The Great Escape is very much Britain’s version of SXSW in Texas.
On every corner is a singer songwriter earnestly plucking on an acoustic guitar, every bar, pub and cafe is turned into an improvised venue and the whole of London descends on Brighton like a flock of aggressive seagulls hoping to discover the next big thing. Here are five of the acts Metropolis has worked with that also rather fortuitously rocked The Great Escape.
Yowl – My Headache Likes To Speak
South London’s Yowl took to the stage at Bleach with consummate ease. With minimal to no “Stage bantz” Yowl got in with chugging out wiry guitar led tunes. The major highlights being the latest single “My Headache Likes To Speak” and the moment singer Gabriel Byrde jumped into the crowd to perform more intimately for their already impressively sized army of fans. In between songs the crowd yowled at the top of their lungs and the band responded by blitzing through tracks from last years EP with speed and precision. You can next see them play The Macbeth of Hoxton on the 16th of June.
Fake Laugh – Melt
Just 30 seconds up the road from Bleach, it is upstairs at The Joker I see Fake Laugh. With their debut album coming out on Headcount Records on the 28th of July singer Kam has the sweaty crowd swaying and dancing with every one of his guitars jangly strums. The band sound super tight and they proceed to rattle out some tunes from the upcoming debut LP as well as some crowd favourites from last years Great Ideas EP. You can catch Fake Laugh playing some in-stores in promotion of their upcoming album at Rough Trade Nottingham and Rough Trade East on the 31st of July and the 1st of August respectively.
HMLTD – To The Door
One of the bands with the biggest buzz around them at this year’s festival was HMLTD. These art punks have drawn a lot of attention because of their unconventional songs and individual members looks. HMLTD’s songs can turn from stomping glam rock to motoring drum and bass rhythms on a dime whilst the lead singer Henry Spychalski demands all the attention, strutting around with his blue mullet and lack of a top. With the release of their third single “To The Door” HMLTD have issued a statement of intent. It is one to be taken seriously but not TOO seriously as to ignore the pantomime fun and attitude of the group. You can catch HMLTD at Field Day this weekend.
Honey Hah’s – Beer Fear
Surrounded by chatty delegates on Jubilee Street stand three young sisters. They wait patiently as the sound system pumps out generic dance music. When their set starts I realise I am standing next to their parents, signalling for the youngest member Sylvie (9!) to stand closer to her microphone. Robin, the 11 year old bassist and one of the singers, holds a McCartney style Hofner violin bass that looks almost comically too big for her. After a quick tuning of a guitar the Honey Hah’s play with a confidence and style that belies their years. They also are the only band that I saw at The Great Escape to perform an overtly political song about a nasty man determined to build walls who needs to be stopped. They have a 7” produced by Pulp’s Steve Mackey out on Rough Trade soon.
Our Girl – Being Around
Our Girl’s Soph Nathan has long been this writer’s nominee for the award I made up just now called “Hardest Working Person in Rock and Roll”. Not just content with being the frontwoman of this Brighton based grunge three piece, Soph also plays with The Big Moon as well as Marika Hackman. I caught Our Girl twice over the weekend. First, cramped into the sweaty Castle Street Gym and then packed into the Hope & Ruin pub. At both venues there were fans singing along to songs from their “Normally” EP and “Sleeper” single released on Cannibal Hymns. You can catch Our Girl supporting Marika Hackman on tour and then at their biggest headline show yet at The Lexington on the 13th of September.To keep up to date with all things Metropolis Mastering related check out our website…
Check out our Spotify playlist which we will be adding to as the year goes on with all our tips and recommendations…
The Playback
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