VERO MUSIC: At The Great Escape Music Festival

Three VERO Music artists have been confirmed to play at The Great Escape festival 2025 on Friday, May 16 in Brighton, England.

The prestigious event will feature performances by the label’s flagship artists Thunder Jackson, J Appiah, and Evenson.

The Great Escape is the preeminent festival for new music, showcasing over 450 emerging artists from all over the world in more than 30 walkable venues across the city. It has become an essential event for music enthusiasts and industry professionals on the hunt for the next big thing.

In addition to the performances, @jamie - VERO's Head of Creative Partnerships - will host a panel on creative control in a digital landscape shaped by algorithms. A poignant and timely conversation about the growing demand for artists to create freely - on their own terms - and how platforms like VERO are making that possible.

Rising Stars, Breakout Moments

The Great Escape is a fitting environment for Jackson and Evenson to make their much-anticipated UK stage debuts, while Appiah arrives fresh from a recent sold-out tour of the UK and Europe with Michael Kiwanuka.

Thunder Jackson

Oklahoma native Thunder Jackson’s sophomore album, Hello Stranger, has been propelled by the enormous momentum of his 2023 viral smash Love Sick Doctor, as well as a career accumulation of more than 30 million global streams. The current single, ‘The Fever and the Dream’ has fast become a fan favorite, thanks in part to a richly cinematic video, directed by longtime collaborator Jarod Evans. For Jackson, The Great Escape follows a concert tour in the US this April.

“There is nothing better than the deep emotional connection that comes from being onstage, playing songs for people who share similar experiences,” Jackson says. “It’s a reminder that we’re in this life together.”

J Appiah

East London’s J Appiah is riding high on the adrenalin that followed a tour with Michael Kiwanuka. He has previous trekked across the globe as a part of Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz, but the opportunity to stand center stage and play songs from his own critically praised EP ‘That’s the Thing About Time’ was a dream come true.

“It was mind-blowing, to say the least,” he says. “It has given me the desire and energy work hard to keep the momentum growing.”

Appiah’s fan base continues to grow on the strength of elegant, guitar-etched psychedelia of the recent viral hit ‘Wasting Time,’ a song he says offers a battle cry to “wake up and experience life.”

Evenson

For Evenson, The Great Escape comes at the start of an exciting new creative era. The newly released single ‘YOU’ is his first since the massive viral streaming success of his 2024 smash, ‘If I Ever Feel Better'. Written and produced by the artist, ‘YOU’ offers a hypnotic funk groove and lyrics that is steeped in sensuality and vulnerability – undeniably the artist’s most intimate release to date.

‘YOU’ that follows his acclaimed 2024 debut EP, ‘Sadly, I Still Love You’ a project that has also been utilized in top-rated television programs that include MTV’s iconic Catfish and Paramount TV’s critically lauded SkyMed.

Evenson also established himself as a formidable live performer in 2024. He sold out three of four shows, including The Sultan Room, Public Records, and an L.A. date, while establishing a Nublu 151 residency and launching his own festival, Oscill8te, which spotlights marginalized artists. The latter event was emboldened by Anderson. Paak’s Rae Khalil debuted her record at the fest.

A Platform for Creative Freedom

VERO Music has earned industry credibility as a next-generation independent label that actively nurtures organic creativity among emerging talent, while also providing the support necessary to bring their art to a global audience.

Follow @veromusic for festival, and artist new and updates.