The Great Escape announce ‘First Fifty’ acts for 2026

The Great Escape has earned its reputation as the UK’s most reliable place to find new artists before everyone else catches on. Every May, Brighton’s small venues open their doors to fans, musicians and the traveling mob of music industry professionals making the journey down the A23. It’s busy, chaotic, and always worth it.

This year’s First Fifty announcement is already packed. Westside Cowboy stand out immediately — fresh off a huge summer that included four Glastonbury performances after winning the festival’s Emerging Artist Competition. SLAG also appear, a band we featured early on in If You Don’t Know, Get to Know! and who’ll be playing a hometown show. New Welsh rock band MORN, who will feature in next week’s IYDKGTK!, are also on the list. Other early highlights include Ain’t, Sean Trelford, and Canadian punk outfit PISS.

The festival’s 2026 Spotlight Show will be headlined by rising Irish prospects Kingfishr, performing at Brighton Dome on 14th May. Their debut album, released in August, reached #1 in Ireland and #7 in the UK

If you’re paying attention to new music, this is a festival you’ll want to put in your calendars. It’s a solid snapshot for the future of indie and alternative music.

You can see the full lineup below (alphabetical):

Ain’t
Annie-Dog
Ashaine White
Au/Ra
AVA Joe
Bean Magazine
Becky Sikasa
BED
Big Long Sun
Carpetman
Clothesline from Hell
DC3
Dermot Henry
Elsa
Gareth
Girl Group
Girl Tones
Isak Benjamin
Jack Devlin
James Emmanuel
Kellan Christopher Cragg
ladylike
Lily Moore
Little Grandad
Madra Salach
Marlon Funaki
Max Baby
Meltt
Morn
Mustbejohn
Ngaiire
Persia Holder
PISS
Really Good Time
Ringlets
Saint Clair
Sean Trelford
SISTRA
SLAG
Sophia Thakur
Tanzana
Teenage Joans
The Itch
THE OBGMs
Tommy WÁ
Truman Sinclair
Tukki
Wah Wah Wah
Westside Cowboy
Yndling