The University of Sussex has partnered The Great Escape Festival, offering students access to exclusive live events and work opportunities.
Words by Becca Bashford, News Editor.
The University of Sussex is embarking on an exciting new partnership with The Great Escape Festival, The Badger can exclusively reveal.
The Great Escape Festival has run since 2006, and takes place over three days (13-16 May). Hosting over five hundred emerging artists across thirty different venues across the city, including a pop-up on Brighton Beach, the Great Escape Festival offers a unique opportunity to see some of the newest and most exciting artists from across the globe in the most intimate venues Brighton has to offer. The festival is also annually attended by thousands of industry professionals, who are “on the hunt for the next big thing”.
The partnership, University of Sussex x The Great Escape 2020, will coincide with the 15th edition of the festival.
The Badger can exclusively reveal that a special event to celebrate the partnership will take place on campus on the 14 February, at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts. In the afternoon, there will be a panel discussion with The Great Escape Team, who will discuss anything and everything that goes into planning such a unique festival. They will be accompanied by experienced professionals, who will give talks about their careers, journeys, and the best ways to get into the music industry.
In the evening of the 14th, there will be a live event featuring performances from artists from The Great Escape 2020 lineup, and will be headlined by Dream Wife! The other acts will be announced soon, so keep an eye on The Badger’s social media channels.
Dream Wife will also take part in the afternoon panel discussion, discussing gender balance in the music industry and safety at gigs, with a special focus on the local music scene in Brighton.
The partnership between the University of Sussex and The Great Escape Festival will benefit students in many ways. First and foremost, there will be a series of work placement opportunities within The Great Escape main festival in May. The placements and opportunities vary from technical roles to venue rep assistants – and 40 work placements are reserved exclusively for University of Sussex students. Details of how to apply will be available at the event. There are also 10 media passes granting special access for University of Sussex student media (print, radio, TV and social media).
Laura McDermott, Creative Director at Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, who played a significant role in establishing the partnership, said:
“We’re so happy to bring some of the energy of The Great Escape to campus this month. It’s a brilliant festival that fills the city with buzz every May, and we are particularly excited that University of Sussex students will have a chance to get amongst it and find out about the festival from the inside – thanks to the exclusive work placement opportunities available. Many people dream of working in the music industry but the ways into it aren’t always clear – we hope this event will help demystify things and give University of Sussex students a springboard to their future creative careers.”
Tickets to the event on Friday 14 February are free of charge but will only be available to University of Sussex students and staff. Full details will be announced at www.attenboroughcentre.com and on the University of Sussex social media channels.
The Great Escape also run a conference alongside the main festival, boasting panels, debates, keynote speeches and networking events for anyone interested in getting involved in the music industry. This is an iconic weekend for the Brighton music scene, and definitely shouldn’t be missed!
The full lineup for TGE2020 is being confirmed but the first 150 acts have already been announced. Rapper Aitch will grace the Spotlight Show stage at the Brighton Dome, and other acts include Aaron Smith, Samuel Seo, Mabes, Kid Kapichi, and Ghostpoet. Visit https://greatescapefestival.com/ to see the full list, and keep your eyes peeled for more announcements!
