Great Escape Festival: Top Artist to Check Out
Great Escape Festival is literally on our doorstep and given the wealth of acts to be discovered, you can guarantee that there will be someone who tickles your fancy. Here is our choice on who to look out for, whilst you’re there.
Squid
A Brighton-based quartet whose experimental style comes from a plethora of influences such as Jazz, ECM and Post-Rock. After bursting on the scene in 2017, Squid have been constantly touring and making a name for themselves, which is truly starting to pay off. Towards the end of last year, they were one of the most talked about bands on the up and coming. If raucous experimental sounds are your cup of tea, then Squid will be a welcome shock to the system. After bagging themselves some airtime on BBC Radio 6, could their performance at The Great Escape catapult them onto big things?
Joy Crooks
There must be something in the waters of South London. Endless talented musicians keep cropping up and they all seem to be moving around the same circles and supporting each other, which is so important in a fast-paced world. After being listed amongst The Guardian’s ‘one to watch’: Joy Crookes is clearly on the right path. Teetering between spoken-word swagger and soulful vocals, her sound is somewhere between Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill. There is a distinct poetic voice amongst her lyrics and the feel-good contemplations on love is something that we can all relate to. If you’re looking for some empowering female energy; Joy Crookes will deliver.
Laura Misch
Laura Misch may be a familiar name due to all of her musical collaborations, but since her first ever solo show back in 2016, she has gone from strength to strength. Though predominantly a saxophonist, Laura is a DIY artist from Brixton, who self-produces all of her songs. Her jazz-influenced sound is the kind of music that truly takes you away. The soft hints of electronic beats that frame her linear and crisp voice is a magical combination. Loop pedals add a whole different dynamic to Laura’s sound, allowing everything to feel a little more organic and rawer. Her performances seem to be a little different each time, so it will be interesting to see what she has in store for The Great Escape!
AK Patterson
Tapping into a darker side of folk music, with the kind of vocals that can tickle the hairs at the back of your neck, is AK Patterson. With somewhat of an eclectic upbringing, there is an inevitable mix of influences that can be attributed to such a beautifully unique sound. There are otherworldly moments that await you when listening to her warbling voice that switches from piercing warbling, to melancholic whispers. In a world drenches in monotonous similarities, AK Patterson will be welcome respite and relaxation for what is shaping up to be a pretty hectic weekend.
Sick Joy
Originally from Manchester, but finding themselves originating in Brighton; Sick Joy are the kind of band who have a really good chance at reviving that authentic grunge sound of the nineties. Inspired by people like Pixies, PJ Harvey and Nirvana, but still unique in their completion, Sick Joy is all rattling bass, screaming guitar and thrashing drums. Frontman Mykl Barton’s voice has a grittiness that is intoxicating and sobering, all the same. With an attitude towards music that is all about just doing it because you love it, there’s no risk of the band becoming another number on a pile of musicians that have tried to revive an old moment, and failed.
Great Escape Festival takes place in Brighton on the 9th - 11th May 2019.
Feature by Tyler Damara Kelly