Today The Great Escape, taking place from 14-17 May 2025 in Brighton, unveils its full festival schedule for this year’s edition, which can be accessed via the official The Great Escape mobile app. The Great Escape mobile app helps fans navigate the mammoth line-up of 450+ artists and allows festival and conference-goers to build their own personal schedule. It also offers live updates on site and is available to download for free here.
Additionally, The Great Escape announces its 2025 stage hosts including media partners BBC Introducing, Billboard UK, Clash, DIY, Dork, Notion, So Young, The Independent, Ticketmaster New Music, Upset, renowned brands including Download Festival, live agencies WME, ATC Live and independent record labels FatCat Records, Moshi Moshi, Nice Swan Records, Bella Union, PIAS, and many more.
Synonymous with new music discovery and acting as a springboard for rising artists, The Great Escape is the festival for new music. Playing host to over 450 up-and-coming artists and hotly tipped talent across 35+ walkable venues, alongside the music industry-led TGE conference, the festival will kick off the 2025 season from 14 – 17 May in Brighton, England. Tickets for The Great Escape festival start from £81.24 and are on sale here.
WEDNESDAY 14 MAY STAGE HIGHLIGHTS
For 2025, The Great Escape is expanding into the Wednesday of the festival and will feature four full days of music programming for the first time ever. To kick off the festivities, Platform B will once again be hosting The Great Escape’s special Opening Party on Wednesday 14 May at Jubilee Square including performances from Congratulations, SLAG, Goodbye, Bea Maher, asiedu, and REA.
Over at the Paganini Ballroom, BBC Introducing Sussex and Surrey will present performances from Lonnie Gunn, Frances Mistry, Bones Ate Arfa, and CURRLS, hosted by Melita, whilst Brighton based record label FatCat Records will showcase new artists including Water Machine, Heavy Lungs, Abdomen, TRAAMS, and Holiday Ghosts at Patterns, and fellow independent label Nice Swan Records will welcome Mount Palomar, Westside Cowboy, Stringrays, Fuzz Lightyear and Jagged Baptist Club to The Hope and Ruin.
Additionally, Wednesday will see renowned singer-songwriter and co-frontman of The Libertines Peter Doherty perform alongside eccentric post-punk six-piece Warmduscher, Welsh indie-punks Trampolene, Real Farmer, GANS, Vona Vella, Junior Brother, and Evan Williams, as part of a very special showcase from Strap Originals, Doherty’s own independent record label, to celebrate the arrival of Doherty’s new album Felt Better Alive. With a curated line-up of hotly tipped new artists, this separately ticketed show will take place at The Deep End as part of a The Great Escape Brighton Beach takeover.
THURSDAY 15 MAY STAGE HIGHLIGHTS
On Thursday 15 May, The Great Escape continues its city-wide celebration of new music with a further eclectic lineup of showcases across Brighton. At the Paganini Ballroom, BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing are returning to the festival to present a hotly tipped selection of upcoming talent hosted by Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq and Emily Pilbeam, including Westside Cowboy, Holybones, The None, and Brighton’s very own Welly. So Young will take over Charles Street Tap with performances from Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Westside Cowboy, Rabbit Foot, Men An Tol, and Green Star. At Komedia, agency ATC Live will bring together a dynamic mix of new artists featuring Debby Friday, Adult DVD, Tyler Ballgame, Total Tommy, Woody, and Joshua Idehen.
Players hosts The Great Escape Presents, spotlighting genre-defying acts like Angry Blackmen, namesbliss, Demae, Kabeaushe, and She Her Her Hers, while iconic venue the Royal Albert Hall’s stage at Revenge will showcase corto.alto, Sirens Of Lesbos, Oreglo, and Common Goldfish. Over at Deep End, Ticketmaster New Music offers a jam-packed lineup including The K’s, Chloe Slater, Brògeal, Sunday (1994), Nxdia, Laurie Wright, and Florence Road. UTA’s industry showcase at The Arch will feature RUBII, Clara La San, Tough Cookie, Maleigh Zan, and Punchbag, while independent label Moshi Moshi return to Matinee Revenge with Nadeem Din Gabisi, Chinese American Bear, and Alice Costelloe.
The Great Escape Presents will also head to the Old Market for a diverse bill including Donny Benét, The Bug Club, TV Death, and Hello Mary. Patterns will see a full venue takeover from Clash, with upstairs performances by Up : Y, Franek Warzywa & Młody Budda, REDD., Curtisy, Disgusting Sisters, Chameleon Lime Whoopiepie, Loshh, Saina, and Jessy Blakemore, while downstairs the night continues until the early hours with Mount Palamar, Canblaster, Black Fondu, JD Cliffe, Grace Gachot, Chloe Qisha, Betty, Sex Mask, and Maya Delilah.
FRIDAY 16 MAY STAGE HIGHLIGHTS
As the weekend approaches, Friday 16 May brings another wave of standout showcases across the city, with a vibrant mix of breakthrough artists and established names lighting up Brighton’s best venues. LOUD LDN and TNAM.UK will join forces at Daltons for an exciting night featuring charlieeeee, Just For Fun, DellaXOZ, and SLAG. Over at the Old Market, The Independent will host a headline performance from legendary British rock band Skunk Anansie, offering a rare chance to see the iconic group in an intimate setting. The Arch will be taken over by Notion, presenting a cutting-edge blend of R&B, pop, and electronic with performances from Jordan Adetunji, Nia Smith, Akemi Fox, and Tay Jordan, alongside late-night sets from sim0ne, Mechatok (LIVE), Meyy, and Mina Galán.
Deep End will host newly announced media partner Billboard UK’s curated bill including headliners English Teacher, RabbitFoot, Daffo, Courting, My First Time, Westside Cowboy, and Polly Money. Meanwhile at the Paganini Ballroom BBC Radio 1Xtra will present an array of fresh talent including Hulton, Lola Moxom, and Billy Khan with host Angelle Joseph. At Revenge, Earth will bring together a genre-defying lineup with Getdown Services, Ruthven, Olive Jones, and Quiet Light, and tastemaker platform Pigeons and Planes will shine a spotlight on some of the most talked-about names in new music, including Arz, Kaicrewsade, Swank Mami, and Koteri.
AWAL’s showcase at Komedia will present a selection of its diverse roster, with James Marriott, Keo, Luvcat, Miss Kaninna, and Orlando all taking to the stage. DIY Magazine will bring their signature energy to Hortaio’s with a lineup featuring WELLY, Total Tommy, Mandrake Handshake, Ideal Living, and Paige Kennedy, whilst powerhouse label Transgressive returns to Chalk with an unmissable night featuring The Moonlandingz, HotWax, Miso Extra, The New Eves, and Greg Freeman, plus DJ Huw Stephens closing out Friday with a dose of raw energy and alternative brilliance.
SATURDAY 17 MAY STAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Bringing the festival to a thrilling close, Saturday 17 May rounds off The Great Escape 2025 with a final burst of bold new sounds. Over at Daltons, Global Local will present a genre-blending lineup featuring She’s Got Brass, Headmix, and Town of Cats. At Chalk, Brighton’s own CLT DRP will take the reins for a full venue takeover, performing alongside a fierce and unapologetic lineup that includes debasement, LIONSTORM, and The Darklings, promising a night of high-intensity live music and experimental punk.
The festival’s flagship Closing Party will be held at The Deep End, where Dork offers an unmissable send-off featuring a special 45-minute set from genre-bending provocateur LYNKS, alongside Piri & Tommy, and Kabeaushe, with more surprise guests to be revealed. Jubilee Square will once again come alive thanks to the MNX Stage, showcasing a forward-thinking lineup of future stars including Blue Lab Beats, Orla Rae, Dred, Hatter, Lori Asha, and REA. Additionally, acclaimed label Bella Union will host a stage at The Arch featuring Divide + Dissolve, Goddess and Cubzoa, and Kamran Kaur, bringing this year’s expanded four-day celebration of new music to an unforgettable finish.
The Great Escape’s official after-hours programme The Late Escape will run throughout the duration of the festival, spotlighting cutting-edge electronic and club talent. Running from 11:30pm to 4am across key Brighton venues, the line-up includes euphoric sets from Sim0ne, Mechatok, Meyy, Badger, IRAH, Mina Galán, Pretty Girl (DJ) and SWIM, with special guests still to be announced. Stand-alone tickets are on sale now, with TGE wristband holders granted access subject to capacity. Additionally, the legendary rock festival Download Festival will host a stage at Volks from Thursday 15 May until Saturday 17 May, featuring performances from artists including Luna Kills, Bruise Control, Twenty One Children, Mouth Culture, Artio, Wayside, Zetra, Karen Dió, JAYLER, Letters Sent Home, Last Train, Angel Number, LOWEN, Defences, BEX, James and the Cold Gun, and VOWER.
FULL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE REVEALED
The full schedule is also now available for The Great Escape’s industry-leading music conference. Joining a packed programme, newly announced sessions include The Money Trench podcast, with Mark Sutherland in conversation with Romain Vivien, Global Head of Music and President Europe at Believe and Alice McLean, Head of Label & Artist Solutions at Believe UK, as they discuss the company’s success developing artists and how to work independently in 2025.
Two big advocates for the music community within Westminster – Alex Sobel MP and Anneliese Midgley MP – will review the recent debates and discuss how the music industry can ensure its voice is heard within Parliament. And finally, Red Bull Records presents ‘Tapped In: The Power of Short-Form Content for Artists on the Rise’ – an insightful discussion with leading marketing experts diving into the strategies behind short-form content and the pivotal role it plays in helping artists break through the noise.
They join an incredible line-up of speakers including Skunk Anansie’s Skin, Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens and Cocteau Twins’ Simon Raymonde.
