Forwards Festival is Bristol’s annual last hurrah to summer, as we transition into autumn. This year, that transition was a little more stark than usual, with the weather seemingly changing overnight from sunny and dry to rainy and windy. But nothing was going to stop us from enjoying ourselves (we’re not made of sugar, as my German nan would say).
This year marked the first year Forwards ran its stages on 100% renewable energy, something Friday’s headliner Lorde pointed out a couple of times, drawing a connection to her album Solar Power. Lorde impressed with an incredibly creative stage show, including dancers, a video box and for a reason that eluded me, a drinking fountain. She sang a one-minute version of her hit Royals early on, and later blessed us with Green Lights, to which the crowd erupted into chaos.
Saturday saw some sunshine in the afternoon, and what better band to go with summer vibes than Maribou State. The electronic duo made the crowd dance, even the cute kids with their big headphones on were up for this one.
Bristol legend Tricky took to the stage on Saturday evening, showing off his latest release, which is much closer to post punk than trip hop – mirroring the city’s musical development over the last years. Tricky, of Massive Attack fame, released his album Different When It’s Silent in July, so a lot of the material he played was unfamiliar. That’s not to say it wasn’t engaging – the songs often veered into headbanging punk riffs and beautiful vocal interludes.
Self Esteem and Wet Leg represented the indie pop portion of the evening, both drawing huge crowds. Self Esteem got emotional several times during her set, which focused heavily on women’s empowerment. Wet Leg lightened the mood a little with their infamous cheeky and surreal lyrics and indie-rock guitars.
Nigerian afropop artist Tems closed off the Saturday on the Downs, a fitting highlight to the day. Highly danceable and impressive, she definitely earned her headline spot.
Sunday was the day of waterproofs and ponchos, but also some surprisingly impressive musical discoveries. I’d never seen French artist Oklou before but she might be one of my new favourites. Layering electronic sounds and beautiful vocals with flute and piano, Oklou transported us away from the rain and to a more whimsical place. Her set was filmed with a shaky camcorder, lending some TikTok nostalgia to the performance. Here’s someone to watch.
Princess Nokia came all the way from the US to impress with her quick-witted rapping. At one point, as the rain was coming down hard, she changed into a jumper but never stopped singing her song. Many people in the crowd sang along to every word and had clearly come specifically to see her.
Meanwhile, people weren’t deterred from stagediving and moshing during the rain, when Swedish rock outfit Viagra Boys took to the East Stage. Definitely one of my personal highlights, the band brought all their energy, despite playing their last show of the tour.
Finally, Amyl and the Sniffers and Little Simz closed off the festival, both with loads of energy and punk attitudes. A fitting finale for a weekend full of powerful women. At a time when a lot of festival line-ups seem to struggle to include enough women’s voices, Forwards showed us how it’s done.
Until next year! And happy autumn everyone.
//Words: Clara Bullock//Photography: Giuglliotto and Jahiemowilliams//