5 key takeaways from The Great Escape Festival 2025

The Great Escape took place between Wednesday 14th and Saturday 17th May, and Skiddle went down to check out some of the best emerging artists around. Now we've had time to catch our breath, here are some of the key stories that emerged from the festival this year. From standout names to the key trends.

Westside Cowboy emerge as the band of the moment

Westside Cowboy’s stature grew over the festival, to the point that they were the name on most people’s lips. Every day came a bigger venue, with each added floorspace of capacity filled to the brim each time. From The Hope and Ruin on Wednesday to packing out The Deep End on Friday, they were a captivating presence.

With joyous smiles on their faces, and even the odd shared swigs of Buckfast, the band played with infectious energy. With only two singles released in ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ and the recently shared ‘Shells’, the live shows emphasise them as a band in perfect harmony. Vocals are shared between the entire group, including drummer Paddy Murphy, and it feels as though their songs are constantly taking on new forms.

There’s an excitable and innocent energy to the band, an eccentricity passed down by forebearers of indie idiosyncracy such as Pavement. They recently won Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition and they certainly won over the hearts and minds of The Great Escape. 

Manchester-based talents steal the show

Across the festival, we witnessed sets from some of the finest Manchester-based talents. The city still marks itself out as a creative hub to this date, and what was most impressive was the diverse genres and perspectives on display. The previously-mentioned Westside Cowboy were a huge success. Elsewhere, Chloe Slater’s indie rock/pop songs tackled some of society’s most important issues such as social media obsession, media misinformation and fast fashion.

Egyptian-Sudanese artist Nxdia is clearly inspired by alt-pop acts such as Paramore, with an impressive ability to write queer anthems with huge chorus’. On stage, they looked truly at home in their performance. Other talents on the lineup currently calling Manchester home include Better Joy and shoegaze artist TTSSFU.

Dance music gets its moment

A lot of The Great Escape is associated with upcoming bands and solo artists, but there was also time given to some of dance music’s biggest upcoming talents. Charlotte Plank brought dancing to Thursday afternoon with a set that transcended drum and bass and pop. For those who wanted to party into the early hours, Friday had you spoilt for choice with Badger playing Patterns and Sim0ne over at The Arch. The former has taken garage across the world, including Coachella earlier this year. Sim0ne is one to watch for the years ahead and the Scottish DJ has been blowing people away with her high-energy sets. 

English Teacher are on their Mercury Prize victory lap

The 2024 Mercury Prize went to English Teacher for their debut album This Could Be Texas, which stood out to judges for “Its originality and character”. They have quickly become one of UK indie’s most vital acts with their topical lyricism about modern Britain. The songwriting of Lily Fontaine is both abstract and grounded, surrounding her observations in beautiful metaphor.

Their set at The Deep End was one of the busiest and most-anticipated of the festival and they delivered in style. It felt as though the band were crowning off this first era of their musicianship and we can’t wait to see what comes next for them. 

There are stories everywhere

The Great Escape brings together artists from all over the world, each with their own unique perspective on the world. Throughout the festival, Skiddle had the chance to speak to a wide range of artists. We spoke to Miso Extra about her debut album Earcandy, which refuses to conform to genre. We also spoke to Nxdia about Egyptian culture and folk artist Pem about her time spent birdwatching in the aftermath of her father's passing. We will be releasing all of these interview soo, so keep your eyes peeled on our social media/YouTube channels.

Within a diverse mixture of artists, the Great Escape provided a crucial platform for artists to pour their hearts out. Even if you're like Getdown Services and simply want to write about crisps...

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