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The acts not to miss at The Great Escape 2025
Our guide to this year's must-see acts heading to the coast for the UK's biggest new music event in the calendar
You know the UK festival scene is about to kick off once The Great Escape festival comes around. Born in 2006, it has since grown into Blighty’s biggest new music showcase, appealing to both punter and industry while shining a light on music exports from around the world.
As always, this year sees around 500 acts perform across four days in just about every venue, bar, pub, theatre and open space available in Brighton. The choice sometimes be overwhelming, so why not use our must-see recommendations as a starting point.
Chloe Slater
21:15 Thursday, TGE Beach – The Deep End
Chloe Slater’s Wolf Alice-coded pop rock permeates with a delicious kind of cynicism. Targeting the increasingly shallow nature of influencer culture and life lived through the digital realm, her wry wordsmithery affronts at every tap of a touch screen. Few lyrics are as anthemic and scathing in equal measure as the chorus of recent breakout single ‘Tiny Screens’: “we’ll be like Marilyn Monroe with turkey teeth, and no legacy / Love me please”. TCH
AGGRASOPPAR
22:15 Thursday, Waterbear
02:15 Friday, Komedia Studio
For such a small country – with a population of only 55,000 – The Faroe Islands have been building an increasing presence at The Great Escape in recent years. In 2024, their best and most bonkers export AGGRASOPPAR won the Steve Strange Award, the festival’s only award, which should go some way to highlight the anticipation behind their late-night shows this year. JB
Astral Bakers
20:45 Wednesday, The Hope & Ruin (Downstairs)
Shoegaze and grunge seem to be in fashion at The Great Escape this year so expect to hear nihilism pouring out of every pub in Brighton. French indie quartet Astral Bakers, though, are offering a sweeter brand of mope: something they’re calling “soft grunge”, that’s “halfway between Big Thief and Nirvana Unplugged”. Some of that sort of rings true on gorgeous tracks like ‘Why’ and ‘Easy’ but it’s all a lot sunnier and breezier than you’d expect – more like halfway between the bar and the beach when the sun’s just going down. PB
Verde Prato
12:30 Friday, Horatios
10:30 Friday, Queens Hotel
Above sparse and minimalist instrumentations, Verde Prato sings folk tales from her native Basque Country in a tone and texture that genuinely recall Kate Bush. While meditative tracks such as ‘Un sol claro’ might have you drifting towards the expanse of Brighton’s seascape, don’t get too comfortable: there are plenty of fierce and punchy surprises awaiting you. JB
Sunday (1994)
19:15 Thursday, TGE Beach – The Deep End
14:30 Friday, Komedia Basement
Naming themselves after the “weird and sad” day of the week and styling it up like a film release, Sunday (1994) sound pretty much exactly like all of that: melancholic alt dream pop that feels like it’s missing off the Reality Bites soundtrack; Cocteau Twins playing The Sundays; all the retro warm and fuzzies from whatever vintage VHS filter they’ve used on every music video they’ve put out so far. Who needs the last 30 years? PB
deBasement
20:15 Saturday, CHALK
The rowdy new project from Special Interest singer Alli Logout and DJ Margo XS, dBasement, is the meeting of minds that melds the former’s DIY punk zest with the latter’s production talent. The result? Sweat-laden, slutty electro-pop that sounds like it erupted straight out of a 2010 warehouse rave, spilled onto the streets then stumbled home in the early hours. You’ll be sopping wet come the end of their set, that’s a guarantee. TCH
Dump Babes
12:15 Thursday, Green Door Store
20:30 Saturday, Prince Albert
CIMA’s Canada House showcase at Green Door Store is always the best place to park yourself at TGE if you don’t know where else to go, and this year’s run looks stronger than ever. Saskatoon psyche-pop outfit Dump Babes kick things off on Thursday afternoon with a mix of garage rock, trippy folk guitars, off-kilter indie pop and ABBA allusions. Finding fans in “garbage-eating seagulls” (according to their bio), they’ll fit right in in Brighton. PB
Allie Sherlock
21:30 Friday, Fabrica
Allie Sherlock has had more than her fair share of viral moments. The Irish vocalist has been covering popular songs on the streets of Dublin for years now – and building a large fanbase in the process – but a few acoustic guitar-driven originals in recent times indicate she’s ready step into the industry as her own artist. CD
The None
20:15 Thursday, Paganini Ballroom
Gordon Moakes went from Bloc Party to Young Legionnaire to this – a late-career musical reset that hits like the hunger of youth. It’s noise rock with genuine edge and urgency (mostly thanks to vocalist Kai Whyte); scrapped clean of polish and feeling like it’s always going to sound best somewhere small and sweaty. See The None here before they get big enough to play rooms with clean floors. PB
Watch the video for ‘My People’ here
Folk Bitch Trio
14:40 Thursday, Komedia Basement
21:15 Thursday, Brighthelm
Don’t be fooled by their moniker. Folk Bitch Trio are more witchy than bitchy, though they’re certainly folky. Melbourne’s double denim donning trio are the latest addition to Jagjaguwar’s illustrious roster (which includes indie heavyweights Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen), whose rich interlocking harmonies and air of playfulness will have you instantly swooning – or weeping like a willow. TCH
The Jins
14:55 Thursday, Green Door Store
10:15pm Friday, Manchester Street Arts Club
If you look like Nirvana and sound like The Strokes, you might as well own it. “I’m trying to rip off these two legends at the same time and this is basically where we’re at right now,” lead singer (and Kurt Cobain lookalike) Ben Larson told 604 Records when they signed The Jins. Only half joking – he knows what gets people through the door – The Jins seem to be mashing up their influences into something much more interesting. PB
Field Guide
12:55 Thursday, Green Door Store
17:30 Saturday, Jubilee Square
Now five years and five albums into his solo career, Dylan MacDonald seems to be evolving in real-time. ‘Leave You Lonely’ is still his defining track (sounding like J Mascis singing Wilco) but that was way back in 2022 – with last album Rootin’ For Ya getting deeper, woozier, somehow sparer even as he dials up the synths. There’s bound to be another couple of albums out soon so who knows where this is going next. PB
Gus Tiramani
20:15 Friday, The Green Door Store
Formally of Brighton’s own The Magic Gang, Gus Tiramani’s solo project has a woozy and soulful glow, pulled into focus by a crisp nostalgia that’s perfectly captured on his latest single ‘The Mountain’ and will certainly be of interest to fans of Clairo, Whitney, Holy Hive and the like. JB
Nxdia
18:15 Thursday, TGE Beach – The Deep End
Exploring queerness, identity and gender expression, Nxdia’s joyful pop rock has already built them a significant online following. Often playful and irreverent but still emotionally deft, their songwriting draws on both English and their native Egyptian to create a style entirely their own. CD
Laundromat Chicks
14:30 Thursday, The Hope And Ruin
19:15 Friday, TGE Beach – Soundwaves
Hailing from Vienna by way of C86 and the Dunedin Sound, Laundromat Chicks are representing the future of jangle pop at The Great Escape this year – and it sounds like it’s in safe hands. Expect upbeat melancholy, anthemic ennui and the perfect soundtrack to play in the car as you drive back along the south coast after the festival finishes. PB
Enji
22:15 Friday, One Church
What’s The Great Escape for if not for discovering your new favourite Mongolian folk jazz singer? For all the wannabes, try hards and industry plants desperately trying to get noticed at the festival this year, there’s no one else quiet like Enji. She’s been called the next Björk and the new Ella Fitzgerald but that’s not it – her mix of Khalkha soul, Urtin Duu and folk jazz putting her in a category all of her own making. PB
better joy
15:30 Thursday, Manchester Street Arts Club
There’s something intrinsically nostalgic about a better joy track. The indie-pop songwriter is skilled at digging straight to the heart of a feeling, with euphoric instrumentals and retro guitar stylings complimented by a light, airy vocal. CD
Rikuto Fujimoto
19:00 Saturday, Unitarian Church
A hushed and painfully melodic take on neo-classical with an instant appeal that nods to Ludovico Einaudi, Rikuto Fujimoto’s performance of his debut album Distant Landscapes will be one of the Unitarian Church’s yearly stunning and unmissable shows. JB
Ugly
18:15 Friday, Players
12:15 Saturday, Horatios
This band made our list last year, and they’re not going anywhere. They’ve continued to surprise audiences as they cut their teeth on the festival circuit, with plenty of shows around Europe this summer. With it’s layered timbres and multi-harmonised choruses, recent single ‘Next To Die’ is a great entry point. JB
Florence Road
16:15 Thursday, TGE Beach – The Deep End
Irish quartet Florence Road can do it all, from foot-tapping indie rock to emotional, introspective acoustic tracks. Three years since the release of their debut single ‘another seventeen’, they’re back with new releases for 2025, and singles ‘Heavy’ and ‘Caterpillar’ position them as not only accomplished writers but musicians capable of creating a soundscape worth getting lost in. CD
The Pill
21:15 Friday, Charles Street Tap
Isle Of Wight ‘jank punk’ duo The Pill simply cannot take themselves seriously. Lampooning their own misfortunes and the male gaze in snappy tracks like ‘Woman Driver’ and ‘Bale Of Hay’, the pair get a kick out of winding up social media naysayers and punk rock gatekeepers with their tongues firmly in their cheeks. Prepare for plenty of giggles ‘n’ butt wiggles during their Charles Street Tap show. TCH
Armlock
15:25 Thursday, Komedia Basement
21:15 Friday, TGE Beach – Soundwaves
Playing at one of Ticketmaster’s showcases at the Beach area, Australian duo Armlock nail that moody place between emo and indie rock that their label Run For Cover always look for. Understated and brooding, this is an act not to miss for fans of Turnover, Alex G or Porches. JB
Chloe Qisha
21:15 Friday, Patterns Downstairs
One of the most exciting new voices in British pop, Chloe Qisha’s earworms have staying power even after just one listen. Her songwriting is verbose but slick with it, and infectious hits ‘21st Century Cool Girl’ and ‘I Lied, I’m Sorry’ display a melodic recording voice and an effortless cool. Catch her in smaller venues while you still can. CD
Mandrake Handshake
21:15 Friday, Horatio’s
There’s plenty going on at a Mandrake Handshake show. The London-via-Oxford collective’s sound is difficult to pin down, but swirls with psychedelic groove and jazz dreaminess. Or ‘flowerkraut’ as they themselves put it. Your third eye will be well and truly opened after their hypnotic set at Horatio’s. TCH
Essii
20:15 Friday, Paganini Ballroom (The Old Ship)
A skilful vocalist turned songwriter, Essii began releasing covers online before graduating to original music. Her confessional R&B is reminiscent of some of the greatest 90s and 00s girl groups, with her 2024 EP Orbit showcasing her flexible vocals and fluency with a pen. CD
KABEAUSHÉ
18:15 Thursday, Players
20:00 Saturday, TGE Beach – The Deep End
Kenyan multidisciplinary artist KABEAUSHÉ is singular, intentional and Avantgarde. Sonically swinging from grunge to distorted pop to hip hop inspired electronic sounds, KABEAUSHÉ challenges gender norms, conventions and traditions through a high-octane, high BPM lens, embracing the alternative and experimental sensibilities that characterises East African music. For fans of Yves Tumor, Internet Girl, 808s & Heartbreak-era Kanye, or Santigold. MS
afromerm
18:15 Saturday, TGE Beach – Soundwaves
Cecilia Morgan, AKA afromerm, is truly ethereal to experience. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the composer and sound designer perform experimental ambient music since her days as a student at Goldsmiths to more recently as part of I Love To Feel; a platform for women of colour who make experimental music. Now on her own as a solo project, afromerm combines jazz, classical, and electronic elements, with vocal improvisation and spoken word – creating a one-of-a-kind live experience every time she performs. Perfect for fans of Björk, Laurie Anderson and Corinne Bailey Rae. MS
TVOD
23:15 Friday, Charles Street Tap
That’s short for “Television Overdose” and long for the jolt of driving lo-fi post-punk energy that bleeds from Bushwick’s latest underground exports – grabbing batons from Parquet Courts, Warmduscher, Snõõper and everyone else who knows what egg-punk is but isn’t actually that at all. Get down the front for this one. PB
MOULD
01:15 Thursday, Green Door Store
13:15 Saturday, Dust
Bristol punks MOULD make breakneck punk rock for those with little-to-no attention span, given their propensity for writing tracks that thrust along like a runaway freight train. The seriousness of their concrete-plodding snarl and uncompromising riffage is offset by their zany, Weezer-influenced humour however. After signing to Nice Swan Recordings, they could very well follow the same trajectory as high-flying labelmates English Teacher, Sports Team, and Sprints. TCH
