NB - I started writing this a long time ago, fairly soon after the Great Escape. Various life events put finishing this off on the back burner. Rather than pick away at it for another couple of months I thought I'd get Day 1 posted up now. Can't have it sitting there on my Drafts page gathering anymore world wide cobwebs now.
Despite living in Brighton for over 3 and a half years I had never been to the Great Escape until last weekend. For those unaware, the Great Escape is a music festival held in Brighton over 3 days in which the majority of music venues in the city (as well as others less accustomed to live performance, such as the laundry centre on St. James' Street) play host to a variety of bands; predominantly up-and-coming acts relatively new on the scene from across the world.
For me personally it took the main thing I like about music festivals, being able to see lots and lots of different bands over a relatively short space of time, and gave it to me without the main thing I dislike about music festivals, namely the close proximity to lots and lots of people who are there for the "festival experience"; i.e. sitting around a campsite getting boorishly wasted. If I wanted to get really drunk every day I could have just gone and sat in a pub for a few hours, or just stayed at the flat and drank on my own, sparing everybody else in the city my gross vulgarity. As it happened I usually had a lie-in in my lovely warm bed each day instead (another perk).
I would strongly recommend that anyone living in or near Brighton give the Great Escape a go next year. I certainly will. Last weekend I was able to see 27 bands (whom I shall discuss shortly), a total which could have been higher had I the stamina, and for the ticket price (£35, not inc. booking fee) and the quality of their music this was a steal.
So who did I manage to see? Well, let me tell you...
THURSDAY:
Slow Down, Molasses (Canada) - Blind Tiger Club
These guys got things underway with some inoffensive generic laid-back rolling rock. They were enjoyable enough to watch, at their best when their bassist and guitarist swapped instruments as the former bassist was much more active on stage. He also had a great moustache. Nothing out of the ordinary but a pleasant warm up.
Hot Panda (Canada) - Blind Tiger Club
This is where things properly kicked off for me. This band had great stage presence and had one of the best frontpeople I would see all weekend. He was happy to wander down into the crowd and then tell things like they were. "Let's cut the shit...are there any influential bloggers or record company representatives here???...fuck..." Their quirky and energetic rock was engaging and is best sampled at their website here. They reminded me quite a bit of Sex Bo-Bomb from Scott Pilgrim in their mannerisms, though their rocking out was reined in much more.
We Were Evergreen (France) - Komedia Studio Bar
A quick walk across to Komedia saw a Gallic three-piece playing sweet little whimsical tunes that wouldn't be out of place sound-tracking a twee indie movie, or as incidental pieces during the thoughtful parts of a Flight of the Conchords episode. Unfortunately their set was beset with technical problems, with instruments malfunctioning and sound levels varying. They went about their business with a smile (well, 2 out of 3 did) but ultimately this held them back slightly. Pretty but the performance didn't hit the mark as well as Hot Panda.
Dillon (Germany) - The Hope
I had heard this song ahead of the festival which was enough to make me dash up to the Hope and experience my first queue of the weekend. Unfortunately, once I got in to the packed room I was treated to a set more in the style of the other song I have linked (click on 'Dillon'). Undoubtedly a talented singer, with haunting vocals reminiscent of Coco Rosie or Regina Spektor. I just couldn't get on with the sparsity of her songs though, which was backed by a relentlessly pounding bass and illegible computer squawks. Perhaps not the right style of music for me, but also what really grated was how dull it was to watch. Dillon mainly sat at her piano with a face like a crumpled lemon whilst the man making the computer squawk and bass beat would have fitted right in as a Kraftwerk member stunt double. Yawn. I made my great escape after a handful of songs.
Hundreds (Germany) - Komedia Studio Bar
This was more like it. A singer who looked like a cross between Caroline Lucas and Claire Sissons and a computer man who looked like Benny from Abba. These guys were humble, charming, and purveying a more minimalist electronic version of the Eurythmics. Lovely stuff, although alas only a relatively short set of 20 minutes. Their appearance wasn't recorded in the festival programme (only online) so I fear many people may have been unaware of this gig. Shame.
Avalanche City (New Zealand) - The Haunt
Like a Mumford & Sons without that aggressive angsty snarling side to their folk, this NZ trio played us some lovely lovely songs; a good way to start the Thursday evening selection. Without the snarl though their set was not as rousing as it could have been, though this is not to take anything away from them. I enjoyed them immensely (almost as much as I enjoy their video!) and felt happy and carefree as I exited the venue.
Frànçois and the Atlas Mountains (UK/France) - Corn Exchange
These guys can be difficult to pin down. The last time I saw them, in January at the Green Door Store, the best way I could describe them was, "the Flaming Lips, fronted by Yann Tiersen, covering Graceland." This is still the most apt description I can come up with. They were the sole reason I bought a ticket to TGE and they didn't disappoint. Definitely a band of the weekend. This time round they were missing a bassist and drummer so their set was stripped back from the last time I'd seen them. This meant missing out on some of E Volo Love's more involved tracks, but I certainly appreciated being able to take in a different kind of performance from them. I imagine seeing them live multiple times would be quite rewarding.
Savages (UK/France) - Corn Exchange
I saw these guys play their first ever gig (ever!) at British Sea Power's club night in January and was severely blown away by them. NME's description of them as a "riot grrrl Joy Division" is a good one, and frontwoman Jehn struck me as a cross between Karen O and Jarvis Cocker. In fact, I had never been more blown away by a support act in my entire life, which is why their set at TGE was possibly the most disappointing I saw. The hype machine has been at work for them over the past few months so my expectations were high. It just didn't click here though; their previous energy was lost in the vastness of the Corn Exchange, and with Jehn sulking her way moodily through the set they were missing the other key piece of their performative puzzle (we henceforth referred to her as "grumpyguts"). I had thought that they were a surefire bet for the future, but this set has made me a little more wary of forthcoming releases.
Ben Kweller (US) - Komedia Upstairs
Whilst Savages were lacking in the energy and enthusiasm department, Ben Kweller made up for them with an abundance of both. He purveyed some experienced Springsteen-lite rock music that got heads bobbing and faces smiling, and kept the crowd hooked with charming talk in between songs. He put on a show, no doubt, and did it with great positivity. This was the shot in the arm that was needed. I had been given a copy of one of his albums a few years ago and will have to revisit it; there are times where a slice of modest American rock is just what is required.
Django Django (UK) - Pavillion Theatre
This was one band I'd heard a lot of buzz for but hadn't really heard any of their music. After a nervous queuing session we finally made to squeeze ourselves into a packed theatre just in time to see the art-rockers stride onto stage, resplendent in a series of hideous-looking shirts. This should have served as warning that they were to be a very striking band. There was something almost tribal about their music in which all vocals were delivered dually, giving the singing a very subtle force behind it. The music itself was art-rock, with a feathery electronic coating. It was an engrossing combination, sounding like the most individual mix I'd heard coming out of the indie scene in quite a long time. This band also had a very positive stage presence, making them seem likeable even when not playing. This was especially important, given that they suffered a technical problem which delayed their set by a few minutes. Despite this they held the crowd's attention and continued on to deliver a rousing second half to their set and ended our first day of Escaping on a high.
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