Wow, The Great Escape’s 2018 edition this weekend was particularly great, wasn’t it? Tbh, we say that every year, but this time we really mean it. Why, you ask. Well, because i-D took over packed-out beachfront venue Coalition for one night of very fun music with our favourite artists.
Well-dressed London band Sorry kicked things off with an impressive (and very loud) set that included new single Showgirl — a tale of “awkwardness, lusting from afar, desire and disgust” — that we premiered last week. Their plans for TGE were very good indeed: “Couple of pints, maybe a rollercoaster.” Coalition punters on Thursday night, however, didn’t even need to head down the pier, instead riding a rollercoaster of genres — from indie rock to the “psycho acoustic soul” of Mahalia and beyond.
Yep, i-D Class of 2018 graduate and chatty Midlands-representative Mahalia delivered a confident performance that included acoustic covers of Solange’s Cranes In The Sky and SZA’s The Weekend. Ideal.
Next up, Joy Crookes pulled off a beret very well indeed as she and her band enchanted the audience, dancing seamlessly between acoustic numbers and reggae-infused bops like Elephant and Castle. According to this Instagram post, Elephant and Castle market is incidentally where Joy bought the aforementioned beret.
Then it was over to long-time i-D pal Rina Sawayama who stormed the stage with her backing dancers and mesmerising presence — making everyone feel 15 again with her 00s-inspired future pop and Namila motocross chaps. “People can be quite casual about their gigs,” she told us recently, “but I think if people are paying to see you, you’ve got to put on a show for them.” And what a show it was.
Oslo best friends Sassy009 — who stick live flute over electronic beats and make it slay — warmed up with their national anthem (Norwegian Constitution Day innit!) but soon took us all to a darker, more beautiful place. Wish industrial techno was less soulless, more melodic, and punctuated with laughter because the artists are having such a nice time? You’d have loved it.
Ending the night on a high was another i-D Class of 2018er, Kai Whiston, who DJd from his Slipknot sticker-adorned gaming computer. The crowd was fucked, the dancing was great, and, unable to resist the pulls of his brilliant set, Kai’s booking agent initiated a brief stage-invasion with her moves. We might be biased, but we’d give Thursday night at Coalition a solid 10/10. Come party with us next time!
