Planning a night at The Great Escape festival means facing up to the frustration of abandoning twenty acts playing simultaneously in order to see one. Risk and luck dictated the events of my evening, propelling me through an array of striking music. A secret gig on the pier courtesy of the repetitive, inventive electro of 'Foals' was first on the agenda, and being amongst the satisfied fans stomping over the sea was the perfect way to prepare the soul for a night of jerky dancing. This preparation was a bit futile, however, for after rushing over to The Arc, the laid-back sound of 'Radar' greeted me, jumbling a pile of influences from 'Gorillaz' back round to 'Blur', and creating a highly original, loose sound to bop to. Walloping the tempo back up with their bouncy tunes, next on the bill was Help She Can't Swim, a foot-stomping, keyboard banging band, that obey the current indie trend a little too unimaginatively. Desperate to catch Willy Mason, the next part of my evening was spent feeling rather aggravated about the fact that I was missing 'The Besnand Lakes,' whose epic rhythms filtered out to the ears of anxious Willy fans as we queued outside the venue, crossing our fingers in the hope of entry. As expected, Willy Mason was by far the pinnacle of my evening, his beautiful stirring lyrics about catching glimmers of hope in modern society plastering uncontrollable smiles across his audience's faces. Despite having already satisfied me musically, The Great Escape had still more to give; the dark electronica of These New Puritans followed by the melodrama of Florence And The Machine. The source of Florence's passionate enthusiasm and slightly out of tune voice was evident when she stumbled up to me after the show asking in a rather slurred and anxious voice 'if it went all right?' 'It was more than all right', I replied. MD
Looking through the programme for Saturday, I was faced with a barrage of bands I desperately wanted to see. However, not being superhuman and thus unable to be in multiple places at once, I opted to see the widest variety of acts I could. First off, I trekked to Hector's House, where London trio the Dash's fast-tempo pop-punk failed to excite the crowd. My quest for musical variety continued at Honey Club with Candie Payne, where the Liverpudlian's sultry, warm tones perfectly complimented her eclectic blend of pop, soul, 60s Motown, folk and rock'n'roll. After Miss Payne walked off stage to warm applause, on strode The Maccabees, greeted by the most raucous welcome I heard all night. Their infectious, catchy lyrics, fast-paced rhythms and jerky guitars got everyone bopping along happily. A quick hop, skip and a jump took me to Jack Penate's short but sweet set at the Beach, where his equally jerky guitars, impressive vocal range and charming mid-song natters were nothing short of great entertainment. My final gig of the night took me to the chilled-out Red Rooster Café where I saw undoubtedly the most unique act of my Great Escape experience. Micah P Hinson's Johnny Cash-esque vocals added depth to simple guitar sounds, whilst his friend's banjo playing hailed back to the singer's Texas roots. His charming mid-song mumbles, and beautifully poignant lyrics kept the audience cheering for more, leading to Hinson staying on for half an hour longer than planned, and deservedly so. From a night in which I witnessed jerky pop-punk, an eclectically influenced songstress, dance-inducing indie, and folk tinged with country, I came to a very pleasing conclusion: if you want to see the best of the music scene from Brighton, the UK and elsewhere look no further than the Great Escape. RW
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