Last week RouteNote Sessions were invited to The Great Escape in Brighton to join four acts from the Sessions to play a showcase of the amazing music coming out of Cornwall.

On Thursday the 9th May, me and Ed Pipkin (RouteNote Sessions leader and founder) took the long drive from Cornwall to Brighton – RouteNote Sessions sign in tow in the back-seat carved and glued together by Ed just that morning. That night was to be a very special evening, a showcase of some of the very finest in new music from Cornwall at the diverse and exciting Great Escape festival.

Thanks to Cultivator Cornwall, who arranged the venue and getting the bands and RouteNote Sessions together, we were able to take the beach-side ‘Hub’ over for the night. With an entrance that opens directly out onto Brighton’s picturesque coastline the mood was set for a magical evening to lead into The Great Escape’s big weekend.

All four acts were instrumental in the early days of RouteNote Sessions. The first 2 acts to play were the first 2 Sessions we ever released so the night felt like a culmination of our work so far with the bonus of being able to catch up with some of the wonderful acts we’ve recorded with a beautiful sea view as the back drop.

The fantastic Rue kicked the evening off with a stripped down set, powering through her songs with pure musical swing even without her backing band behind her. Rue’s voice is one of pure silken gold that anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing her play will know is irresistible, head-bopping material.

In case you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it before, check out her brilliant RouteNote Session – it was our first ever!

Next up was FARE, coincidentally the second live session we ever recorded. FARE has an incredibly unique talent of transporting you to a transcendental place through stunning live-looping. FARE warmed herself up with the majesty of her own music to take place on the stage again as part of the very different sound of Milo Gore.

FARE’s session is a personal favourite at RouteNote with an incredible cover of Talking Heads’ This Must Be The Place:

Following a mellow introduction to the evening, featuring 2 of the most beautifully gentle musicians we’ve had the pleasure of working with, the night was about to get a bit more energetic.

Christina (FARE) rejoined the stage with the band of Milo Gore in tow to play a raucous set of sad songs played loudly. With as many as 3 guitars playing at a time Milo Gore tore through his set as the band built the crowd into motion.

Finally the fantastic L I P S took to the stage to present their signature dream-pop sound to the city of Brighton and it’s Great Escape visitors. As usual L I P S filled the room with dreamy guitar sounds and a force that leaves you powerless to move to the grooves.

L I P S have been making waves across the country, presenting an amazing example of the Cornish music scene exporting nationally to radio stations and venues across the UK. It’s a pleasure working with a unique band that prove the power of music, even in the far reaches of Cornwall.

Finally to close off an evening of the burgeoning music scene in the South-West it was RouteNote’s time to shine. We took to the stage and projected some of our favourite sessions to introduce the pride of our project to a new audience.

It was a brilliant night that introduced us to the wonderful sounds of Brighton and vice-versa – we got the opportunity to present ourselves to The Great Escape festival.