Playlist: The Great Escape 2023 (Part 1)
As you know, the Great Escape Conference begins today with CMU’s Music + Education strand at the Leonardo Royal Waterfront hotel. Then tomorrow, the festival side of the event gets underway too, with hundreds of exiting acts swarming into the city’s many venues.We’ve picked out a handful of the artists we’re most excited to see over the next few days and will be sharing them all through the rest of this week, along with a track to check out from each of them.Listen to all of our selections in this Spotify playlist, and read on to find out more about our first five picks…Donna Thompson – Be With YouA mainstay of London jazz hub Total Refreshment Centre and drummer for artists including Falle Nioke and Alabaster Deplume, Donna Thompson began releasing music under her own name last year – putting out her debut EP ‘Something True’ last summer.Revenge, Thu 11 May, 12.15-12.45Shortt’s Bar, Thu 11 May, 15.30-16.00 (Alt Escape)Minor Conflict – Living StatueBlending post-punk and post-folk, creating a mesmerising sound using harp, bass, drums, trumpet and synths, with dual vocals delivered by Robin Warin and Natalie Whiteland that alternate between deadpan and ethereal.Revenge, Thu 11 May, 14.15-14.45Reb Fountain – Faithless Lover (pictured)Signed to legendary New Zealand label Flying Nun, Reb Fountain already has four albums to her name, often drawing comparisons to Nick Cave.