The Great Escape has today completed the First Fifty for its 2027 edition, adding a further 30 artists ahead of the festival in Brighton from 12 to 15 May. The announcement lands as the First Fifty live launch returns to seven East London venues tonight, giving fans an early look at some of the names heading to the south coast next spring.
Irish indie rock quartet Florence Road are among the latest additions, arriving off a sold-out Irish headline tour and with their biggest UK and European headline run set for next spring. They are joined by London art-rock outfit Man/Woman/Chainsaw, whose debut album Cannonball arrived in August, plus hotly tipped bands The North, Billboard Style and World News. Rising soul and R&B talent nomi., bassist, producer and DJ Marla Kether, and cellist and singer-songwriter Yeemz, fresh from touring with Phoebe Bridgers, are also confirmed. Tru Thoughts duo Kyla Kilzer & Max Noir complete that cluster, pairing Brighton-based singer-songwriter Kyla’s vocals with Max’s blend of garage, alternative R&B and hip-hop.
Germany has been named Lead Country Partner for 2027, with German acts Violet and Louis Ottley joining the bill. The partnership marks ten years of the ZEITGEIST New German Talent Showcase at The Great Escape. Twelve emerging German artists will perform as part of the anniversary programme. ZEITGEIST launched at the festival in 2017 as a platform for new German talent to reach international audiences and industry professionals.
The international additions also include New Zealand’s Awning, Australian acts Divebar Youth, Public Figures and Fade Evare, Irish artists For Nina, Tadhg Nolan, Croithe and Aniar, Swiss band Lone Assembly, and French artists Cécile Lacharme and Eat Girls. Silver Gore, Bank Holiday, Painkiller, MURPHY, The Rose Hips, TRAVO, Allegra Krieger and studio20 complete the latest wave.
They join previously announced names including Esmeralda Road, Spanish Horses, Bathing Suits, recent Triskel Award winners Casual Smart, Australian trio Dumbhead, Irish singer-songwriter Jordan Joy and French band Chest. Those earlier names were revealed when the First Fifty live shows were confirmed in September, with tickets for tonight’s London gigs starting from £7.50.
Tonight’s launch is spread across seven Hackney venues, each presented by a different partner. Ticketmaster New Music hosts Esmeralda Road, Xanadu, Pack of Animals and Jordan Joy at Oslo (1A Amhurst Road, E8 1JB, 16+). DIY Neu Nights presents Compost Compost Compost, Dumbhead and Die Twice at Moth Club (Valette Street, E9 6NU, 18+). So Young has State of Grace, Spanish Horses and Angelface at The Shacklewell Arms (71 Shacklewell Lane, E8 2EB, 18+). Dork presents Bathing Suits, Chest. and Shrink at Sebright Arms (31-35 Coate Street, E2 9AG, 18+).
Clash hosts Half Star, Tesni and Casual Smart at Folklore (186 Hackney Road, E2 7QL, 18+). BBC Introducing presents simon a., J Casa, Chiderah and jo from school at Paper Dress Vintage (352a Mare Street, E8 1HR, 18+). Ones to Watch has Aubory Bugg, Gianna and Abbie Gordon at The Victoria (451 Queensbridge Road, E8 3AS, 18+). Show tickets are linked from the First Fifty page.
The First Fifty is the festival’s annual early tip list, and the live launch has become a regular November fixture. Last year’s edition introduced the opening wave for The Great Escape 2026, which ran from 13 to 16 May with New Zealand as Lead Country Partner. The 2025 First Fifty was completed in the same way, with a further wave of names announced the night the London shows took place.
The Great Escape bills itself as the festival for new music, hosting more than 450 up-and-coming artists across 35+ walkable venues alongside the industry-led TGE conference. Festival tickets are on sale here, with saver and team tickets still listed and early bird tiers marked sold out. Delegate passes and hotel bookings for the Brighton dates are also available via the same page. The festival site is greatescapefestival.com.
The Great Escape 2027 First Fifty (A-Z)
Abbie Gordon, Allegra Krieger, Angelface, Aniar, Aubory Bugg, Awning, Bank Holiday, Bathing Suits, Billboard Style, Casual Smart, Cécile Lacharme, Chest., Chiderah, Compost Compost Compost, Croithe, Die Twice, Divebar Youth, Dumbhead, Eat Girls, Esmeralda Road, Fade Evare, Florence Road, For Nina, Gianna, Half Star, J Casa, jo from school, Jordan Joy, Kyla Kilzer & Max Noir, Lone Assembly, Louis Ottley, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Marla Kether, MURPHY, nomi., Pack of Animals, Painkiller, Public Figures, Shrink, Silver Gore, Simon a., Spanish Horses, State of Grace, studio20, Tadhg Nolan, Tesni, The North, The Rose Hips, TRAVO, Violet, World News, Xanadu, Yeemz.
Add as a preferred source