The Great Escape is a weird one. On one hand it brings hundreds of incredible acts right to my doorstep, but on the other it attracts hordes of identical looking music A&R types, thoughtfully stroking their beards while a talented 20-something old performs their heart out just metres away. There were some cases where this audience mismatch was painfully obvious (watching a young child sit cross-legged whilst New Wave icon Namani repeats “Fuck you, pay me” at the Platform B stage was a particular highlight), but overall the sheer range of acts is undeniable.
TGE began with an Indie focus back in 2006 and, although there is still an emphasis on live acts, there has been a gradual inclusion of grime and hip hop ever since. Here’s some of our highlights from the long weekend….
Cult Deep ft. Idyll, Trickk, Skii, Jiang!, DXVL, Mally.A
Sporting a roster of homegrown talents spanning the full range of UK rap and hip hop sonics, it’s only right that Cult Deep kicked things off on the festival’s opening night at Platform B’s Jubilee Square takeover. Word has it these lot are singlehandedly responsible for reverting TGE 2023 to an exclusively indie line up.
KAM-BU
Pretty much performing to a DJ set, with no gaps between tracks, Kam-Bu really brought the classic grime radio freestyle tradition to life. It was also intricately put together, as backing vocals were woven into the DJ set itself to utilise the best of both live performance and radio energy. What was less intricate, however, was his absolute legend of a hype man, who had completely lost his voice but still managed to amp the crowd up on some Pen and Teller vibe.
BXKS
One of few old school grime bar-ers in the current era, and one of sadly even fewer female rappers in the mix, BXKS is a national treasure at this point. And, after seeing the way she looked at the venue’s soundman, I wouldn’t dare say otherwise.
Namani
Fresh off the release of his ‘B Town Baby’ garage banger and performing at Platform B’s completely free Jubilee Square stage, Namani’s set had no choice but to pop off.
Sainte
Having just performed alongside Denzel Curry in a stateside basketball stadium, Sainte has more reasons to pop ‘Champagne Shots’ than ever nowadays. With only a handful of releases, 21-year old Leicester native Sainte has already cemented himself at the forefront of the UK’s newest generation of artists.
Deema
Yet another from the Offie Mag stage (deserving of a shout out in its own right), Deema is an absolute powerhouse. Coming up alongside grime collective The Square, who produced the iconic track ‘Lewisham Mcdeez’ as well as current heavyweights Novelist and Elf Kid, Deema has been carving a lane of his own somewhere in between grime and hip hop.
Frankie Stew & Harvey Gun
If BXKS is a national treasure, then Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn are definitely Brightonian royalty. Performing at one of the festival’s biggest venues, these hometown heroes brought it home themselves on the closing night. Their stage also saw the notable inclusion of a custom-built aeroplane model to surround HG’s decks, himself the only producer I’ve seen able to get his own crowd chant.