Since its debut in 2022, Forwards Festival has become one of the most talked-about events in Bristol’s cultural calendar, annually drawing 60,000 attendees to the verdant Clifton Downs for diverse and thoughtfully curated line-ups that have seen Aphex Twin, Erykah Badu and Jamie xx top the bill.
The impression that Forwards has made on the city is evident in this, its third year, which was far and away the most well-attended edition yet; the place was practically heaving by mid-afternoon on Saturday as two stars of the flourishing UK jazz scene made a convincing case for the genre’s contemporary relevance at either end of the festival site.
Mercury-nominated saxophonist Nubya Garcia radiated a quiet confidence as she guided her band through cuts from a forthcoming sophomore album, while Yussef Dayes’ four-piece executed an instrumental masterclass that, though centred on his lightning-fast drumming, gave each member room to impress. As you’d expect, the rhythm section stole the show, as Dayes and bassist Rocco Palladino locked together in leisurely grooves dispatched with effortless precision.
Elsewhere, The xx’s Romy harnessed the current wave of nostalgia for old-school rave and trance, bouncing around the stage to the Donna Lewis-sampling Always Forever with an endearing level of enthusiasm. Greentea Peng arrived on stage - perhaps unsurprisingly - with cuppa in hand, her gently psychedelic alloy of dub and hip-hop giving us a brief moment of pause before Floating Points switched gears entirely, delivering a relentless hour of caustic modular techno that showcased some of the heaviest and most direct music of his career so far.
Four Tet sustained that momentum with a crowd-pleasing DJ set that reminded us why, more than two decades into his career, he’s more popular than he’s ever been: MPH’s electrifying 160 was a standout selection, as was Tom VR’s deep and minimal Charli XCX rework, but the set peaked with Four Tet's Human Voice, a product of his social-media-friendly bromance with Skrillex and Fred Again constructed from glitched-out vocal chops and subterranean bass wubs.
After several hours of prolonged peak-time energy on the East Stage, the transition to Loyle Carner’s headline slot felt a touch anticlimactic, but Carner and his band did an admirable job of translating his pensive rhymes to a main-stage context, his sleepy instrumentals swapped out for a fist-pumping live accompaniment that transformed tracks like Ain’t Nothing Changed and Still from jams into anthems.
Carner’s singular appeal is founded on his vulnerability, spurning hip-hop’s tired machismo in favour of a wholesome warmth and sincerity that's on full display as he opens up about anxiety and fatherhood between songs. Carner did his utmost to amplify that vulnerability to stadium-sized proportions, but we can’t help but feel that the set might’ve soundtracked a Sunday afternoon better than a Saturday night.
Forwards’ second day brought a noticeably older, and somewhat more sparse crowd, likely influenced by a line-up that leaned harder into ‘heritage acts’ – and perhaps not helped by a biblical mid-afternoon thunderstorm that cut short the set of Irish singer CMAT.
She brings a distinctly crowd-pleasing, party energy that bounces between retro glamour and down-to-earth relatability
Fortunately, the sun returned by the time British singer Jessie Ware took to the stage. She brings a distinctly crowd-pleasing, party energy that bounces between retro glamour and down-to-earth relatability; flanked by two ripped and flexible male dancers, she bemoans how unruly her kids have been over the summer holidays before ultimately bringing her set to its peak with a joyful cover of Cher’s Believe. Ware’s two most recent albums – 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure and 2022’s That! Feels Good! – are both masterclasses in classy, modernised disco-pop, and their sound is translated brilliantly to the live stage by a tight and polished band.
Underworld provided Sunday’s highlight, with vocalist Karl Hyde bringing a level of energy and conviction to the stage you’d expect from a performer half his age. Along with Rick Smith, the duo serve an hour’s worth of tough techno kick drums and glorious acid synth lines.
It helps that their back catalogue has aged exceptionally well; side-by-side, ‘90s classics like Dark & Long (Dark Train) and recent singles And The Colour Red and Denver Luna sound equally timeless. Every other band on the festival circuit can only dream of having something as anthemic to drop as the delayed chords of Born Slippy .NUXX.
Their Sunday night headline set lacks a little of the energy that made them a vital party band in the late-’00s
It’s seven years since LCD Soundsystem released their last studio album, and a full 13 years since their original high-profile break-up. While it would be unfair to accuse of James Murphy and co. of entirely losing their edge, their Sunday night headline set lacks a little of the energy that made them a vital party band in the late-’00s – a feeling not helped by a setlist that skips over some of the band’s more dynamic hits in favour of more mid-tempo and groovy material.
What’s lacking in urgency is made up for by the collective talent on display; the band layers a wonderful concoction of vintage synth lines, bass grooves and live percussion. Longtime members including synth player Nancy Whang, drummer Pat Mahoney, bassist Tyler Pope and Hot Chip’s Al Doyle share a special kind of synchronicity that comes with multiple decades of live performance. When the band reaches for classics like Dance Yrself Clean and All My Friends, they’re still one of the best examples of live ‘synth’ music you’ll find on the festival circuit.
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