ESC Collective’s Escape To The Country did not disappoint. The music, the atmosphere and the location provided a perfect and chilled ending to exams.
Imagine live electronic music in an abandoned chapel, an incredible light show, and to complete the scene: the DJ decs at the foreground of beautiful and gigantic stained glass windows. ESC Collective pulled off something truly unique and spectacular, not just as an experience individual to the chapel, but to the South’s music scene. And if electronic music wasn’t what you were there for, the acoustic live sounds outside the chapel, in the beating sun, meant there was something for everybody.
Tom James‘ singing and joking stole the hearts of those sat outside and, with the help of the sun, warmed the crowd up for the heavier music to come that night. As always, Southampton’s own Future Garden DJs put on a fantastic show, setting the scene inside the church with chilled tunes that properly reflected the mood of the day as the people began coming in thick and fast. Ishan Sound and Linkwood rounded an already fantastic night off with some deeper sounds as the day wound to an end. The church quickly filled to capacity as the sun went down and the final two acts hit the decs. The lure of the beach couldn’t keep the attendees of Escape To The Country away from this abandoned chapel, with ESC’s light show reflecting off the stained glass window and the music picking up pace as the attendees did.
When people weren’t dancing to the music, they were relaxing with Shisha pipes provided by Portswood’s very own Aroma Lounge. And to further support local businesses, ESC Collective organised for their festival partiers the opportunity to buy delicious locally sourced burgers which went down so well that attendees managed to eat Fire and Brimstone out of all of their burgers.
The music and food was not Escape’s only selling point though. As alluded to before, the location truly solidified Escape To The Country as a memorable and successful event with massive potential for further repeated success in the future. The beach, the blue skies, the abandoned chapel and the beautiful green fields surrounding the area made the quick train journey completely worth it.
Escape To The Country was a massive success, and it would be a huge disappointment if there wasn’t a repeat of it next year.
