Highlights and reviews from The Alt Escape (at The Great Escape) Festival in Brighton

Julia Mason (aka The Decibel Decoder) was in Brighton for The Alt Escape Festival which runs alongside The Great Escape; she reviews her top three highlights from Daufødt, Smag På Dig Selv and MORN.

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The Great Escape, the festival for new music, took place across Brighton from 13th - 16th May 2026. Celebrating its 20th year with 450 artists performing in 30+ venues around the city it is the biggest music festival for emerging artists in the UK. However The Alt Escape is growing every year. With free gigs, both artists and gig goers embrace the opportunity to see performances in more intimate rooms. Independent promoters put on gigs and make the most of stating "No Lanyard Required", and variations on this statement!

The Decibel Decoder went all in for The Alt Escape this year and saw 33 artists over the 4 days. Here are just some of the highlights.

Iconic Brighton venue The Hope and Ruin put on a full programme of live music in their downstairs bar, completely free. Norway's Daufødt (translated to stillborn) were an explosion of energy, their punk, noise rock and experimental mash-up sounding incredibly cohesive and accessible. Their music felt like a rebellion against the times we current inhabit. Vocalist, visual artist and designer Annika Linn Verdal Homme never stopped moving, which is an understatement. More accurately she never stopped jumping, kicking, heading into the crowd and all the while delivering an extraordinary vocal performance. It was utterly exhilarating.

Note: Daufødt will play Rotterdam's Left of the Dial festival in October. Do Not Miss.

Norwegian band Daufødt at The Alt Escape Festival Brighton

There are times when you arrive to see the band before the band you want to see, just to be sure of getting in. Although here is another interesting point for The Alt Escape - I did not queue once. The lines during some of The Great Escape were horrendous which does create some stress but I got into every show I wanted to on the alternative side of the festival.

And so I arrived at the Black Lion in Brighton for the band before Denmarks Smag På Dig Selv. However it was still billed as a surprise guest, and a barrier was being installed in the pub. There was a palpable air of excitement in the room and I still didn't know who was playing. Asking around I discovered it was Keo, the alt rock fast-rising 4-piece. Led by brothers Finn (vocals, guitar) and Conor Keogh (bass) and completed by drummer Oli Spackman and guitarist Jimmy Lanwern, Keo's origins trace back to Plymouth, Portugal, Ireland and the US, with the Keogh brothers spending their youth touring much of the UK, Ireland and the US in their father’s traditional Irish folk project. Yes it was thrilling to see this band up close and personal but it was Smag På Dig Selv I was here for.

The demographic of the crowd completely changed as the Copenhagen trio began their stomping saxophone and drums techno infused set. This is a band I would recommend to anyone, and that is fairly unique. Not only is the music euphoric but it is impossible to keep an eye on the two saxophonists who prowl not only the stage but the room, even heading out to the beer garden at one point! Charismatic performers yes, but it is always about the music, and what glorious music it is. They got a mosh pit going at 5pm and the whole room had huge smiles on their faces by the end of the set which came around far too quickly.

Note: They play Bearded Theory at Catton Hall this weekend. Do Not Miss.

Danish band Smag På Dig Selv at The Alt Escape Festival Brighton

A mention has to go to Brighton promoters The Shovel who put on an all-dayer on Saturday. Digging a little deeper I discovered their website where they state: “The Shovel was born out of a growing frustration at the current state of the music industry. With a growing number of parasitic venues and promoters ripping artists off and not putting any care into the lineups they curate, along with an ongoing cost of living crisis that means it’s never been harder to survive as a musician. We decided to try and take it into our own hands and put on gigs fully organised by ourselves. We only put on bands we love and think work well together, so there is always some cohesive theme tying the lineups together.”

Deciding to find one venue to stay put at all day, I hit gold with the noise-led quality line-up of seven bands. Staggeringly The Lewes Road Inn stepped in at the last minute to host the showcase as the plug had been pulled on the original venue. There was one band in particular I was keen to see live. MORN had recently released a single on Speedy Wunderground, The Standard Model along with B side I Watched You as Your Mind Slipped Far (Away from Me), only their second released to date.

From Monmouth in Wales, the four-piece have their own take on post punk and it is obvious that they are ones to watch. Vocals flip between male and female voices and there is a, seemingly, effortless confidence in their performance, without any arrogance. MORN had worked hard in Brighton this weekend with six performances, in fact this was one of two today. They seemed to be taking it all in their stride and I suspect this is a gig I am going to be thrilled I was able to attend in the months to come.

Note: MORN play Dot to Dot this weekend and have a number of headline dates booked across the UK in September.

Welsh post punk band MORN at The Alt Escape Festival Brighton

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