Eagle-eyed Bristolians may have already worked this one. Teasing billboards for this year’s Forwards Festival (‘“Bristol, I love you but you’re bringing me down…” and “Take these words and go forwards…”) seemed to hint at LCD Soundsystem and Loyle Carner headlining this September. Now it’s official as the first wave of artists has now been released.
British rapper, Loyle Carner will be the Saturday headliner, while dance-punk legends, LCD Soundsystem, will be headlining on Sunday. The two-day festival also sees performances from Four Tet, Jessie Ware, Maribou State, Floating Points, Romy, Greentea Peng, Yussef Dayes, Yard Act, Baxter Dury, CMAT, Nubya Garcia, Hak Baker, MCRY, Jersey, Crazy P, Holysseus Fly and Da Funchaman & The Fire Blaze Band.
Described as ‘more than a music festival’, blending a cutting-edge music line-up with political activism, Forwards will close out the British summer on August 31 & September 1. Founded by the Bristol-based Team Love – also responsible for large-scale events such as Love Saves The Day, Simple Things and, as of 2022, The Silver Hayes at Glastonbury – Forwards is one of the most exciting new festival additions to Bristol and the UK.
Tom Paine, Co-founder of Team Love: “FORWARDS is back for its third year, and we couldn’t be prouder. Each year it grows, evolves and delivers even more for the city of Bristol and beyond. From an international and genre-spanning music lineup to future thinking talks, initiatives and with a growing-in-popularity kids area, FORWARDS is the perfect day out for everyone”.
Loyle Carner embodies Forwards’ socially engaged ethos with his raw and personal on-stage persona. This will be his biggest-ever Bristol performance and only show for the city in 2024 – arriving fresh from his major headline show at London’s All Points East in August. Meanwhile, this will be LCD Soundsystem’s first Bristol performance in 14 years.
The full lineups for each of the festival’s days are still to be announced, with tickets on presale now, before going on general sale from 10:00am on Friday, March 1. Early bird day admission starts at £55 with weekend tickets available from £99.50. To learn more head here.
Forwards Festival 2024 line-up:
Saturday
Loyle Carner
Four Tet
Maribou State
Floating Points
Romy
Greentea Peng
Yussef Dayes
Nubya Garcia
Hak Baker
MRCY
Jersey
Sunday
LCD Soundsystem
Jessie Ware
Yard Act
Baxter Dury
CMAT
Crazy P
Holysseus Fly
Da Funchaman & The Fire Blaze Band