The Great Escape week just got louder! Planetary Group and Impressive PR return to Brighton for their third year at the Secret Comedy Club, taking over the venue for a full‑throttle, all‑day celebration of global new music. This isn’t just another side‑show – it’s an official Alternative Escape showcase, and one of the most consistently exciting spots to discover tomorrow’s breakout artists before the rest of the festival catches on. The Secret Comedy Club has become a cult favourite during TGE: intimate, atmospheric, and always packed with industry heads who know exactly where the real magic happens.
Running across two stacked sessions – Afternoon and Evening – this year’s edition brings together a hand‑picked lineup of rising talent from across the world, curated by two of the most respected tastemakers in the game. Planetary Group, the long‑running US‑based radio and publicity powerhouse known for breaking international artists into North America, teaming up with Impressive PR, one of the UK’s most trusted music publicity agencies with a track record of elevating artists across indie, alternative and left‑field pop. Together, they’ve built a showcase that’s become a must‑attend fixture for anyone serious about discovering what’s next. And with an as‑yet‑unnamed ‘Very Special Guest’ set to appear this year’s event is shaping up to be something unforgettable. Expect a day of discovery, chaos, brilliance and future festival headliners: all under one roof, all in the spirit of The Great Escape. The artists announced are as follows:
FOOL NELSON (Boorloo/Perth, Australia)
Fool Nelson are a Boorloo/Perth three‑piece made up of two brothers and their best mate, quickly becoming one of Australia’s most exciting indie‑rock exports with their massive hooks and high‑voltage live shows. Their latest six‑track EP is a raw, nostalgic burst of big choruses and grunge‑leaning emotion, exploring love, anxiety and holding your people close. With spins on BBC Radio 1’s Future Artists and Craig Charles on BBC 6 Music, the trio are gearing up for their first UK/EU run this May, hitting The Great Escape, Dot To Dot, Liverpool Sound City, The Road to TGE and Amsterdam’s London Calling.
Fresh off a debut national tour that sold out across the country, Rolling Stone have already called them “one of the most exciting bands to come out of Australia’s indie‑rock scene in years.” Their Bad Dreams EP tour packed out rooms across Eora/Sydney, Narrm/Melbourne and Tarntanya/Adelaide, capped by a 1,000‑cap hometown show and two U18 sellouts in 48 hours. ‘Bad Dreams’ landed at #154 in triple j’s Hottest 200 and became one of the station’s most‑played tracks, while ‘Don’t Feel Right’ topped Shazam charts and dominated triple j airplay. Named triple j Ones To Watch and the only act to win Unearthed’s One Night Stand competition twice, Fool Nelson have torn through festivals like Rolling Sets, Groovin the Moo and NYE On The Hill, and shared stages with Spacey Jane, Skegss, Old Mervs, Ball Park Music and The Rions – all built on a chemistry forged since childhood.
https://www.facebook.com/foolnelsonband
https://www.instagram.com/foolnelson_
VERY SPECIAL GUEST
… to be announced!
YOU DOO RIGHT (Quebec, Canada)
Montreal experimental rock duo Yoo Doo Right fuse krautrock repetition, shoegaze haze and post‑rock intensity into sprawling, cathartic soundscapes that feel both hypnotic and volcanic. Formed in 2016, the band – Justin Cober (guitar, synths, vocals) and John Talbot (drums) – draw on everything from classical music to musique concrète, building what PopMatters once described as “towering monoliths of roaring riffs crashing against swarms of restless rhythms.” Their early EPs introduced a bombastic, psychedelic edge, followed by a 2020 split with Acid Mothers Temple that leaned deeper into motorik propulsion. Their debut album Don’t Think You Can Escape Your Purpose (2021) established them as one of Canada’s most compelling post‑rock exports, praised for its balance of collapse‑ready chaos and delicate restraint.
They pushed further with A Murmur, Boundless to the East (2022), a Polaris‑longlisted release that critics hailed as earth‑shaking in its dynamic control, and From the Heights of Our Pastureland (2024), which also earned a Polaris longlist nod. Across their catalogue — including the more experimental The Sacred Fuck EP (2024) — Yoo Doo Right have collaborated with visionary producers such as Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Seth Manchester and Efrim Menuck, refining a sound that remains defiantly unclassifiable. Though prolific in the studio, the band’s true power is live: immersive, high‑decibel performances that have taken them across Canada, the U.S. and Europe, cementing their reputation as one of Montreal’s most forward‑thinking and sonically fearless acts.
https://www.instagram.com/yoodoowrong
https://yoodooright.bandcamp.com/album/yoo-ii-avec-nolan-potter
JOAN AND THE GIANTS (Melbourne, Australia)
Melbourne alt pop‑rock breakout Joan & The Giants are set to blaze a hot trail in the UK! Fronted by queer vocalist and songwriter Grace Newton‑Wordsworth — raised on an organic farm in regional WA — the band also features Riley Sutton, Chris Mackenzie and Liam Olsen. Written months after Grace left an abusive relationship, the track captures the moment she finally told her mum what she’d endured. “This song didn’t come from a place of victimhood,” she says. “It came from discovering how strong I really was — like a butterfly leaving the cocoon, finding freedom and a sense of self again.”
Already one of Australia’s most talked‑about new acts, Joan & The Giants have supported P!NK at Optus Stadium, toured nationally with The Fray, shared stages with Everything Everything, The Vaccines, Lake Street Drive and Weyes Blood, performed at SXSW Austin, and will make their UK live debut at The Great Escape in May. Their breakout hit ‘Born in the Wrong Time’ topped the Metro AMRAP charts, won Happy Mag’s ‘Needle in the Hay’, took out Best Rock Song at the 2024 WA Song of the Year Awards and earned an APRA nomination. With raw vulnerability, huge hooks and a reputation for emotionally charged performances, Rolling Stone AU have already called them “a force to be reckoned with.”
http://www.instagram.com/joanandthegiants
http://www.facebook.com/joanandthegiants
SUNDAYCLUB (Winnipeg, Canada)
Filtering in with shimmering static, Winnipeg outfit sundayclub’s self-titled debut demands you tune in. Described by the band as “dreamy, gut-punch pop,” SUNDAYCLUB explores the strange limbo of early adulthood: that feeling of being caught between who you were and who you’re becoming. Like sunlight softly glimmering through a window, ink slowly bleeding across a page, or a grainy film photograph blurring hard edges, the album’s layered, textured soundscapes evoke a romantic feeling of nostalgia and ephemeralness. On their first full-length offering, sundayclub arrive poised and self-assured as they weave together a glowing world that blurs the line between past and present.
Formed in the stillness of rural Canada, Courtney Carmichael and Nikki St. Pierre started sundayclub as a way of processing and capturing the curiosities and complexities of coming into one’s own. The result is a deeply personal collection that guides listeners through a tour of growing up, growing apart, and growing into your skin. SUNDAYCLUB overflows with sensitivity and vulnerability; enveloping, cinematic swells of guitar and reverb blend with Carmichael’s ghostly vocals to create something imperfect, intimate, and vivid. The intuitive and symbiotic musical relationship between St. Pierre and Carmichael lends the music its magic. The band’s chemistry caught the attention of Stephen Carroll, the guitarist of Canadian indie-rock legends The Weakerthans, who tipped off Paper Bag Records’ A&R, and quickly led to their first label signing. They soon after released their debut EP Bannatyne in 2025, which landed them on Exclaim!’s 5 Emerging Canadian Artists You Need to Hear.
https://www.instagram.com/sundayclub.band/?hl=en
THE TULLAMARINES (Adelaide, Australia)
The amalgamation of four distinct voices from Adelaide, The Tullamarines tell their stories through a shared perspective that feels intimate, honest, and quietly uplifting. Josh, Angus, Benny and Lucinda met on the local gig circuit, quickly bonding over a mutual love of songwriting and collaboration. From those early connections, they’ve crafted a sound that reflects each member’s individual sensibilities – a style they affectionately call cosy-pop.
Their songs move through life’s highs and lows with the warmth of an old friend, inviting listeners into their living room, putting the kettle on, and sitting with whatever feeling the day brings. That sense of closeness runs through both their recorded work and their live shows.
Having appeared on festival line-ups including Beyond The Valley, Woodford Folk Festival, Laneway Festival, Spin Off Festival and New Year’s Eve on the Hill, and toured extensively alongside artists such as Old Mervs, The Preatures, Ball Park Music and Alex Lahey, The Tullamarines continue to build a reputation for heartfelt songwriting and deeply human performances.
https://www.instagram.com/thetullamarines/?hl=en
https://www.thetullamarines.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/thetullamarines
CHROMA (Pontypridd, Wales, UK)
Pontypridd’s own CHROMA are kicking the door back open with their second album 25 Forever, landing 17th April 2026 on Alcopop! Records. It’s a record built on love, loss, heartbreak and sheer bloody resilience: a coming‑of‑age soundtrack for a generation trying to find itself while the world burns. Leading the charge is their blistering single ‘Straight Men’, a fearless, razor‑edged call‑out of harassment, intimidation and the toxic manosphere shaping young men today. KT Hall isn’t pulling punches; she’s demanding accountability. If you’re watching your mate behave like a creep and saying nothing, you’re part of the problem. CHROMA aren’t here to whisper- they’re here to shake the room.
Fresh from their FOCUS Wales 2026 announcement, the trio are out and about on a UK headline tour in a year that’s already looking explosive. Their recent singles ‘Riverhouse’ and ‘Lifehack’ signalled a darker, fuzzier evolution that earned BBC 6Music and Radio Wales A‑List support, stacking up 400+ global radio plays in just two months. Two years after their Welsh Music Prize‑nominated debut Ask For Angela, CHROMA have levelled up, tearing through grassroots venues with BILK, sharpening their political edge, and proving night after night why they’re one of Wales’ most vital, uncompromising live bands.
https://www.facebook.com/CHROMAbanduk
https://www.instagram.com/chromabanduk /
https://www.youtube.com/@CHROMAbanduk
MY LIFE STORY (Brighton, UK)
Brighton‑based art‑pop renegades My Life Story remain one of the most distinctive forces to come out of the Britpop era – a band who never played by the rules and never sounded like anyone else. Led by the ever‑magnetic Jake Shillingford, they carved out their own lane with orchestral pop maximalism, razor‑sharp lyricism and a flair for the dramatic that earned them six UK Top 40 singles, cult‑classic albums Mornington Crescent and The Golden Mile, and tours with Blur and Pulp. While their peers chased swagger, My Life Story built worlds: sweeping, cinematic and defiantly ambitious: and became underground heroes across the UK and Europe in the process.
After a series of triumphant returns, the band have re‑emerged leaner, louder and more dangerous than ever. They’ve evolved their widescreen sound into something punchier and more immediate, without losing the orchestral DNA that made them iconic. Their latest work, including the 2024 album Loving You Is Killing Me, shows a band still pushing forward, still writing with fire, and still commanding a fiercely loyal fanbase. From festival stages to packed club shows, My Life Story continue to prove why they’re one of Britain’s most enduring and effortlessly stylish cult acts. This special set will be wonderfully raw and acoustic and definitely one to remember, not least because it will be the day before Jake’s 60th birthday: a special celebration of an incredible 40+ year career!
https://www.facebook.com/mylifestoryband
https://www.instagram.com/mylifestoryband
https://twitter.com/mylifestoryband
THE SICK FIX (Manchester UK)
Manchester’s The Sick Fix are the kind of band that don’t wait their turn: they kick the door in and start the party themselves. Freshly signed to A Level Management in the UK and USA, the teenage four‑piece have carved out a fierce, exhilarating strain of garage‑punk that pulls threads from across the decades: the sharp edges of The Jam and Buzzcocks, the chaotic spirit of The Sonics and The Fall, and the ragged, romantic swagger of The Libertines and The Hives. For a band only 18 months into their existence, their chemistry feels almost telepathic, a natural collision of instinct, energy and attitude that can’t be manufactured.
On record, The Sick Fix are tight, punchy and surprisingly refined; live, they’re a full‑throttle jolt of teenage adrenaline, all sparks, sweat and sensation. Their upcoming double A‑side on Absolute Music: the anthemic “Shoe Shopping” and the raucous “Liquid Gold”, captures both sides of their personality: sharp songwriting with a wild streak that refuses to be tamed. Tipped as “the best f*cking band you haven’t heard yet,” they’re already rising fast. The smart move is to get in now, because the lift they’re riding is only going one way — straight to the top.
https://www.instagram.com/the_sick_fix
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582085362156
https://www.youtube.com/@TheSickFix09
SAM SCHERDEL (Sheffield, UK)
South Yorkshire singer‑songwriter Sam Scherdel has been crafting hook‑laden, soulful indie rock since his early teens, but it wasn’t until a major career pivot in 2022 that he stepped fully into the spotlight. After being made redundant from a long‑term surveying job, he threw himself into music with total conviction, releasing Early Morning Rain and quickly building momentum across the North of England. His gravelly vocal, Britpop‑leaning blueprint and emotionally charged songwriting have earned him critical acclaim from BBC Introducing, plus hundreds of live performances ranging from intimate tap rooms to Ibiza Rocks and Glastonbury.
Following a five‑year break from releasing music, Scherdel returned with a more mature, polished sound shaped alongside producer Aidan Thomson (Alvarez Kings/Steelworks Studios). His recent singles, including If We Danced, Breathe and Balloon, showcase a writer unafraid to turn inward, exploring connection, loss and hope with widescreen ambition. A staple of the Northern live circuit and a regular support for major touring acts like Two Door Cinema Club and Ocean Colour Scene, Scherdel is now poised for a national breakthrough, armed with a voice built for big rooms and songs that hit with heart and grit.
https://www.youtube.com/c/SamScherdelOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/samscherdel
SONNY E. (London, UK)
Spotting a Teddy Boy in a flamingo‑pink drape suit strutting down a London street had an epiphanic effect on a pre‑school Sonny E: “That’s what I want to be when I grow up,” he declared, much to his father’s dismay. Growing up amid a constant churn of new youth subcultures, he soaked up Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Electro, gender‑bending futurism and the heavily mechanised electronics that paved the way for Acid House and Techno. The Cramps, Suicide, Devo, The Human League, Mantronix and a legion of 1950s pioneers all seeped into his psyche, setting him on the path toward what would eventually become his self‑styled Cyberbilly.
Teaching himself guitar on cheap Woolworth’s instruments and programming beats on a Casiotone MT‑40, Sonny left school at 16, moved into Hackney squats and immersed himself in the worlds of Sigue Sigue Sputnik, early Chicago/Detroit innovators and pre‑superclub Ibiza. Three decades of global nightlife followed, performing sci‑fi beats under various aliases, before he stepped away to focus on his true calling: a futuristic, tech‑driven evolution of Rockabilly powered by nothing more than a laptop, a microphone and pure swagger. This is Cyberbilly. This is Sonny E.
https://www.instagram.com/sonny_e_cyberbilly
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc5D4ZH3HNvYWvG5lQk3KMA
https://www.facebook.com/sonny.e.cyberbilly
SWEET UNREST (London, UK)
London Strokes meet Libertines vibes! Since forming in 2023, Sweet Unrest have been leaving audiences pleasantly shellshocked with their timeless melodies, gut‑punch choruses and a stage presence that feels like it could combust at any moment. Flirting with disaster and thriving in their own beautiful chaos, they’re the kind of band you struggle to look away from — and even harder to forget. Their sound lives in the tension between the delicate and the ferocious, a push‑and‑pull that has become their signature. They are both the Sweet and the Unrest, a duality they’ve distilled into their own self‑made genre: Gritpop.
Anchored in London’s live circuit, the band have carved out a loyal following through their residency night ‘Sweet Spot’ at The Camden Eye, where every other Friday they turn the pub into a pressure cooker of sweat, melody and catharsis. Word of mouth has travelled fast — the kind of fast that only happens when a band is genuinely doing something different.
Their debut physical release Falling For You / Peace of Mind, issued by No Distance Records, cemented that momentum. Landing at #12 on the UK vinyl charts, it proved that Sweet Unrest’s raw, unfiltered energy translates just as powerfully on record as it does on stage. With more music on the horizon and a reputation growing gig by gig, Sweet Unrest are quickly becoming one of the most compelling new forces in the capital’s alt‑rock underground.
https://www.instagram.com/sweetunrestband
https://www.facebook.com/sweetunrestband
https://www.youtube.com/@sweetunrestband
Afternoon Set List:
12.00-12.25 Fool Nelson
12.40-1.05 Very Special Guest (to be confirmed)
1.20-1.45 Yoo Doo Right
2.00-2.25 Joan And The Giants
2.40-3.05 sundayclub
3.20-3.45 Tullamarines
Evening Set List:
6.00-6.25 Chroma
6.40-7.05 My Life Story (acoustic)
7.20-7.45 The Sick Fix
8.00-8.25 Sam Scherdel
8.40-9.05 SONNY E.
9.20-9.45 Sweet Unrest
