Following our announcement of the first bunch of wonderful artists set to play TGE13, we caught up with Dutch singer-songwriter, Blaudzun, to get to know him a little better. Here's what he had to say...

Q. The name Blaudzun is derived from an old Danish cyclist. Tell us what, if anything, inspired you to base your musical alias around a relatively unknown cyclist from the 1970's?

I'm a big cycling fan. I go to races and watch the classics and the grand tours like the Giro and the Tour de France. I came across the name of Verner Blaudzun when I was reading about a cycling race in the 70s. I fell in love with the sound of the word Blaudzun and kept it as my stage name since. It's not like a tribute to the rider or anything. If so, I would have named my self after Tommy Simpson or Pantani.

Q. Your music seems to surpass any distinct genre which is always interesting and refreshing to hear. Today, hundreds of sub-genres exist, summing up nearly every sound possible. We're treated to exciting and arguably ridiculous genre titles: "booty-house', "scarecore' and "science-fiction jazz' to name but a few. If you HAD to invent a specific sub-genre to describe your sound, what would you call it? Feel free to make it as long as you like...

Sing-song-power-folk

Q. Artists that have played gigs in Brighton find there's something rather special about the place that sees them more often than not, returning year after year. Do you have a place in the world you hold extra-specially close to your heart in terms of playing a gig?

That would be Groningen, a city in the north of The Netherlands. Since my debut album in 2008 I've played club shows and festivals in Groningen at least twice a year. The fans are fanatic and truly dedicated, they're both listeners and party people at the same time. I never slept more than 2 hours after a Groningen gig. And it's the only city I've signed boobs and bottoms at the merch stand actually. There's this great venue called Vera, a place where bands like Nirvana, U2 and Sonic Youth played in their earl years. It's still a place to discover new acts. You should go there if you have the change.

Q. The Great Escape prides itself on standing out from other festivals in many ways. If you think of a music festival as your own cocktail, what three ingredients would you add to make the best music festival in the world?

60s Bowie, Italian red wine made of Barbera grapes and Nirvana. A little bit of sun would be nice too.

Q. Your most recent album, Heavy Flowers, has been widely acclaimed and commercially successful, reaching 4th in the Top 100 Albums in the Netherlands. With each album, you've risen in stature and popularity whilst still being regarded as an alternative artist. What is your dream as an artist, your ultimate goal?

To keep evolving my sound and writing, to make albums that matter and to continue to play shows and sing songs around the globe is my main ambition. I like the idea of doing this 'til I reach the age of 74.

Check out Elephants by Blaudzun here: