07 May 2019 - 0 Comments

This coming May, six bands and artists from New Zealand will be making their way to the south of England to perform at the annual music festival, The Great Escape.

Since being founded in 2006, The Great Escape has been firmly established internationally as the leading event for showcasing new music. Taking place in Brighton over 3 days in May, The Great Escape kicks starts the festival season, introducing 15,000 music lovers to the key artists and sounds of the year. With over 300 bands playing in 30 venues over 3 days, The Great Escape is the key date in the music calendar. In addition to pre-publicised performances, impromptu street gigs spring up all over town. The Alternative Escape, numerous club nights, label parties, industry showcases, unique collaborations and outdoor gigs all add to the festivities.

“Think of it as Glastonbury by the sea.” - NME

For more information about the festival visit www.greatescapefestival.com.

Drax Project, Finn Andrews, Leisure, Soaked Oats, Robinson and The Beths will be appearing during the week. In addition Finn Andrews, Leisure, Soaked Oats, and The Beths will be performing at the annual NZ @ The Great Escape matinee show. This will be taking place at Horatio’s on Friday 10th of May, from 12pm – 4pm.

The Beths

Auckland four-piece The Beths channel their longtime friendship into high-energy guitar pop with a smart lyrical bite. 2018 was a breakout year for The Beths, beginning with a signing to Carpark Records, a world tour, and the release on August 10 of their freshman album Future Me Hates Me. The title track Future Me Hates Me has been received enthusiastically by audiences worldwide, and second single Happy Unhappy was named “Song of the Summer” by Rolling Stone Magazine.

“Future Me Hates Me is one of the most impressive indie-rock debuts of the year… It’s the kind of record you expect to come from a band’s third or fourth attempt.” – Pitchfork

Showcase: Saturday - 9:15pm - Horatio's Bar

www.thebeths.com

Drax Project

Drax Project are an exquisite marriage of stellar musicianship and killer songs. This combination, coupled with their incendiary live show has led them on a two year run of sold out venues as both headliners and openers. The group started busking on the streets of Wellington before gaining a following after re-working vocal hooks of famous pop songs into saxophone licks and has since seen an astronomical rise to success. The four-piece made up of Shaan, Matt, Ben and Sam have signed to a major label, recorded with artists such as Hailee Steinfeld (on their hit single Woke Up Late) and Rich The Kid and played alongside acts such as Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello and Lorde.

“Delicious pop with a prodigal feel” - Clash Magazine

Showcase: Thursday - 7:30pm @ Coalition

https://www.draxproject.com/

Finn Andrews

Since signing a record deal at 16, Finn Andrews and his band The Veils have released 5 albums together, appeared in David Lynch’s reboot of Twin Peaks, as well as on soundtracks by luminary film directors Tim Burton and Paolo Sorrentino. It was while writing 2016’s critically acclaimed Total Depravity that the New Zealand-raised musician realized a different streak was beginning to emerge. Fueled by the end of a relationship, Andrews took some time out from London and from The Veils, and returned to New Zealand to begin work on his first solo album, One Piece At A Time which was released via Nettwerk and Best & Fairest on March 15 2019.

“It’s a softly poetic return from The Veils frontman” - Clash Magazine

Showcase: Friday - 9:45pm @ St Mary's Church

http://www.finnandrewsmusic.com/

Leisure

Made up of five independently talented and successful members who were looking for a new creative outlet unconstrained by over-thinking, over-planning, and excessive control; Leisure are an anomaly in the music industry. This unusual melting-pot of contributions means Leisure is greater than the sum of its parts, each member bringing different influences from 70's funk, to 90's rap and R&B, all the way to dance music from the early 2000's. Each member also brings a different skill set – strong pop song writing sensibilities, experimental production techniques, and the talent to mix and master their own work.

“The Kiwi collective hasn't missed a step since first catching our ear” - Pigeons and Planes.

“Leisure have no bad tracks to their name, so it follows that their debut album is one of the very best this year” – HillyDilly.

Showcase: Thursday - 9:30pm @ The Arch

http://www.theleisurecollective.com/

Soaked Oats

Soaked Oats are a young four-piece band hailing from Dunedin, New Zealand who have been described as “a southern stew of Kurt Vile and Mac DeMarco with a good shake of Kevin Morby”. Since forming in early 2017 the band have come to notoriety for writing songs about stoned fruit (Avocado Aficionado, I’m a Peach), have completed a multitude of tours around home country New Zealand, dates in Australia and the United States – becoming known for endearing live performances showcasing the bands penchant for joyous songwriting and high energy shows.

Showcase: Saturday - 8:30pm The Hope And Ruin

https://soakedoats.bandcamp.com/

Robinson

Nelson born pop artist, Robinson, has had the year of life. Having spent most of 2018 writing and performing in the US, UK, Europe and Australia her feet have barely touched the ground. Still only 22 years of age, the New Zealander has over 60 million streams to her name to date. Single Nothing To Regret brought Robinson international acclaim, being championed by Zane Lowe at Beats 1 and supported on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. The single’s official video has surpassed 1.5 million views on YouTube. Robinson has also recently received two nominations at this year’s Vodafone NZ Music Awards, for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Single of the Year.

"It is Robinson’s sheer relatability that will poise her pop takeover. Her music explores all those feelings that are so innately human. She is void of the pretence and materialism that so many pop contemporaries embrace…” - Don’t Bore Us

Showcase: Friday - 7:30pm @ Three Wise Cats (Casablanca)

www.facebook.com/robinsonxmusic

NEW ZEALAND @ THE GREAT ESCAPE 2019

The New Zealand Music Commission is proud to present New Zealand @ The Great Escape 2019, showcasing some of the best New Zealand artists performing at The Great Escape this year. The event will take place 12pm – 4pm, Friday 10th May at Horatio’s in Brighton.

Line-up:

12:30pm – Finn Andrews
1:30pm – Soaked Oats
2:30pm – Leisure
3:30pm – The Beths

To listen to a playlist of artists from New Zealand playing at The Great Escape 2019, you can do so via Spotify or via Apple Music.

ABOUT THE NZ MUSIC COMMISSION

The New Zealand Music Commission is a Government-funded agency committed to growing the NZ music business. The NZ Music Commission undertakes projects and partnerships aimed at exporting NZ music and assisting music businesses in working internationally.

www.nzmusic.org.nz/

Contact: [email protected]

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