snarl about the place. ‘I Bow Down’ becomes a hypnotic promise of selfdetermination while ‘Waterslides’ comes full of warnings and sees Pixx at her flamboyant best. Twisting about the space, FRIDAY 19TH MAY the colours are emboldened and the big, beating heart leads the way. FRIDAY 19TH MAY
INHEAVEN DORK SHOWCASE @ THE
PRINCE ALBERT There’s special bands and there’s special moments, and at The Prince Albert on Friday night at The Great Escape, INHEAVEN fulfilled both of those promises. Scorching through favourites like ‘Treats’, ‘Vultures’ and ‘Baby’s Alright’, there’s already a feeling of iconic running through the air. Taking in sweaty high-octane pits that takeover the entire room and the floorboards literally creaking under the full force of their sledgehammer anthems, INHEAVEN paint a masterpiece of what your next favourite band looks like. Next stop, arenas.
Your New Favourite Band Sløtface have been busy this weekend. Six shows alongside their own karaoke party but nothing can dampen the spirits of this band. Yes it’s raining. No, no one cares. The band bring their own sunshine and it’s an infectious sort of beam. The equipment is playing up and they’re essentially playing in someone’s back garden but as soon as ‘Shave My Head’, ‘Empire Records’ or ‘Magazine’ kicks in, we’re taken away to a glossy, comingof-age movie where anything is possible and everything feels exciting. There are a lot of great bands at Great Escape but few moments feel as special as Estrons. It’s 3pm and Tali cannot believe people have turned up. “Shouldn’t you be at work or school,” she asks. This is a set not to missed though. The band’s steady stream of singles leading to this, a fiery and powerful thirty minutes of vulnerability, frustration and celebration as the band pour it out THURSDAY 18TH MAY
THE JAPANESE HOUSE WAGNER HALL
The midnight set could easily have been created specifically for The Japanese House. Full of dazzling electro grooves spanning across Amber Bain’s career to date, it’s a cleansing sight that manages to clear out any thoughts from the full day before it. There’s a real sense of occasion when ‘Clean’ dazzles into frame, with a set that showcases how touring around the globe and arena sets have built Amber into a truly undeniable live performer. Chilling, moving and real, by the time ‘Saw You In A Dream’ and ‘Face Like Thunder’ wraps things up The Japanese House has already won The Great Escape.
for a world that sits at a slant. ‘Drop’, ‘Make A Man’, ‘Strobe Lights’ all stand proud on their own but back to back, they elevate Estrons to wonderfully, miraculous heights. The mesmeric electronica that moves out of Norwegian/Dutch outfit Klangstof is nothing short of mesmerising on a Friday afternoon. A stunning soundscape of cuts from debut album ‘Close Eyes To Exit’, Klangstof’s set is a blissful moment of clarity in the midst of Brighton, and an invitation from a band to submerge yourself in the world they create. It’s sensational. When stepping onto the stage at a packed out Wagner Hall, IDER’s presence is an immediately enticing one. What starts as two figures behind their vast desks of electronics
I
NHEAVEN are in a victorious mood. It’s the morning after they took to the Dork stage at The Prince Albert, where they proved why they’re a band of seismic levels; one destined to grab the world by the scruff of the neck and give it a good talking to - all with unbridled euphoria and hands in the air moments galore. Nestled in the shrubbery of the VEVO Garden they’re about to play that evening it’s probably a good time to have a little post-match report? Hey, guys! So, the Dork stage last night went pretty wild - how did ya find it? James: Yeah it was amazing, it was… Chloe: SWEATY. SO SWEATY. James: Yeah it was very sweaty! What was it like coming back to The Great Escape after playing last year too? Could you see a difference there in how things have changed in the space of a year? Chloe: I would say that we’re more confident as a band now, Joe: Yeah definitely. There’s a natural progression from playing
lots and lots of shows, getting tighter as a band… James: And we didn’t have mosh pits last year! I think there was a queue outside the door wasn’t there? Chloe: Yeah there was! We knew quite a few people who couldn’t get in and were stuck in this huge queue, which is a great feeling! People coming to see you is amazing, so having that was something else! James: It really was, and it was a great stage. Ten Tonnes literally sounded like Ten Tonnes which was brilliant. It seems like you’ve had a busy ‘ol year so far, right? James: We haven’t stopped to be fair, first on that guerrilla tour we did to do headline shows in place we’ve never visited before. Then, of course, the Circa Waves tour where we shared a tour bus with them - which was our first experience of being on a tour bus and it was amazing. There was a lot of blokes and then Chloe! Chloe: I still enjoyed myself, so it must have been fun. James: And then there’s the album, which you might hear something about imminently… P
and beats, becomes a warm and shimmering spectacle of glistening pop melodies that are stuck squarely in your brain from the first listen. With only a handful of music out in the world, this is a band who have the potential to invade the charts yet remain the torchbearers of underground flourishes - a chemistry that builds between them but will slowly be experimenting its way to glorious results.
Queues spill far and wide out of the venue, but inside there’s a bombastic siren ringing around that can only come from Artificial Pleasure. Like a message from the past that breathes in the smell of 2017 with a wink and a chant, it’s a moment that throws all inhibitions out of the window. Don’t fight it, embrace it. Artificial Pleasure are the band bringing the unadulterated times back into frame. And we love it.
It’s official. The Jack Rocks Stage simply can’t contain one of the most refreshing forces in modern pop glory.
If you asked us to name a band who embrace being in a band more than King Nun, we’d be stuck. Closing out 7