George Ward
Freelance journalist and online editor for CLUNK. Can be found out and about in Bristol, finding cheap records or having a pint on King Street.
Along with legendary headline sets from Loyle Carner and LCD Soundsystem, Bristol’s Forwards Festival saw one of the best lineups of the year
When it comes to living up to expectations, Forwards Festival have set themselves a very tough precedent. Last year we were treated to a set from R&B queen Erykah Badu on the Saturday before Aphex Twin delivered one of his most legendary sets to date on the Sunday, combining countless genres with his trademark batshit visuals. To top it off, the sound was some of the loudest and best we’ve ever heard at a festival.
This year then, Forwards had no choice but to pick two legends from their respective scenes to round things out, adding Loyle Carner and LCD Soundsystem to their growing list of outstanding headliners. But, before we witnessed these, there was a whole lot more to discover first.
Forwards’ simple two-stage layout meant there were as little clashes as you could reasonably expect and it was easy jumping from the West Stage to the East to catch the next act. There were plenty of bars and food trucks and, although expensive, there was never much of a wait.
Our day on Saturday began on a jazzy note, with seriously impressive sets from London’s Nubya Garcia and Yussef Dayes. Garcia’s saxophone skills have somehow grown even more outstanding in recent years, as well as her ability to lead a band and, of course, the crowd. Effortlessly, through her hypnotic saxophone solos, Garcia She expertly proved herself to remain one of the country’s most entertaining jazz musicians.
Equally entertaining was Yussef Dayes, who provided it is perfectly possible for a drummer to take center stage in a jazz set and hold as much attention as a vocalist or horn player. Once you start to watch Dayes’ drumming, you simply cannot stop, with his hands moving faster, more delicately and more precisely than the vast majority of musicians you will ever have witnessed.
After we were eased into the weekend with the jazz, the energy was given a huge kick in the form of electronic all-timers Floating Points and Four Tet. With the pair placed one after the other on the East Stage, it was a rare opportunity to see two of the greatest living DJs/producers within the span of a couple of hours.
Floating Points, backed by gorgeous trippy visuals and aided by his perplexing modular set up, held the entire crowd’s attention throughout his set. As such an unpredictable artist, it was a treat to see Shepherd lean fully into his club side, warping and manipulating familiar sounds with remixed beats and even mixing the radio live into the set.
Four Tet, Equally versatile, delivered one of the best DJ sets I’ve seen in recent memory. Opening with the best club tune of the year, Joy Orbison’s ‘flight FM’, the whole 90 minute set felt like a blur, but I’m convinced I managed to fit in Charlie XCX, The Prodigy and as many of his own bangers as you could hope for. Even this late into his career, Four Tet continues to be the most fun you can have at a DJ set.
Closing off Saturday was Loyle Carner, who effortlessly cruised his way through his set, performing to an absolutely massive crowd without a hint of hesitation. Playing his hits by him, from ‘Still’ to ‘Ottolenghi’, Carner’s performance was joyous, emotional and incredibly sincere. From every rapped line to his poetry to the sharing of details of his life, it was an incredibly special and intimate set, despite the vast crowd around us.
Sunday started on a slightly shakier foot with pouring rain and the cancellation of Crazy P’s set, which was later announced to be due to the devastating news of the death of their frontwoman Danielle Moore. Bristol’s own Cousin Kula managed to bring spirits up with their summery tunes, horns and beats before country-pop star CMAT took to the West Stage for one of our most anticipated sets of the weekend.
Despite her set being dramatically cut short by a serious amount of rain and nearby lightning, she proved her voice to be one of the best around right now, regardless of genre. When she sprung back on stage after the storm had passed, launching into ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby’, she was a welcome sight, belting out every lyric with everything she had and making the most of the remaining few moments of her set.
Baxter Dury was as sleazy as ever (complimentary), strutting and grooving through his sassy set with something equally edgy and endearing about his presence. With his set closing with his collaboration de ella with Fred again…he ended things on a banger, and left as one of the most memorable performers of the weekend.
Back on the West Stage, we were lucky enough to catch Yard Act, who, still celebrating the release of their 2024 album ‘Where’s My Utopia?’, have only got better over the last couple of years. Frontman James Smith has complete control over his audience, performing his tracks with confidence, wit and likeable arrogance. Highlights included the emotional fan favorite ‘100% Endurance’seemingly hand crafted for festival fields, and a taste of what was to come with the LCD-inspired ‘Trench Coat Museum’.
Jessie Ware’s disco bangers were yet another highlight. A career reinvention is a risky move, but with the release of ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ in 2020, Jessie Ware successfully moved from the chart features for which she was previously known to a full-blown disco pop star. With backing dancers and a full band, seeing Ware perform felt like a real event, with tune after tune being fired out at us from the stage.
To close the weekend off, we had one of the most special sets I’ve seen. LCD Soundsystemdespite being 20 years into their career, they are somehow sounding as good as they ever have, with frontman James Murphy’s voice only getting stronger and stronger with their countless gigs. It may have been a slightly odd set for a headline performance, with some deep cuts (‘Yr City’s A Sucker’) and a Harry Nilsson cover, but there were plenty of fan favorites too.
There was such a feeling in the crowd that each one of these songs meant so much to every person, whether they grew up with the band, discovered them as teenagers or learned to appreciate them as they got older. No other group can create feelings of nostalgia like LCD, whether through the delicate grief of ‘Someone Great’, the euphoric explosion of ‘Dance Self Clean’ or, of course, their magnum opus ‘All My Friends’.
As I was surrounded by my friends hugging me, screaming the lyrics with so many people in the crowd, it was obvious that this was one of those moments that every one of us would remember forever. LCD Soundsystem showed us just how to pull off the perfect headline set.
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