By Saturday you might be feeling a little bit tired and more likely a little hungover but don't let that ruin your experience (remember to pace yourself), there still one last day to go. Saturday is usually the busiest day of the festival too as people who couldn't get time off work head to the coast and as ever, there are plenty of acts on offer for us to watch. Below are my five picks for Saturday at The Great Escape 2014.
Powder Blue - TGE Page
10th May 2014 6:45pm - 7:15pm
10th May 2014 1:45pm - 2:15pm
Powder Blue sum up The Great Escape to me, getting the chance to see a band who probably wouldn't be playing in the UK if it wasn't for the festival and the opportunities it brings, it's the Canadian quartet's debut time on these shores so I've naturally no idea what to expect from a live show but from what I've heard so far, I cannot help but be excited...
"Run" is intense, buss saw guitars and throbbing bass colliding the eerily sweet vocal harmonies and "Dream in Black" sounds like an haunted, creatures of the night version of Warpaint. That sort of introduction is surely enough to have you queuing outside the venue before they start (behind me of course).
Blessa - TGE Page
10th May 2014 3:30pm - 4:00pm
10th May 2014 9:30pm - 10:00pm
Another band I've talked about here at great length are Blessa, the recently released "Unfurl" exemplifies exactly why I have and exactly why I think you should go and watch them. An immaculate guitar pop gem which combines a dreamy, exotic melody with seduction and beauty, the sort of band that should be playing on the NME stage aren't because they don't sound like a Libertines / Oasis / Strokes clone. Ah well, more fool them and more joy for us...
Fickle Friends - TGE Page
9th May 2014 9:15pm - 9:45pm
MESMERIST
10th May 2014 4:15pm - 4:45pm
(An Alternative Escape Show)
Local band Fickle Friends will be another act I'll be seeing for the first time over the weekend (as I have said already, I think it's the point of TGE, to see new acts) and will possibly be one of the few occasions where I'll be likely rubbing shoulders with the 'cool kids'. Their track "Play" sums up why, the perfect blend of radio friendly excitement and made for summer melody which combines infectious, chiming guitars, bouncing synths and a sweetly, soft vocal. It's impossible not to bop your head along in approval.
Novella - Facebook
THE LOFT
10th May 2014 3:40pm - 4:00pm (an Alternative Escape show)
Novella have been quiet so far this year, hopefully because they've been holed up in a studio finishing their debut album but they play a rare live show as part of the Alternative Escape.
I've seen Novella countless times before over the past three years but I'm always left craving more afterwards, there's no other new guitar band that comes close to the London based group, one of a handful of bands who genuinely excite every time. Letting their music do the talking with long crawling sections of hypnotic guitars, a precise rhythm section and hazy vocals. It ticks all my boxes (I hope the 20 minute set time is wrong, that's about three tracks!)...
Eliza Shaddad - Facebook
LATEST MUSIC BAR
10th May 2014 10:45pm - 11:15pm (an Alternative Escape show)
Last but certainly not least in my series of preview posts for this years festival is Eliza Shaddad, perhaps not for the partying sort but for those with a more open mind, Eliza is a guarantee to get your Saturday evening off to the most serene and spine-tingling of starts.
Take a listen to her recent track "You For Me" if you want to understand why, how could a listen to it not make you feel all sort of giddy, happy thoughts. A soft, haunting stunner. The rest of Eliza's live set is no different.
