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LIVE REVIEW: The Great Escape Festival 2026
- BOOT
- 12m
- 3 min read
This May, we took our first ever trip down to Brighton for THE most iconic festival for new music, The Great Escape, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Taking place across the plethora of vibrant grassroots venues around the city and seafront, we took in 4 days of superb sets from the most exciting new acts across the world. Here’s our rundown of our most memorable moments from the weekend.
Of course, the very nature of the festival is about showcasing emerging acts and encouraging new music discovery. So, we were determined to catch some undiscovered gems. Some of our favourite new discoveries came in the form of two new solo projects, the powerful Grunge energy of AKA (new project from The Mysterines' Callum Thompson) and the Electro whirlwind of Lttl Mort (new project from Opus Kink’s Jazz Pope).
Both sets were electrifying but the intensity and performance of Lttl Mort blew us away. Taking place as part of the free Alternative Escape on Wednesday night, the set featured an angst-ridden male/female vocal blend, a swirling bed of electronics and live drums that delivered the thumping rhythm of a Dance set with the raw, raucous tone of a Punk show. The set was filled with Electro fury that fans of Fat Dog would love! It was a fantastic way to kick off the festival.
Some of our favourite emerging acts that we had been desperate to catch were Brighton’s own hotly tipped Sleaze Rockers SLAG, eclectic Folk Rock newcomers Mên An Tol & a fun-filled double of Aussie Indie outfits Bean Magazine and Sleepazoid. The latter of which was a contender for our set of the festival with their Wolf Alice esc contrast between moments of delicate Alt Pop melody and heavy-hitting, angst-filled expression.
Of course, the north-west was out in full force showcasing our local region down South! The mesmerising set of Liverpool songwriter Miles Temp, the Brass-Punk fusion of Mleko and the rich Indie-Folk expressions of The Slow Country were stand outs aside from the inevitable brilliance of Westside Cowboy who served up yet another unforgettable Great Escape performance.
Despite all the amazing new music discovery that went on, there were also some memorable sets from some of the most exciting live acts across the UK and beyond which stole the show.
First up were the Viral Québec polkadot-clad duo Angine de Poitrine provided who sent the crowd into a frenzy at the opening party with their microtonal Art-Rock expressions, more than living up to the hype of their online videos.
Brighton's own Lime Garden served up a groove-laiden set on the Thursday to prove that their newfound swagger and attitude has made their sophomore album 'Maybe Not Tonight' a contender for album of the year.
Saturday saw a host of big names take to the stage, yet, our favourites had to be the Grunge-Rock newcomers Bleech 9:3 and the Electro-Rockers ADULT DVD. The former showed why they are quickly becoming one of the most hyped live acts around, despite having their set cut short, and the latter were just pure energy. They sucked you into an electronic cesspit and spat you out the other side with your head still spinning; certainly the best crowd experience of the festival.
Sunday then came to a close with Punk Rock quintet Shame who never fail to disappoint. Led by the tongue-in-cheek performance of frontman Charlie Steen their set was anthemic, full of Punk-fuelled intensity and yet a lasting hopeful spirit that was aimed as a direct opposition to the marches happening in London that same day.
Overall, our first trip to The Great Escape was even better than expected. We got to discover some of the most iconic music venues buried in the heart of the city, discover countless new acts and watch some of the best new bands in the UK play against a windswept Brighton beach backdrop. See you there again in 2027!
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