FORWARDS announces a new wave of names including Jesus & Mary Chain and Glass Beams

FORWARDS announces a new wave of names including Jesus & Mary Chain and Glass Beams

Posted on: 31 May 2024

FORWARDS Festival, one of Bristol’s newest music (and ideas) festivals, have just announced a slew of new names for the latest edition of the festival this August/September.

 

FORWARDS, the festival that brings together the party and the discussion, is rapidly approaching; the 2024 edition of the festival is set to take place between Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September, and it just keeps getting better.

 

With a whole new set of names to fuel it, the fire of anticipation for FORWARDS is only blazing brighter, and the smoke of sold tickets grows thicker by the minute. Although, seeing as this is FORWARDS, that’s likely a solar-powered electronic fire and recycled water vapour, but you get the idea.

 

 

Joining headliners Loyle Carner & Four Tet on Saturday will be a ton of Bristol-based names: from multi-instrumentalist & rapper Danny Chaksa & fellow rapper Kwazi, to innovative, sultry and sunny jazz-soul outfit Laimu. Also joining from Bristol will be alt-soul producer Sambee and Bristol MC duo Rellz and YB Micz – and London’s required representation will come in the form of breezy, emotive West London soul-pop artist Ava Zarate.

 

As if that wasn’t enough to feast your brain and ears on, FORWARDS have also finished their Sunday lineup with this announcement. Joining LCD Soundsystem, Jessie Ware, and the recently-announced Underworld will be Scottish shoegaze and noise pop pioneers The Jesus and Mary Chain. Founded around 1984, JMC have been cranking out top 40 and top 10 hits since their inception – but only reformed in 2007 after an 8-year absence. With their acclaimed new album Glasgow Eyes only recently released to critical acclaim, this is the perfect time to catch them live.

 

 

Also joining Sunday will be the enigmatic Aussie trio Glass Beams – who blend funk, surf rock and traditional Indian music into a chunky, funky tribute to the heritage of founder Rajan Silva. For a theatrical touch with your music, they're a great shout - look out for their signature ornate gold masks on stage.

 

Bristolian names announced for the full Sunday programme include pysch-poppers Cousin Kula, grubby garage art-punks LICE, fellow post-punks Knives, raw rapper ssadcharlie, soul singer Marns – with singer and producer Laura Dia providing London representation.

 

As mentioned, FORWARDS starts on August 1. For more information, or tickets, head to their website.

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Patrick Bate

Patrick is a filmmaker with so much Bristol in his blood the white blood cells are graffiti'd. Educated at the Northern Film School in Leeds, he’s returned home to be a Videographer and Reviewer for 365Bristol and BARBI. When he’s not messing about with cameras, he enjoys playing guitar, spending far too much time on tabletop RPGs, and being an awful snob about cider. Have a look at his work here, or get in touch at patrickb@365bristol.com.