Virtually famous: Conan Gray

A fair chunk of London’s music fandom ought to be down at the seaside this weekend for The Great Escape festival in Brighton.

It’s a fertile hunting ground for next big things, with around 450 acts appearing in 35 or so venues, or at the very least a good opportunity to play “Band name or craft beer?” with the likes of Dead Posey, Jockstrap and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.

While it’s mainly for up-and-comers, some of the bookings look like they’ve already arrived. Texan pop singer Conan Gray is playing his two small shows in Brighton just after appearing at Kentish Town’s 2,300-capacity Forum, and that number is piddling next to the 20-year-old’s 800,000 Instagram followers and 1.2 million YouTube subscribers. He seems to be following Troye Sivan’s route from chatting into a phone camera and uploading cover versions to making sad, warmhearted, original synthpop.

His latest single, The King, is immensely catchy without grating, while on Generation Why, he sounds like he has ambitions to voice the feelings of everyone his age: “We are the helpless, selfish, one of a kind/Millennium kids, that all wanna die,” he sings in his soft high voice.

Back in the US, he’s just been supporting Panic! at the Disco in arenas – a type of venue he is wise to get used to.