Even after ten years there’s still a palpable buzz around Brighton when The Great Escape comes to town. Though we have to admit there were fewer familiar names on the bill than before, we encountered plenty of new music to get our teeth into – both in the festival proper and the ever-expanding Alternative Escape (and who can really tell the difference?). Our team was in the field all weekend, so we’ll be posting three separate reviews this week. Here’s what we heard on Thursday.
Gordi, Komedia Studio
This year’s festival gets off to a familiarly confused start when the first band billed to play on the first day (The Parrots at Horatio’s) fail to turn up. Instead we trudge back from the pier and into town, drawn to the sweltering darkness of the Komedia Studio Bar for Australian musician Gordi. Her debut EP ‘Clever Disguise’ only came out last week (on the respected Jagjaguwar label), its five dreamy songs making up the bulk of this afternoon’s set. Gordi’s airy vocals and guitar are complemented by restrained drums and gentle electronica touches, a light and sparkling introduction to the weekend ahead. ‘Wanting’ skips along with comparative jauntiness before a percussive ‘Can We Work It Out’ concludes her set on a high. And we’re off. (SH)
Tuff Love, Brighthelm Centre
Glaswegian indiepop kids Tuff Love are plucking through their first Great Escape set of the weekend but something’s amiss. “I don’t know if it’s because I’ve got a cold but everything sounds like it’s underwater,” wonders singer-guitarist Julie Eisenstein, hesitantly pin-pointing what we’re struggling with in the audience too. The mix clears up a little but both Eisenstein and bassist Suse Bear are so softly spoken they’re in little danger of walloping us over the head, even when ‘Slammer’ smuggles fierce lyrics (“I’ve got rage”) in with the disarming charm. Backed by Phantom Band drummer Iain Stewart, Tuff Love’s songs hang together with the ramshackle charm of Scots forebears The Pastels and The Shop Assistants, like there’s something in the air up there. (SH)
Thomas Cohen, Horatio’s
Former S.C.U.M. frontman and husband of Peaches Geldof RIP, Thomas Cohen was a bit of a curiosity, coming onboard the pier-bar Horatio’s kitted out like a young Keith Richards, haircut and all. There was a lot of rock-n-roll swagger, including a faked stage-wrecking tantrum, but underneath it all there was a tight band playing some pretty solid songs. We came away pleasantly surprised. (JS)
Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS?, Bar Rogue
We love it when bands come to the festival and sneak in an open-to-everybody set for the Alternative Escape. We love it even more when they have a bonkers band name like Have You Ever… And we love it when they play kick-arse garage rock, mostly sung in Finnish, at least as far as we can tell. This was their second of three gigs in two days. (JS)
Anna Meredith, Brighthelm Centre
Scoring very highly on our list of must-see acts this weekend is modern classical composer, electronic musician and bandleader Anna Meredith, playing the first of her two Great Escape sets this afternoon. With several years of acclaimed BBC Proms commissions under her belt, Meredith’s debut LP ‘Varmints’ is one of 2016’s finest so far, and she reconstructs its dense mesh of classical and electronic instruments here with a line-up of guitar, tuba, cello and drums. She’s a cheerful, self-effacing conductor, getting stuck in with synths, clarinet and percussion and joking with the crowd. The extended opening fanfare of ‘Nautilus’ is relentless, while ‘Honeyed Words’ offers some respite from the intensity with cello and synth swoops in ascending symmetry. (SH)
The Wild Feathers, Spiegeltent
Nashville’s Wild Feathers have received a lot of praise Stateside and it’s no wonder why. They seem too big for the glittering full-to-the-brim Spiegeltent, Six players dominating the stage with a loud cacophony of Americana, part Stones, part Crazy Horse, part Flying Burrito and a lot of passion, getting the whole room moving with a blistering three-guitar attack and passionate songs from their three lead-vocalists. (JS)
Post Heather, Marwood Cafe
Post Heather are local duo Jack Watkins on drums and Heather Sheret on guitar, playing a PJ Harvey-esque sound. We’d never heard of them but were mightily impressed by their sharp, smart set at the Marwood. (JS)
He Is A Pegasus, Fiddler’s Elbow
Opening an afternoon Alternative Escape slot with an a cappella foot-stomping rendition of Nina Simone cover ‘Be My Husband’ is a bold move, especially when it’s delivered with the panache and histrionic tics of Jeff Buckley’s early 90s version. Having silenced a noisy and uncommitted pub crowd with this gambit, singer songwriter David Butler refused to relinquish our attention for the rest of his short set. A jerky figure with thick-rimmed glasses and a fantastic vocal range, the 24-year-old Coventry musician treated us to some intimate semi-acoustic fingerpicking and fine falsetto singing, both heavy on the reverb. Even his dad’s impatient heckles couldn’t put him off his stride, as he introduced his latest single ‘Talons’ and tried to drum up business for his first ever band show the same day at the Marlborough. We dare say he managed to draw some newfound fans away from the Fiddler’s. (BB)
Alice Phoebe Lou, Patterns Upstairs
We are not sure which venue we dislike the most, Patterns downstairs or Patterns upstairs. The former is dark, dreary and weirdly-shaped, the latter a cavern of a bar with some of the surliest bouncers and an ambience that seems better-suited to the clinking of glasses than listening to the sweet music of diminutive South African songstress Alice Phoebe Lou. As if the chatter from the senseless crowd wasn’t bad enough, the venue took forever to get the electrics to work and then the vocal mic cut out not once but twice. Anyone else would have given up by that stage, but the strong-willed Alice Phoebe Lou persevered and managed to play out a stunning set of well-crafted songs, with strong independently-minded lyrics and a complex sound that was billed as folk but was far richer and more detailed than that sounds, with touches of everything from soul through to African jive. (JS)
Frankie Cosmos, Paganini Ballroom
One of the annual delights/frustrations (delete as applicable) of The Great Escape is the brevity of the biogs in the printed programme, so Frankie Cosmos, we are told, are simply “a 4-piece rock band from New York City.” Appearing at Brooklyn Vegan’s showcase in the beautiful yet elusive Paganini Ballroom, they’re the epitome of introverted NY indie but no less entertaining for that. What leader Greta Kline lacks in spontaneous banter (“We drove on a train today” *tumbleweed* “You guys like… festivals?”) she makes up for in understated, open-hearted guitar pop. Tempos change at whim, keyboard player Lauren Martin and bassist David Maine pull synchronised dance moves mid song, attempts to note down Kline’s lyrics are defeated by cheap lager-fuelled chatter. (SH)
Eyre Llew, Sallis Benney Theatre
Getting up onstage at a festival and winning over a crowd must be a fantasy that fledgling bands have lived a thousand times in their heads before ever setting foot on a stage. But what happens when the reality doesn’t marry up with these idealistic expectations? Once tonight isn’t so fresh in their memories it’s something you could probably ask Nottingham three-piece Eyre Llew whose grand opening statement falls flat due to some problems with the PA. Gamely, they play on before starting again from scratch, but unfortunately, by this point you can tell they’ve been put off their stride. Which is a shame, because Eyre Llew are an interesting proposition and despite the set-backs there are some impressive moments that bring to mind the shimmering, glacial atmospherics of Sigur Rós and the kind of epic post-rock favoured by bands like Explosions In The Sky at the turn of the millennium. “We thought tonight was going to go a lot differently. But despite that, it’s been a real privilege to be here.” There’s still time for another song and with the crowd now willing them on they sign off admirably. (LM)
Haiku Salut, Sallis Benney Theatre
By the end of their first song Derbyshire trio Haiku Salut have already played about three instruments each. By the end of the second we’ve completely given up on trying to keep track as they swap busily between, and indeed, during songs. Suffice to say, there isn’t an idle limb in sight for the duration of a spellbinding set that incorporates ukulele, glockenspiel, guitar, trumpet, accordion, drums, looped strings and countless other instruments. Making a virtue of dilettantism, their considerable charm comes from the way in which they seem to approach their craft with playful curiosity; which isn’t to say that there isn’t a depth of feeling. Perhaps it’s the accordion that’s reprised a number of times but there’s something unmistakably melancholy about these songs that reference everything from Balkan folk music to skittering electronica. Tonight’s set is a joy to watch and Haiku Salut are easily one of the most intriguing and original acts we’ve seen. (LM)
City Calm Down, Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar
Bringing us a dose of gothic gloom in the Sticky Mike’s basement come City Calm Down, five black-clad young men from Nick Cave’s old Melbourne stalking ground. Driving opener ‘Border On Control’ builds a head of glowering steam but its punctured straight after by singer Jack Bourke’s grinning pleasure about being here for his band’s first UK shows. A horn section (also dressed in smart black) join them for ‘Son’ before Bourke’s mic fails in a dying crackle. “Shit happens,” he smiles. City Calm Down, then, come over as a less mannered take on Interpol, ticking off influences from the guitar chime of The Cure (‘Rabbit Run’) to the misty moor synth clouds of Section 25 (‘Pleasure & Consquence’) and they’re really rather terrific. (SH)
Howling Owl, Queens Hotel
Latvian keyboardist Evija Vebere met up with Serbian drummer Lav Kovac and together they decided to make a strange concoction of wild angular rhythmic music that combines a manic childlike energy with an eclectic imagination. Wrapped around Evija’s faintly frightening fairytale lyrics, it is made all the more disturbing by being part-sung part-screamed by the charming ecstatic child-like elfin Evija. Lav’s drumming is imaginative and exploratory. Only a year old, they are a band we expect to hear a lot more of. (JS)
Ellie Ford, Brighton Museum
One of the great things about this festival is getting the chance to experience live music in unlikely contexts. This year, once again, Brighton Museum have graciously opened their doors to festival-goers and tonight they’re hosting a handful of unplugged acts including Brighton’s very own Ellie Ford. It’s a privilege that’s acknowledged by the accomplished harp player and folk singer-songwriter. “This is like being in my house but surrounded by way nicer things.” Her audience settle down, mostly cross-legged amongst the various displays and glass cases. It’s an informal show attended by a small but reverent crowd and the forgiving atmosphere means this already fully-formed artist is relaxed enough to try out new material. “I’ve written a new song and I think it’s appropriate to play it, though I’ve only written the left hand.” It may be unfinished but it’s a highlight nonetheless, hinting that the best is yet to come from an already very promising talent. (LM)
Sudakistan, The Latest Bar
A sonic maelstrom, emanating from Sweden via the wild thrashing guitar-led sounds of early 90s Seattle. With songs seemingly part-sung in Spanish, the country of Sudakistan is a mystery but the band’s psychedelic wave-of-sound is energising and rejuvenating. (JS)
Nap Eyes, Latest Music Bar
Kemptown’s Latest Music Bar is 85 per cent populated by men in hooded anoraks for Canada’s Nap Eyes. On stage it’s elbow-length, dime-store t-shirts (the drummer’s says Taylor Swift on it); the singer looks like a young Norman Blake and sounds like a young Lou Reed. We wonder whether he knows some of Lou’s old guitars have been humming away in a church up the road. There are no life-changing epiphanies here, but everyone gets what they came to see: likeable Velvets/Galaxie 500/Jonathan Richman-inspired indie rock. “We’re just a modest little rock ‘n’ roll band. Please take pity on us,” says the bass man, as if this wasn’t already evident. Yeah, but you’re a GOOD modest little rock ‘n’ roll band. And sometimes that’s enough. (GR)
Craig David’s TS5, Wagner Hall
The last six months have seen ‘When The Bassline Drops’ and ‘Nothing Like This’ return Craig David to the Top 20 for the first time in almost a decade and there’s only one place to be for a party tonight. Outside Wagner Hall, diligent security are batting away every lanyard-waving, “Do you know who I am?” shouting industry bod trying to squeeze in ahead of the Southampton garage don’s loyal young fans. Bringing his solo TS5 DJ set tonight, the nicest man in clubland kicks straight off with ‘Re-Rewind’ and delivers over an hour of wall to wall garage, R’n’B, dancehall, grime and jungle, all the while singing, DJing, chatting, freestyling and remixing his hits and countless more classics by Jack Ü, Eve, TLC, Chaka Demus & Pliers… the list goes on. “Thank you, the love has been overwhelming,” he gasps. Too right. (SH)
The Great Escape, Thursday 19th May 2016
Words by Ben Bailey, Gary Rose, Jon Southcoasting, Liam McCreesh and Stuart Huggett
Photos by Gili Dailes, Jon Southcoasting and Mike Tudor
The SOURCE team covered all three days of The Great Escape 2016: check out our reviews from Friday and Saturday. We’ve also got a big photo gallery here.
