The Great Escape Festival 2025 offered over 750 performances from 550 artists in more than 30 walkable-venues across Brighton, UK. The sun shone, the beach was enjoyed, and new music was discovered. Here are ten acts Melodic Mag loved at TGE this year.
TGE is a cherished event in the UK music calendar. The diverse mixture of artists and genres, the vehement emphasis on new music, TGE is a crucial platform and a voyage of discovery for anyone that wants to spend a few days along the pebbled beach of the UK’s south coast.
Chloe Slater
Filling the largest of the three beach stages, Chloe Slater gave a wonderful performance. The 21-year old singer-songwriter from Bournemouth, now based in Manchester, delighted the crowd with her alt indie pop. New EP Love Me Please out now.
Indoor Foxes
Singer-songwriter Indoor Foxes opened the Brighthelm stage. Starting softer and then, with the removal of her t-shirt, bringing all the energy, a couple of times into the crowd. Her music is described as “Courtney Love meets Paris Hilton vibes; a bit pretty and very, very loud”. Powerful vocals and exciting stage presence, representing well for Scotland. Listen to her latest release “Daft Punk is Playing at My House”.
Hotwax
Delivering a mix of post-punk, grunge, and alternative rock, to the congregation gathered in the old church at Fabrica arts space, Tallulah, Lola and Alfie attracted a large crowd and one of the largest gatherings of photographers during the festival. Recently released album Hot Shock.
TJAKA
All the way from the Western Australian Kimberley region, descendants of the Jabirr Jabirr tribe, the airstream van stage attracted a huge, energetic crowd, dancing to the rap flow of funk, reggae, and dance. The unique attraction of Didjeribones (a slide didgeridoo) with guitar, drums and baseline, provided a highly entertaining contemporary Indigenous experience. The sun was out and the crowd were absolutely loving it. Listen to latest release “Marching Band” or “Break It Down” for plenty of didjeribone action.
Rabbitfoot
Causing a stir across the festival was Rabbitfoot. Lead singer River intertwining passionate spoken word storytelling into the band’s mix of pop, rock, alt, jazz, and electronic sounds. We first caught the show at the largest beach stage and then needed to see it again, at the Revenge nightclub venue the following evening. The performance was literally captivating, at some points the crowd absolutely silent in attention, a rare feat at a major music festival. The band have not yet released any songs, so find snippets on their socials or video platforms, catch them live if you can, as we await their forthcoming releases.
Lonnie Gunn
Filling the 17th century Paganini ballroom, Brighton-based Lonnie Gunn gave a stunning performance of what she calls “Lesbian Fembot Bubblegrunge”; indie rock and we loved it. Latest release “EX GF” wonderfully grungy and fierce.
SULK
East London four-piece SULK were superb in the underground Revenge nightclub venue, delivering a mix from punk to shoegaze to riot grrrl. Listen to latest release “Give it a Squeeze (Everybody Loves ME)”.
Better Joy
Manchester-based alt-pop project from Bria Keely, Better Joy, filled the underground venue of the appropriately named Manchester Street Arts Club. A great high energy, dynamic performance. Her Latest EP Heading into Blue is out now.
Currls
Brighton-based Currls filled the Paginini Ballroom stage with a highly supportive home crowd and undoubtedly many new fans. Holly and Sal up front with Hannah on drums delivering a powerful fast-paced mix of garage rock, punk, and sludgy pop. Listen to latest single “Throwback”.
Westside Cowboy
There was a lot of buzz around Westside Cowboy at the event, and they lived up to the hype. A captivating live show driven along by superb drummer Paddy. On the rise band from Manchester, with just two singles released to date, the latest “Shells”.
The Great Escape festival showcases the best emerging artists from not just the UK but across the world, alongside an industry conference, with the Alternative Escape festival running alongside the main event. A music lovers paradise that takes over beautiful Brighton in May each year.
Early bird tickets for The Great Escape 2026 are available here.
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Keep up with our featured acts: Chloe Slater // Indoor Foxes // Hotwax // TJAKA // Rabbitfoot // Lonnie Gunn // SULK // Better Joy // Currls // Westside Cowboy
Words and photos by Tony Palmer Instagram // Website
