The Great Escape has revealed the FIRST FIFTY acts set to play the Brighton festival in 2022. To celebrate its return to the festival calendar and following a two-year hiatus, TGE’s FIRST FIFTY live launch is back bigger and better than ever, with gigs across eight venues in East London, an online showcase, plus brand-new for 2021, a FIRST FIFTY show in The Great Escape’s hometown of Brighton. Taking place from 17-19 November 2021, the launch will showcase some of the world’s most exciting emerging acts ahead of their festival appearances next year. Tickets for each FIRST FIFTY gig start from £7 and are available to purchase here.

The Great Escape, the festival for new music, will be kicking off the 2022 festival season, playing host to more than 450 up-and-coming artists and hotly tipped talent across 35+ walkable venues, alongside the music industry led TGE conference, from 12-14 May 2022 in Brighton, England. Tickets for The Great Escape festival start from £70 available from the festival's website.

Today’s announcement reveals the exciting FIRST FIFTY artists who are set to take The Great Escape 2022.

The Great Escape Line Up

The Great Escape First Fifty November 2021

Wednesday 17th November

Taking place across eight East London venues, Notion is set to take up residency for the FIRST FIFTY at Night Tales, with South London lyricist ENNY, experimental Nigerian singer songwriter Tems and the hotly tipped musician Finn Askew bringing his mix of pop, indie and R&B to the stage. 

Over in Hackney Wick, DIY are taking over Studio 9294 for an evening of the hottest new talent, with South Asian influenced R&B from Priya Ragu, the spiritually explorative Birmingham artist Sipho, guitar driven indie surf rock from Brighton’s Lime Garden, and London songwriter and producer Daisy Brain.

GUAP take over The Hackney Social with the sustainably conscious rebel rapper KAM-BU, South London grime artist Deema, and fellow South London native producer and multi-instrumentalist Conor Albert providing the freshest new music.

NT’s and Off Licence Magazine join forces to showcase the best of new rap and grime from multilingual English-Japanese vocalist and producer Miso Extra, rising Luton alternative grime emcee BXKS, and choreographer turned rapper Dreya Mac, who has shot to prominence following the release of debut track ‘Skippin’.

Dork will be at Oslo to present their mix of the latest emerging talent. Ivor Novello winning Mysie will be joined by soulful pop singer songwriter Delilah Montagu, Denmark’s electronic pop producer and singer JADA, and gospel jazz signer songwriter Kwaku Asante.

So Young are hosting an eclectic night of new music at Paper Dress Vintage, with Brighton’s erratic post-punk seven-piece KEG, South London Producer and multi-instrumentalist Wu-Lu and singer songwriter Hussy on the bill.

TGE will bring some heavy riffs and licks to the Sebright Arms with French post-punk band Unschooling and synth-punk rockers Powerplant on the line-up, alongside the lyrical Scottish singer songwriter Hamish Hawk.

Clash take over The Victoria in Dalston for an electric night of the newest in guitar music, with London four-piece Malady’s indie dance infused beats, Irish post-punk four piece The Clockworks, energetic indie punk from Glaswegians Gallus, and 60s and 70s inspired rock from Irish trio Dea Matrona. 

Thursday 18th November

After the huge success of TGE Online 2021, The Great Escape will host a special online FIRST FIFTY showcase on Thursday, 18 November, featuring digital performances by some of the most exciting talent from around the world. With performances from artists based in USA, Germany, Spain, Japan, Holland, Norway and the Dominican Republic, The Great Escape continues to support emerging artists on a global scale by giving them a platform to showcase their talents. 

Los Angeles’ Wallice will bring the DIY pluckiness that has shot her into the spotlight to her live streamed performance, demonstrating her 90’s inspired haze and contemporary pop hooks. Raw, threadbare folk in the shape of Maple Glider from Melbourne also joins the FIRST FIFTY online line-up, whilst fuzzy, hard-hitting psych-rock is delivered by Toronto based Crown Lands. The line-up continues with a whopping seventeen acts performing digitally, including Gustaf, Charmaine, CV Vision, Sycco, Lunar Vacation, TEKE::TEKE, Kills Birds, DORA, Gabriels, Adam Melchor, Enumclaw, EFÉ, Ur Monarch, Someone, Alice Pisano, Johanna Warren, and Conchúr White. 

Friday 19th November

The renowned FIRST FIFTY launch continues on Friday, 19 November in The Great Escape’s hometown of Brighton, with the epic final night of TGE’s live launch celebrations at Chalk. TikTok superstar and powerful vocalist Sam Ryder is joined by rising teenage R&B soul talent Isabelle Brown and Brighton based singer songwriter HEIGHTS.