We've selected the five acts who are set to impress at the Brighton weekender which takes place between Thursday 18th - Sunday 20th May.

Last updated: 2nd May 2017

Originally published: 5th Apr 2017

Image: The Great Escape

Brighton weekender The Great Escape is fast becoming the ideal spot for up and coming acts to earn their stripes on the festival circuit, while also welcoming performances from established acts in showcase shows around the city. 

Over 450 acts take on 30 venues while keynote speeches, topical debates, and panels discuss further issues surrounding the music industry at the seaside showcase event. The Great Escape 2017 lineup is brimming with the freshest talent from across the globe so we've dug deep to highlight the five acts who are set to shine in Brighton between Thursday 18th and Saturday 20th May.

Homeshake

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The brainchild of Mac Demarco's former onstage guitarist, Peter Sagar, Homeshake fuse lo-fi indie pop with sensual soul elements to create a truly unique sound. Since debut In The Shower dropped in 2014, it's clear that Sagar's mind rarely wanders away from getting stoned, eating and having sex - and this is exquisitely soundtracked across his three full-length releases.

The latest, Fresh Air, earnt the respect of Skepta no less, with 'Every Single Thing' the subject of an Instagram love in from the grime don.

Henry Lewis

Cherry Glazerr

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File this band under "unapologetically noisy garage punk that'll blow you away" as the American trio Cherry Glazerr can promise gritty riffs at a higher decibel than what you're used to. Vocals from lead singer and guitarist Clementine Creevy flow effortlessly from sweet sounding feminine words into furious shrieking howls. 

It's over three decades since Cherie Curie of The Runaways delivered 'Ch- Ch- Ch- Cherry Bomb', but as well as the similar fruit-related names, Cherry Glazerr deliver a similar passion-filled punk attitude. 

Lorna Gray

Rag 'n' Bone Man

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The smouldering soul newcomer comes to Brighton to exhibit his gravelly vocals at a Great Escape Spotlight show. His likeable personality merges with a glorious singing voice to great effect, making him an instantly captivating live performer.

Massive debut album Human dropped in early 2017, with the lead single of the same name dominating last year's pop charts. This undeniably led to Rag'n' Bone Man scooping the 2017 BRIT awards for both Critics' Choice and also British breakthrough. Simply unmissable. 

HL

67

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The rap resurgence the UK's been feeling recently may have been powered by grime, but look a bit beyond the more obvious names and there's an even rawer street led sound coming out - epitomised by Brixton's 67 crew.

Inspired more by the noir realism of Chicago's drill music than anything else, the group are arguably the realest rappers in the country right now. Tim Westwood is a big fan (hyping them when we spoke to him last year), and you should be too.

Jimmy Coultas

Abattoir Blues

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Abattoir Blues are post-punk outfit hailing from the festival's location of Brighton. Having supported the likes of grungy trio YAK and about to embark on a UK tour with fellow Great Escape performers and other Brighton residents The Magic Gang, they're already establishing a fanbase across the country. 

And rightfully so, as their rough and gravelly vocals compliment the dirty and unpolished squalls of guitar perfectly, creating a modern grungy twist on the post-punk genre. 

LG