The Great Escape 2024: Lip Critic, HighSchool, Kenya Grace lead 150 new names on line-up

Lip Critic, Kenya Grace and HighSchool are among 150 new names to have been added to the line-up for The Great Escape Festival 2024.

The annual celebration of new music returns to Brighton from May 15-18 this year, and has been adding new names to the bill in waves all year.

Among the latest additions are Snayx, O., Orchards, The Buoys, HiTech, Cykada, Swimming Paul and Modern Biology.

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In March, acts including Kneecap, Lauren Mayberry, Wunderhorse, Lambrini Girls, Soft Play (formerly known as Slaves), Bradley Simpson (frontman of The Vamps), Been Stellar, Fred Roberts, Love Fame Tragedy and Milk were confirmed to be playing the festival.

A total of over 450 rising artists will play across 35 venues around the city, all within walking distance of each other. Weekend passes, single-day and two-day tickets have all been made available. Visit here to purchase tickets.

New York band Lip Critic featured on NME’s The Cover in February, where they discussed their wild live shows, which have received five-star reviews from NME.

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“It is 100 per cent like a fitness and conditioning challenge. Before our tour, I went through six weeks of vocal and diaphragmatic breathing coaching. We all went through a really conscious effort,” said frontman Bret Kaser.

“It’s masochistic, but I like feeling completely emptied at the end of a night – that feeling where you’re constantly trying to push yourself to be more entertaining and more captivating.”

The South African-born British singer Kenya Grace scored a major breakthrough in 2023 with her single ‘Strangers’, which hit Number One on the UK Singles Chart. Her EP ‘The After Taste’ was released in March.

Last year, NME named artists including Bellah, Big Wett, Dolores Forever, Mae Stephens and Sam Akpro among the best new acts at The Great Escape 2023.

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Another highlight was Picture Parlour’s set at The Great Escape, which NME said in a four-star review was full of “gasp-inducing rock’n’roll thrills”.

2023 also saw The Pretenders kick off their intimate UK club tour at The Great Escape festival, where they debuted new songs.