FEATURE:
The Great Escape 2019
IN THIS PHOTO: Zuzu
Ones to Watch: Part Three of Three
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ROUNDING off my piece about this year’s The Great Escape...
IMAGE CREDIT: @thegreatescape
I am collecting together the best names from the names announced that you will want to get behind. It is going to be a packed festival filled with life and variation. It is hard to pick out the very best from the festival but I have selected some of the artists you will want to catch if you are down in Brighton. From 9th to 11th May, it will be an intense and exciting time to be around Brighton. Some of the best rising artists will be playing there and you’d be mad to miss out! Make sure you get down there and investigate the wonderful talent on display. It is a wonderful time for new music and, very soon, we will see some of the best...
Bio:
“Millie Turner is a homegrown 18-year-old Hackney kid who’s an artist in every sense of the word. About two years ago, she swapped a paintbrush for a recording studio. Still very early days in her music career, Turner is proving she has a knack from bringing out the message of empowerment in her music. She wants you to feel “feelings” both great and small. Because of this warm sentiment, many music critics praise her work. Totally worthy based on her output, which belies a lot of those in a similar lane to her”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillieTurnr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/millieturnr/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/53GC8IrnkJXGO7znOiv4tD?si=F3D2-26YR_2qSAqKj-5eUg
Key Cut: Eyes on You
Miraa May
Bio:
“Born in Algeria and raised in Tottenham, Miraa came to the UK as a young child with her parents, and quickly settled into life in N15. Flying out of the UK for the first time in her life to meet Salaam Remi in Miami, he wanted to push Miraa to connect with music in a new and different environment, the answer was EP N15.
N15 EP shows Miraa adjusting her style to the different musical productions from Salaam and producer James Poysner, and has received huge support of late from BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Huw Stephens, Trevor Nelson, MistaJam and more
In December 2018, she released her follow up EP Care Package. This five-track release sees May provide her airy and light vocals over R&B and tropical house-inspired instrumentals”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miraa_may
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Miraa-May-776139285859987/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2fOvE1l01YyORhYzwoaLCM?si=g-N1c-fcSe6vBgpOV0-qaA
Key Cut: Nobody
ORCHARDS
Bio:
“Things are most certainly on the up for Brighton-based alt-pop quartet ORCHARDS. For anyone who might be wondering why, there’s one word that seems oddly lacking in the description of many bands, but sticks to Orchards like glue: Fun. Charming, delirious, positive, big-beaming-grin-on-your-face bundles of fun. Friends since childhood, Sam (Rushton, guitar) and Dan (Fane, bass) met remaining members Will (Lee-Lewis, drums) and Lucy (Evers, vocals) in their first week at university in Brighton – the start of a friendship which has seen them become increasingly inseparable and has resulted in the tight, family unit they are today. To date, they’ve released a steady stream of standout singles including fan favourite ‘Peggy’, the ‘80s summer pop anthem ‘Darling’, and their surprisingly meta ode to the worldwide bee colony collapse ‘Honey’ – all of which feature on the EP. These tracks have seen keen support from local and national radio at BBC Introducing, Juice Radio and BBC Radio 6 Music”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/orchardslive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orchardslive/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4XWU6kWmuSBJJ1QL0BV3NZ?si=1UHFacUjQT-FNyH15lacOA
Key Cut: Young
Pearl Charles
Bio:
“Pearl Charles lives in the moment, seeking excitement whether it leads her down a dark, dusty road or into the arms of a trouble-making lover. Her full-length debut album, Sleepless Dreamer, describes late night revelry, love affairs, running away and running towards, serenading the sunrise through whirlwind stories of her native Los Angeles, the city, the canyon, the desert, and the road. On a quest to discover the truest version of herself, Charles embraces the feeling of not being settled, a person who always restlessly wants more from life and is willing chase it, wherever it may lead her.
“Think of Pearl Charles as a stoner Lana Del Rey or a Jenny Lewis with grit.” – NME”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pearl_charles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PearlCharlesMusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5PWyKTCk0kzNytmI0NI2JX?si=oCDsmuhtQSeGAnMB3ES3vQ
Key Cut: I Run So Far
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
PHOTO CREDIT: Janina Sabaliauskaite
Bio:
“The period since Pigs’ Rocket Recordings 2017 debut ‘Feed The Rats’ – a mighty tsunami of rancorous riffage and unholy abjection that wowed critics and wreckheads alike – has seen the band build on their incendiary live reputation far and wide, from the sweatiest of UK fleapits to
illustrious festivals like Roskilde. Perhaps the most relentlessly head-caving outfit of an alarmingly fertile scene operating in Newcastle at present, the band have all been busying themselves in a variety of activities, with Baty running Box Records (home of underground
luminaries like Lower Slaughter, Casual Nun and Terminal Cheesecake) and both himself and bassist John-Michael Hedley playing in Richard Dawson’s band – indeed Dawson himself guests on ‘King Of Cowards’, both on synth and as part of a vocal ensemble on the opening ‘GNT’ – moreover, guitarist Sam Grant has been working hard on a new incarnation of Blank Studios, which began its life with the recording of this very album”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pigsx7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PigsPigsPigsPigsPigsPigsPigs/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1F7QDWyZTLGzkyGLgFjEhU?si=k7xxpj30RmmdJasJlgPByQ
Key Cut: GNT
Pip Blom
Bio:
“22-year-old Amsterdam-based Pip Blom started writing, recording and releasing her own indie-pop tunes with a twist in 2016. Early songs, which were simply uploaded to the internet, quickly amassed thousands and thousands of plays – prompting Pip to recruit a band and start playing them live. The band’s energetic live show quickly pricked the ears of press and radio – with Vice’s music channel hailing Pip as ‘ready to join the ranks of 2018’s rising guitar acts’, and BBC 6 Music A-listing recent singles ‘I Think I’m In Love’ and ‘Pussycat’. The station’s DJs Marc Riley hailed the former as ‘perfect pop’ with Gideon Coe branding it ‘excellent’ and, elsewhere, on the UK’s most popular music station BBC Radio One, Pip Blom performed a live session at Maida Vale for Huw Stephens. Not bad going for someone whose early ambitions were to write a few songs and upload them to the internet in case people wanted to hear them”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pipblom
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pipblommusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zWJfH1TTmIqEi7EV35HGr?si=By_xnve_SKWkMBkJ6X_h-g
Key Cut: Daddy Issues
Pom Poko
Bio:
“Between the quartet’s sweetly punky melodies and disco-fried art-rock eruptions, a spirit of free-firing, balls-out individuality courses through Pom Poko’s exhilarating debut album, ‘Birthday’, which is released through Bella Union on 22 Feb 2019. Their unique creativity curiously melds together tonal lurches and math rock guitar riffs that are barely tamed by a time signature or key. As admirers have heard, Pom Poko’s music sounds properly played and performed: no mere recitation, it’s the sound of four distinct personalities driving in divergent directions towards one destination”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pompokotheband
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pompokounofficial/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4RkC3KmYWnr6PM1FM5Shwz?si=CoKtfFHLSuGiyyzQYQDAng
Key Cut: My Blood
PROJECTOR
Bio:
“Projector occupy the heavy space between brooding 80s darkwave and My Bloody Valentine’s wall-of-sound pop; a combination tone of Goo era Sonic Youth and Pixies pulled together with an industrial Joy Division pulse.
2018 was a highlight year for Projector. A spot at Latitude (their performance securing them a Sunday highlight), supports with Blood Red Shoes and a European tour has seen them stretch themselves live. Their debut EP, welcomed by DIY, Clash, and Dork, culminated in two sold out shows in at the Haunt Brighton and Moth Club London.
Latitude – ‘Projector show off a versatility that few bands would be able to echo.’
DIY – ‘Rest assured that their latest track ‘Break Your Own Heart’ falls firmly into that category of bangers. Built on a foundation of chugging riffs and deep, pulsating bass licks, it’s a brooding yet scuzzy cut that gradually builds in intensity, exploding with visceral grunge-pop energy”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/projectorsounds
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectormusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/25loVbwSp0xXNu4Ds1lTa9?si=11eYRFZMRnOjDMhJ06X8Jw
Key Cut: Let Me
Rebecca Garton
Bio:
“Nigerian Raised by Ghanaian mother and British expatriate father; Rebecca Garton comes from an especially musical household. With her father; an avid music fan who spent his spare time as a composer & Rebecca’s younger sister, Afrobeats artist Lola Rae, consuming a wealth of different genres came naturally to Rebecca.
In 2015 Rebecca featured on Krept and Konan’s debut album, ‘The Long Way Home’. She collaborated on three songs, Wait Up for Me, Fell Apart / Lucky Ones and I Don’t Know. In the same year she also featured on the track “Helpless” Featuring, Wretch 32 and Devlin.
On the verge of releasing her EP, Rebecca is already commanding attention. She has a growing fan base, which happens to include godfather of Grime, Wiley”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rebeccagarton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaGartonMusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/10SSWFHswODW4VG1y56JbL?si=PLK3Z8doSju2EcaTZxkgaA
Key Cut: Always
Rosie Carney
Bio:
“22 year old singer/songwriter. Originally from Hampshire, currently in Downings co Donegal. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop moving, take a deep breath, and in the stillness, unleash what you once thought you’d better keep locked up. Rosie’s soprano—conversational yet ethereal—winds through finely sketched, intimate portraits of herself and others to create a musical experience that is somehow both sobering and dreamy—and fiercely confident. “I know what I want to do with my music,” Rosie says. “I have a stronger sense of self now”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosiecarney11
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RosieCarneyOfficial/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Aut8hgiqZSy2qmJluZMU9?si=cuf0-KHPQYy44eg-V-auMA
Key Cut: Winter
Sam Tompkins
Bio:
“At only 21 years old singer/songwriter Sam Tompkins has performed alongside the likes of Krept and Konan, recorded with MNEK, gained attention from Bebe Rexha, Bastille and Passenger and had his original song ‘Chains’ feature in Noel Clarke’s smash hit ‘Brotherhood’. Sam’s music is nostalgic of 90’s R&B with a 2018 fresh production. He has a wide range of influences, from Ray Charles to Justin Timberlake, Usher, Ed Sheeran and Drake. He is a talented songwriter and has a unique ability to pen lyrics that touch people emotionally. Very much in tune with his fans, Sam is relentless and personable on his social platforms, always engaged in talking with his social media fan base (now well over the 100k mark collectively)”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTompkinsUK
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamTompkinsUK/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/04uu8U3I1h26Fp2NBkPTRZ?si=U6fHhgvNQjiAGz_BtvHy4
Key Cut: Tears Beneath My Eyelids
SHADED
Bio:
“An alluring blend of hard-hitting modern pop-punk and poignant rock, complete with R’n’b-driven vocals, London-based SHADED have undoubtedly been on a swift rise since forming in 2017. Comprised of vocalist Matt East, guitarist Callum Irons and bassist Dan Bradberry, the band released the EP ‘A Familiar Love’, which received great acclaim from likes of Rock Sound, Kerrang! and Scuzz. After a successful UK & EU tour with PVMTNS in December, SHADED are kicking off 2019 alongside Milestones and Stand Atlantic. This year is shaping to be a fundamental year that will take the band to new heights”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shadeduk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SHADEDUK/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/46lf9xDBhmOtltUfdKGvbw?si=RS4u6XmuQN2NOfteXzGsOg
Key Cut: Tell Me
Sick Joy
Bio:
“Cutting together malign heaviness with acidic melody then tying into place with the reigns of contagious pop. Sick Joy’s ‘noise-pop’ blood is dirtied with echoes of Pixies and Nirvana.
After being awarded the Help Musicians and Pledge Music’s ‘Emerging Artists Fund’, Sick Joy’s debut EP ‘Amateurs’ landed in March 2018, which included the singles ‘Smiling Shame’, ‘Senses’ and ‘Stumbler’, which saw support from the likes of Radio 1, Spotify, Kerrang, BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio and Radio X”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sickjoyband
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sickjoyband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2KmAhNcPz1C3oz0rS4iMlx?si=ZDAcaLrpTN2VyJw82C-L-g
Key Cut: Dissolve Me
Sports Team
Bio:
“Hailing from various corners of England, six-piece Sports Team met whilst studying at Cambridge. Channelling a lyrical cynicism that touches on young- professionals and provincial clichés their debut EP, Winter Nets, and new single Kutcher, serve as a darkly humorous introduction to their weird world. With influences ranging from indie pioneers Pavement, through to 90s post punk also-rans The Family Cat, Sports Team spent 2017 cutting through the ranks of London’s live scene before releasing their first single ‘Stanton’ in late November. The band recently announced their biggest live show to date, headlining London’s Scala in September, and will join The Magic Gang on tour this Autumn. New single, Kutcher, is available now on Nice
Swan”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sportsteam_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sportsteamband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/04JIxSs2P0iteVWtaskfeh?si=T3fJ2SA1S9CnD76MXy0c-g
Key Cut: Margate
Stonefield
Bio:
““An inspiring dose of classic rock that hits harder than a shot of whiskey.” – The Music, 4 stars
Following a huge tour with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club last month and currently in the midst of a residency in LA, Victorian four-piece Stonefield have today released their third studio LP. Far From Earth, the latest addition to their ever-growing catalogue and a veritable psych-prog gem, is out now on Flightless Records via Inertia Music.
Their second full-length LP As Above, So Below (2016) firmly established Stonefield as one of the key players in the current wave of Australian psych-rock, but Far From Earth – the bands’ Flightless debut – sees the band’s sound enter a whole new spectrum. With Black Mountain’s Stephen McBean at the production helm, first single and album opener’Delusion’ demonstrates a shift from the hardened psych pop of earlier records toward more prog and heavy metal”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stonefieldband
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stonefieldband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2xhrgovPiJBMN8cyW2iflu?si=1h-YhjINQlW6oNfzRLS5Mg
Key Cut: Far From Earth
Tebi Rex
Bio:
“2018 saw Tebi Rex establish themselves as one of the leading names on the Irish hip-hop scene. The singles ‘Men Are Trash’ and ‘Peggy’s Bus’; debut EP Welcome To The Darkest Year Of Our Adventures; collaborations with the likes of Eve Belle; triumphant festival appearances at Longitude, Electric Picnic, Indiependence and Other Voices; being named as one of RTE 2FM’s Rising acts for 2019 – all contributed to an incredible year for the duo. Now they return to undertake their next adventure, one that will take them down new paths, to new heights and to new experiences”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tebirex
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tebirex
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7zS2n2fSTNuwDTqfYHv55G?si=HhA8WvNDREmsOmHFvxAFwA
Key Cut: Men Are Trash
Tess Parks
Bio:
“After moving back to her hometown of Toronto in 2012, Tess formed a band on the advice of Alan McGee and less than a year after their meeting, he returned to music with his new label, ‘359 Music’. Tess became one of his first six signings and released her debut record Blood Hot in November 2013 to excellent reviews.
In February 2014, she began recording with Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman Anton Newcombe in Berlin and they completed their debut record ‘I Declare Nothing’ in autumn 2014. The record was released on ‘a Recordings’ in June 2015 to stunning reviews and a series of sold out UK and European tours. Tess continues to collaborate with Anton on Brian Jonestown Massacre records, co-writing the title track on their November 2015 EP ‘Pish’, the title track ‘Third World Pyramid’ released in October of 2016, and several songs on ‘Don’t Get Lost’.
The next Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe record was released in October 2019”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tessnormaparks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tessparksmusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0EPmJUz0lE18y95cYzB840?si=p2jFlBXfTTmMXpJwo9i0sw
Key Cut: Somedays
The Beths
Bio:
“New Zealand’s purveyors of high-energy guitar pop, The Beths, channel their longtime friendships into high-energy guitar pop with a smart lyrical bite.
2018 was an incredible breakout year for The Beths. Since releasing ‘Future Me Hates Me’ via Carpark Records/Dew Process in August, The Beths have been lauded from all corners of the globe. Known for their signature sunny guitar pop, technical prowess and frontwoman Elizabeth Stokes’ witty, self-deprecating lyricism, ‘Future Me Hates Me’ received international acclaim from music media including PopMatters and Pitchfork, who named it “one of the most impressive indie-rock debuts of the year”.
The Beths have toured relentlessly on the back of ‘Future Me Hates Me’ with sold-out headline tours of Australia and New Zealand, a US headline tour and shows across the UK and Europe, getting audiences hooked on their ebullient sound”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizstokedstokes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebethsnz/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7DjwIxbe8kpw4pqnzAMoin?si=6W1XAoMCT6mC0JYv3hZ12A
Key Cut: Future Me Hates Me
These New South Whales
Bio:
“It wasn’t long until the band earned a reputation on the Sydney underground punk scene as a raucous, unpredictable and exciting beast. Live, These New South Whales are taking audiences to new depths. Donning nipple tape, an obscene amount of strobe lights, smoke machines and twisted vocal FX pedals, These New South Whales create sonic hell-scapes with deeply pitch bent vocals, jarring loops and screaming, heavy guitars. Effortlessly, they manage to engage and break down barriers by confusing, scarring/scaring (take your pick), surprising and most importantly entertaining their ever-growing fan base”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheseNSWhales
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesenewsouthwhales/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0srVTNI2U8J7vytCTprEk4?si=w4DP-dksSNagQ9m_NN7Gdg
Key Cut: Meat Hook
Tiana Major9
Bio:
“Jazz is her heart. Although Tiana Major9 fell in love with R&B and Hip-Hop first, her fascination with their origins had quickly turned from curiosity to a genuine obsession for this style of music. ‘Jazz is as free and uncompromising’ – Two of many words which can also be used to describe the East London born Empress and her music.
Her musical career is blossoming attractively having had great support from the BBC Radio 1Xtra entering the official playlist via BBC Introducing. Tiana has also graced many stages and blessed many ears across Europe whether it be on her own or supporting acts such as Kelela, Ray BLK and Ella Eyre to name a few”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TianaMajor9
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TianaMaj9
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Naqgo0HMRoumRP0e2MXD9?si=c7aM2xNCQKeSz94AVQ8Hpw
Key Cut: Levee (Let It Break)
Vulpynes
Bio:
“Don’t let looks deceive you, for a 2 piece band Vulpynes make serious noise. Expect a fusion of heavy and melodic hooks, snarling vocals and a visceral rhythm section. Vulpynes have spent the last 2 years unapologetically tearing up venues and festivals with their fiery and relentless wall of sound. These ladies are in your face garage punk at its finest, stamped with a fierce rawness that remains inimitably their own. With new music on the horizon and tours and festival slots filling up their diary for 2019, Vulpynes promise they are only getting started”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vulpynes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vulpynes/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6o1HJeyCGoMJPxaROwzE59?si=KjBGWMmQSBq8UUiDAtfkNw
Key Cut: 2 Cents
Zuzu
PHOTO CREDIT: Hollie Fernando
Bio:
“A penchant for pop music (specifically Cardi B) combined with deep rooted love for acts like The Beatles, The Libertines and Bright Eyes lends itself to Zuzu’s introspective ruminations on subjects ranging from love to outer-space; all packaged in her very own brand of transient fuzz. Zuzu’s upcoming debut EP, rather fittingly called “Made On Earth By Humans”, is a culmination of her journey thus far, filled to the brim with quick-witted lyricisms and hook-laden choruses that stands up next to contemporaries Courtney Barnett and Warpaint and her Liverpool contemporaries the La’s and The Coral”.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiszuzu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisiszuzu/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4GcpGBggb1BbFfG4jS2Wpm?si=C3dIMjfxS46CX1_ebxcRzA
Key Cut: All Good
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IMAGE CREDIT: @thegreatescape
ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise):
Artists/Getty Images
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:
https://greatescapefestival.com/
TICKETS: