Diaries of a Brighton Girl at The Great Escape 2026
The 20th anniversary of The Great Escape was nothing short of extraordinary. Featuring more than 400 acts, The Great Escape has been the perfect opportunity to discover new music, celebrate emerging artists, and see Brighton in its full artistic spirit.
Four days, 30 sets, 10 venues. After a lot of music and a lot of dancing, we’re finally ready to share the highlights, and relieve this magical experience all over again.
Day 1
The first evening of TGE started in full swing with a gorgeous set by Die Twice at Komedia Basement. I’ve seen this band many times already and yet I’m always left having to pick my own jaw off the floor. Die Twice always perform with intensity, romanticism, and passion, and their repertoire is as polished as it is varied: they’ll have you slowly swing your hips to a ballad one moment, and jump up and down to an indie-rock tune the next. I then made my way to Concorde 2 to see Room Service, a Brighton-based six piece who lit up the room with their joyous, eclectic, funk-infused set.
To finish off the evening, Concorde’s stage was lit on fire by the incredible Lemonsuckr. The crowd went wild as the band played their high-intensity disco-pop extravaganza. Lemonsuckr’s stage presence was electrifying, their enthusiasm contagious as we couldn’t help but dance and sing along for the entirety of their set. I left the room feeling ecstatic, already impatient to see them perform again.
Day 2
I started day two off with attending an Alt Escape showcase at Bella Union Vinyl Shop- where we were graced with an intimate (and crowded!) performance by Sunday Mourners, Pebbledash, and (once again) Lemonsuckr, who not only packed out the shop but had dozens of people watching in from outside and dancing in the street.
The first official TGE set of the day was by the mind-blowing Really Good Time, an Ireland trio that turned Patterns into a sweaty, steamy bubble of punk madness. I stumbled upon the Irish trio by complete chance and was immediately turned into a loyal fan by their sexy, irreverent performance.
I then headed to Green Door Store to see one of my favourite acts at the moment: Saint Clair. The four Londoners arrived on stage and lifted our hearts up with their magical, emotional set. Melodic guitars, passionate vocals and poignant lyricism made for an excellent half hour which I still wish hadn’t ended.
The day ended with a bang as I attended Bleech 9:3’s set at Komedia Basement. Before the band even got on stage, the air buzzed with excitement (admittedly, mostly my own). Within a few seconds of their opener Jacky, I was covered in beer and being thrown around like a ragdoll in the moshpit. Energy levels didn’t plateau for a second as the band tore through their set with unmatched intensity. Bleach 9:3 blend a 90’s grunge influence with relentless bass riffs and heart-wrenching lyrics that have you singing at the top of your lungs. An unmissable act that was only matched by their second performance at The Deep End the next day.
Day 3
By Friday, the festival was in full swing: the streets of Brighton filled with artists, photographers, and live-music geeks. Wherever you walked, you could hear the muffled sounds of drums or cheers. By this point the rain had also relented, and the sun had peeked from underneath its blanket of clouds.
I first headed to the i360 for my very first time at the Beach House Sessions, who hosted a free event in collaboration with TuneCore. Brighton’s own Martial Arts performed an exclusive, recorded live-session for us, which kick-started the day with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
Next up we went to see a great set by Walt Disco in a packed-out Brighthelm centre, before heading to The Deep End to watch Slag blow the roof (tent) off with their cheeky, lively performance.
The evening ended in a sweaty East Street Tap, where I spent the best part of two hours moshing my life away to the tunes of Bones Ate Arfa, Mother Vulture, and HoneyBadger, who all performed as part of Alt Escape. The creme-de-la-creme of Brighton’s garage-punk scene, all three acts were insanely energetic and had the crowd in a frenzy.
Day 4
The last, bittersweet day at The Great Escape started with a ‘Canadian barbecue’ experience at Green Door Store, where we enjoyed some hot food and a mindblowingly explosive set by The OBGMS, who took the stage by storm with their punk-infused hip hop shenanigans.
We slowed things down at Horatio’s, where we saw Sade Olutola and Ain’t, before heading to The Deep End to catch Tooth. The London-based four-piece performed a nostalgic set heavily inspired by the early 2000s garage-emo scene, playing some gorgeous tunes from their soon-to-release EP. Despite their young age, Tooth took control of the stage and performed with magnetism and confidence, grabbing our attention instantly.
We closed this incredible week of music with a free gig at The Mesmerist by Sametime, who closed the night in such joyous and cheerful fashion, a perfect ending to the week just gone.
Attending The Great Escape felt like living the dream: walking around my favourite city, hearing music coming from all corners; seeing my favourite bands perform in intimate venues and meeting fellow fans and artists; feeling that my very presence was contributing to supporting what I love most: music that’s real, honest, and full of passion.
Written by Roberta Guarini