Prior to attending this year's Great Escape for us Rob Crozier has put together his thoughts about one of his favourite events by way of previewing what you can expect to read about next week.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. If you like your music new and slightly undiscovered. The Great Escape festival in the wonderful setting of Brighton features a host of clubs and bar venues usually reserved for party people.

Alongside this is a host of more unusual venues such as churches. Throw into the mix a strong 500+ of bands and quite quickly you see how this has grown into the UK's answer to SXSW. It's obviously impossible for anyone to see it all. The wonderful phone app helps us listen to new and exciting acts and plot our listening preferences. However one of the attractions is linking up with friends, mates and fellow musos to discover the acts we missed.

The frequent conversations of "OMG did u catch The Parrots who played on Brighton pier" is one of the festival's highlights

Alongside this is the ability to wander, sometimes with purpose, sometimes not, throughout Brighton's clubbing heartland waving our lanyards and carrying our goody bags with simply a name of a band as a point of reference. This comes sometimes from a friend of a friend’s recommendation and it’s a wonderful way to discover new music.

Modern technology has given us phone apps and Spotify playlists but still the feeling of standing in front of a band with no idea of their sound or stage presence is for us one of the reasons we love live music.

So with all the best will in the world and with our running order sorted I still hope we stumble across some random noise band or equally the Jam Tarts Choir.

We will be trying to tweet all the bands we see so please follow us via the festival hashtag #TGE16 and obviously via @musosguide.

Our current recommendations include The Parrots, The Hunna, Kiko Bun and Rag 'n' Bone Man to name but a very small few.

But who knows what else we will discover? We will bring you all three days in their hazy glory with the amazing acts we found, the ones we missed and even the ones we wish we didn't bother to queue for.

Last minute tickets for The Great Escape are available here.

Tonight sees the launch of 5 Dollar Shakes’ long awaited second EP, Come And See Enough To Stay, which was recorded at the National Concert Hall. A prerecorded piano intro and atmospheric lighting introduces the five piece from Gorey. Ricky Deering’s bass guitar fades in and controlled feedback from the guitars of Colin Doran and Caleb Dowdall builds slowly as the crowd assembles on the dance floor.

The newly-bearded band members are fresh out of college. They have been playing their high energy guitar pop together a few years now. All those sessions on the stage of the UCD student bar have evidently paid off as 5DS play faster and tighter than I have seen them do before.

They are looking a bit more manly now too. Frontman ‘Handsome’ Jack McEvoy has lost the blond from his hair, which is now longer and falling over his face. There's a big cheer from the female contingent as Jack strips off his black leather jacket, down to a wife beater.

Ever the performer, he jumps into the crowd for ‘Clear Signs’ and picks up a pair of drumsticks for the outro, slamming the cymbals of Ciaran O`Doherty's kit ‘til they near shatter.

The smiles on the bands’ faces suggest that they are very much enjoying playing the bigger venue. The tunes are as catchy and imaginatively arranged as ever. The new songs are rougher and edgier than their previous Franz Ferdinand influenced output and they make a point of not playing ‘Dutch’, a single from a couple of years back. They have moved on musically.

After the show McEvoy tells me that they are now playing the music that they want to play rather the music that they feel they should play. They've kept some of older songs though and beefed a couple of them up so they sound meatier. But some of those from their first EP sound weak now compared to the newer material.

5DS play with the pop appeal of a boy band but the energy of a rock or pop punk band, like the Kaiser Chiefs around the time of their debut album. Its singalong songs rather than dance tunes.

The garage rock of new EP track ‘Stuck In The ‘80s’ kicks ass, as does brand new song ‘Waiting For Aimee’. It’s their first time playing it live. It’s only about a minute long, and punky as you like. There’s a 'Blitzkrieg Bop' feel to it and the band indulge in some headbanging. The faster songs suit them much better. I'm sure they'll hate me for this but they are the Irish McBusted, but with better tunes.

They finish the main set with 'Arthouse'. It's the lead track from the EP and is given a great reception. It's a downbeat tune with overtones of The Cure in the rhythm section, the Robert Smith lead guitar and the extended guitar solo.

We’ve had over an hour of original material from a band with a couple of EPs and singles to their name. They are not even talking about an album yet. By the time they get round to that, their setlist will be amazing.

The familiar chant of “One more tune!” rings out around The Opium Rooms. The band are prepared with an oldie, ‘Fire To The Sun’ from their Back To The Start Again EP and announce that the party is set to continue into the night in Whelan’s round the corner.

Come And See Enough To Stay is available from cdbaby.

I was ecstatic about attending this gig, Tacocat have been known to put on an awesome show and had recently become my favourite band when I reviewed their new album Lost Time (here). Interviewing the band beforehand was a great privilege and by the end of it I couldn’t wait to see them get up on stage.

The first support band was Thrash-Pop solo act, Garden Of Elks. He referred to himself as us and we, making me think that there were other members of the band that couldn’t make it so he had to make do with a backing track and loop pedal. It soon became apparent that Garden Of Elks really was just this one guy which was rather impressive. Although he wouldn’t have been my choice as support for this gig, he was talented with a good voice and definitely had a way with the crowd though I never managed to catch any of the song names.

Up next were Girls Rock School graduates Tongue Trap with their own brand of Riot Grrrl tinged grunge-rock. Previously called Taco Tuesday, they have a theme song of the same name which they still play. It’s obvious there are some fans in the house as you can hear a few people singing along to the chorus “It’s taco Tuesday and it’s all you can eat!” with great enthusiasm. Guitarist Kim and bassist Emma’s voices have a Jessicka Addams quality to them; both have great range and can go from super light vocals to raging screams in a split second.

Their vocal abilities are shown of well again on their cover of 'Oblivion' by Grimes which I think could arguably be better than the real thing. Announcing that they chose to cover this song because of the content (sexual assault) and their belief that this is an important issue that should be discussed, the audience obviously agrees. It’s not surprising that they have connected with them so quickly; their stage presence is subtle yet engaging and drummer Sam’s deadpan voice has everyone on the floor.

Their next song, 'Celery', is a total tune guaranteed to stick in your head for days. As they sing the verses, it’s as if they are having to hold themselves back before they get to the chorus and go full on with their voices. It has a great '90s sound to it that seems to carry through their other songs especially 'Breath' with its long and low grungy melody. As Kim sings “Save your breath there’s nothing left” I am drawn to thinking of Buffy and the underage night club, The Bronze, that for some reason always had really good bands on. I can’t help but think this song would have been perfect for that show.

As their time on stage draws to a close, Tongue Trap bust out two of their more rage fuelled tunes the first of which is 'Butt Plug'. Usually dedicated to someone who has recently been a prick, tonight the honour goes to Kim’s homophobic flat mate and as the final scream of “you need a butt plug!” ends, the crowd going a bit mental.

The big finisher is their signature song, 'Period Pants', which was written during the time of protest over the tampon tax. Now that’s over, Kim says, this is their victory song instead. An obvious favourite of the fans in the house, there is practically a pit happening at the front of the stage as Sam batters the drums and Kim and Emma smile at each other knowingly. In the final chorus, Kim discards her skirt and they both chant “I’ve got my period pants!” as Kim lifts her guitar to reveal blood stained underwear; punk as fuck in every way. These girls are going to go far.

As Tacocat finally take to the stage, you can tell that the excitement of having a band like this play in Edinburgh is a bit overwhelming yet also a hopeful sign that the music scene is picking up. Colourful as ever, everything about Tacocat makes you feel like you are in for a great night and they put on a hell of a show.

After the great cat based show opener, 'Cat Fancy', the first track played from their new album is the brilliantly angry 'FDP', short for first day of your period. The crowd is obviously made up of already loyal fans as they need no direction to start chanting ”FDP don’t fuck with me!” when the opportunity arises. Moving on to one of the favourites from their last album NVM, 'Bridge To Hawaii' brings the last few stragglers to the dance floor as the show really starts to get going. Tacocat are clearly adored by the crowd and the atmosphere of that seems to fuel their energy on stage. It’s at this point that I notice the absolute beauty that is Bree’s bass guitar; white and covered in sparkling gems and blue lights, it matches the bands aesthetic to a god damn tee.

As Emily introduces 'Dana Katherine Scully', you can tell that this is the song the audience have all been waiting for. A catchy and brilliantly written homage to the intrepid detective herself, it has a great sing along quality and the way that Emily’s voice carries the melody is entrancing. Behind her Lelah is giving it her all on the kit, especially on the bridge where she has a huge smile on her face, eyes closed. It’s a joy to see someone enjoy themselves so much on stage; she brings a whole other level of happiness to this already positive band.

'Talk', the latest single from Lost Time which has just had its own neon dream music video released has a slightly less bright sound to it. The work of producer Erik Blood, who helped them to hone this slightly darker tone, is apparent more here than on any other track. As the audience start to move wildly, Emily sways in time with her tambourine like a '60s folk singer dancing at Glastonbury; elegant and spacey.

Feminist favourites 'Crimson Wave' and 'Hey Girl' turn the room in to a surf-punk-pop frenzy dance hall and as they finish their last song, 'I Hate The Weekend', the audience begs them not to go. In a surprisingly polite attempt at an encore they shout “one more tune, one more tune!” Bree announces that she thinks this is pretty much the cutest thing she’s ever heard as they head back on stage to play us out with a much older song I was unable to catch the name of.

A brilliant band on and off stage and an absolute joy to talk to, Tacocat deserve the fortune that this international tour will bring them and I can’t wait to catch them performing again soon.

Fantastic Negrito’s Friday night performance at Glasgow’s prestigious Royal Concert Hall began in the same celebratory manner that the last two years has offered up for the artist whose real name is Xavier Dphrepaulezz. Dressed to impress in his Hamilton grey tartan trews and waistcoat and joined on stage only by keyboardist LJ Holoman for tonight’s show, as the lights dim and illuminate the duo, it’s apparent that it’s going to be an intimate affair.

It’s therefore fitting that he also shares with us the darkest moment of his life just before his set opener. Having spent almost 4 months in a coma after a serious car accident, the first words he heard spoken when he awoke from it were that of his Mother which inspired Xavier to return to the music business and write ‘Night Has Turned To Day’.

Despite the omission of the full band Xavier and LJ manage to get the crowd - who are predominantly here to see the headliner Chris Cornell - on their side immediately with his hand claps, repetition of the opening line and a discharge of sheer soul that a lot of modern black roots music fails to find.

It’s a track that is a pivotal point in his past as is the follow up ‘An Honest Man’. Having once cut a shady figure on the streets of Oakland in his younger years, he dedicates it to the brotherhood of men in the crowd, to join in his repentance as he later admits that he is a "self recovering narcissist".

It’s quite the haunting sound as bass walks on his guitar throughout the song are embellished with low hums and LJ’s piano creates an overall gothic-blues atmospheric nature to it. With the crowd firmly on his side by this point Fantastic Negrito decides to up the ante once more and takes the opportunity to have the crowd eating from the palm of his hand.

Announcing that he’s about to perform a remake of Lead Belly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ with added verses, it quietly falls on deaf ears to the largely grungy demographic who then let out a huge cheer as they recognise it from Nirvana’s MTV unplugged set. 

As someone who has a new-found lease on life and is also known in his close quarters as the patron saint of second chances, Xavier never misses a heartbeat to try and inspire those around him. Twenty years ago, he had signed a multi-million pound record deal and was on the same roster as Prince whom he paid homage to. “Another crazy brother who learnt to take chances” and telling the crowd that “everyone in this room is an artist, it’s our time, go home and create, the world needs you”.

What no-one could expect was that what had forgone was a warm up for the undoubted moments of the evening. The unreleased ‘Rant Rushmore’ received a standing ovation from a crowd that had been in their seats throughout. It’s a song that levels itself to find the next great place to go. It has a soul-funk verse before transposing to some of the most melodic gospel we’ve heard that culminates into a blues rock middle 8. One can only hope that it will appear on his forthcoming album Last Days Of Oakland released in early June.

With the job almost done it was time to close out with ‘Lost In A Crowd’, a track that beat 7000 entries in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. With so many entries you could imagine that it might have been a close affair but NPR put that correct when they told us that it was “the clear winner”. The extended jam over Xavier’s ad-libbing showed why LJ Holoman had played with the likes Dr. Dre, Joss Stone and Nas. 

Fantastic Negrito is neither lost in that company, exuding elegance, craftsmanship and showmanship that sets him apart from his other contemporaries. The endorsement from Chris Cornell speaks for itself. The slight surprise was maybe the omission of his two lead singles from the forthcoming album, but having to spoke with him after the show; he told us the decision was simply down to not having the full band with him. After treating me to a few acapella lines from the tracks, he shared that he expects to be back with the full band in September. That will whet the appetite for the hundreds of new fans that he made that night.

Last Days Of Oakland is available from amazon & iTunes.