"Take these words and go FORWARDS" - Loyle Carner headlines a remarkable Saturday at Bristol's FORWARDS Festival

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by @Eljaybriss

The quiet greenery of Bristol's Clifton Downs was brought to life this past weekend by the exquisitely-curated, FORWARDS Festival. We attended on Saturday, buzzing with excitement to witness sets from a line-up packed with talent. Celebrating its third successive year, the line-up was a varied exploration of Soul, Rap, Jazz, Electronic and more, spread across the West and East stage. Loyle Carner and Four Tet occupied prime-time spots at each stage respectively, but before their brilliance in the evening, there were a myriad of exceptional acts to enjoy. 

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by @Eljaybriss

Standing-out in the early portion of Saturday were soulful-duo MRCY, who brought their captivating combination of era-blending production and vocals. Equally outstanding was a conversation taking place in a quieter section of the festival, between author-activist Akala, and David Olusoga, who together are a match made in heaven. Their conversation was hugely insightful, and it was wonderful to see two such brilliant-minds platformed in this way. 

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by @giugliotto

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by Ron

Hak Baker’s energetic anthems and frenetic poetry was a highlight of the day. His set was full of excitement, which even included a surprise proposal, as the day began to pick up pace. The East-London singer-songwriter had plenty of praise for the event, describing FORWARDS as, "My favourite festival of the season". Over on the East stage, Nubya Garcia provided immaculate vibes with her saxophone-abundant jazz-fusion. The skill on display for this set was staggering, and even the grey weather couldn’t prevent Garcia from shining bright. The Yussef Dayes Experience was a triumph, as it rarely ceases to be. Appearing effortless, his drumming groove was a masterclass in timing, with him appearing on stage as a beacon of cool. 

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by Fahmi

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by Khali Photography

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by Ron

As a long-time fan who had not yet seen her perform live, seeing the wondrous Greentea Peng was certainly a special moment. The word aura gets thrown around a lot these days, but this soulful songstress had it in spades, along with her studio-quality vocals reverberating through the surroundings. An unexpected favourite of the day was Joy (Anonymous). Their special blend of falsetto vocals and heavy instrumental bangers was a spiritually-charged experience, as the lights were switched on and the day turned to night. Before long, it was time for our headliner, one of the great poets of our time, Loyle Carner. 

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by Guigliotto

Delivering a succinct set of hits from across his three albums, Loyle Carner had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the first drum hit. ‘Hate’ was an enigmatic opener, with the artist’s personal favourite, ‘Still’ another touching rendition. Separating his songs were insightful stories from his life, touching on family, fatherhood and his love-hate relationship with success. Loyle Carner was a fantastic choice for headliner, as the ethos of the festival felt suitably embodied by his singular talent.

Loyle Carner is now looking ahead to his specially curated Warehouse Project event in October, for which New Wave Magazine are proud partners. As he showcased in Bristol, the London-rapper is a remarkable performer, with FORWARDS being his penultimate show of the year, WHP will be the final chance to see him in 2024.

On all fronts, the FORWARDS Festival experience was exceptional from entry to exit. Embodying the energy of the city of Bristol, FORWARDS continue to platform the people who deserve it most, and that is the greatest attribute for a festival to have. With a fitting serendipity, Loyle delivered the words he does at the end of all of his sets; “take these words and go forwards”. I, for one, will be taking Loyle’s advice, and returning to FORWARDS in 2025 for what is sure to be, yet again, a stand-out moment in the festival season.

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by Khali