The Great Escape 2016 announces first wave of acts

Shura, Mystery Jets, Dilly Dally, Will Joseph Cook, Axel Flovent, Mura Masa, and Oh Wonder are all among the confirmed names, as are Pumarosa, who are one of our Ones To Watch for next year. There will be over 450 artists performing over the weekend, across more than 30 venues in the city.

The Great Escape 2016 takes place at a range of venues in Brighton from 19-21 May.

Festival Passes are now on sale from only £49.50, and Delegate Passes (giving additional access to all conference events, and priority access to live shows) are available fom £150.

As well as the acts, the festival confirmed a new, reduced 16+ age limit this year, with limited three-day wristbands available.

Speaking about these first announcements, Event Manager Kevin Moore says: “Over 10 glorious years, TGE has gone from strength to strength, breaking the hottest new bands and providing a monumental platform for emerging artists. 2016 is a big year; we’re so excited to come back full throttle, launching a new website as well as a bold new brand to create a fresh face for TGE; we wanted to find a connection to the place, the people, the music and the importance of the event. The introduction of the new 16+ wristband is also huge for The Great Escape as it allows us to welcome a different type of new music fan to the festival.”

The Great Escape Convention is also returning once more, with the team from CMU Insights presenting four "full-day conference strands", including: "Data! Transparency! Blockchain! Let’s Make Buzzwords Happen!", "Who The Hell Is Still Buying CDs?", "What If YouTube Actually Is The Future?", and "What Has The Music Industry Ever Done For You?"

The full list of acts so far:

Alina Orlova, Axel Flovent, Banff, Banfi, Beach Baby, Boo Seeka, Cherie and Renno, Conner Youngblood, Dagny, Declan Mckenna, Dilly Dally, Dirty Frigs, Dorsal Fins, Drones Club, Elle Exxe, Fenne Lily, Fort Lean, Foxtrott, Girli, Holy Esque, Isaac Gracie, Jack Watts, James Gruntz, Junk Son, Kloe, LCMDF, Methyl Ethel, Mura Masa, Mystery Jets, NATUR3, North East Party House, Oh Wonder, Otherkin, Owen Rabbit, Pumarosa, Rukhsana Merrise, Saint Sister, salute, Shura, Slum Sociable, Strange Bones, Tigercub, Timberwolf, Trudy, Tuff Love, Vant, and Will Joseph Cook.