The Great Escape Festival

The Great Escape Festival 

This festival, based in Brighton was very different to any I have been to before. Introducing the hottest new music for this year, it seemed a very appealing festival to go to, and with the tickets only being around £40 for three days it sounded like a bargain.

There was not a muddy field in sight, rather the music venues were all over Brighton, varying from clubs to pubs to churches! Having not been to Brighton properly before, this was a very interesting way to familiarise with the amazing town whilst getting to know people along the way. 

Marika Hackman at the Unitarian  Church 

The festival itself was not based around one particular genre, but offered music for all tastes and this was brilliant as it attracted a really interesting mix of people of all ages. I was so happy to be able to see folk singer Marika Hackman and DJ group A Tribe Called Red all within the same festival! The venues really were well suited in terms of genre, with folk artists being able to perform in intimate atmospheric churches with amazing acoustics whilst performances requiring lighting and sound effects could perform in larger capacity venues such as the Brighton Dome and the corn exchange. The intimacy of this festival is brilliant for new and local artists, and also for fans, as we were able to actually meet many of the performers we went to see. 

Bo Bruce 

Although the more urban characteristics of this festival were what made it originally appealing, I couldn't help but feel there was something missing when at the end of the day we headed back to a hostel rather than a misshapen, muddy tent in a middle of a field. If there was a place nearby that could be used for camping by festival goers, I think this would make the festival even more successful as the expense of finding somewhere to stay, in such a touristic location may put some people at a disadvantage. The walk between the hostel and the venues became a bit of a daunting prospect when at 3 in the morning we had to face the cold (we ended up getting a taxi).  However, if it is good quality music you are after, alongside the commodities of a nice hotel room, this is definitely a festival to look into.