The Great Escape 2019: Scottish showcase bands revealed

The Great Escape is once again inviting a tidy crop of Scottish talent down to Brighton and Hove for this year's festival. Lewis Capaldi, The Ninth Wave, The Van T’s and Wuh Oh are some of the more well-known Scottish acts peppered across the weekend, and as ever there's a chance to take the temperature of Scotland's emerging talent with the annual Showcasing Scotland concerts, which this year is as eclectic as ever. 

Kobi Onyame has long been a favorite of The Skinny's and the Glasgow-based Ghanaian artist is the first name to catch the eye on this year's Showcasing Scotland lineup. Weaving hip-hop, soul, Afrobeat and UK dub soundsystem culture into his music, his shows are always full of dynamic energy and shouldn't be missed.

Elsewhere on the Showcasing Scotland lineup you'll find the modern rock n' roll of LUCIA, who described her myriad influences as "Blondie, Phil Spector, Richard Hell and Patti Smith" when we spoke to her in 2017. There's also the ambient dream-pop of Aberdeen-based trio OK Button and a pair of scorching Glasgow rock bands: Heavy Rapids and ALLIGATOR.

From Glasgow, too, are alt-rock trio Cloth and five-piece Walt Disco, whose eccentric electronic arrangements are described as "Scott Walker-goes-new wave synth stomp". Also look out for West Lothian indie rockers The Snuts and Cromarty's Tamzene, whose sound has shifted over the last few years from folky singer-songwriter to epic, soulful pop. You'll also find the enigmatic Aaron Smith, who's been working closely with Lewis Capaldi’s manager Scott Kirkwood.

Speaking about this year's eclectic Showcasing Scotland bands, Jamie Houston, Music Officer at Creative Scotland, said: “From hip-hop to alt-rock this year’s line-up once again showcases the strength and diversity of talent across a variety of genres, all of whom are ready to take the next step in their careers."

The Showcasing Scotland concerts at One Church will be hosted by BBC Scotland’s Vic Galloway. Ahead of the festival, on Wednesday 8 May, you'll find more rising stars of the Scottish scene playing Brighton's Hope and Ruin, including Carla J Easton, Vanives, Marc McGowan and Tom McGuire & The Brassholes.

The Scottish Showcase concerts lineups are below:

Thu 9 May

12pm – Alligator
12.45pm – Aaron Smith
1.30pm – Cloth
2.30pm – Walt Disco
3.30pm – Heavy Rapids

Fri 10 May

12pm - Tamzene
12.45pm – OK Button
1.45pm – Lucia
2.30pm – Kobi Onyame
3.30pm – The Snuts

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Showcasing Scotland, 9 & 10 May, One Church, Gloucester Pl, Brighton