Saturday
The final day of the Great Escape, and I woke up feeling much fresher than the previous two days. Probably because I had a proper bed to sleep in this time. It was approximately midday so me and a friend went into town for this amazing cooked breakfast at the most punk rock café I’ve been to, called The Kensington. After going our separate ways I needed to find a pub that was showing the FA Cup final, so I literally stopped at the first place I could find that was showing it, which happened to be a Varsity which had a relatively mixed crowd of football fans and music fans. The result? A 1-0 for Chelsea and a brilliant game so I knew I would be in a positive mood for the remainder of the evening.
So anyway, I’m meant to be talking about a music festival so first up for me on Saturday was Broken Social Scene (below). Having been an admirer of the of the Canadian collective for quite some time I have to admit I’ve been slightly out of touch of their most recent albums despite still listening to ‘You Forgot it in People’ and the self titled every so often. They arrived on stage much to the delight of the Corn Exchange crowd, welcoming them with an uplifting set consisting of tracks from their new album ‘Forgiveness Rock Record’ as well as some older classics such as ‘Stars and Sons’, ‘Cause = Time’ and ‘7/4 (Shoreline)’. As brilliant as much of their set was I couldn’t help but feel a tad bored during much of it however, wanting certain tracks to finish and move on to the next song. Although, I wont let this put me off listening to them or even seeing them live in the future because I am still greatly fond of them, but on this occasion BSS failed to grip me perhaps as much as I hoped.
As I was unsure who to see next, I was requested by a friend to head over to the Komedia Studio bar where The Agitator were playing. It took me a while to get my head round the duo consisting of a singer The Big Mouth (Derek Mains) and a very talented percussionist going by the name of Robert Dylan Thomas aka The Big Beat. The Big Mouth kind of reminded me of the soulful vocal talents of Jamie Lidell but with extra shouty elements, and their overall stage persona came across like upmarket street buskers. A complete contrast to everything else I’d seen over the weekend but was a refreshing change none the less.
So having clash of artists next up, it was a toss up between And So I watch You From Afar and Slow Club (below), I decided on the latter, simply as it was closer to where we were. Gigging at the beautiful Unitarian Church, we had trouble getting in at first as the venue was jam packed. Even having to rely on peeping through the entrance at one stage to catch a glimpse. Yet once we were comfortably located inside, we witnessed the Indie/Folk Pop duo (yes, another 2-piece...) perform a stunning set within the perfect surroundings, performing tracks from their album debut album as well as their EP’s and newer material. Slow Club were no doubt my surprise highlight of the festival and have since been hearing ‘Yeah So’ in a different light since the weekend.
So the final musical mission of the Great Escape weekend was to see Esben at the Witch at the Duke of York Cinema. Sounds crazy I know but it managed to work in such a surreal setting. Having got to the venue with plenty of time, we were able to catch a good twenty minutes of Erland and the Carnival (below). Another first time viewing on a weekend of wonderful discoveries. Their array of quirky folk pop impressed me with an energetic performance and instrumental talent. Appearances varied in the line up with some band members looking distinctively younger than others. Think Mystery Jets with the vision and attitude of The Coral.
Having already played earlier that evening the hometown trio were set for their 12.45am second show of the night. So, sat in the extremely comfortable front row seat of the theatre, beer in hand, lights went dark and Esben and the Witch entered the stage. A band who many music publications have predicted big things for this year rightfully acclaimed their praise with a production of sound, displaying a haunting yet magical performance of psychedelic tales with an awe of rhythmic precision.
Summary
It seems only the Great Escape can play host to alternative music concerts at bizarre venues like churches and movie theatre’s and can easily get away with it. The Sunday consisted of more wondering and exploring the streets of Brighton, and the afternoon train journey back to London left me analysing my final thoughts on the weekend. I’ve been to various music festivals that tend to attract a more music industry based audience, such as ATP, Primavera Sound and the Camden Crawl, but what’s unique about The Great Escape is that its not just about going to shows. It seems to have become an annual meeting place for media press from around the country which further more, holds talks and conferences from some of some important names the industry. However, I can imagine it might have been frustrating for punters who had purchased a ticket as their seemed to be some ridiculously long queues outside some of the venues playing host to bigger acts such as The Cribs, Groove Armada and Chase and Status. In addition, having 30 different venues in just one evening can lead to some frustrating clash of artists but at least you have plenty of options to choose from. Id say its more the discovery of new and unheard music which makes this event all the more special. All in all a very productive weekend of new music and is fair to say that the Great Escape 2010 has rekindled my love Brighton again!
Words: Freddy Rothman
Pictures : Andy Sturmey:
Freddy Rothman
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