Festival Review: Forward Festival 2026

Lorde brings ‘Royals’, Virgin and a tearful ‘Ribs’ finale to Bristol, with Rose Gray, Grove, Audrey Hobert and Maisie Peters keeping spirits high through the rain.

My day began at Rose Gray’s set. Her angelic voice opened the main stage like a calling from heaven, which was expected, since the first track she played was ‘Angel of Satisfaction’. The orchestral instrumental merged into a catchy synth-pop beat, creating the distinct sound that makes Rose Gray stand out as an influential artist in her genre. She brought Bristol into her bedroom; we felt like we were listening to the pre-club playlist before a big night out. As someone who went into her set completely blind, with no clue of what type of music she was about to play, I was blown away by her genre-bending tracks and left as a fan. I knew that if the first set I saw that day was this phenomenal, the rest of the festival was going to be sensational.

So off I went, running from the west stage to the east stage to catch Grove. Unfortunately, the heavens opened and a deluge shut down all performances on the east stage. I took this opportunity to take cover and watch the queue at the poncho stand triple in size. Eventually the rain subsided. Grove took to the stage and began their short performance. Aptly named a ‘power set’, because power they brought, working through each politically laced song with relentless passion and bringing the energy back to the festival in a way I don’t think any other artist could have. ‘The rain has played some mischief,’ Grove said, as classic British weather caused the track to stop, forcing them to restart. The unique use of a saxophone added an organic touch to each song played during this empowering set. Somehow they have managed to merge dancehall, jungle and punk together, creating one of the most exciting sounds on the scene.

In the distance, you could hear Audrey Hobert back on the west stage, her music in stark contrast to Grove’s darker feel. Hobert brings a youthful, relatable feel to her music; she does it in such a bluntly honest way that it almost feels like you’re talking to your best friend. She graced the stage with a bright yellow raincoat, which seemed the perfect outfit choice given the weather. With just one album out, Audrey has managed to win the hearts of many and shoot to mainstream popularity with her ‘glitter gel pen pop’ sound. Her set seemed to promote a carefree attitude as she put on the most expressive show of the entire day, from her iconic dances to jumping on a trampoline during ‘Sue Me’, a song that has seemed to blow up recently. I could see throughout her set how the crowd came alive, managing to fight off the blues that the rain tried to bring.

I was constantly pulled from one side of the Forwards Festival site to the other, each stage exuding pure talent and passion. One artist I couldn’t contain my excitement for was Maisie Peters, one of my personal favourite names on the lineup. She has a way of making negative situations seem positive and brings a sense of hope and optimism into all of her lyrics. Anyone who has been lucky enough to see Maisie Peters before will know she has her own charm when it comes to stage presence; she graces the audience with her witty jokes that only her fans would understand. Her personality is a key part of her performance, as each song she sings, she does so with passion and a clear love for music. Maisie paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton with a heartfelt rendition of ‘Here You Come Again’ and closed off her set with ‘My Regards’, a country-pop song from her latest album Florescence.

Forwards Festival brought together an amazing community of people; there was a real sense of acceptance and self-expression. I loved the atmosphere; people dressed with such confidence and pride, dancing and running between stages like their lives depended on it.

And that brings me to the headline act: Lorde. Lorde was nothing short of mind-blowing, and as a longtime fan, finally being able to see her was spiritual, to say the least. She opened with her most popular song, the one that shot her to stardom in 2013 during the iconic Tumblr era, ‘Royals’. The screams seemed to echo across Bristol; everyone in the city knew she was there. Lorde is truly a once-in-a-lifetime performer. Her stage presence and passion are transcendent; she’s a born entertainer at the top of her game.

Her latest album Virgin explores a totally new sound for Lorde. The synth-pop approach she took is completely unique and executed to an incredible level. Standout tracks such as ‘What Was That’ and ‘David’ had a whole new layer of meaning added to them when performed live, as she incorporated dancers and special effects, creating an all-round immersive experience. During ‘David’, Lorde also sent a banner out into the crowd featuring a lyric from the song saying ‘I don’t belong to anyone’, a gorgeous moment and such a uniting experience for the crowd.

I went into this set without looking at any previous setlists, so as she played ‘Liability’, an overwhelming wave of emotion came over me and I was sent to tears. I wasn’t the only one. This powerful song resonates with so many as it explores the themes of vulnerability and the sense of feeling as though you’re a burden, whether in a relationship or a friendship. As Lorde is speaking directly from her own experience, it makes the song that tiny bit more hard-hitting for her fans, knowing that a feeling so familiar is also familiar to someone they look up to.

One song on the setlist was the remix of ‘Girl, So Confusing’, Lorde’s collaboration with Charli XCX following the release of Charli’s 2024 album Brat. This is a brutally honest song exploring the theme of Charli feeling as though the media was putting her and Lorde up against each other and the insecurities that this brought for her; it quickly became a pop anthem and a true cult classic.

Forwards Festival promoted sustainability more than anything else, as it was fully clean-powered. This is something Lorde feels very passionately about, and she said, ‘You just did the right thing, Bristol,’ adding that ‘it was inspiring’ to her.

Lorde closed off this once-in-a-lifetime set with ‘Ribs’. Anyone who knows Lorde knows that ‘Ribs’ has to be one of her most hard-hitting tunes. She speaks about the fear of growing up but also captures the excitement behind it. In my opinion, this is the perfect song to close off an already emotional set: it’s the perfect soundtrack to friendships, life slowly changing, and finally feeling free.

I have never experienced a crowd like it. Strangers embraced and cried into each other’s arms as she walked off the stage; no one was in ‘A World Alone’ after her set. It’s clear to see the impact she has on so many. With younger and older fans present, it’s incredible to see her music continue to transform generations’ lives, just like she did with mine when I was younger, and how she continues to do so now. This is something that I know will stick with me for a long time, and I’m sure it will with all those there to witness that night. She made it truly unforgettable.