Today, The Great Escape is excited to reveal the first 100 artists confirmed for 2014, including the Saturday night billing for the festival’s biggest stage.
For the 9th year running The Great Escape 2014 will open the UK festival season, showcasing 400 of the best emerging artists in Brighton across the weekend of 8th-10thMay. Firmly established as Europe’s leading festival for new music, the 3-day festival will draw over 18,000 music lovers to the south coast of England, united in their pursuit to catch the next-big-thing performing in one of the 35 venues dotted across the city.
Amongst the first to join the eclectic TGE14 line-up is the one and only KELIS*, who will deliver an original show to audiences at the Brighton Dome on Saturday 10th May. Having spent years dominating the UK and US charts alike with her always unique outlook, Kelis shifted seamlessly in to dance and electronic music with critically acclaimed 2010 release ‘Acapella’. Now, with her highly anticipated sixth studio album ‘Food’ dropping in April, it will be an early opportunity to witness Kelis’ next reincarnation.
KELIS commented, “I'm looking forward to playing The Great Escape, its a great line up and it will be fun to play out my new album come May.”
Providing support is BRIT Award nominee ELLA EYRE*, who returns to the festival for the second year running. Fresh from the release of debut solo EP and working on her first debut album set to retune the soundwaves with soul-influenced dance this summer, hers is the name on everyone’s lips.
On her performance, ELLA EYRE commented, "I’m really excited to be back at The Great Escape– I had a great time last year, so to be back and playing alongside Kelis will be incredible."
Known as the UK’s answer to SXSW and labelled “The Cannes of the Music World” by Steve Lamacq, the first batch of artists confirmed for 2014 is evidence of the festival’s ability to navigate every genre featuring; hypnotic beat making collective JUNGLE, self-titled “Steak and Kidney Pop” star CHLÖE HOWL, Brighton’s own home-grown rock’n’roll duo ROYAL BLOOD and new benchmark for Pop music CHARLI XCX.
Also joining the line-up is atmospheric 3-piece BLAENAVON, gifted story spinning slacker COURTNEY BARNETT, Liverpudlian quartet CIRCA WAVES, new surf grunge kids on the block DUNE RATS as well as disillusioned outsiders FAT WHITE FAMILY who will bring total intoxicating aberrance to the seaside.
The full TGE 2014 line-up so far:
AMBER RUN / ANDY SHAUF / ARC IRIS / ARTHUR BEATRICE / AS ANIMALS / AUTOBAHN / BABY IN VAIN / BABY STRANGE / BEARD OF WOLVES / BEAUTIFUL BOY / BENJAMIN CLEMENTINE / BLACK CITY LIGHTS / BLAENAVON / BROKEN TWIN / CHARLI XCX / CHERUB / CHLÖE HOWL / CIRCA WAVES / CLEO T / COURTNEY BARNETT / D/C / DARK FOR DARK / DARLIA / DENAI MOORE / DIVE IN / DOLOMITE MINOR / DOOM SQUAD / DOUGLAS DARE / DUNE RATS / ELLA EYRE*/ EROTIC MARKET / FABIENNE / FAT WHITE FAMILY / FEMALE SMELL / FEMME / FLUX PAVILION / FLYTE / FTSE / FUTURE ISLANDS / FYFE / GIANNA LAUREN / GINGER AND THE GHOST / GLORY GLORY / HANNAH GEORGAS / HERMITUDE / HOLY STRAYS / HSY / HUMAN PYRAMIDS / JAAKKO EINO KALEVI / JAY ARNER / JEREMIAH JAE / JEREMY NEALE / JUNGLE / KELIS*/ LABYRINTH EAR / LEON T PEARL / LONELY THE BRAVE / LOVEPARK / MAJOR LEAGUES / MARIKA HACKMAN / MATTHEW AND THE ATLAS / MAX MARSHALL / MICKEY LIGHTFOOT / MONEY FOR ROPE / NEW DESERT BLUES / OLIVER WILDE / ORVAL CARLOS SIBELIUS / OY / PAWWS / PHOX / POWDER BLUE / REJJIE SNOW / ROSIE LOWE / ROYAL BLOOD / RUSSIAN RED / SAINT RAYMOND / SAMARIS / SATELLITE STORIES / SEPTEMBER GIRLS / SHOPPING / SHY NATURE / SIN COS TAN / SLAVES / STUBBORN HEART / SUNDARA KARMA / THE BONY KING OF NOWHERE / THE CREASES / THE CROOKED BROTHERS / THE DARLINGTONS / THE OSCILLATION / THE SCENES / THEO VERNEY / TOVE LO / TRAAMS / TRAUMAHELIKOPTER / TRAVIS BRETZER / WET / WHITE LUNG / WILSEN / WOMANS HOUR / YOUNG SUMMER / YOUTH MAN / YUMI AND THE WEATHER
Festival Director, Kat Morris said: “This will be our 9th festival, and it really feels like the event has become stronger year on year. The Great Escape prides itself on showcasing the very best upcoming talent and we aim to produce a line-up which shows a true cross section of emerging artists, locally and internationally, and offer hundreds of incredible gigs, accessible to festival-goers with just one wristband. We’re really excited by how this years’ line-up is shaping up.”
The Great Escape is well known to be an international platform for new talent. Artists representing over 25 countries will perform at the 2014 festival to its varied and influential audiences. TGE is delighted to welcome JAAKKO EINO KALEVI, SATELLITE STORIES, SIN COS TAN and THE SCENES as part of the lead International partnership with Music Finland, who will present a standalone showcase at this year’s festival.
Running alongside the festival is The Great Escape convention which will once again host a variety of insightful industry talks, panel debates, targeted networking sessions and keynote interviews for industry professionals and music business fans. It has been announced that this year will feature a strand focusing specifically on Maximising Music Rights, supported by PPL and PRS for Music. Speakers confirmed for this strand include Mike Weatherley, MP for Brighton & Hove and Intellectual Property Rights advisor to David Cameron. Further speaker and strand confirmations to be announced very soon.
Published on 22 January 2014 by Ben Robinson
