The Great Escape interviews - CURRLS

Working with Bella Union management, Currls are a Brighton-based DIY Garage Rock Duo with a formidable presence in the underground music scene. Seamlessly blending raw Garage rock, fast-paced Punk, and sludgy Pop, Currls is a sonic powerhouse that will leave you feeling ready to take on the world.

Since their inception, Currls have gained notable support from BBC 6 Music’s Amy Lamè, Marc Riley, Steve Lamcaq, BBC Radio 1’s Alyx Holcombe and BBC Introducing’s Melita Dennett. Recent triumphs include winning Record Store Day’s ‘Unsigned 2023’ competition, recording a ‘BBC Introducing Live Session’ at Maida Vale Studios, and a ‘BBC 6 Music: Live In Session’ with Marc Riley.

As this boisterous trio get ready to play at Brighton’s The Great Escape, SALT grabbed them for 12 burning questions...

Welcome to The Great Escape 2025! How does it feel to be part of a festival known for launching new talent?

Sal- It feels really motivating that we’ve been chosen, The Great Escape always has an incredible lineup so it’s exciting to be a part of it this year!

Holly- It’s always super exciting to be apart of something locally, we’re massive supporters of grassroots venues, there’s a bit of something for everyone (also just love any excuse to buy some sugary seaside doughnuts in a bag)

Hannah- Being offered a slot at The Great Escape festival always feels like a great achievement. It’s so encouraging to be recognised as new and upcoming talent. Especially as we are from Brighton, it feels right to be playing this festival on our home turf!

For people discovering you for the first time here in Brighton, how would you describe your sound in three words?

Sal- Passionate. Unapologetic. Driven.

Holly- Punchy, Attitude, HOT

Hannah- Empowering, Uplifting and Rage

What's the journey been like getting to this point playing a showcase in front of new fans, press, and industry folk?

Sal- For me it’s been slightly different but I’ve never played Great Escape as an artist myself only as a session musician once a couple years ago; I joined Currls back in October- haven’t looked back since. The last couple of months we’ve been playing lots of gigs, writing and making silly videos for Tiktok; its been really empowering working together and struggling to carry all our equipment together too!

Holly- It’s been a long winding road but wouldn’t do it any other way, we’ve grown so much and learnt so much that we are ready for anything. New fans aren’t shy to have a good time so it’s something we absolutely adore. Industry crowds are definitely different but, we fucking love a challenge and we just embrace it.

Hannah-The journey up until this point has been incredibly rewarding, growing our listeners and fanbase. To have the attention from new fans, press and industry folk means the world to us as it proves we’re doing something right!!

Do you approach a showcase festival like this differently from a typical gig or headline show?

Sal-To be honest i’m going into it like it’s just a normal gig, sometimes you have to tweak small things to accommodate different rooms/stages/audiences but I’m confident that we’re going to bring the usual high energy vibe to the Paganini Ballroom this year.

Holly- I think festivals like these are really to showcase what you already do but you just give it all you’ve got. It’s the same hunger as playing a completely new city or being the support band, you want them to come back for more.

Hannah- I would say we approach a festival showcase like this the same as any other gig! There is often a different energy in the room at industry type showcases but we’ve learnt to still give it all we’ve got regardless!!

The Great Escape is packed with new sounds and fresh faces — Will you have a chance to discover any other artists at TGE, or any that you want to see?

Sal-  My picks for this year are Arxx, English Teacher, She’s In Parties, Karen Dio + Nxdia- but if it was humanly possible to see everyone I would!!

Holly- There’s so many artists performing that i’d love to catch, so many of our pals too- Congratulations, ARXX, Kamran Kaur, Comic Sans and Karen Dio to name a few. My list is pretty long.

Hannah- I would definitely love to go around The Great Escape and catch lots of other artists. We love to support some of our local favs (ARXX, Carne and Welly to name a few) but also think it’s great to discover artists we’ve never even heard of before!

What's the best piece of advice you've been given as an emerging artist in today's music scene?

Sal- One of the best pieces of advice i’ve ever learned is ‘don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t go to for advice’

Holly- Never compare yourself to anyone, focus on what you’re creating. Art always rises.

Hannah- Don’t give up haha! I know it sounds very basic and cliche but in all honesty, the music industry can be TOUGH on emerging artists as it’s such a saturated market full of so much talent that it can be easy to get lost in the void! You have to be in it for the long game, it can take a lot of time to break through but persistence is key!!

Brighton has a buzzing creative vibe — have you explored the city before or been inspired by it in any way?

Sal- So I moved to Brighton a couple years ago for university and I’ve lived in a couple different parts of the city. Honestly the people i’ve met here, especially the women i’ve been lucky enough to call my friends past and present, inspire me so much. Also worth mentioning how beautiful the sunsets are on Brighton beach!! It’s hard not to be inspired by something so visually stunning.

Holly- Brightons music scene is one of the best platforms in the world. Majority of the music community here and gig goers want you to succeed and will help each other to do that. We all lift each other up and that’s pretty special.

Hannah- Well I’ve lived here for 8 years and I still love it! I think Brighton is an incredibly open minded and all accepting city where you can be whoever you like without judgement. It can be chaos but I think living by the sea, especially in the summer, has always been something I’ll never take for granted and makes me feel grateful for this precious life!

What's one thing about your live performance that people might not expect until they see you on stage?

Sal- Probably that we’re a bit heavier sounding live? Maybe this kind of applies to all bands because a studio sound isn’t ever going to truly be able to recreate what it sounds like being in a room with a live band but we’re loud af

Holly- How extremely tall we all are.

Hannah- We go HARD!! I think the adrenaline and rage really helps power our performance in a lot of ways. It shouldn’t be surprising but you do get the occasional misogynist who is taken back the fact I’m a girl and I can actually hit the drums.

If someone only had time to listen to one of your songs after the festival, which one should it be — and why?

Sal- I’d choose Family Man for this one just because it’s about systemic violence against women which is an ongoing discussion globally at the minute. I think that talking about difficult subject matters in music is important and it can be a way for people who’ve had difficult experiences to find some catharsis. So I would say that song, it’s also my favourite one to perform too.

Holly- If you fancy a BBQ, Weather, if you have hangxiety, THROWBACK, or my favourite, if you want to feel empowered and raise that VOICE then, Family Man.

Hannah- ’Nerve’ as it’s my personal favourite and an absolute ear worm.

How important are festivals like this for breaking through in the music industry today?

Sal- It’s so important for festivals like The Great Escape in our current industry as it shines a spotlight on Brighton’s beautiful grassroots venues where lots of bands start out and frequently return to as well as making a space where you can connect with like-minded people… Or even better, people who’ll challenge what you thought you knew.

Holly- If something puts your name out there then you never know who might see it. Also support other artists as collaborating is just as important.

Hannah- Very important! I think festivals like The Great Escape are a perfect opportunity for artists to get the recognition they deserve and hopefully meet industry professionals to help push them to the next level

What's next for you after The Great Escape — any releases, tours, or surprises on the horizon?

Sal- We’re looking forward to writing more over the next few months. The start of the year is always really hard after Christmas when you still have to balance financial stresses with gigging/writing but I think that we’re heading in a pretty good direction now; we’ve started building a bit of momentum in terms of our productivity in rehearsals.

Holly- Hoping we’ll have some wins on some scratch cards pretty soon. Other than that, we have a release on the way…

Hannah- We have another single release on the way… a few little festivals in the summer, but apart from that, we’re writing so there’ll be even bigger things to come in the near future!!

Finally — complete the sentence: "The Great Escape is the perfect place to..."

Sal- the perfect place to celebrate emerging voices from all corners of the scene.

Holly- eat chips x (or) see which 6 music dads are on steroids.

Hannah- Discover amazing new upcoming talent and network your way around town!

CURRLS play Paganini Ballroom at Brighton’s The Old Ship hotel on Weds 14 May (7:15pm), as part of The Great Escape 2025

www.greatescapefestival.com  

www.currlsband.bandcamp.com

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