Each May, The Great Escape turns Brighton into something electric; a seaside labyrinth of sound, sweat, discovery, and endless dashes between tiny venues. As someone who worked closely on this festival during my time at MAMA Group, I’ve seen first-hand how it evolved from a beloved industry weekender into Europe’s most vital launchpad for new music.
But 2025 feels like more than just another year.
This year’s event is a reset, not just for the festival, but for the spirit of independent music culture itself. Free from those corporate ties, the energy feels recalibrated. The bookings are bolder. The buzz is back.
And with SXSW London waiting in the wings, The Great Escape 2025 is making its mark more clearly than ever: intimate, urgent, and absolutely unmissable.
Why TGE Still Matters
The Great Escape has never been about scale. It’s about proximity — to the stage, to the artists, and to the moment before something explodes. It’s the only place you might see a future headliner in a 120-cap basement venue, then again three hours later playing a beach stage to a swelling crowd already obsessed.
This year, the programming is the strongest it’s been in a decade. Not just in volume, but in vision, showcasing radical new voices, high-concept artistry, and those quietly thrilling acts on the cusp.
Here are just a few names you absolutely shouldn’t miss:
Sim0ne
Once a bedroom DJ, now BBC Radio 1’s Future Star and Lana Del Rey collaborator, sim0ne is bringing euphoric, high-energy sets that blend hard house, happy hardcore, and emotional peaks. Her viral Boiler Room set proved she’s more than hype, she’s the future.
Westside Cowboy
Winners of Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition and already a sensation with just two singles, this band has four chances to win you over. A must-see for anyone chasing bragging rights.
Corto.alto
Glasgow’s genre-fluid jazz innovator, blending broken beat, dub, and digital production into something totally alive. Playing three times — and absolutely worth catching more than once.
Kousto
Dreamy French disco for sun-soaked moments, with nods to Jacques Cousteau and co-signs from Honey Dijon and Folamour. If you’re craving something immersive and vibey, Kousto is essential.
Ziyad Al-Samman
Think psychedelic disco-pop with Prince swagger and Jordanian soul. A livewire performer who delivers joy and chaos in equal measure. His debut EP Pleasure Complex is a serotonin rush.
Pem
Vocals so distinctive they feel peerless, part of what made her Cloud Work EP one of 2024’s underground gems. Her solo church set will be a spiritual moment, full stop.
KÄSSY
A sonic shapeshifter channeling beauty, chaos, apathy and euphoria all at once. Her music defies definition, just know you won’t forget it.
Luvcat
A Liverpool goth-pop siren with a backstory that reads like a novel: Parisian circus stints, sailor adventures, and tracks that drip with Cure-style drama. Five singles in, this is likely her last small-room tour.
Mandrake Handshake
Seven to ten members strong (depending on the day), their psych-drenched wall of sound is impossible to stand still to. A must for fans of groove, movement, and maximalism.
Witch Post
A duo born out of coincidence, two artists from towns named Alaska, one in the US, one in Scotland, now crafting some of the year’s most addictive indie-electronic tracks. Expect chemistry and killer melodies.
Not Just Another Showcase
The Great Escape has always been more than a festival. It’s a collision point for artists, agents, fans and friends. For deals inked on napkins. For long-lost collaborators reunited in queue lines. For the buzz in the pub afterward when everyone says, “Did you see that?”
And while SXSW London may grab headlines this year, TGE will remain the proving ground, the sweaty, sprint-between-venues, sleep-when-you’re-dead home of real discovery.
So lace up your most comfortable trainers. Stretch. Hydrate. And prepare to fall in love with the future of music, one tiny stage at a time.
Here’s to late nights, breakout sets, and seaside magic; have a killer week, TGE fam.