Welsh musical talent on stage at The Great Escape festival

The Great Escape is an important platform for music and new music lovers on the UK festival circuit.

Showcase Cymru brings new artists from Wales and highlights the wealth of talent that continues to emerge from the Welsh music scene.

The event will take place over two days on May 16 and 17 at One Church, Brighton, and features seven Welsh artists including Aleighcia Scott, Mellt and Pys Melyn.

New audience

Mellt said: “We’re looking forward to being part of Showcase Cymru this year. It’s an opportunity for us as a band to meet people from the music industry in the UK and beyond and share our music with a new audience.”

Adrian Jones, Head of Production at Orchard Media, said: “We’re pleased to be a part of Showcase Cymru this year on behalf of S4C/Lŵp. At Orchard, we’re keen supporters of Welsh music, and are especially proud to support and reflect the scene whether that’s on stage, on screen, or behind the camera.

“It’s also a great opportunity to continue our strong relationship with Clwb Ifor Bach and BBC Horizons/Gorwelion into the future.”

Bethan Elfyn, Producer of Horizons/Gorwelion, said: “Gorwelion has been showcasing Welsh artists at the festival for a decade and is excited to work with our new partners to increase our audience and promote Welsh talent.

“It is important to promote music in the right places to help musicians to break through, and we’re delighted to do everything we can to create a buzz around these exciting artists – to see them reach beyond Wales.”

Adam Williams, Head of Music at Clwb Ifor Bach said “We’re delighted to be bringing Clwb Ifor Bach to The Great Escape as part of an exciting partnership with Creative Wales, Horizons and Lŵp. Clwb’s role within Showcase Cymru allows us to expand our work with Welsh artists on a wider scale at the UK’s largest new music showcase event.”

Career development

Deputy Director of Creative Wales, Gerwyn Evans said: “Creative Wales is proud to be supporting the Showcase Cymru at The Great Escape again this year. A big part of our remit is to help talented Welsh musicians develop their careers and reach their potential.  The Great Escape provides a huge opportunity for some of our best up and coming artists to reach new audiences and build their profiles within the UK and beyond.”

The Great Escape Festival is a major music industry event for new music and emerging talent, showcasing around 500 artists from all over the world, across over 30 intimate and accessible local venues in Brighton.

The festival has previously been played by the likes of Adele, Slaves, and Wolf Alice.

Aside from being a first look for music lovers wanting to see artists before they go on to hit the mainstream or headline bigger venues and festivals, The Great Escape also features music industry events, secret gigs, and spontaneous collaborations.