BRIGHTON SHOWCASES THE CREAM OF ITALY'S FEMALE TALENT AT THIS YEARS GREAT ESCAPE

NEVER MIND THE SPICE GIRLS, CHECK OUT GIRL POWER THE ITALIAN WAY
By Sara Darling

Brighton’s Great Escape always comes up with some exciting new talent, and this season it was the Italian girls to watch!

All eyes were on GIUNGLA - the indie pop songstress with some extra sass. Singer Ema Drei (aka GIUNGLA) is based in the peaceful and conservative area of Bologna, But  as soon as she straps on her guitar, her stage performances are anything but! Expect a whirlwind of guitar pedals, pounding electronic loops and lots of headbanging.

Already in her short career, she has been billed alongside The Foals, xx, Grimes and Battles, which gives an indication of her pulling power, and her fiery live sessions offer a space to listen to a very loud song, and just shut your eyes and feel fearless and relieved.  

In Italy, GIUNGLA made waves on the scene, with her “camouflage pop”, but since spreading her wings outside of her home country, she has been developed a more mature beat, and has been described by Noisey as "the love child of PJ Harvey and Grimes".

Watch GIUNGLA for a taste of real music. Not too pop, not too punk. Oh and FYI Giungla means “jungle” in English.

Any Other
24 year old artist Adele Nigro is hard to put in a box. Her emotive, eclectic fusion of music is made even more poignant by the fact she writes, sings, plays, produces and arranges all of her songs, which bear the traces of several different influences including Americana and Folk. 

Live, Nigro plays with three other people, but she prefers to record alone, and has just released her latest LP ‘Two, Geography’, where she was like a kid a candy store and played the saxophone, drums, acoustic, digital and electric piano fuelling a spontaneous, energetic vibe; But seeing her on stage is watching a master at work as she slips between instruments as if she was born doing so!

Feeling more comfortable writing in English, she credits the British and American bands and music she listened to when she was growing up as inspiration. And the fact that her current base of Milan is a hotchpotch of cultures, where she can see so many performers herself.  

Catch this all round talent while you can.

Be Forest  
How many Italian post punk Italian trios can you name that come from the seaside? Like Brighton, Pesaro has a special musical connection, and that’s also where Be Forest were formed.  

The small town on the Adriatic coast, has provided a laid back landscape for the three piece band of best friends to do things at their own pace for nearly a decade.  

On stage, the childhood friends play in unison, and the mood is dark and slightly gothic, inviting comparisons with The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and Nick Cave; However Be Forest is beyond categorisation, as their haunting melodies are also like lullabies.  

However moody the band may seem, the goal is to express reality, and is a way for them to shake any dark feelings and fill them with optimism. Described as gorgeous, ethereal and moody, they will haunt and mesmerise you at the same time. Be Forest’s latest LP Knocturne is taking the band across Europe and the US. ​