THE GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL 2022: VOCAL GIRLS ROUNDUP
The Great Escape Festival returned for the first time since 2019 to blue skies and good times, and the VOCAL GIRLS team were there to absorb as much of the weekend as possible.
Spread across over 30 venues around Brighton, walking was inevitably a major feature of the weekend. With so many great emerging artists clashing we were sad to miss some of our faves, but we sure did our best.
VOCAL GIRLS at The Great Escape Festival
First and foremost, we’d like to say a massive thanks to all who came down to the Vocal Girls stage at the beachfront venue Zahara on Friday. We were overwhelmed by the turnout right from the start of the day - with queues round the block and so many smiling faces, we couldn’t have been more chuffed!
Even with a midday start, Human Interest pulled in the crowds to fill the house, kicking us off with their usual bouncing wit and charm. As ever, Cat Harrison, Tyler Damara and George Le Page reeled in everyone present with their seductive but playful sound.
Peaness followed up, teasing the crowds with their self-proclaimed ‘Sad Bangers’. Tempting attendees with their stuffed pea merch and infectious sound, they left the room abuzz with fans both old and new.
Next up we were joined by VOCAL GIRLS favourites Fräulein, whose set with us was just one of four for the pair across the weekend. Joni Samuels wowed with her gritty vocal stylings and grungey riffs, whilst Karsten van der Tol captured all with his frantic control of the drum kit. Fräulein never fail to leave us with a smile on our faces, and we hope to see much more of them in the near future.
Finally, we rounded off our portion of the day with previous VOCAL GIRLS headliner, Molly Payton. The New Zealand-born peach carried us home with her urgent, soulful performance, and left the room soothed and buoyant for the evening ahead.
English Teacher
After a failed attempt at getting into their packed Thursday evening set, a few members of the team were lucky enough to catch English Teacher’s Jubilee Square show, broadcast live on 6 Music with Steve Lamacq himself.
The Leeds-based foursome have been receiving some well-deserved hype this year, and though the show was not even publicised on the official Great Escape app, the crowds rolled in with anticipation. It’s an incredible experience to share in a pivotal moment for an upcoming band, and this was certainly one such gig. This weekend surely only added to the momentum the four piece have experienced so far, and we couldn’t be happier to have witnessed it.
CMAT
CMAT is the honky-tonk heart-throbess of the 21st century, and if you’ve yet to experience her live show you’d be well advised to change that. Theatrical, camp and powerful, she commands the room to feel her joy and passion. To quote the woman herself: “this one’s for the girlies”.
Working Mens Club
By 2.15am at Chalk on Friday, we rallied our strength to get to Yorkshire band Working Men’s Club. The venue was the most packed we’d seen it and the synthpop darlings turned the tide, leaving us invigorated after a good old fashioned boogie.
Dead Sara
We caught Los Angeles band Dead Sara as we were winding down in Casablanca Jazz Club on Saturday night. We were quickly captivated by Emily Armstrong’s powerful, Beth Ditto-esque vocal and Siouxsie Medley’s commanding riffs, and left replenished and energised for the last few hours of the festival.
Lambrini Girls
Our final gig of the weekend was the raucous Lambrini Girls in Irish pub The Fiddler’s Elbow. To say that front-woman Phoebe Lunny is a force of nature would be an understatement; the tiny back section of the pub became a frothing sea of energy from the get go, led and controlled by a feverish apparition who began the set by lurching from the lights at the back of the room. The set left all witnesses dazed, holding on to the kind of experience that lingers in a way that any emerging band might hope to achieve at their show.
Honourable Mention: East Street Tap
We couldn’t neglect to give one last nod to our new favourite pub venue - East Street Tap. This ended up being Vocal Girls HQ for the weekend, and offered live music upstairs while DJs downstairs played only the most iconic bangers (of many genres) into the early hours. EST - we miss you already.
The Great Escape was a perfect introduction to the festival season, and the Vocal Girls team are now firm fans. With 500 upcoming artists showcased, so many venues to see, and the glorious Brighton seaside as a setting, we’re sure we’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the festival. TGE, we will most definitely see you next year.
