One of the festival highlights of the year is always The Great Escape, a take-over of countless venues in Brighton with some of the best international new music around.
With most of the venues being Brighton's pubs, clubs and indoor venues, it's one of few festivals where the constant torrential rain was almost tolerable. The organisers ambitiously put on a couple of outdoor stages this year which were a bit of a washout, but other than that things ran to plan on day one and some amazing music was showcased.
The afternoon got underway at Sticky Mike's Frog Bar with a showcase of new German music. There is some great stuff coming out of Germany at the moment, and they seem to have raised the bar for new guitar bands.
GIANT ROOKS were full of enthusiasm, with an incredibly talented frontman, who not only has a fantastic voice but also played guitar and various percussion throughout a set which he seemed to genuinely love performing. At times you could hear influences from the likes of Alt-J ('Bright Lies') but Giant Rooks have developed their own sound and performed it admirably. Highlight of the set was the energetic 'New Estate'.
Next up were KYTES, another great example of a band who have taken the mid-2000s UK indie sound and developed it into something new. 'Inner Cinema' started with a slow, stripped back feel to it, before launching into a fast paced anthem reminiscent of Two Door Cinema Club. A guest rapper appeared for 'On The Run' which on the face of it could have been quite cringeworthy, but he did a great job and really added something to the track. The likeable frontman opened a can of beer at one point and said "let's pretend it's the evening" - seemingly unaware that afternoon drinking is what we do at UK festivals!
By far the most confident of the German bands were FUCK ART, LET'S DANCE! True to their name, their set of fast-paced indie/dance numbers got the place bouncing. Perhaps better suited to a late night slot than 2pm, they were definitely all about the energy and enthusiasm as opposed to the tunes, which didn't have a great deal of variety. The charismatic frontman threw t-shirts, tote bags and other merch into the packed crowd throughout the set; if they wanted to get their name out there, mission accomplished.
After trying and failing miserably to get in to see Wild Front at The Hope & Ruin (huge queue stretching up Queen's Road) it was time instead for a change of pace from BE CHARLOTTE at the Brighthelm Centre. Part of the Scottish showcase, the teenager showed her impressive vocal skills, but the set didn't quite hit the mark. Brighthelm is often a difficult place to play, with the atmosphere sucked out by the high ceiling, leading to an almost eerie silence after songs. She wasn't helped by an uninspiring backing band - while the lead guitarist gazed longingly at her throughout the set, the bassist and drummer looked thoroughly disinterested.
The next big queue came at Patterns as they attempted to open up for the start of the evening performances. However for the second year running the venue had huge technical problems and kept people waiting outside in the rain. Things didn't improve once the music finally got underway, with solo keyboardist DOUGLAS DARE struggling to keep the attention of a soggy and unhappy crowd. His songs just weren't powerful enough to win over the crowd and he ended up having a mini-rant about people talking at the bar.
It seemed the majority were there to see MOSA WILD who had announced themselves last year with the brooding and powerful 'Smoke'; their only song available online to date getting people very excited, with powerful vocals and memorable chorus akin to The National. Unfortunately that didn't quite transfer to the live set, as yet more technical difficulties meant the sound quality at Patterns just couldn't do them justice. The band seemed quite introverted, with a reluctance to make the most of their songs; time will tell if that was the fault of the venue or if it is something they need to work on. It was only really the set closer where we finally got a glimpse of their potential, as at last the band seemed to start enjoying themselves.
Another quick stop-off at Sticky Mike's followed, for Glaswegian shoegaze from THE VAN T'S, with some impressive guitar work that at times sounded like The Jesus & Mary Chain.
Then it was another change of pace as KOLARS took to the stage at Komedia. Wearing gold sparkly outfits they wouldn't have looked out of place in Las Vegas, and the performance too had a 'show' feel to it. The singer/guitarist was undeniably talented and rattled through a set of country-influenced soft rock tunes (highlights were 'One More Thrill' and 'Turn Out The Lights'). There was a definite over-reliance on pre-recorded backing tracks, which always gives a bit of a fake feel to a live set, but if the singer finds himself a decent backing band they have real potential.
Then onto the highlight of the day as Reading-based THE AMAZONS took to the East Wing of The Brighton Centre. They are fully deserving of the much bigger stage than last year's set at The Hope & Ruin, and they pulled off a confident, loud and ballsy 45 minute set that makes you think this band are destined for big things very soon. Singer Matt Thomson was relaxed, confident and engaging as the band rolled through early singles ('Stay With Me', 'Nightdriving', 'Ultraviolet'), and then more recent tracks from their debut album out next week. I think some of the crowd were surprised by the much heavier sound on the newer stuff ('Little Something', 'In My Mind') but it shows the band have a real depth to them.
The surprise of day one came from Scottish two-piece SAINT PHNX at Green Door Store. Recent single 'King' is an infectious, anthem-like tune that will almost certainly be coming to a sports montage near you this summer. The rest of their set was equally strong and went down very well with a crowd that initially seemed like they weren't entirely sure what they were about to see. The singer's friendly crowd interaction helped, and resulted in a great atmosphere and a very likeable band.
The late night show at The Arch saw Electro outfit LITTLE CUB take to the stage. The singer came across as a bit of a perfectionist and insisted that one of the songs was re-started after a mistake about a minute in... a mistake that I am 99% sure not a single person in the crowd noticed. They need to learn the art of styling it out! They had some good tunes but lacked personality and the crowd reaction was quite muted.
In contrast, the night closed with Manchester's TEN FE. Another band to be 'promoted' this year, after their early afternoon set at Sticky Mike's in 2016. They have improved enormously, and the release of their debut album and subsequent touring has given them a real confidence. The best-known track is 'Elodie', but the standout tracks live were opener 'Twist Your Arm' and the cover of Underworld's 'Born Slippy' which closed the set. They are such a talented band with a multitude of different styles even within one short set.
That brought a very successful day one to a close. Bring on day two!
