The rain seems out to get every festival at the moment, but even the brief pause in production from the sudden downfall didn’t deter the festival goers from having the time of their lives at Forwards Bristol this year.

By now, we all know what went down at Reading & Leeds with missing tents and water pouring down on artists. It seems like this festival season has been sun, rain, more rain and lots of wind — but even that couldn’t put a damper (get it?) on this festival. 

There is always something about walking into a festival that makes you feel as though you’re walking into another world. Even though, in reality, you’re in the middle of a field somewhere and there’s a number of bars that people are falling over themselves to get to — but if you close your eyes, you can just about pretend that you have entered into a different realm. 

This time, I was in the middle of Bristol Downs for Forwards Festival: Day 2. The festival launched in 2022 and has since attracted big names like Little Simz, Jamie XX, The Chemical Brothers and now iconic band LCD Soundsystem. 

The day before had seen Loyle Carner and Four Tet as headlining acts, while I journeyed down from Cardiff to the Downs to see LCD Soundsystem and Underworld (just to name a few) on the Sunday.

It’s always exciting when you get to do that first scope of the festival site, smiling to people as you marvel at what there is to get up to, and wow was there a lot to get up to. Silent discos, karaoke rooms, loads of different food and drink vendors to get through, there was almost always something for you to do.

I started my day by seeing Da Fuchamann & The Fire Blaze Band who were absolutely incredible. Reggae music that’s good for the soul, as the sun shone down on the crowd, everyone smiling and dancing. It was the best way to start off the festival, everyones spirits at an all-time high. Da Fuchamann & The Fire Blaze Band came and conquered and his high kicks were enough to send him up into the sky (he didn’t fly — but honestly if he had kicked any higher I think he would have taken off!). 

I then bopped around for a while seeing glimpses of shimmery Glass Beams with their almost Khruangbin-esque sounds that floated through the crowd, as everyone twirled and sipped on cocktail cans. 

Baxter Dury completely shut the East Stage down, stomping and screaming his way through with a cockney accent that took over the airwaves. People bopping their heads or stomping in unison with him, it was a wild set that completely took over my mind for the next 20 minutes as we waited for CMAT to take over the West Stage.

Unfortunately, this is where the English weather had a completely different idea, as it started to pour down. Running back to the guest area for cover, I tucked myself into an armchair and waited for the rain to pass (which felt like it took centuries). CMAT left the stage for a brief pause in performances, as everyone ran for cover wherever they could, before she eventually made her way back on, singing her hit “I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!” as the crowd found their groove again and the dancing continued. 

However, the highlight for me was Yard Act. A band that I had been hearing about for a few months now and I had never seen a crowd reaction like it. From the front to the back of the crowd, the excitement was electrifying. Tangible and travelling through every body that was throwing themselves around to Yard Act’s post-punk / dance-infused tunes, as the lead singer James Smith got dragged off the stage and it all came to a crashing end (in the best of ways). It almost felt like nothing topped that performance as they left everything on the stage and everyone was left with jaws to the floor and shock written over their faces (again in the best of ways).

I had never seen a performance like it and almost forgot I was at a festival with more acts to watch after Yard Act left the stage. After I found my bearings again, it was time for a brief break before watching Jessie Ware. 

Jessie Ware’s performance was nothing short of infectious energy, with backing dancers and powerful vocals, it was the perfect backdrop for the soon-to-be setting sun. After Jessie, it was Underworld time.

I have to come clean here, I had never heard of Underworld so truly had no idea what to expect. Before going to the set, I’d just had a man in the guest area give me a motivational speech, so I was feeling pretty fired up and ready to dance, and boy did I dance. The light show of greens dancing across the stage, as everywhere flashed and jumped, it was one of the most insane experiences. Everyone around you lost themselves to the music as they danced into the night, it was the best way to close off the East Stage.

But, Forwards wasn’t finished yet. As I high-tailed it to the West Stage, there was still one final act to witness: LCD Soundsystem.

I have to come clean (again) and say that I only know a few LCD songs, but I was still so excited to see how the music came to life in a live setting. There’s always a worry that intricate sounds and pulsing beats won’t be interpreted the same as in the studio — but I had nothing to worry about. It was, to put it in the simplest of ways: insane. 

They exploded onto the stage with a fervour that didn’t stop until the final note (or at least I assume so, I, unfortunately, had to run across the Downs to get back onto the shuttle bus to catch the last train back to Cardiff). The songs that I did get to see, completely took my breath away and it was the perfect way to end the day of sun, rain, laughs and good music. 

Nothing beats getting to go and see live music, especially in a setting where you’re exposed to new music you haven’t heard before and surrounded by people who are just as enthusiastic as you are. I could not have asked for a better way to spend a Sunday, in fact, should we do it again next weekend?

Overall, Forwards Festival is more than just a weekend of music and cocktails. It’s a reminder of the power of shared experiences with those both familiar and unfamiliar. A reminder that everything is a collective journey. As the sun set on the Downs, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for the memories I had made and the connections I had forged in the middle of this field.

Until next time, as Loyle Carner would say: take these words and go forward!

Read more Music articles from KLATMAG

Title Image by: Eljay Briss

Written by Meg Ivy Brunning