The Great Escape

The Great Escape first ran in Brighton in 2006 and comes back every May. It's the UK's leading new music festival: hundreds of emerging acts from around the world playing more than 30 venues across the city, from pubs and clubs to pop-up stages on the beach.

Alongside the gigs there's a music industry convention, so the audience mixes fans with A&Rs, agents and bookers looking for the next big thing. A wristband gets you into every venue, and the queues for the hyped acts are part of the game.