FOMO x Forwards Festival
Words & Photos: Ed Fry
★★★★★
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Photo: Ed Fry / Viagra Boys
Saturday
Saturday started watching Goldie (Live) – fresh from contributing to Bristol’s graffiti scene with a tribute to fellow D’n’B DJ Lenzman. Goldie is a force to be reckoned with, and that bit in brackets, live? Goldie and his duo of drummers, wall of synths, and live triggered samples and loops brought an incredible energy to Fowards’ West Stage. Goldie himself on vocal and MC duties, this was a set not to be missed.
Chilling out a bit but blending seamlessly on from Goldie was Maribou State and their signature blend of deep, bass-heavy, and soulfully chilled electronic music. They always sound incredible, but on Forwards’ huge sound system, we were washed away by their sound and touring vocalist Talulah Ruby’s vocals.
While Forwards has two “Main Stages”, East and West, it’s always worth appreciating the talent they curate in The Arches and Information tents. In this case, it was alt-pop act The Itch, who delivered a set far larger than the tent allowed. The on-record duo who perform live with a full band are nothing short of energetic; their thumping synths, acid basslines, and chunky dance-punk drums turned what started as a half-empty tent into a curious frenzy, spilling from the stage’s wooden structure and out into the rain to capture the high-octane performance. Local favourites 1-800 Girls maintained the momentum in the Arches tent with a relentless electronic set. The crowd again was fully locked in, with vocal appearances from Hellauk elevating the energy even further.
Back to the main stages and the perfect setting for Self Esteem (aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor) to deliver her theatrical, commanding main-stage set. It’s a big stage to fill, and Taylor’s raw emotional entrance, accompanied by sharp choreography and incredible vocal harmonies from her backing ensemble, did just that. As the last show of this tour, Taylor was choking up, adding to the weight when the huge choruses and soaring melodies hit. This setting may have been the last show on the ‘A Complicated Woman’ tour, but I feel like the next one will be even bigger. A complicated set, but an easy five-star performance.
Wet Leg’s introduction to the east stage was an incredible mix of rain, swirling wind, smoke machines, and chaos as the sunset over the exposed Durdham Downs. The anticipation was palpable, and when Rhian Teasdale, Hester Chambers & co hit the stage, the energy only amplified. The first few songs were absolute bedlam with raucous guitars, and Teasdale pulling out her now signature muscle-flexes during ‘Catch These Fists’. With songs like ‘Oh No’ and amped up versions of ‘Mangetout’ and ‘CPR’, it’s a wonder they knew what to play as the wind tore the setlists gaffer taped to the stage off and into the crowd. Whatever they played, the crowd adored it.
Tems blends a hypnotic mix of soul, R&B, and a healthy dose of groovy afrobeat basslines. She hit Forwards’ West Stage in the dark to close out what had been a great Saturday. Tems’ stage and production hit hard with a full band, backing dancers, and her own catwalk ascending to the screen at the back of the stage. The incredibly tight band and backing vocals supported Tems’ silky-smooth vocal performance.
Sunday
Jean Dawson delivered one of the weekend's most unexpected highlights, striking an intriguing balance between heavy Deftones-esque riffs, soul-pop sensibilities, and cinematic rock intensity, all from a man who was able to snap from R&B melodies into tight-trap flows in an instant. A compelling live act that demands to be seen.
Oklou was able to transform her usual immersive, light-heavy production that thrives in dark venues to the festival stage. Her ethereal, synth-driven soundscapes, arpy synth lines, and atmospheric vocals translated remarkably well to the mid-afternoon slot. Her statement track ‘Harvest Sky’ hit especially well with its 4/4 club beat and endlessly catchy hook, sticking in my head for hours.
Backed by a DJ, Princess Nokia took the stage with fierce, unshakeable charisma. Undeterred by in-ear monitor failures, she leapt onto the sub-woofers to hear herself, stripping off her coat to reveal a striped outfit that popped in the rain, in a display of pure attitude.
Injecting a welcome dose of punk and post-punk absurdity, Viagra Boys drew a massive crowd to the East Stage despite persistent rain. Frontman Sebastian Murphy knows how to get the crowd going, and his infectious energy resulted in many a raincoat-filled pit and topless crowdsurfer. Fresh off a lengthy tour, the only time they stopped was to bring out Amy Taylor (of Amyl & the Sniffers) for their country-esque-cover of ‘In Spite Of Ourselves’.
Amyl and the Sniffers are always great, but seeing them headline the East Stage was next level. Having already made a cameo earlier in the afternoon, Amy Taylor was ready to go, her signature “dance” moves and biting Aussie voice lifted over the top of The Sniffers’ barbaric sound. Filling in on bass for the absent Gus Romer was Lakota Vella; unsurprisingly, she absolutely smashed it with her thunderous basslines holding down the groove. The pits and rain were amped up and twice as intense thanks to Viagra Boys’ excellent warm-up job.
To close the weekend, Forwards booked one of the UK rap’s absolute GOATs – Little Simz. Starting with the first three tracks on 2025’s ‘Lotus’ album, ‘Thief’, ‘Flood’ and ‘Young’. The latter’s groovy bassline is nailed down by Bristol regular, Marla Kether. Simz absolutely brought the energy and passion to the West Stage with her huge live hip-hop sound. Towards the middle of the set, the band swapped for a DJ booth and with Little Simz behind the decks, she cracked on with a mix of tracks from her classic EP ‘Drop 7’ and her latest ‘Sugar Girl’. To close the set, she brought back the back and crescendo’d with a set of live tracks ending on the powerful ‘Gorilla’, its statement brass section intro having to be reloaded, giving the crowd another chance to spit back the opening bars. What an ending to a crazy weekend.