This year, Brighton’s biggest city festival, The Great Escape (TGE), celebrated its 20th anniversary. Over the years, the four-day concert has become a crucial platform for emerging artists, often launching them to commercial success. Past alumni include established acts like Vampire Weekend, SBTRKT, The XX and many others. Today, TGE remains one of the most important festival showcases out there. And each year it only gets bigger and better, championing all warps of music.
Celebrations are afoot, as “TGE 20” helium balloons dot the Leonardo hotel. Spirits are high for this mammoth celebration of grassroots venues and independent, emerging artists. From venue to venue, prolific magazines covering rising talent line the walls and counters. It’s clear that 2026 is the year fresh faces are making headlines.
Brighton Pier: Blue Bendy’s Unravelled Euphoria
Playing 200 meters out into the sea on the Brighton pier is Blue Bendy, an indie rock six-piece praised for making unpredictable music that blends the weird with the wonderful. Melancholic, sombre effects that mimic electronic sounds weave throughout the band’s set, creating a constant flow of euphoria.
For the most part, seeing Blue Bendy live feels like watching a fun, erratic band practice. It’s somewhat unfiltered, yet still as seamless as on record. There’s also a distinct rawness in the way frontman Arthur Nolan delivers his lines. It’s almost as though no formal technique is being used at all. But that’s the trick. The authentic melancholy in delivery, paired with the band’s sporadic chord changes, is exactly what made them an instant success.
Komedia Basement: Bleech 9:3 Break Through Momentum
At Komedia Basement, it is absolutely packed for shoegaze punksters Bleech 9:3, who first broke into the alternative scene with their melodic, tear-jerker “Ceiling” in October 2025. In a short stint, this grungy quartet has grown rapidly, and their double bill at TGE proves it.
Waterbear Music Bar: Inside Adult DVD’s One-In, One-Out Crowd
At TGE, there’s an unwritten rule that any avant-garde, experimental group you see is no fewer than six members strong — and perhaps that’s the secret ingredient. As a result, Adult DVD sweeps the floor with a set of dance funk fusion.
“They’re playing again later. At the beach,” says a security guard managing the monstrous line for Adult DVD. The queue stretches halfway down the street. With a one-in-one-out system in place, it initially feels almost naive to expect entry before the set begins. After a few stars align, the line finally thins.
Inside, Adult DVD master a blend of funky house with a shoegaze induced in intergalactic noises. “I think everyone needs to start moving for this next one, otherwise it’s going to be awkward for us all,” says singer Harry Hanson. “Just because you’ve got a delicate pass on doesn’t mean you can’t move,” he comically adds, before sweeping into an unreleased song.
Fabrica Venue: Eaves Wilder Makes a Vulnerable Confession
Meanwhile, set within the stunning church walls of Fabrica, perfectly suited to her ethereal vocals, is singer-songwriter Eaves Wilder. Playing live for the first time since dropping her new album Little Miss Sunshine, the singer spends the next 30 minutes delicately hypnotizing the audience with solemn rock ballads and a touch of psychedelia.
Throughout her set, Wilder opens up about the struggles she faced in the process of writing the album. She speaks on periods of wanting to quit music, as well as the complexities of abusive relationships. It’s a raw first glimpse into her mind. On the surface, it appears polished; Underneath, far more intricate. It lands perfectly, encapsulating what it means to be human.
Ahead of her arrival, the music building inside Brighton Dome Concert Hall is a mix of electronic pop and techno, which is a fitting warm-up for the kaleidoscopic performance from Peaches. As the lights drop, a booming roar rises in the room. She strolls onto the stage in an outfit reminiscent of Demi Moore’s finale look in The Substance, immediately exciting the audience and setting the tone for a show built on off-kilter styling, provocative choreography, and a setlist of bangers.
At one point, she removes her “boob dress” to reveal a full hairy ape suit for “Whatcha Gonna Do About It.” Later, she appears in giant boob slippers. By now, everyone understands: this show isn’t your average live experience. It’s better. Peaches goes above and beyond with fun, quirky gestures, making it impossible not to love every second of it.
Prince Albert: Legss Return After Theft
If there’s one thing we’ve learned at TGE, it’s that arriving on time to a gig usually means you’re already late. That’s certainly the case as we arrive at Prince Albert to see Legss. Where the distant sounds of “Broadcast” spills out into the hallway as the crowd gathers.
Playing on the Saturday, Legss’ slot is an afternoon of firsts for the band. It’s not only their debut performance at TGE, but also their first live show since their kit got stolen in Dublin in February 2026. After successfully crowdfunding much of their equipment back, frontman Ned Green spends a portion of the set thanking the crowd for their support, before closing on the emotionally captivating “909.”
Waterbear Music Bar: MAQUINA. Turn the Room Feral
Elsewhere at Waterbear Music Bar, Portuguese punk trio MAQUINA. arrive directly after playing a festival showcase in the Netherlands. Almost immediately, they deliver an exhilarating performance of roaring guitars and electronic-induced production. It doesn’t take long before roughly 90% of the room is moshing with sheer energy and excitement. A feral show that feels hard to top, MAQUINA. subtly remind the audience that they’re set to shut down TGE one last time, with another show that evening.
“I think it’s a big door for a lot of opportunities. It can be hard coming to these things, but you are always planting seeds. You never know who is in the crowd or who is watching,” MAQUINA. Bassist João Cavalheiro says on what returning to the festival means to them.
For many artists, TGE functions as a launch pad for momentum beyond their local scenes. “I think everyone needs to try to come to these kinds of festivals. You never know what can come from it,” Cavalheiro continues.
He’s right. In 2010, artists including Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran performed at TGE during their early career stages, long before global recognition.
“It feels really great to be doing this,” says Halison Peres, the band’s drummer and lead vocalist. “Going from playing really small clubs, [to] suddenly [being in] another country, seeing people waiting for you. Yeah, this has been amazing.”