Image via Peaches Facebook Page
The Great Escape Festival is already setting the tone for 2026 with a bold expansion of its lineup, announcing over 130 new artists and revealing electroclash icon Peaches as a Spotlight Show headliner. The sex-positive provocateur will take over the Brighton Dome Concert Hall on Friday, 15 May, delivering a set separate from the main festival, with tickets going on general sale from 6 February.
Joining Peaches for these exclusive Spotlight Shows is Irish experimental group Kingfishr, promising a night of boundary-pushing sounds. Meanwhile, the festival’s broader roster continues to defy genre boundaries, featuring headliners like Keo on the beachside Billboard UK stage, London’s fiery rock outfit VILLANELLE, gothic mastermind Heartworms, theatrical pop duo Haute & Freddy, and beloved Brighton natives Lime Garden.
Few artists embody fearless reinvention and cultural provocation quite like Peaches. Since breaking through in the early 2000s, she has forged a legendary legacy as a trailblazer of electroclash and queer punk, challenging norms around gender, sexuality, and performance. Her influence resonates across generations, inspiring a wave of artists who dare to disrupt and redefine the boundaries of pop and electronic music. After more than a decade without a full‑length project, she has announced her seventh studio album, No Lube So Rude, scheduled for release on 20 February 2026 via Kill Rock Stars. The record marks her first new album since 2015’s Rub and comes alongside new singles and an accompanying world tour.
Notably, The Great Escape also champions global emerging talent with New Zealand named as Lead Country Partner. Festival-goers can expect visionary performances from world-builder Ratbag, ’60s-inspired crooner Hemi Hemingway, and rising songwriter Jude Kelly.
Taking place across 35 venues from 13–16 May in Brighton, The Great Escape 2026 will showcase over 450 artists and host its annual industry conference, cementing its reputation as a must-watch event for discovering tomorrow’s biggest names.
