The cream of Irish music have converged on the seaside town of Brighton this weekend for UK showcase festival The Great Escape, which kicked off last night.

This year's event sees the biggest Irish contingent to date. Villagers, And So I Watch You From Afar, Fight Like Apes, Valerie Francis, Panama Kings, Bell X1, Angel Pier, Iain Archer and General Fiasco will fly the Irish flag over the course of the weekend.