The Great Escape

Interview: Ryan & Jasmin of Mother Mother (Canada) on touring Europe for the first time in 8 years and “keeping the love alive”

To those in North America, Mother Mother need little introduction. The Canadian group, over the course of 7 full length records and almost 15 years, have amassed a passionate fanbase in both the US and at home in Canada. But to those overseas, they’re still a relatively unknown outfit – largely due to the fact…

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Interview: Warhola (Belgium) on his debut album Young Loving and playing The Great Escape

Last Friday, Belgian artist Warhola (real name Oliver Symons) released his long awaited debut album Young Loving – his first release since his 2016 EP Aura. The night before the album was due to drop, Warhola was playing The Great Escape in Brighton, England – so I sat down with Oliver to chat about the…

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Photo Gallery: Aussies shine in Brighton and London at The Aussie BBQ

It was year of the Aussie at The Great Escape in Brighton, with some 30 acts performing at the annual UK event. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and Confidence Man were definitely the talks of the Australian contingency, but there were also particularly strong showings for the likes of Press Club, Alex Lahey and Tropical Fuck Storm….

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The 10 Greatest Discoveries at The Great Escape 2019

The Great Escape has come and gone once again in Brighton, showcasing some of the world’s most exciting up-and-coming acts, alongside established stars who once were emerging acts at TGE themselves: Foals, Lewis Capaldi, surprise act Shame and even Australia’s own Confidence Man who attracted some of the biggest lines of the week. But ultimately it’s…

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9 acts from 7 countries not to miss at The Great Escape 2019

Kicking off this Thursday in Brighton, England, this year’s Great Escape comes with an added bonus for fans of Australian music: Australia is the focus country for the 2019 festival, with some 30 Aussie artists hitting stages around the coastal city. But it’s not the only country with incredible music to show off. Here’s 9…

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The Great Escape programmer Adam Ryan on their 2019 festival’s Aussie focus & why the Sounds Australia team are the “best in the world”

Ahead of The Great Escape, which takes over Brighton in the UK next week, I caught up with the festival’s programmer Adam Ryan to talk about the growth of the festival, the involvement of Australian acts at it, working with Sounds Australia, and what it means for Australia to be the feature country in 2019….

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Meet the first Aussies heading to Brighton for The Great Escape 2019

To celebrate a ten-year partnership with Sounds Australia, UK’s premier showcasing event The Great Escape will host a slew of Australian artists at their next annual run, with Australia as the focus country for the event. And they’ve announced the first ten Aussie artists to grace the event’s stages. From the 9th until the 11th of May,…

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30 Minutes with Superorganism: Don’t call them a cult, but compare them to Regurgitator and chat about Adelaide

It’s the end of May and I’m in Brighton, England for the annual The Great Escape conference and festival; possibly the world’s best event to discover new talent, and see the artists that everyone’s been talking about over the last six months or so. One act who fit very much in the latter category are…

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Interview: Jack Bourke on City Calm Down’s ambitious run of touring with Echoes in Blue during the Aussie winter

City Calm Down‘s huge jaunt across Australia is set to kick off next week in Brisbane, with the Melbourne heroes’ new record Echoes in Blue ready and primed to be introduced to fans nationwide in all its glory. The international market has been loving the album too and as we were able to see in the…

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Interview: Ontario’s Dizzy on touring outside Canada, landing Austin City Limits & more

One of our favourite new bands of the last 12 months is Ontario’s Dizzy. First becoming hooked on their single “Swim” and then seeing them live for the first time in Canada last year, we knew they had to be a must see of The Great Escape in 2018. We were able to grab some time with Mackenzie, Katie, Charlie and Alex while…

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Discoveries: Four new bands from The Great Escape you’ve got to check out

When it comes to discovery, there’s few better events in the world than The Great Escape on the English seaside in Brighton. Now running for 12 years, the event thrives with its excellent curation of a couple of hundred bands from all over the world – with no less than 26 Australian acts making up…

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Interview: Micah & Joey Visser of Boniface (Canada) on their UK tour and love for Cub Sport

The Great Escape has brought many fresh and exciting new bands from around the world into one thriving hub for another year, with the focus settling well and truly on Brighton this month. We had the opportunity to sit down with one of the buzz names of The Great Escape for 2018 in US indie…

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Interview: Alexander Biggs talks navigating his way through The Great Escape and his first overseas trip

Melbourne’s Alexander Biggs is an artist we’ve been big supporters of for a while now – seeing how his profile rose exponentially off the back of his 2017 BIGSOUND appearance was a big air-punch, a triumphant step forward for the songwriter who has taken it in his stride. Following an impressive showcase at The Great Escape…

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Round Up: Aussies conquer Brighton with the biggest and best lineup ever at The Great Escape

It was impossible to go anywhere in Brighton (UK) this week without bumping into an Australian group; both on the streets of the city and within its venues. No less than 26 Aussie artists filled the annual The Great Escape Festival, which in itself isn’t an achievement – we’ve had a strong presence here for…

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Live Review: US quartet Bully play Cardiff’s iconic Clwb Ifor Bach ahead of TGE & Splendour

US quartet Bully are no strangers to Australian shores – though it’s been a while between drinks, over two years in fact since we welcomed them to AU HQ. But hot off the heels of their sophomore record Losing, the Nashville group are currently touring the UK and will be back in Australia for Splendour…

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8 acts not to miss at The Great Escape 2018 in Brighton

The Great Escape kicks off in Brighton, UK, this Thursday, and once again it’s a year jam packed full of incredible music from the UK, Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and everywhere in between. It truly is the event for international tastemakers to get their first taste of the biggest up-and-coming acts the world. And…

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G Flip and RVG join impressive list of Australians bound for The Great Escape

The Great Escape is now properly entering its countdown for 2018, with the largest European music discovery event anticipating another huge year this May. The likes of Superorganism, Japanese Breakfast, Soccer Mommy, Phoebe Bridgers and more are heading to Brighton to represent for some of music’s most buzzed about artists, while the Australian contingent also continues to grow. Breakthrough…

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The Great Escape goes on tour, bringing Durand Jones and the Indications to European venues this May

The Uk’s premiere emerging music festival, The Great Escape, is taking some stellar new artists on tour for the first time, hitting 11 massive dates across Europe. Headlining the tour is Indiana based band Durand Jones and the Indications, who’ve garnered a cult following around their soulful melodies and retro vibes that are reminiscent of Otis…

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Tour Diary: Olympia takes us on tour through the UK for The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City & more

Fresh off the back of a whirlwind tour of the UK, Olympia is already on the road back home in Australia, playing with Paul Dempsey as he hits venues dotted around the place.  We were lucky to have seen Olympia and her fantastic band perform a few times while out in Brighton for The Great Escape, though…

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From Aldous to Dean: The 8 Best Performances at The UK’s Great Escape

Now the dust has finally settled on The Great Escape for another year and a flight back to Australia beckons, I’ve been loading up my flight playlist and have come to land on my top eight artists from my time out in Brighton. Of course, there were some shining artists I’d known about prior, while…

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Hanging at The Great Escape: Dean Lewis talks making an impression in the UK

Dean Lewis is one of those artists who has an effortless charm about him. At The Great Escape this year, I was able to watch him perform twice – a proper introduction to his onstage presence – and it was undeniable, the hold the songwriter had over his audience. He’s slightly awkward, almost coy, in his…

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Review: Rain came to dampen The Great Escape but instead, the global music industry embraced the conditions in 2017

Ah, The Great Escape. Snipping at the heels of its American counterpart, SXSW, the British festival – established for music discovery – has grown considerably in recent year, drawing thousands of music fans and industry professionals out to Brighton to watch hundreds of established and emerging bands from the world over showcase their sounds in a variety of…

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Sampa The Great reigns supreme as The Great Escape Festival wraps up its first night

The Great Escape brought its A-game to the first official day of proceedings out in Brighton this Thursday. The rain did not deter the delegates and punters from embracing the sheer wealth of live music to be absorbed across the wide variety of music venues within the city. While the SOUNDS AUSTRALIA Sound Gallery showcase…

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Sounds Australia makes another impressive impact during the first day of The Great Escape

The SOUNDS AUSTRALIA crew have always maintained an impressive presence internationally, The Great Escape proving to be no exception to the rule for another year. Kicking off their time in Brighton with the annual Sound Gallery at Komedia, a great array of Australian artists took to the stage in the underground venue and upstairs in the studio…

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Sounds Australia outlay huge Sound Gallery & Aussie BBQ plans for The Great Escape

The Sounds Australia crew return to the UK for The Great Escape this year and once more, they have curated some incredibly showcases for the British to see what the Australians have going. Two showcases have been planned for Brighton – the Sound Gallery returns to Komedia on Thursday, May 18th, while the Aussie BBQ hits…

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Sampa The Great, Tired Lion among new additions to The Great Escape

A hundred new artists have been added to this year’s line up for The Great Escape out in Brighton, UK in May. Widely regarded as the biggest festival in Europe for new music discovery, we’re stoked to see the likes of Sampa The Great, Tired Lion, Slaves, Marika Hackman and more join a stellar group of artists from all over the…

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The Great Escape announces convention themes for 2017 event

With The Great Escape only a few months away from kicking off in Brighton for another year, more information surrounding the event’s conference branch have emerged. The 2017 convention will be taking place across two venues over two days, with discussions and panel sessions focusing on music media, music exporting, royalties and the impact of drugs…

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Gold Class, Middle Kids & Tigertown amongst first 50 artists announced for The Great Escape!

The Great Escape returns to Brighton in the UK next year, taking over the British seaside from May 18th – 20th. Lauded as the festival for unearthing some of music’s most exciting talent from around the globe, The Great Escape will be celebrating its twelfth year with some of the best established and emerging artists. Amongst the…

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The State of Affairs: The Great Escape 2017 announce lead international partner, City of Parramatta Council form new partnership with Live Music Office & more!

This week in the music industry: the City of Parramatta Council have joined forces with the Live Music Office to foster the growth of the city’s live music scene and drive economic growth in its hospitality industry, Switzerland was announced as the lead international partner of The Great Escape; and the inaugural recipients of the Victorian Government’s brand…

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Beaty Heart (UK) on branching out into the US, The Great Escape & more

Beaty Heart are one of those bands who popped up out of nowhere for me. Recently emerging as one of the fresh new bands out of Britain to be watching, a jump down a YouTube/Spotify rabbit hole soon after had me hooked. Their musical flavour is one that evokes the energy of early Foals, Alt-J…

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