I’ve finally caught up on the sleep I didn’t have in Brighton and had time to reflect on the acts I saw.

The band that stands up head and shoulders above the rest was Haim. I know people have been talking them up, and they were THE buzz band of Great Escape this year (even more so than Wild Belle) but they’re just bloody brilliant. There’s not an adjective to describe how good these girls are. To everyone that didn’t get to see them in Brighton they’re playing the Shacklewell Arms on Monday and I can’t urge you strongly enough to go see them. I’ll be there, you should be too. Here’s their song Forever:

For me the next best artist of the weekend was Lulu James. I saw her on Thursday and Saturday and she’s just incredible. Great voice, great songs, great look. It won’t be long before fellow geordie Cheryl Cole is tweeting about how much she loves her. But Lulu is honestly brilliant and both her shows were packed with industry and fans alike. Here’s Rope Mirage:

The next best artist for me was Rae Morris. I’ve seen her 3 or 4 times and she just keeps getting better. Her voice is beautiful and I can honestly see her having a long term career in the music industry She’s signed to the amazing Atlantic Records, which I believe is the perfect label for her, and hope her success matches her potential. Here’s her amazing song Walls:

Other highlights of the weekend were Jamie N Commons, one of the best new artists I’ve heard in a while (even though he’s not that new…), The Naturals, who nearly deafened me (in a good way), and Laurel, who I believe could be the british Lana Del Rey (Laurel Del Rey?) She’s beautiful, has a great voice and is definitely a future star. Here’s her amazing song Next Time:

Luke Sital-Singh was brilliant, Gross Magic were cool, as were Splashh and Dry The River. Honestly, there was so much good stuff on this weekend, and I’ll definitely be there next year, and you should be too.

This weekend has taken it out of me so the gig list won’t be published until Monday afternoon. But I guess you all know who to see tomorrow anyway – Haim are at the Shacklewell Arms, and there’s nothing else on tomorrow night that even comes close.

See you there!