BIMM x The Great Escape | 20th Anniversary
The Great Escape is one of the most exciting and busiest weekends of the Brighton music scene. Every May, emerging artists from around the UK and beyond head to the city’s venues to perform for new fans, industry professionals and music lovers, all searching for the next big thing. This year marked the festival’s 20th anniversary, with BIMM continuing to be a huge part of the weekend’s celebrations.
Many BIMM artists were scattered across the lineup throughout the weekend, from alumni Lime Garden to third-year students Slag, who are quickly building momentum across the scene, alongside acts such as Big Head, Cinnabar, Aquatic Ape Theory, Jazzcat and many more.
BIMM officially kicked off the festival with the TGE Opening Party at Soundwaves on the Beach. The showcase featured a lineup of exciting student artists from a range of genres, including rising R&B artist Ebony Osailah.
“Opening The Great Escape was genuinely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done,” Ebony shares. “It was a huge bucket list moment for me as a musician.”
Ebony describes her sound as a mix of new-wave and old-school R&B, drawing influence from artists such as Jorja Smith and Rihanna. Performing with a full band on Brighton seafront, she said the focus of the set was simply enjoying the moment.
The support surrounding the performances was also a huge part of the experience. From helping artists prepare ahead of the festival to supporting one another across the weekend, BIMM students have created a strong support network throughout the city. “There’s definitely a community between the BIMM artists at Great Escape,” Ebony explained. “Everybody was watching each other’s sets and supporting one another. Every single band there was just so excited and grateful to be there.”
BIMM also showcased several artists at the Busking Stage at the Zip Wire Café on Brighton seafront for a series of acoustic performances across the weekend. Among those performing was Mia Langridge, who also played a main festival slot at Komedia with her full band.
“To play as part of the lineup for TGE after living in Brighton my whole life was so surreal. Last year I got my first busking slot, which I loved, but to go from that to a Saturday night slot at Komedia was just amazing,” she said.
Mia explained that the two performances across the weekend had completely different energies. Her Friday afternoon busking set featured a stripped-back acoustic performance alongside guitarist Alex Harris, while Saturday’s Komedia set brought together her full band for a much more energetic performance.
“I chose our most high-energy songs to get the crowd going,” she explained. “The crowd was amazing with people dancing and clapping along. It was the best night ever.”
Like many artists across the weekend, Mia highlighted the support BIMM provided throughout the process. “BIMM set up the auditions for TGE and with the help of Claudia Willems from Pool Valley Records, they gave me the Komedia slot – which I never expected. Everyone at BIMM is always super supportive, there’s always someone to go to if I need a bit of advice,” she said.
Across town, North Laine Brewhouse hosted a free Alternative Escape featuring favourites such as ism, Babyteeth, Jack The Man and a range of emerging artists from across the alternative scene.
As well as performers, BIMM students were heavily involved behind the scenes throughout the festival, working across production, artist liaison, stage management and industry events. The weekend gave many students valuable experience while also allowing them to network with professionals from across the music industry.
Some students even hosted their own events alongside the official festival programme. Tyra Tvedte Kristoffersen and Jessica Mcclatchey hosted Agenda Escape at The Rossi Bar, a free event showcasing female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists, giving emerging creatives a platform to perform, network and showcase their work.
BIMM closed the weekend with its annual showcase at Dust, bringing together students, alumni and industry guests to celebrate emerging talent and round off the festival in style.
This year’s festival proved to be a huge success, with the buzz of live music felt across the entire city. From packed-out grassroots venues to seafront stages and independent showcases, BIMM’s presence at The Great Escape highlighted the scale of emerging talent coming through the institution – with even more on the horizon.
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