And just like that, it was the final day of The Great Escape, moving from slowcore and psych-pop to post-hardcore and cathartic closing sets in rooms big and small.

A name that's growing increasingly respected in Brighton and beyond is Glasshouse Red Spider Mite, a four-piece making sincere and profound slowcore. Starting our Saturday afternoon at Crafting Room Recording’s showcase at Komedia, the band began with a wistful array of tracks that showed their capacity as instrumentalists, with the drummer utilising the kit superbly with fantastic cymbal colouration to provide fleeting textures over dreamy, flawless vocal harmonies and yearning chord progressions. A highlight came in the form of ‘Everyone Loves You’, a single off their debut EP What Do You Mean The Monster?... Hahaha, which retreated from their new heavier songs to execute one of the most beautiful moments we experienced over the course of the weekend. Their vocal delivery and guitar parts complement the melancholic nature of the track, playing sustained flourishes over a mature rhythm section, casting a delicate backbone to the track. The audience was left in a particular stillness, unlike any effect we saw at the festival. (BW)

We slipped further into the haze at Komedia for Yumi and the Weather, where Ruby Taylor’s songwriting sat somewhere between psych-pop, shoegaze and indie rock, carried by swirling textures, driving basslines and drifting vocal effects. Tracks unfolded with a slow, steady momentum, often building from hushed beginnings into fuller, more enveloping passages that filled the room without ever tipping into excess. New singles ‘Rip Tide’ and ‘Notice No Tears’ were real standouts, the former leaning into brooding, dark-wave synths whilst the latter took a more tender approach, with heightened emphasis on electronics and space. Ruby’s voice remained the clearest thread throughout, cutting through the layers of guitar, synth and percussion as the set moved between intimacy and release. Artist Spotlight feature coming soon. (MS)

After catching Cordelia Gartside at last year’s Great Escape, we knew this year's set would be nothing short of outstanding. Despite the chaotic bustle of Horatio's Bar, her songs cut cleanly through the background chatter, shifting seamlessly from fragile to ferocious, her voice and expression carrying a raw, visceral intensity throughout. Her track ‘Hospital Corners’ moved members of the crowd (including us) in a way that felt overwhelming, and the room came to a hushed stillness as her raw vocals overpowered the noise with striking clarity and emotion. Whether that was down to it being the finale of an intense weekend or simply the emotional weight of the performance itself is hard to say - all we know is that we’re eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to catch her live. (IW) 

We headed to the Lewes Road Inn, to catch Paper Hats play an Alt-Escape show. They had their original gig cancelled from the bandstand on the seafront due to bad weather, but after frantically searching the city, they found a new home in Lewes Road. Not built to be a music venue but maintaining a certain chaotic energy that is healthy for live sound, Paper Hats began their post-hardcore set, filling their entire sound with distorted instruments and crashing cymbals. Their singer Clemente Contreras put his voice right to the test, a full emotional spectrum before breaking down into a cathartic, dense, instrumental swirl. A four-piece hailing from the South London music scene, they offer a different sound to most post-punk bands from the area. Think more head banging and a tinge of stoner metal. (DC)

Quaking Apsens took to The Freemasons for a Beluga Alt-Escape; an unorthodox location for a band that plants itself on a pendulum of radiant whimsy, but when they delivered their first track, the audience fell into an awe-struck stillness. It was captivating to watch the impact of each layer roll off each other as the complementary vocal harmonies sat perfectly on top with varying timbre. Their poignant lyricism proved evocative and completed a cohesive sonic aesthetic of alt-rock/shoegaze. The bassist's ostinato in the first track was a significant earworm as it teased and enticed the crowd into the beginning of an impeccable set. Throughout, they retained a detailed delicateness with track two epitomising this complete sonic output, played in 5/4, which can prove jarring to some degree, but they rolled off on an unparalleled playfulness. The drums provided a flawless fluidity with excellent dynamic control, dictating the trajectory of the tracks, which transitioned seamlessly between each other to provide a really immersive set. The elevated and considered set delivery was greatly appreciated by the ever-growing Freemasons crowd. (BW)

The festival ended for us with My Precious Bunny at Quarters, a project that feels inseparable from Brighton’s music community. Fronted by Penelope Isles’ Lily Wolter alongside a six-piece band of close collaborators, the set drew from Lily’s recently released album A Moment in My Eyes, a gorgeous collection of songs built on heartfelt lyrics, the uncertainties of adulthood and melodies designed to hold onto. Although the subject matter is of much tender and sometimes troubled introspection, the project manages to radiate total joy, with layered harmonies and shifting instrumentation giving each track momentum and freedom. The set burst with sun-soaked indie rock and euphoric release. Every musician was woven into the fabric of the performance, adding harmonies, percussion and textures with a clear belief in Lily’s songs at the centre of it all, collectively bringing the project to life. We found ourselves seeking out that feeling again later at The Oak, where My Precious Bunny packed out the pub for one final and unforgettable performance of the weekend. Artist Spotlight feature coming soon. (MS)