Forwards Festival Announces Its First Wave of Acts

Forwards Festival 2025: Everything We Know So Far

📍 Bristol, 23rd-24th August 2025

Bristol’s beloved Forwards Festival is bringing an electrifying lineup to Clifton Downs this August. The first wave of headliners has recently been announced, featuring an exciting mix of jazz, rap, electronic and drum & bass. Burst will guide you through tickets, the best acts, and all things Forwards Festival.

Who’s playing?

Saturday kicks off with a bang, featuring the electrifying Ezra Collective, fresh from their Brit Award win for Group of the Year. Genre-blending electronic producer Barry Can’t Swim also takes the stage, adding to the day’s energy. On Sunday, the spotlight turns to Grammy-winning Doechii and the soul queen Jorja Smith, alongside rising indie sensations The Last Dinner Party and the soothing sounds of Olivia Dean.

Tickets & Pricing

With the first tier selling out in minutes, Forwards remains one of the hottest UK festivals of the summer. Tickets are still available:

• Weekend Ticket (6 for 5 deal): £107.46 per person

• Individual Day Tickets: £75-£80

Who to watch?

Forwards strikes a perfect balance between well-known names and rising stars, offering a diverse lineup that explores various genres and showcases both established icons and fresh talent. With an enriching mix of sounds across the two-day festival, there’s something for everyone.

Ezra Collective

The London-based jazz quintet seamlessly blends afrobeat, reggae, hip-hop and jazz, creating a smooth groove that makes it impossible to stand still. Their 2024 single God Gave Me Feet for Dancing even earned a spot on Barack Obama’s favourite songs of the year! From this set, you can expect infectious energy, uplifting rhythms, and a communal spirit that turns the performance into a joyous, dance-fuelled experience.

Barry Can’t Swim

For a heavier, beat-driven experience, Barry Can’t Swim delivers an electrifying fusion of electronic, house and Afrobeat influences guaranteed to get festivalgoers moving. Known for his euphoric, dance-heavy vibe, he creates the perfect vibe for a summer day in Bristol.

The Silhouettes Project

A standout act bringing community-driven creativity to the stage, this Hackney-based collective is dedicated to supporting independent artists and shielding them from the more exploitative sides of the music industry. The artists are known for fusing hip-hop, jazz and soul and their sets radiate an authentic, collaborative musical energy.  

Doechii

Fresh from winning Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammys, Doechii is a pioneering force in contemporary rap. Her bold fusion of hip-hop, R&B, and pop is redefining the genre and solidifying herself as one of the most influential voices of the moment. Expect an electrifying stage presence and high-energy performance.

Fabio & Grooverider with The Outlook Orchestra

It wouldn’t be a Bristol festival without drum & bass, and Forwards delivers in style. Legendary duo Fabio & Grooverider are teaming up with The Outlook Orchestra to reimagine their iconic D&B anthems, blending their high-energy beats with a powerful live symphonic twist. This act pays homage to the roots of D&B while elevating it to a whole new level.

More to Come

With this first wave of artists setting the bar high, anticipation is building for further lineup announcements. One thing’s for sure; Forwards Festival 2025 is shaping up to be unmissable.

🎟️ Grab your tickets now via the official Forwards Festival website.

By Helena Toole

Reform or Revolution: How Seriously Should We Take Reform’s Popularity in Opinion Polls?

Reform UK, originally the Brexit Party, now tops voting intention polls— suggesting a seismic shift in British politics. On the back of securing 14% of the vote in the last General Election, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK threatens to smash the Labour-Conservative duopoly. A YouGov poll from February placed Reform at 25% of the vote, 1% ahead of Labour and 3% ahead of the Conservatives. Subsequent weekly polls from FindOutNow have not only confirmed these figures but shown support climbing to 28%, a 5% lead over Labour and 7% over the Tories. This surge signals a political reckoning, but is it an isolated tantrum —or part of a global far-right resurgence?

Reform’s popularity isn’t about its policies. It’s a howl of rage at a system rigged against ordinary people. Years of austerity, economic stagnation, and capitalism’s endless greed have shattered trust in politics. The Tories’ Brexit blunders, Covid cronyism, and civil war-style infighting have alienated their base. Labour, despite its majority, offers little hope. Starmer’s “Labour” bends to corporate donors, ditches pledges, and serves up bland centrism—leaving even loyal leftists wondering: what’s the point?

Reform UK’s playbook is old but effective: blame immigrants, rant about “wokeness”, and pose as the voice of the “ordinary voter” against a corrupt elite. Sound familiar? It’s UKIP 2.0. After the 2008 crash, Farage’s old crew pushed anti-EU rage into relevance. Now, Reform exploits post-Brexit disillusionment and a cost-of-living crisis. Their policies? Mostly noise. Their appeal? Pure fury at a system that prioritises profit over people.

But this isn’t just a British story. The 2024 racist riots in Britain and Ireland—fuelled by far-right grifters and xenophobic media hysteria—show how quickly despair sours into violence. Soundbites about “invading migrants” or “woke Marxists” distract from the real villains: landlords evicting families, privatisers gutting the NHS, and CEOs laughing all the way to their offshore banks.

The Global Far-Right Playbook

This isn’t unique to the UK. In the United States, Trumpism has reshaped the Republican Party and the geopolitical landscape. Trump’s government has already militarised the Mexican border, exploiting divisions over race and immigration. Now, he’s pushing to declare English the “national language”—a move designed to alienate minority communities and stoke cultural panic. Behind the scenes, his newly empowered “DOGE” office—a legally dubious cabal of MAGA billionaires—fuels the fire. At CPAC, attendees including Elon Musk and Steve Bannon were filmed performing Nazi salutes. The far-right’s extremist roots are laid bare, yet its poll numbers soar.

In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) offers another grim parallel. Once a fringe protest party, it now commands 20.8% of the vote—the first time a far-right nationalist party has come second since the Nazis in 1930. Like Reform UK, the AfD thrives on scapegoating. It blames Muslims and migrants for capitalism’s crimes, redirecting anger from the real culprits: austerity architects and corporate looters. Its stronghold? Former East Germany, where deindustrialisation and poverty make fertile ground for hate.

These movements aren’t solutions. They’re symptoms of a global crisis—a crisis of inequality, environmental collapse, and democratic decay. Reform UK’s rise isn’t an outlier. It’s capitalism’s hangover.

Scapegoats Over Solutions

Let’s dissect Reform’s “solutions”. Anti-immigration hysteria; a distraction from decades of corporate land grabs and social housing selloffs. Tax cuts for the wealthy; perfect for oligarchs, catastrophic for public services. Climate indifference or denial; a gift to oil giants, a death sentence for the planet.

Reform’s agenda is a bandage on a bullet wound. But let’s not pretend Labour or the Tories are saviours. Both parties worship neoliberalism—privatising trains, outsourcing NHS contracts, and letting billionaires dodge taxes. Liberalism and fascism are two cheeks off the same arse: one enforces inequality with a smile, the other with a boot.

Should We Be Worried? (YES)

Britain’s first-past-the-post system, while it limited Reform UK to 5 seats in the last election, isn’t a safeguard. Designed to create “strong” governments, it hands the winner unchecked power with a minority of votes. Reform UK’s surge could gift Farage an elective dictatorship: a majority built on 30% support, with a mandate to wage war on migrants, workers, and the poor. Dismissing Reform as a protest movement is suicidal. The Nazis began as a fringe party; the AfD was once a protest vote. Farage isn’t a joke—he’s one symptom of a larger political malady. Westminster’s “respectable” politicians built this crisis, another one won’t solve it.

The real question isn’t Reform vs. the status quo. It’s whether we cling to a dying system or fight for something new. Tenant unions kicking out slumlords, mutual aid networks feeding communities, and strikes demanding living wages; solidarity is how we can all make real change.

With 40 people in Britain in prison for peaceful protesting while Labour is in government, and auld Nigel looking like he could be the next PM. Reform’s rise is a warning. Build class solidarity and unity, or watch fascism fill the void.

By Odhran Cassidy

Burst's February Picks: The Best of Bristol This Month

With a city as vibrant as Bristol, it can often be overwhelming to keep track of what’s on and where, what’s worth going to, opportunities for free entry and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Do not fear! Here at Burst we are breaking it down for you, so you never have to experience that gut-wrenching FOMO feeling again.

February is an exciting time as ever in terms of Bristol’s music scene and, as always, there’s tons of great gigs coming up this month - starting with Die Twice at Clock Factory on the 15th February. Die Twice may be one of the least recognisable names on this list, however this does not mean their performance should be anticipated with any less excitement. Combining indie/punk Rock with a Jeff Buckley-esque voice this music guarantees an epic atmosphere – not one to miss! An often-understated genre in the Bristol music scene, the calibre of country and folk artists that come to this city is unmatched. A group to look out for this month is The Shovel Dance Collective; the group will be playing at Strangebrew on the 16th February. Their work is moving and laced with tradition. Take this gig as an opportunity to try something new, slow down and reflect. But, if that’s not your thing, then on the 16th February, classic indie rock band The Wombats are performing at Marble Factory - forget Thekla Thursday and hear your favourites play live! On the 24th February, jazz-house artist Berlioz is playing the Bristol Beacon as part of his Open This Wall tour, supporting the release of his new album. Irish singer and rapper Biig Piig will also be coming to Bristol on the 26th February, performing at SWX. Biig Piig offers a slightly more relaxed evening, with more of a dream-pop sound, a perfect transition into spring. On the 29th February, American indie band The Magnetic Fields, will be playing the Bristol Beacon. The Magnetic Fields is a highly anticipated arrival to close the month. Their most known song being ‘The Book of Love’, their music is nostalgic and light, and will most likely be familiar due to a lot of their work being featured in popular scores for film and TV.

It’s easy to overlook Bristol’s art scene, especially if it is not your area of expertise. However, with multiple renowned galleries dotted around the city, it would be a shame to miss out on it completely, especially with the exhibitions that are on this month! From the 11th February to the 27th May, UWE will be opening their life drawing lessons to the public every Tuesday with free entry, hosted at the Arnolfini. This is a great opportunity to perfect your art skills, or just to have a bit of fun and try something new! Also at the Arnolfini, is the Rinko Kawauchi exhibition, her first UK exhibition since 2006, showing her photography as it captivatingly combines the ethereal with the everyday. If you do want to attend this, hurry! The exhibition runs until the 16th February. If you don’t get the time to visit, fear not – the RWA is also showing an art exhibition, considering similarly humanistic themes in a very different way. This exhibition will be made up of art created by older people living with dementia as well as those who care for them, integrated with paintings from the RWA collection, exploring ideas of memory, love, and the power of art. Lastly, The Bristol Museum and Art Gallery is offering Late night exhibitions from 6-9pm for Wildlife Photographer of the year. The sessions are accompanied by live performances and DJ sets with entry being £8, so hopefully your student budget can stretch to fit this one in.

By Olivia Hill