Review: Forwards Festival 2026

REVIEW - Forwards Festival 2026

No amount of drizzle could dampen the joyous vibes curated by an expertly curated lineup

Header Image by Giulia Spadafora

5 September 2026

After successfully waiting it out under a tree for a mini downpour to pass, we ventured onto the festival grounds, where we were first greeted by the rich tones of Amber, winner of the Hot Vox Rising competition for War Child. Her voice felt like such a warm blanket; it was easy to forget about the bracing conditions, and even with the simple setup of Amber and her guitarist, the catchy melodies she can craft absolutely shine.

A short storm-induced delay later, we headed to The Arches stage, where we were treated to the atmospheric, brilliantly moody indie rock of Mitch Sanders and a funky, colourful set from Xanadu, who were by far one of our favourite acts of the weekend. The London five-piece’s blend of funk, indie pop, rock and soul had everyone in the crowd absolutely beaming with joy, and it was so clear to see just how much the group enjoys performing together.

The sun then finally emerged just in time for two great examples of electronic music being translated to a live setting with a full band. Goldie’s live set gave some of his old-school jungle classics a new lease of life, in no small part thanks to some very impressive drumming, and then it was time for a brilliant set from Maribou State. In what was announced as one of their last live performances before going on hiatus, the iconic duo and a set of incredibly talented live musicians breezed through a set of their best songs, and it was so incredible to see the gorgeous textures of songs like ‘Nervous Tics’ and ‘Beginner’s Luck’ brought to life in front of us.

Some slow exploring of some of the incredible local organisations at the festival followed before we made our way into a very excited crowd anticipating the arrival of alternative R&B singer-songwriter Joy Crookes. She arrived with a low-key confidence that was instantly striking and treated her delighted fans to a cool, soulful set where the whole band sounded incredibly crisp, and her gorgeous voice got the spotlight it deserved.

We then popped over to check out The Information tent, which had been hosting a series of insightful talks throughout the day and was now giving a platform to some up-and-coming talent from Bristol. We caught both singer Tia and rapper Kwazi as they showed off their talents and set that small tent alight. Kwazi had an indestructible flow and Tia’s ability to go from smooth R&B to some more aggressive rapping was mightily impressive.

The wind and the rain then started whipping up which made us run for any shelter we could find with some pasta to warm us up but, luckily, we still managed to catch sizeable chunks of both Self Esteem and Wet Leg. It was the final performance of Self Esteem’s ‘A Complicated Woman’ show and, for however many times I’ve seen this show performed online or on TV, there’s nothing more powerful and affirming than watching Self Esteem joyfully belt out these anthems of vulnerability with her girls onstage (I’m not ashamed to admit that ‘The Deep Blue OK’ did get a tear out of me). We then finally got to see Wet Leg smash through some of their absolute bangers to a frenzied crowd. Although the increasing winds unfortunately messed with the sound, it did ensure the smoke machines were going absolutely berserk and making Rhian Teasdale look like the rockstar she very much is.

By Jahiem Williams (@jahiemowilliams)

The battering we got from the weather on Saturday and the knowledge that we needed to get home Sunday evening made day 2 of Forwards a more relaxed affair but it ended up suiting a lot of the music we saw. The day started with us getting to watch a truly glorious set from anaiis. The set started with immediate goosebumps as anaiis’s angelic voice pierced through a wall of atmospheric synths and the following songs never got any less stunning. The arrangements for the songs were hauntingly gorgeous, especially the stabs of viola and the jazzy drum patterns. It was a stylish, groovy and delicate performance that’s been stuck in my mind ever since we saw it.

It was then a rabidly received, energetic trap set by Ledbyher (featuring the pleasant surprise of a live saxophone player) and a stellar few songs from rapper/R&B singer Wesley Joseph before one of my most anticipated acts of the festival, Oklou. The French singer’s quirky brand of ethereal electronica may be slightly bewildering to some but I was absolutely immersed in this hypnotic performance, cracking recorder solo and all. It would’ve been incredible watching this late at night where some of the lighting in her spectacularly unique stage design would get a chance to shine.

The day then got slightly sidelined by an almighty downpour of rain. Sitting in a press tent cradling a hot chocolate while I could hear Princess Nokia blasting out the stage next door as well as rain hammering down on the roof was a truly surreal experience. However, I was determined to not let the conditions stop me from seeing modern post-punk legends Viagra Boys. I don’t know whether it was the weather or the comparatively chilled out music we had been listening to all day but the crowd were going deliriously hard, with mosh-pits and crowd-surfers aplenty, and the Swedish six-piece were absolutely loving it. Frontman Sebastian Murphy strutted across the stage with unbridled charisma as the band’s furiously anthemic bangers echoed through the field.

Once again, the Information tent became our shelter for the rest of the evening but that meant we got to see Badliana effortlessly switch between old school grime and sultry R&B as well as a cheeky, charisma filled set from rapper Huxley who had the whole tent in the palm of his hands. A warm meal and a sprint through the rain to get our things out the way, the last act we saw of the festival was Bristol grunge quartet Grandma’s House. The raw, husky vocals of frontwoman Yasmin Berndt combined with the slightly surf-rock inspired riffs brought such a unique energy to these slices of punk rock and when the band allowed the songs to descend into acophony’s of noise, the amount of heads banging in that tent was too many too many to count.

It was amazing to see an event that brought together such an eclectic group of artists in terms of both style and size and no matter what was on (or what the weather was doing) us and everyone else there were more than happy to bask in the incredible talent of everyone performing.