The Great Escape 2009: The Must Sees

What with Brighton being flooded with the cream of ze musical crop this weekend, you might have trouble choosing who to see. Which is why we asked industry tastemakers and some of the band’s playing to decide for you…

Sean Adams
Editor, DrownedinSound.com / Sunday Times Columnist
Breathe your fish ‘n’ beer breath in the vicinity of these fantastic four:
1. Aussie band The Temper Trap have the suss of TVOTR and the epicness of U2. The ones to catch!
2. Rough Trade’s Jeff Buckley/Nick Cave-esque, cinnamon-voiced Kiwis The Veils.
3. This Courtney Love championed, sometime Bernard Butler collaborator Catherine A.D. does uplifting, dazzling-yet-dark melodramatic popular song… in a church!
4. Riff-lovers must see the noodlicious sprawling-squaller Marnie Stern.
And obviously don’t miss: blossom-gazers School Of Seven Bells, cult-pop hero Patrick Wolf and formerly-of-DiS-Records Metric.

Phil Alexander
Editor-In-Chief, MOJO
When it comes to new talent at The Great Escape 2009, there’s an embarrassment of riches on offer. Top of my list of people to catch is Icelandic singer-songwriter Lay Low. She played there a couple of years ago and she was good. Now, she’s great. She’s just made a record with Liam Watson called ‘Farewell Good Night’s Sleep’ which is like a modern day country classic. Smooth but with jagged emotion.
I’m also excited about seeing Beth Jeans Houghton. She’s 19 but if she’d been around in 1970 then she would have been part of Island’s post-folk roster. To me she has a Sandy Denny quality in that she transcends genres. Equally wondrous are dream-pop outfit Ohbijou from Toronto who are one of Bella Union’s latest signings. In the gnarlier stakes, I have to say that I’m partial to Joe Gideon And The Shark. Their Fall-meets-Cave stomp is righteous stuff indeed. Of course, I have to say that all of these acts are playing the MOJO Club Stage during our three-day blow-out at The Old Market. How very coincidental.

Ash Collins
PR for MGMT, The Big Pink, The Joy Formidable
Check out Blue Roses – amazing new talent from up north, West Yorkshire. Like Bjork, Joanna Newsome, Kate Bush with an incredible voice. She’s signed to XL and is gonna be special. Brilliantly imaginative. Definitely one to watch.
Mirrors are the best new band around – pop noir with influences like Kraftwerk and New Order. Live it will be one of their first shows and they have emerged as the most complete new band I’ve seen in a long time. Everyone that sees them will leave with the feeling that they saw the future.

Niall Doherty
Editor, The Fly
The line-up for this year’s Great Escape is the best yet. Kasabian headlining proves that it’s now a Big Band Puller (a phrase I’ve just made-up, and might well try to integrate into future conversations, especially the ones taking place this weekend), but I think the festival’s true strength lay in the fact that the every new band destined to take 2009, and indeed 2010, by storm will be visiting Brighton over the next few days. I shall definitely be checking out The Big Pink’s shogazey electro-dirge, the pulsating spike-rock of Bombay Bicycle Club and Chew Lips’ hooky as hell synth-pop, whilst Dananananaykroyd appearing on the same bill as Black Lips will see two crazed live shows following each other. As with every Great Escape, though, I’m sure they’ll be a few unexpected thrills as well. It is for this reason that’ll be standing outside HSBC on the High Street blindfolded on Friday night demanding to be directed to a venue by passing punters. Just cos I said that doesn’t mean I have to do it, though, ok?

Charlie Fink
Singer, Noah And The Whale
I have exactly two tips. The first one is Planet Earth. He’s from London and he’s sort of folk-pop, alt.pop, in a Herman Dune, Jonathan Rickman vein. The other guy I want to see shouldn’t be a revelation, but Ben Kweller is playing and I’m a very big fan. I like his songs. He’s got a lot of elements that combine well. ‘Sha Sha’ is a great album, and the front cover of ‘On My Way’ has some huskies on it, and I’m a great fan of huskies on an album cover.

Jonny Kirkham
Red Stripe
If you haven’t booked a hotel, sleeping on Brighton beach is an option but you might get woken from your music filled slumber by a dog licking your face, so do take care. It’s my third year here and I know that given the amount of musical talent on show and with 34 venues making up the best festival in Britain, you can’t see everything – but you can certainly try. The Great Escape continues to be at the forefront of all that is ace about new music with a few more established bands thrown in for good measure. Ben Kweller and Noah And The Whale are stand out must sees with British Sea Power and Kasabian guarenteed to pull a crowd but it’s the bands you’ve not had the pleasure to see or hear yet that this festival is all about. Grab a map, lose the watch and turn up unannounced at every live music den you can and see what’s going on… and if you can come down and support the winner of this year’s Red Stripe Music Award at Concorde 2 (we don’t know who it is yet at the time of writing) then it’d be reet appreciated. Watch out for that stray Labrador now.

Tom Meighan
Singer, Kasabian
British Sea Power. I think they’re a pretty special band, man. There’s something strange about them. They’re quite a one-off thing. I don’t think they mean to be cool or anything, but for some reason, they are. I can’t put my finger on it. So I’ll be watching them. And us, obviously. I’m really excited to be playing in Brighton again. The vibe of the place is incredible. It’s gonna be brilliant…

Dan Melia
Editor, Gigwise.com
Is there anything on The Great Escape line up you shouldn’t see? No. Is there anything on The Great Escape line up you should sell your Grandma in order to see? Most definitely. In fact, sell her to someone in the queue as a distraction so you can push in easier. Hot tips from Gigwise this year include My Tiger My Timing and Ulterior (on our own stage), Glaswegian newcomers We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Temper Trap and The Soft Pack (who used to be called The Muslims). Also, seeing The Maccabees in their own backyard is a must!

Tom Oldham
The Great Escape
You’ll have to excuse the ridiculous made-up pigeonholes I have created for the bands I’m suggesting you go check out at this year’s Great Escape – “flamboyant nut pop” etc – and put it down to my restrictive word count and tight deadline. Deep breath, here we go… Local boys One Inch Badge are hosting a smashing stage with Nullifier, Zach Hill and Gentle Friendly, whilst Pains Of Being Pure At Heart throw their joyous brand of American sunshine rock at us. The XX, Girls and The Big Pink head up the Are Gonna Be Big In ‘09 division, whilst Trailer Trash Tracys and A Grave with No Name head up the Should Be Big In ‘09 squad. Saturday on the Uncut stage should be pretty awesome, meanwhile; Banjo or Freakout, Three Trapped Tigers and School Of Seven Bells. Now, enough made-up genres and positive expletives, this year please do study the programme and take some risks with the bands you go and see – you may discover one or two real gems. Enjoy.

Paul Stokes
News Editor, NME
One of our more curious news stories so far this year has been the strange case of Lightspeed Champion gaining a Mariah Carey-esque singing range after undergoing throat surgery. Apparently poor old Dev Hynes was warned he might never sing again, but after a stint in hospital he’s not only better, but he can hit the high notes like never before. So I’m keen to see him shatter glasses with his new voice… and of course his new songs. Newcomers the Official Secrets Act always bring a Graham Greene-esque sophistication to proceedings, so are perfect for some Brighton Rock, while San Diego’s The Soft Pack (nee The Muslims) are always explosive live and are bound to be worth queue to see. Talking of packing them in, Kasabian have consistently been one of Britain’s best live bands for the last few years and later this summer they’ll play Wembley Stadium with Oasis. The chance to see them in a packed Brighton club will be immense and is not to be missed. Start sleeping on the pavement now.