Music

Review: Seven wonders of The Great Escape Festival 2015

There wasn’t a corner of Brighton left untouched this weekend, as tons of artists set up stage for The Great Escape Festival 2015.

We made a beeline for the Vevo stage, The Hub and even popped our heads into the The Arch and The Hope and Ruin, as the Friday action unfolded for their biggest acts.

Here’s seven of the things that made our weekend better than most other weekends…

1. The Cribs headline the Vevo stage at Wagner Hall
“This is our first time here in three years, and it’s good to be back,” says vocalist and guitarist, Ryan Jarman. Treating the late-night punters to material they’ve never played live, the trio sound as seamless as ever. They play effortlessly for over an hour, keeping their title as Wakefield’s coolest rockers well and truly in tact.

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2. George The Poet makes easy work of captivating crowds
Also billing at Wagner Hall’s Vevo stage, George The Poet proves just how powerful his spoken word material can be. The 22-year-old performer tells us all about the Politics, Psychology and Sociology course he studied at Cambridge University, tackling the big topics in the most dynamic way possible.

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3. Lion Babe pack a lot of power for a duo
Royal Blood are the only ones making a right old racket with just two people. New York’s experimental pair in Lion Babe have all eyes on them as they turn The Arch into a vision of pink and blue LED lighting. We recommend you catch these guys at the next available opportunity.

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4. Creeper bring the curious crawling to The Hub
There’s been a lot of eyes on Creeper in the rock and punk communities, and their evening slot at The Great Escape is no exception. With friends, fans and fellow bands packing out the tunnel-shaped venue, the Southampton five-piece hold up their end of the ‘new band to watch’ bargain. You’ll want to be there when they play Download in June.

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5. Black Peaks give Brighton a reason to rock out
It’s fascinating to watch The Great Escape crowds react to Black Peaks. The Hub is a mash of the well-informed and newly-converted, as the hometown boys in Black Peaks shred through their Closer To The Sun EP. With promises of a new album from frontman Will Gardner, the four-piece offer plenty to get excited about.

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6. The One Hundred command the first circle pit of the day
The Hub may not boast much floor space, but that doesn’t stop The One Hundred kicking up the first circle pit of the day. It’s about time, too, as they headline the beach-side venue’s Friday night action. The band have been hidden away working on their debut album before playing Download next month, not that you can tell, as their fusion of metal, hip-hop, rock and dance seems to be growing in velocity by the day.

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7. Yep, Turbowolf are still one of the most exciting British rock bands right now
Inside The Hope and Ruin, Turbowolf are as supercharged, mind-melting and brilliant as their reputation suggests. Masters of a special kind of psychedelic rock (the kind that makes you never want to listen to anything else ever again), they shake up the festival’s Friday night crowds with tracks from their 2015 release, Two Hands.

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