Live Review :: The Great Escape: Day 1 :: Various venues, Brighton - May 9 - 11 2019

Credit: Steve Willcox 

Live 

The Great Escape: Day 1

Various venues, Brighton 

May 9 - 11 2019

Reviewing team: Steve Willcox, Neil Cole, Linn Branson, Izzy Butler


Pictures: As credits 

Another year brings around Brighton’s biggest musical event The Great Escape Festival. Over 400 acts in multiple venues stretched over 3 days, partnered with an Alternative Escape side helping, meant there was something for all, and even the damp and grey start to the first day couldn't deter spirits. From dingy boozers to big arenas, from church halls to temporary stages on the beach, a Great Escape wristband lets you wander around the city sampling new acts from almost every genre of music going.

Vlure (Steve Willcox)

Glasgow’s Vlure were a replacement for Alligator who had to pull out at the last minute, and were one of the festival's first acts on at One Church on Thursday lunchtime. With virtually no online presence, the dark indie punks were something of an unknown quantity, especially as this was only their second live outing. Mesmerising from the off, which saw the leather jacketed frontman emerges, puts his bottle of Buckfast on the stage, and then lets out a scream with the microphone that he’s just ripped off the stand, to scare the dogs of Hell. The punk vocal style and musical genre is similar to Fontaine’s D.C., but with added synths. Highlight of their set, ‘Euphoria’, sees the singer spitting lyrics into the faces of the crowd, before climbing high up beside the organ to conduct his flock like a composer, while battering his chest like a man possessed. (SW).

PLANET

(Neil Cole)

Australian band PLANET got Komedia off to a solid start. With fuzzy guitars reminiscent of the early days of Britpop, and distinctive Gallagher-esque vocals, it was a sign of things to come as a number of bands across the weekend tried to bring back the sounds of years gone by.  At the same Australian showcase, singer-songwriter Alex Lahey shows off a selection of her confessional lyrical tunes from her new album, captivating the Komedia crowd. Highlight was the incredibly catchy 'Don't Be So Hard On Yourself'. (NC)

Later in the afternoon back at One Church, the Showcasing Scotland sets continued, hosted as always by Vic Galloway. Walt Disco bring in a crowd for their disco-dram-glam style and sound, and are without doubt an experience not to be missed. Not surprisingly often compared to Sparks, with synth man Dave Morgan playing out the fixed stare and robotic moves of Ron Mael, while enigmatic frontman James Potter (dressed in flamboyant blue checked full-length kilt, black Prince Charlie jacket, fingerless black mesh gloves, and better polished nails than many of the ladies in the crowd!) is a Russ Mael-cum-new wave Billy Mackenzie. The five-piece make for a visual feast, as much as a musical one. With newer tracks like the recent 'My Pop Sensibilities' and forthcoming 'Strange To Know Nothing', there also seems a shift towards a more muscular sound that previous. A definite hip-shaker start to the festival.  (LB)

Walt Disco

(Linn Branson)

Heavy Rapids exude a different sound entirely - as their name may imply, with their repertoire of Scottish-laced punk. Feisty, loud and exuberant, the Glasgow quartet blasted their way through punchy rocker 'Going Down', and the dark, thundering 'Infected Nightmares (Frankenstein)'. Frontman Dillon Squire-Strong and comrades seem to thoroughly enjoy their rip-roaring half-hour, as do we. (LB)

Heavy Rapids

(Linn Branson)

The Van T’s bringing along the festival fun, getting the crowd to crouch down during a song and to jump up at the chorus, with the low ceiling just inches away in the Queens Hotel down on the seafront. London trio Belle Mt at Coalition have a knack of producing understated melodies and anthemic soundtracks that transport the listener away to a higher plane. ‘Made To Find You’ connecting with the crowd, and ‘Hollow’, with its guitar riffs floating around the low arched brickwork ceilings with singer Matt Belmont’s angelic voice stilling the crowd, made for a sublime set. (SW)

Belle Mt 

(Steve Willcox)

Sadly for Sad Boys Club, their early evening set at The Richmond - as part of the Alternative Escape - was blighted by technical problems, from a blown amp at the start delaying proceedings before they has even begun, to blowing the lights midway through. Things weren't helped much by the garish blue-purple lighting, but the five gamely battled through. Latest single, the Radio X playlisted 'Chic Chic', and 'Silverlined', both sound even better live, with vocalist Jacob Wheldon a watchable front presence.
(LB)

Sad Boys Club

(Linn Branson)

South London collective Greentea Peng supply jazzy hip-hop/dubstep beats with Aria Wells' soulful voice that captures the hearts at Pagannini Ballroom. This young urban band produces some great tunes that you fall in love with and Aria strikes a similarity with Neneh Cherry’s vibes, with Amy Winehouse’s husky vocal range. ‘Sane’ gets this packed crowd swaying to its tender melodies. A truly hypnotic show (SW). As is Australia’s These New South Whales set at Horatio’s, though that is where the similarities start and end. The Sydney punks arrive with a blistering set of two minute bangers, as frontman Jamie Timony - adorned with gaffer tape across his chest - bring a sense of comedy to their unique routine. (IB)

Ed The Dog

(Neil Cole)

One of the more surprising picks of day one was Ed The Dog at Green Door Store. An intense performer, Ed Wetenhall spent 30 minutes barely blinking as he rattled through a set of quirky pop songs that will appeal to anyone that likes Weezer or fondly remembers the absurd fun of The Young Knives (NC). Jockstrap, too, provided something a little different, putting the weird back into music with an avant-garde of violin flute, cheesy pop and a drum machine from the 80s at the Pagannni. (SW)

The Murder Capital

(Steve Willcox)

On introducing The Murder Capital at the same venue later, Steve Lamaq comments that this band has strengthened his passion for new music and sends shivers down his spine when he hears them - mighty words indeed. With their earlier set in the day at capacity with queues snaking down the road, there's as big a buzz as can be expected about this Dublin contingent. They launch straight into ‘For Everthing’ with James McGovern battling laryngitis to make this TGE showcase; not that you migjt have guessed, as he pours out all his angst and frustrations out onto a baying crowd of fans.



 ‘Love Love Love’ gets the floor moving with Gabriel Paschal Blake’s bass thumping away effortlessly and teasing the crowd with some stage edge posing. ‘On Twisted Ground’ has James and Gabriel sitting on the edge with an acoustic version of that song which has James at the end gasping for air and pulling the emotions back in check. It's all superbly crafted. A band destined for big headliner venues within the year. (SW)

CHAI (Jackarywoo)

The Dive Bar Beach Site plays host to Japan’s cuteness factor in the form of the pink-clad four girls, CHAI. Their infectiously sweet and poppy delivery of dance-punk lives up to the kawaii (culture cuteness) delivery, with songs like 'Curly Adventure' and 'N.E.O' (IB).

Shame play a surprise show on the Fender Stage  at The Old Market. Charlie Steen is in his element during ‘Get It On’ controlling the moshing crowd, while spitting out the lyrics with guitars soaring and heavy beats enveloping the room ‘Tasteless’ has him shirtless and climbing into the audience, standing on shoulders like Jesus walking on water.



 ‘Lampoon’ with its crescendo of repeated “or only when you cry?” brings the mosh pit back into its feverish reverence. Ending on ‘Dust on Trail’ with its distinct guitar riff and finishes with their debut single ‘Gold Hole’ as the band pulls out all the stops to bring the set crashing down to a explosive finish. (SW)

Shame (Steve Willcox)

The evening showcase at The Hope & Ruin filled up very quickly as usual and was at capacity most of the night, but those that got in early enough enjoyed a fantastic triple header of bands. Leading the way, Kawala could be one of the breakout bands of the summer, mainly because of their infectious single 'Do It Like You Do' which is streaming in the millions on Spotify, and their multi-dimensional sound (NC). Yak take to the Pagannini Ballroom stage, introduced by Steve Lamacq again who alikens their incendiary live show to “lying down in front of a moving vehicle”. These guys havw been around long enough now to know how to make for a good show. With second album, ‘Pursuit of Momentary Happiness’, to parade, Oli Burslem fires up a resounding psych-rock set that is that intense, invigorating and inspirational to behold. (IB)

Yak (Ollie Atkins)

Back at The Hope & Ruin, buzzy Stockport-based Fuzzy Sun will inevitably draw comparisons to Blossoms (to whose Very Clever Records label they are signed), due to their shared hometown, the same feel-good indie sound which could see them on a similar career trajectory. The midnight slot went to The Howl & The Hum. Any preconception that they might be a little melancholy for this hour was blown out of the water by the outstanding lead singer, who delivered one of the most intense and uplifting sets of the weekend. (NC)

Fuzzy Sun (Neil Cole)