Features

Gang Of Four, The Charlatans, The Rumble Strips, Passion Pit, Patrick Wolf - The Great Escape = Sleeper Festival Of The Summer?

Laura Prior 15/04/2009

As The Great Escape 2009 adds Gang of Four, The Charlatans and The Rumble Strips to its already impressive line-up, GIITV thought it was time to spotlight Brighton's premier indie funfair as one of the best festivals to be at.

The UK's own seaside SXSW goes from strength to strength every year. As anyone who's seen it for themselves knows, Brighton's TGE remains a living, breathing place to see next year's best bands before they hit the car-advert-soundtrack and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross way of life. Brighton's scenic, excitable, laissez-faire attitude provides the perfect backdrop for the non-field, pier-centric festival experience.

Also announced for this year include Kasabian, British Sea Power, Patrick Wolf, Little Boots, The Maccabees, Enter Shikari, Holy F***K, Brakes Noah and the Whale, Just Jack, The Black Lips, iLIKETRAINS, Ben Kweller and Future of the Left, Idlewild, Kissy Sell Out, Esser, Wintersleep and Bombay Bicycle Club.

Those on the bill on the edge of hugeness, by no means only, are Passion Pit, Johnny Foreigner, Titus Andronicus Ipso Facto, Hunting for Minotaur and the brilliant-but-impossibly named Dananananaykroyd.

Last year saw parts-of-the-current-indie-furniture like Crystal Castles, Bon Iver, Ladyhawke, Friendly Fires, Noah and the Whale and Laura Marling go on to mainstream acclaim and murder critics' 2008's end-of-year love-ins. Hell, even Vampire Weekend managed to slip by without too much hysteria at the time.

The three-day festival held in venues all over Brighton will also treat fans to debates, talks, secret gigs and all sorts of after-party goodness for those with delegate passes. The festival will this year feature an “Artist Village�, where the conference side of the festival will host a number of educational panels, networking sessions and general schmoozing opportunities for artists and media.

Depending on how jaded you are, Brighton remains either a Little-London-by-the-Sea, corporate sell-out for hosting such a hype-fest, or literally a breath of fresh air from the usual bland, inner-city festivals germinating rapidly with every passing season.

Held over the days of the 14th, 15th and 16th 2 May, The Great Escape raises the curtain for the major festival season and is a formidable contender for one of the most innovative festivals going. Do yourself a favour by grabbing the zeitgeist by the scruff of the neck and getting a ticket pronto!

Tickets for The Great Escape are on sale now, priced £45, £65 or £150 for a delegate pass. Go to www.escapegreat.com for more details.