Over 130 new artists have been added to The Great Escape 2026 line-up, and it has been confirmed that Peaches will be headlining the festival’s spotlight show.
This year’s edition of the event – described as “the festival for new music” – is due to take place in Brighton between May 13-16. Find tickets here.
Today (Tuesday February 3), it has been confirmed by organisers that genre-defying artist Peaches will be part of the festival, and headlining a Spotlight Show at Brighton Dome Concert Hall on May 15.
It comes as the Canadian-born artist first burst onto the scene and became a huge voice in alternative pop and electronic music after sharing her seminal album ‘The Teaches of Peaches’. Now with more than two decades in the scene, she assures fans that the Brighton slot will be one for the books.
It also comes in celebration of her announcing her first album in over a decade, which will be called ‘No Lube So Rude’, and is set to be released later in the year. On top of that, the Spotlight show also comes as part of her upcoming world tour, which kicks off in the US later this month and heads over the pond in the spring.
The 2026 line-up for The Great Escape has also had 130 more artists added today, with organisers enlisting rising talent from across pop, rock, rap, R&B, folk, soul, indie, electronic and more.
Among those joining the bill is indie favourites The Lottery Winners, who will be returning to the festival for the first time since 2017, and indie rock trio from London, Villanelle, which has Gene Gallagher as a member.
Also added to the bill are Australian electro-pop provocateur BIG WETT, Minneapolis songwriter Mother Soki, Dutch alt-pop riser Min Taka and carnival-pop duo Haute & Freddy, and rising alt-rock group from London, KEO, who are also confirmed to headline the Billboard UK stage this year.
New Zealand has been confirmed as The Great Escape’s Lead Country Partner for 2026, and artists from there who are set to perform at the event include indie rock trio Office Dog, ‘60s-inspired singer Hemi Hemingway, rising star Jude Kelly, and alternative artist Ratbag.
As for local Brighton talent taking to the stage this time around, the bill includes multi-instrumentalist Bert, post-rock folk outfit Ladylike, indie-folk artist Amanzi, fan-favourite indie stars Lime Garden, as well as Congratulations, Big Long Son, Lemon Suckr, Isaac Frank, Lynnie Snow, Mae Hill, and Lily Moore.
The festival has also joined forces with bespoke music management company Raw Power as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. Announcing the partnership, Craig Jennings CEO of Raw Power said: “It’s a very special year for Raw Power with it being our 20th anniversary, and partnering with The Great Escape is an integral part of the celebrations, Brighton has always held a place in our heart with several amazing shows over the years from our artists, no doubt this will be another one of those.
“TGE is always a highlight of the musical calendar with shows of all sizes and a wonderful atmosphere around the town. We are proud to be a part of it.”
The event is set to take place in Brighton between May 13 and 16, and will play host to over 450 up-and-coming artists across 35 walkable venues.
For the 2025 edition, English Teacher led the way on the line-up, alongside Skunk Anansie, Maruja and The Molotovs. That year’s spotlight show was headlined by Pete Doherty and Warmduscher.
