Planet Notion - The Great Escape Festival, May 15th

28/04/2008

Ah, The Great Escape; three days flitting from one venue to the next watching the world’s finest musical talent. Not just from our blustery shores but from America and Norway and countries like that. The Great Escape, taking place in Brighton from Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th May, is set to be hotter than Girls Aloud in the midday Summer sun with 150 acts performing to over 5,000 people. “WOWZERS!”

Ever eclectic six-piece The Go! Team will be returning to their hometown, with Mystery Jets, the hotly tipped Philadelphian songstress Santogold, Magistrates, and The Ting Ting also confirmed to play. Other big names include The Young Knives, Lightspeed Champion, Cut Off Your Hands! Crystal Castles, The Black Lips and Pete and The Pirates. I would literally end-up with dentures, thinning hair, and a gammy hip if I mentioned every act performing - such is the scale of proceedings…

The Great Escape has a tradition of selecting a country each year and showcasing various representatives during proceedings. Previous years have included ‘Canada’ and ‘France’ with Norway being thrust into the spotlight for 2008.

Speaking of Norway’s inclusion Jonas Vebner, of Music Export Norway, commented: “There is a wealth of exciting talent coming out of Norway these days from the riff based roaring power-trio of Ungdomskulen, to indie pop starlet Ida Maria, to the cheerful electronica and shadowpuppeteering of the charming Casiokids, to the new and hotly tipped screamo/hardcore band Sigh & Explode. The Norwegian music scene is known for its diversity and innovating fresh sounds.”

You can read all about Ungdomskulen on our ‘Who the Fuck’ section, such is our eye for spotting talent. In other news ‘man of many jobs’ Zane Lowe will be presenting live from Concorde 2 for MTV TWO. All in all MTV TWO will host a three-day residency at the venue, with DJ/presenter Lowe recording three 60 minute ‘Gonzo Loves’ shows as the madness unfolds. Sweet!

Organisers are tipping Edinburgh seven-piece ‘Broken Records’, who play various string instruments - including violins - over heartfelt ballads and melodies, to be one of the finest new acts at the festival. Esser, Glasvegas, Santogold, and White Lies are also widely predicted to make an impact out of the crop of fresh talent.

Red Stripe will once again support The Great Escape with a string of events throughout the course of the weekend. Three day gig pass tickets start from £45. For more information visit www.escapegreat.com or www.redstripe.net