FORWARDS review: A festival for the future

“Take these words and go forwards, forwards, forwards” Saturday headliner Loyle Carner remarked as he left the stage following his Forwards 2024 set, drenched in warm light. The appropriately named weekender, which recently wrapped up its third edition at Bristol’s Clifton Downs, had its mind constantly fixed on the future while welcoming some of the finest acts in jazz, house, reggae, soul, and more. 

Comprising an East and West stage, Forwards had each stage taking turns presenting acts, resulting in crowds constantly ebbing and flowing between both throughout the weekend. Aside from music, an information stage discussing and dissecting topics ranging from race and gender to environmentalism and inequality was a highlight for anyone worn out by the head bobbing and foot tapping. Opening before both stages and running for five hours each day, the Channel 4-sponsored stage welcomed thinkers, brand owners, writers, artists, and activists to discuss topics with sustainable, socially conscious causes.

Photo: Khali Photography

Among the opening performers you had genre journeyman Hak Baker, who riled up an impressive crowd with his signature blend of reggae-infused indie rock. The East and West stages played games of crowd tennis throughout the weekend, as after Hak Baker signed off, jazz saxophonist Nubya Garcia awaited with a talented backing band in tow, delivering on her promise of mixing old and new tunes. The day continued to be loaded with acclaimed artists spanning numerous genres, as Yussef Dayes and his band offered fast-paced jazz drumming while occasional The xx member Romy delivered tracks from her solo debut, with flecks of trance-inspired remixes of Donna Lewis’ ‘I Love You, Always Forever’ and Alice Deejay’s ‘Better Off Alone’ thrown in for good measure. 

Photo: Khali Photography

Saturday powered on with inspired performances from neo-soul starlet Greentea Peng - evoking vibes of yesteryear headliners like Little Simz and Erykah Badu - followed by the trippy visuals and electronic soundscapes of Floating Points, meanwhile Joy (Anonymous) had the crowd bouncing with their high-energy set. The day culminated in the two headliners, with Four Tet amassing a huge crowd to close out the East Stage. His set featured addictive house tunes that lit up the Downs, now shrouded in nightfall. Loyle Carner closed out the evening on the West Stage, occasionally diverting from his brand of conscious alternative hip-hop to deliver some never before performed (so he says) spoken word pieces. He left the stage to a stampede of Bristolians hungry for more. 

Photo: Khali Photography

Sunday arrived and the Information Stage was well underway, with discussions ranging from inequality on the high street to nature, storytelling, and capitalism. The music kicked off with local talent Holysseus Fly on the West Stage and reggae veteran Da Fuchaman over on the East. On one end you had hypnotic, psychedelic from masked trio Glass Beams; on the other, you had Bristolian quintet Cousin Kula, whose summery soul songs clashed with the increasingly drizzly weather. When the time came for country pop starlet CMAT, the heavens had opened up and briefly halted her set, but she and the crowd soldiered on. The weather got everything out of its system after that, as clearer skies awaited indie connoisseur Baxter Dury, followed by Yard Act, who brought out fellow indie darling Katy J Pearson for their track ‘When the Laughter Stops’ and had lead singer James Smith delivering punky poetry and witticisms through clouded spectacles. 

Photo: @giugliotto

As dusk drew near, The Jesus & Mary Chain’s moody shoegaze made way for Jessie Ware, who emerged on the West Stage under a giant disco ball and played a set that transported fans through the years. The sun set just in time for Underworld’s headline set. The Scottish duo, from ‘Two Months Off’ to ‘Born Slippy’, had the crowd in the palm of their hands. As the final chords of ‘Born Slippy’ struck, the sea of people washed up on the other side of Durdham Downs for LCD Soundsystem, the weekend’s closing headliner. Lead singer James Murphy revealed to the collage of faces that this set came at the end of a long, gruelling tour, and dedicated ‘Someone’s Great’ to a sadly passed friend of the band. This year’s festival closed to the iconic piano riff of ‘All My Friends’, as the sea of faces rolled out of the Downs, already with one eye towards 2025. 

Along with its eclectic lineup and vibrant atmosphere, Forwards 2024 made sure to put the extra step in when it mattered, utilising local businesses and raising awareness for asylum seekers, the NHS, Gaza, and LGBTQ+ rights whenever it could. Despite being small in size, Forwards yielded far larger ambitions. 

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Header image credit: Khali Photography