The Great Escape 2022 – Friday review
With aching feet and happy hearts we approached Friday of this year’s Great Escape, a brilliant day of music behind us, having stomped through the sunny streets of Brighton on Thursday catching bands across the city.
“Fuck the Tories,” said the brilliant Peaness to a massive cheer ahead of one of their melodic, catchy indie-pop tunes. The Chester three-piece’s debut album, World Full Of Worry, has just come out and, judging by this performance, you should rush out and buy it immediately.
The massive queue outside the Brighthelm Centre suggested that Panic Shack were not to be missed, and the Cardiff band certainly put on a show, with the lesser-spotted combination of raucous punk and synchronised dance moves.
Later, 19-year-old Edinburgh artist Bonnie Kemplay seemed surprised to be playing in front of so many people, but her nuanced set, which started soft and gentle and gradually got rockier, deserved attention.
Next, Stella Donnelly proved herself to be an entirely engaging presence. Affable chat with the crowd and some killer dance moves punctuated an upbeat set from the WA artist and her band. There was a whole bunch of stuff from her upcoming new album, as well as crowd faves such as Old Man and Tricks. The artist also played Beware of the Dogs solo at the end; its raw edge juxtaposing nicely with the some of her poppier offerings, and further showcasing that incredible vocal. If Stella is ever playing live near you, you’d be a ruddy fool not to go and see her.
Over at the open air Jubilee Square stage, Colombian/Canadian artist Lido Pimienta (pictured, top) gave a boisterous, brilliant performance. Her genre-spanning style rampaged through cumbia, electro and pop could be heard from streets away and won her an army of new fans.
After Transatlantic group Prima Queen delivered engaging indie stories, we headed to the Latest Bar, just off the seafront, to catch Blu DeTiger. We last saw her playing bass for Caroline Polachek in London back in March 2020. It turned out to be the last gig we’d attend in the best part of two years, during which time two Great Escapes were canned. So it was a joy to catch the bass-playing singer/songwriter again.
In those two years, Blu has dropped her debut EP (read our interview with her here), and her performance to a capacity crowd was perfect for this Friday night. The tunes were funky, dancey and poppy, and her stage presence was ace. She headbanged, sauntered through the crowd, dished out high-fives, and belted out a cracking singalong medley of Gorillaz, Outkast and MIA.
Blue DeTiger’s set was so feelgood that, as she exited the stage, the crowd practically floated out of the venue, ready to continue the party that had been so expertly started by one woman, her bass and her band.
Her show wasn’t just the clear standout of TGE’s Friday, but one of the highlights of the entire festival.
Two days down, one to go. As we let the sea breeze brush our faces when we stepped into the fresh Brighton air, we did so in the knowledge that if Saturday lived up to the standard of the first two days, we were in for a treat.
Review, photo and video by Bobby Townsend.
