Three years in, The Great Escape, the three day music convention that sits in the middle of the Brighton Festival, has become an important part of Brighton’s May festival season. You know the deal yeah? Three day convention, with daytime events for music industry people, and, in the evenings, over 200 bands playing in venues all over the city. One wristband gets you into it all (full and evening only, three day and single day wristbands are available) which is brilliant, but also tricky. How the flip, if you don’t mind me saying, are you meant to pick which of those 200 bands you prioritise as you work your way around the whole thing? Well, ThreeWeeks’ sister publication CMU has been on the inside of music for nearly a decade, so you ask them, that’s how. Here’s their tips.

First up, the bands you can read more about here. All the way from New York, Yeasayer’s eclectic range of influences from all over the world make for some exciting sounds (15 May at Barfly, 16 May at Pressure Point), meanwhile, Rolo Tomassi, with their introduction of jazz influences to hardcore punk ensure thrilling live performances (16 May at Revenge).

If hip hop’s more your thing, be sure to check out Saul Williams (16 May at the Volks), Cadence Weapon (16 May at Digital) and Santogold (17 May at Concorde 2, 17 May at Digital), who are all taking that genre in new directions.

Ebony Bones’ avant-punk funk extravaganza is another absolute must-see (16 May at Barfly, 17 May at Concorde 2), as are the pop-noir stylings of Me My Head (16 May at the Engine Room) and The Subliminal Girls (16 May at the Engine Room), and the very buzzy Esser (17 May at Hector’s House).

For something altogether more quiet, check out the gorgeous alt-country of Iron & Wine (15 May at Old Market), the lo-fi French singer SoKo (16 May at Above Audio, 16 May at Unitarian Church, 17 May at Concorde 2), the heartstring-pulling electronica of Jacob’s Stories (15 May at Komedia), and Jeremy Warmsley’s ever-engaging indie-folk (15 May at Komedia, 16 May at Pavilion).

But what if you want to dance? Well, the aforementioned Miss Ebony Bones has that covered, as do The Ting Tings (15 May at Barfly, 16 May at Concorde 2). Once you’ve got those feet moving, Brighton Midfield General will keep them going with his DJ set at Above Audio on Thursday night (15 May). And speaking of people with a Noel Fielding connection, be sure to check out Robots in Disguise for an explosive set and maybe an appearance from Noel himself (17 May at Brighton Coalition).

More info visit www.escapegreat.com