Forwards Festival 2024

FORWARDS festival 2024, Photo by Eljay Briss

Now in its third year, Forwards Festival is slowly muscling its way up the food chain of the UK festival scene.

After eye-catching headliners The Chemical Brothers (2022) and Aphex Twin last year, organisers have once again delivered the goods with one old (LCD Soundsystem) and one new in the form of Loyle Carner for the 2024 iteration.

However, a gauntlet for weekend highlight is swiftly laid down by Hak Baker, whose skanking, knees-up ‘G-Folk’ approach sets out a stall, with the Londoner proclaiming the set his favourite of the festival season.

Considering he graced Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and many more, it’s high praise and a positive start, capped with a buoyant rendition of the powerful-but-fun ‘Windrush Baby’.

Over on the East Stage, witnessing Romy direct the audience in confident and strident fashion is a reminder of how far she has come; a world away from the shy, softly spoken pop star of 2010.

Her dusky, intimate vocals soar across the field, juxtaposed against the massive rave-up she orchestrates, including a blissful, sky-kissing ‘Enjoy Your Life’. Four Tet follows suit, striking a perfect balance of ironic, tongue-in-cheek remixes and his usual pulsating electronica.

https://www.live4ever.uk.com/loyle-carner-forwards-fest-2024-review/