get lost in; indie rock with soul. Past and future dissolve and there is just this moment. A birthday cake floats from the stage to their friend in the crowd, adding to the general vibe of affectionate bonhomie. They’ve done it again, damnit. A successful defence of their title on home turf. (GR)

Marius Ziska, WaterBear
Think Guy Garvey fronting Sigur Rós and you have nailed Marius Ziska in one. Travelling all the way from the Faroe Islands (yes we had to get Google Maps out too) he has brought a multitude of musicians with him. They barely fit on the WaterBear stage and stack up behind him in the tunnelled surroundings, a band that is longer than it is wide. Ziska sings in his native tongue and it is a captivating, earnest and powerful rock performance that ebbs and flows, enveloping his rich, warm vocal. We can’t understand a word but it really doesn’t matter because it’s quite beautiful. (JW)

RATS, Hope & Ruin
Is this it? Have we made it to the final show of the festival!? We can barely believe it and a tinge of sadness starts to cloud the senses. This ridiculous sentimentality is completely blown away as soon as Liverpool’s RATS fire up. It is a manic performance full of power chords, rumbling bass and tumbling drums. The star of the show is Joe Maddocks, a man driven by a genuinely sincere rage at the injustices in our society and he delivers some fabulous epithets, our favourite being “they say money doesn’t grow on trees, but it depends what kind of trees they’re growing”. For 30 minutes the sheer joy of being with Maddocks and his crew make us forget what was going on beyond the front doors of the pub. In these troubled times, and much like all the other acts we have seen, this really was the greatest of great escapes. (JW)

Words by Ashley Laurence, Emma Baker, Gary Rose, Jason Warner, Nick McAllister and Paul Stewart
Photos by Time For Heroes and FyreFly Studios

The SOURCE team covered all three days of The Great Escape 2022.
Check out our reviews from Thursday and Friday.