In the heart of Brighton city The Great Escape fills the seaside town with music everywhere you look for a weekend of amazing music and beautiful views.

Last week RouteNote Sessions took to Brighton to introduce some of the great Cornish acts we work with at The Great Escape festival. After a brilliant night of music in collaboration with Cultivator on Thursday, me and RouteNote Sessions’ leader Ed explored the city to watch some of the incredible range of music spilling out of the seaside city for the weekend.

When The Great Escape festival lands in Brighton it spreads its reach all over the city taking roots everywhere from small bars to major venues. Every street you walk down around the centre of the city will result in a brightly coloured beacon drawing you towards the music in the shape of The Great Escape logo stickered everywhere.

Exploring the beach you will find hole-in-the-walls that are filled with hidden life and up-and-coming music. One of these hole-in-the-wall venues was the location for RouteNote Sessions’ showcase and the Cornish acts that joined us. It was a beautiful stage that shot directly like a portal from the stage at the back to the view of the sea directly opposite, soaking you into the coast even from beyond the doorway.

The sea staged a perfect backdrop for the evening of music featuring Rue, FARE, Milo Gore, and L I P S. All Cornish artists who were incremental in the early days of RouteNote Sessions with their fantastic live performances for us.

Continue down the shore at night and you’ll find a natural draw to the famous Brighton Pier with dazzling lights shimmering up and down, reeling you further out to sea. On the end of the pier the DIY stage provides the sound whilst the city lights up, stretching out beyond the sand in a myriad of illumination.

Psychadelic Porn Crumpets at the Aussie BBQ on the beach

Whilst the city is alive with light and sound at night, The Great Escape is just as vibrant throughout the day. We followed a zip-line from the pier to the Great Aussie BBQ where the culminated stages had sand shaking as amazing acts from the other side of the planet took to the stage. From boot-stomping throwbacks of classic heavy rock like Stonefield to the psych-rock head-bangings of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, the Australian showcase was a major highlight.

Head back into the city and you will wind down diagonal alleyways adorned with unique shops and cafes. You’ll find yourself outside of a variety of venues and stages where everything from the brain-stomping, industrial sound of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs tear the roof off the playable-guitar laden Fender stage to conference talks and discussions for artists and industry experts to immerse themselves in valuable tips and chat shop about music.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs tearing the Fender stage apart

As a man mostly accustomed to the sense of a collective whole at field festivals with everything within a stones throw; A city festival was a new experience for me. The Great Escape brings loads of brilliant acts to spread across the city, and it’s the city of Brighton that truly cherries this cake of a festival. With the gorgeous coast, the beautiful streets, and glowing night lights the city provides an excellent culmination of music becomes an exhilarating experience.

We’ll have more videos and fun stuff about our time at The Great Escape coming 
soon so keep your eyes peeled!