From pop-rock to polka-dots: Angine de Poitrine replace The Kooks at The Great Escape
Anonymous Canadian math-rock duo, Angine de Poitrine, will officially replace The Kooks on the opening night of Brighton’s multi-day, multi-venue festival, The Great Escape.
Last month, it was announced that The Kooks would headline the festival’s Opening Beach Party, taking place at The Great Escape Beach on May 13th, on the first day of the four-day festival.
However, after the pop-rock band revealed that they had been forced to cancel due to an injury, the on-the-rise anonymous duo stepped in, thanks to their recent increase in popularity.
On top of this, Montreal post-punk band Ribbon Skirt has also joined the bill as support after their incredible 2025 debut album, Bite Down.
Though Angine de Poitrine will certainly provide a raucous opening display, they don’t quite have the same historic ties to the festival.
The Kooks were set for a nostalgic return to the circuit after forming in Brighton in the mid 2000s. They were one of the breakthrough acts to perform at the very first edition of The Great Escape in 2006, the same year they released their multi-platinum debut, Inside In/Inside Out.
Earlier this month, the soaring popularity of the polka-dot heroes was evidenced after they announced venue upgrades and an extra date at London‘s Troxy on their upcoming UK and Ireland tour due to incredible demand.
In a glowing four-and-a-half-star review of Angine de Poitrine’s latest release, Vol II, Far Out observed, “Amid the microtonal menagerie is searing originality that deserves to be applauded in an age where human ingenuity is supposedly under threat. Vol II knocks that notion to the moon with startling silliness and laughable virtuosity.”
The wider festival boasts hundreds of acts across all types of genres; Far Out’s highlights include alt-indie six-piece Adult DVD, rock group Ain’t, Australian post-punkers Dogworld, London’s Dead Dads Club, and Australian songwriter Matthew Ifield.
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