QTheMusic.com

3 days. 30 venues. 300+ bands. Suffice to say, it's always going to be impossible to see every band playing at The Great Escape. In fact, it's hard just to see every band you want to see. However, Q went down to Brighton for the weekend and tried to see as much as possible. We're still feeling the after-effects, but it was worth it. These are the best ten new bands that we saw over the course of the weekend. We'd like to share them with you.

GROUPLOVE
They Are: LA-based indie rock five-piece who write songs as glorious and uplifting as the weather of their base. Think Modest Mouse for hippies.
They Sound Like: The sort of bright, summery indie music that thousands of bands try to get right but rarely do. Dance or headbang, it's your choice.
For Fans Of: Modest Mouse, Plants & Animals, The Shins
Hear More: myspace.com/groupmusic

2:54
They Are: Unsigned digitally-named London sisters who like to wear lots of black.
They Sound Like: Their clothes. Dark and emotional shoegaze/grunge - deep humming guitars dripping with melancholy creating an oddly soothing, all-consuming, omnipresent sound.
For Fans Of: Joy Division, New Order, Someone Else
Hear More: myspace.com/thetwofiftyfour

THE XCERTS
They Are: Scottish trio from Aberdeen who, though still insufferably young, have put out two outstanding albums of intense, brooding and emotionally fraught songs.
They Sound Like: The desperate fight against the inevitable and ineluctable loss of innocence - swirling guitars, calamitous riffs and the inherent nostalagia of Scottish vocals.
For Fans Of: Biffy Clyro, Nirvana, Weezer
Hear More: thexcertsband.com

DAUGHTER
They Are: Londoner Elena Tonra and friends. She boasts of "wearing clothes that old people may well have died in and a bowl cut The Beatles would be proud of."
They Sound Like: Tonra's beautiful, gentle and beguiling confessional folk comes laden with graceful Laura Marling-isms and lyrical charm.
For Fans Of: Diane Cluck, Kimya Dawson, Laura Marling
Hear More: ohdaughter.bandcamp.com

BRAIDS
They Are: Eclectic and experimental Canadian upstarts, fronted by singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston, who have been together since high school.
They Sound Like: Psychedelic shoegaze that fizzes with adventure. Jovial dream pop wanderings destined for big things.
For Fans Of: Animal Collective, Broken Social Scene, Of Montreal.
Hear More: myspace.com/braidsmusic

STAGECOACH
They Are: Quirky five-piece from London who began life a few years ago as a country-tinged duo but who now rock the banjo like Jimi Hendrix.
They Sound Like: The rose-tinted memory of forgotten nights out. Melancholy but sugary tunes infused with boundless, angular energy.
For Fans Of: Dananananaykroyd, Johnny Foreigner, Los Campesinos!
Hear More: stagecoachuk.com

DZ DEATHRAYS
They Are: Aussie duo who specialize in dirty, messy, rural rock, recently featured as a Qthemusic.com Track Of The Day.
They Sound Like: A broken gain switch, bordering on speaker-blowing. Constantly heavy and hazy riffs with resonant drums and strong vocals that come alive with terrifying brute force onstage,
For Fans Of: The Pixies, Death From Above 1979, Japandroids
Hear More: myspace.com/dzdeathrays

TEAM ME
They Are: Much admired six-piece from Norway who are beginning to attract a lot of attention - and rightly so - for their complex, majestic pop.
They Sound Like: Childhood nostalgia. Sumptuous, multi-layered and intricate compositions that head straight for the heart with lingering urgency.
For Fans Of: Efterklang, Seabear, Beach House
Hear More: myspace.com/teammegjaggu

MAZES
They Are: London four-piece worshipping at the altar of 90s alt-rock and who have been dazzling audiences with their incendiary live performances.
They Sound Like: Dinosaur Jr. Jr., basically. Guitars buzz and bite around infectious melodies and relentless energy. The songs are swift, sharp, short and seductive.
For Fans Of: Guided By Voices, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr.
Hear More: mazesmazesmazes.com

POPE JOAN
They Are: Brighton foursome with dab hands for creating deranged, arty indie pop. They formed in 2007 and have since risen to become local favourites. Tipped for big things this year.
They Sound Like: Post-punk and pop excellence colliding. Jangling guitars, bustling bass and drums to get you dancing. Distant, mainland cousins of Gogol Bordello.
For Fans Of: The Cars, Fool's Gold, Nick Cave.
Hear More: myspace.com/popejoan

Intrepid Great Escapees: Joe Bishop, Al Horner, Mischa Pearlman

5:50 PM | 16/05/2011