SCOTLAND AT TGE
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SCOTLAND AT TGE -
15-18 May, 2024
We’re heading back to Brighton from 15-18 May 2024 for The Great Escape! 🏖️
Full details below, and drop us a line if you’re at the event and want to connect 👋
Brighton, England
Showcases
Thursday 16 May | Horatio’s
12:30 - Zoe Graham
13:30 - Conscious Pilot
14:30 - SLIX
15:30 - The Big Day
Pier, Madeira Dr, BN2 1TW view map
Friday 17 May | Brighthelm
12:30 - Quiet Houses
13:30 - Jacob Alon
14:30 - Nati
15:30 - Brogeal
North Rd, BN1 1YD view map
Scotland’s Networking Reception
Connect with Scotland's music industry and showcasing artists and enjoy a selection of Scottish delicacies at the Old Ship Hotel!
Join Wide Days and Creative Scotland at the Old Ship Hotel on Thursday 16 May from 17.30-19.30, to connect with key figures from the industry and the Scottish artists showcasing on Thursday and Friday!
Deep-fried confectionary and haggis will be served, along with soft drinks made from girders.
Thursday 16 May
17.30-19.30 I RSVP
BRÒGEAL
Melting together indie rock and traditional celtic folk, Brògeal are a Falkirk-based five piece who are set for a break-out year in 2024. Forming in Falkirk out of the ashes of high school bands, Brògeal came together over their love of Scottish and Irish folk music, punk and garage rock, adding banjo and mandolin to electric guitars, finding their own unique voice on the way.
The last twelve months has seen the band emerge as one of the best live bands in the UK, touring with the likes of The Mary Wallopers, Spector and The Lathums.
Conscious Pilot
Founded by Joe Laycock and Jack Sharp as a successor to theatrical punk group Cheap Teeth, the pair birthed the project from their joint love of immersive, beat-driven soundscapes and an exploration of subtle shifts. Featuring members of Catholic Action and Big Girls Blouse, the band aims to urge the listener’s ear into progressively choppy waters whilst simultaneously grounding them in firm lyrical soil.
Gallus
GALLUS bottles that sense of anticipation, the idea that anything could happen. Throwing back to the days when responsibilities were few, anticipation was high, and opportunity was around every corner. The band combine the energetic bounce of Sports Team with the tongue-in-cheek running commentary of life in 2022 of Yard Act and the introspection of contemporaries Fontaines D.C. After forming in a pub of the same name, the Glasgow Indie–punks have made their way to the summit of Scotland’s underground music scene. The band formed under unorthodox circumstances; after failed attempts to get their previous musical project off the ground, cousins Paul and Eamon Ewins recruited school friend Barry Dolan as their frontman after seeing him in a college play, despite little to no musical background. It was his dynamism and energy that drew them to him, and it was these characteristics that the band grew famous for.
Jacob Alon
Jacob Alon is a Scottish singer-songwriter with a profound gift for storytelling. Both intimate and devastatingly introspective, his music is touched by a rare timelessness. Drawing fair comparisons to artists such as Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright, Alon’s sound cuts through the air with his powerful and haunting vocals, intricate guitar playing, and pensive, poetic lyrics.
Alon was born and raised by a young single mother in the quiet suburbs of Dunfermline, Fife, between the winding woods and industrial park mystics. He learned his first piano piece from his mum for a school show at age 9 and later picked up the guitar at 15, enchanted by the intimate, somber beauty of wizards such as Nick Drake and Adrianne Lenker.
Alon began writing songs in school as a way of making his friends laugh but never considered a career in music possible until much later. While studying medicine at university, Jacob found himself deeply confused and unhappy, only finding joy when making music.
Lauren Mayberry
Lauren Mayberry still remembers what it felt like to sit alone in her teenage bedroom, headphones on, listening to artists like Tori Amos and Fiona Apple as if it was some kind of private spiritual practice. At 15, she was already playing in bands, and although there was plenty of music she and her male bandmates could agree on, she knew from experience that they would just tease her if she tried to get them into Tori or Fiona or PJ Harvey or Kathleen Hanna. She says, “It was a lot of confessional female singer-songwriters, and I thought of them like, ‘These are my friends who live in my headphones.’”
Ahead of last year’s 10th anniversary of Chvrches’ groundbreaking debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, Mayberry felt reflective in a way she hadn’t anticipated. Looking back at all of the incredible moments of personal evolution and musical growth during these years with the band, she realized that she still had a creative wall she needed to push through.
Lizzie Reid
Lizzie Reid’s music, so far, is an open exploration of the young Glaswegians experiences of love, loss, identity and modern life. Her debut EP ‘Cubicle’ was released in January 2021, and included the singles ‘Tribute’, ‘Seamless’ and ‘Always Lovely’, which racked up plays across XFM, BBC 6 music and BBC Radio 1
NATI
Hailing from a quaint coastal haven in Scotland, NATI. has amassed nearly 2 million digital followers, sharing stages with legends like Newton Faulkner, and Simply Red. Her cap6va6ng live-streamed shows enthralled fans worldwide, inspiring her to embrace music full-6me. Last November, her triumphant UK journey le^ sold-out imprints across Scotland and England, culmina6ng in a monumental headline performance at Cel6c Connec6ons. Cra^ing hear_elt original composi6ons, NATI. has headlined fes6vals, with her debut EP ‘Older’ released last October. From bedroom guitar sessions to global acclaim, NATI. embodies the journey from dream to reality, with her much anticipated sophomore EP on the horizon.
Parliamo
Already being hailed as one of Scotland’s most exciting young prospects, Parliamo takes inspiration from the laid-back electronica-infused indie pioneered by the likes of Primal Scream, Super Furry Animals and Blur.
Their debut EP ‘The Parliamo Manifesto’, released in 2021, saw the band employ a tongue-in-cheek approach to some of the darker aspects of life faced by young people and marked them out as a major emerging talent to watch. Turning heads with their self-proclaimed brand of “underground pop”, the band have since attracted praise from the likes of Clash Magazine, BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, Radio Scotland, Radio X, KEXP and more.
Quiet Houses
Edinburgh duo Quiet Houses have kicked off 2024 with ‘What My Heart Is For,’ a dreamy pop return signalling a new wave of material. Formed by Jamie Stewart and Hannah Ellio, the duo gained acclaim with 2021’s EP ‘Big Town’ and continued their rise with 2023’s ‘Since July.’ Bonded by their love of pop and a romantic outlook on life, the duo have built a musical identity centred around lush soundscapes and conversational songwriting. They credit bands such as Alvvays and Wolf Alice as current inspirations, while paying homage to their Scottish roots by also noting Blue Nile and Teenage Fanclub.
Redolent
“With rEDOLENT, we’re constantly trying to make it interesting in some way,” says Danny Herbert. That vision can be heard across their experimental, angular, electronic indie pop but it’s also the driving force behind their conversational lyrics, which tackle everyday anxieties, struggles with mental health and addiction, discontent with the 9-5 rat race and giddy, reckless abandon.
Debut album ‘dinny greet’ sees the Edinburgh 5-piece confident in their warped take on the world, offering harsh reality and joyous escapism over the course of ten sleek, considered tracks. “It’s the most us we’ve ever been,” says Robin Herbert. “We feel honed as a team,” he continues, with the entirely DIY outfit growing up together over the past decade to form something wholly unique.
Shambolics
Hailing from Fife, Scotland and formed in 2018 Shambolics have been building a reputation as a must see band. Cited by Alan Mcgee to be ‘ already one of the great Scottish bands’ he went on to sign Shambolics in 2019 to his latest Creation Records incarnation Creation23 label they went on to release their debut single ‘Chasing A Disaster’ which went in at No 2 on the UK Official Vinyl Charts.
SLIX
From Gourock, Scotland's quiet shores to sold-out headline shows, SLIX have been a force to reckon with since their 2019 inception. With their blistering 2022 EP "Jingle Jangle," carnage ensued. Their raucous gigs, including a 3 day sell-out of Glasgow's King Tut's, followed by a record-breaking sell-out at McChuills has lead to their biggest headline to date at Glasgow's Saint Luke's on 1 March 2024. Media accolades rain, from Scotland on Sunday to CLASH magazine. SLIX's anthemic indie vibes, catchy choruses and relatable lyrics are making waves in the Scottish scene. With their music being featured in shows such as E4's Made in Chelsea, played by the likes of BBC Introducing and Jack Saunders while they share stages with the the View, and have stormed the stages at festivals such as TRNSMT and Twisterella, SLIX's trajectory is on the right track.
The Big Day
Creating their own trajectory and tearing up the rulebooks come The Big Day. Pushing the parameters of their sound and vision, The Big Day are gradually becoming one of the most identifiable and iconic acts in the Scotland. The ambitious and unafraid four piece have released only three singles to date but are fast becoming the name on the tip of everyone’s tongues. Creating spirited indie-pop bangers taking influence from the likes of The Killers, U2 and Bleachers, The Big Day are emphasising quality over quantity.
Zoe Graham
Zoe Graham writes songs that sound like doing push-ups on the moon: heavy, but with an unmistakably light touch. Hers is a velvet voice, occasionally back-brushed.
Influenced by artists including St Vincent, Kate Bush and Beck – Zoe’s writing has all the intimacy and vulnerability of the therapist’s chaise longue, but with the door flung wide open for others to listen in. Guitars curdle with loungy synths and tautly machined drums.
Zoe has previously supported artists including Jenny Hval, Lo Moon, Kawala, Kate Nash, Rae Morris, Fatherson & Hamish Hawk.
our international programme is supported by Creative Scotland
