Festival Review: Forwards Presents Lorde - Clifton Down, Bristol 28/08/2026
Pop auteur Lorde delivers a thrilling masterclass in high-concept emotional catharsis for her Bristol debut at Forwards Presents.
For an artist that thrives through her radical authenticity and creative freedom, it’s baffling that Lorde is playing in Bristol for the very first time; a city that prides itself on these very values. Following a triumphant return to All Points East, her natural continuation to her expansive Ultrasound world tour is primed for its Clifton Down debut.
Of course, ahead of the main show there are special guests preceding the star’s arrival. The prime candidate to start the party was Rose Gray. With a knack for bringing 90s house into dance pop anthems, her 4pm slot on the West Stage was the perfect choice to start the day. Armed with an onstage wardrobe boasting a tiara, purple leather coat and much more, she was every inch the club diva on stage.
Orchestral flourishes opened the set with ‘Angel of Satisfaction’ which quickly transitioned into a lively floor filler. Her spectacular show was a welcome blast of escapist hedonism which felt criminally early in the day; tracks like ‘Wet & Wild’ and ‘Party People’ demand the enclosed drama of an evening festival tent. An unreleased track, ‘God is a DJ’, drew cheers with its sample of Madonna’s ‘Music’ – less confessions on the dancefloor, more gyrations at the rave-core.
However, one who has plenty to confess, Audrey Hobert has been fondly dubbed by critics as ‘pop’s new clown princess’ thanks to her self-deprecating humour onstage paired with a good ear for a catchy pop hook. Her diaristic style of songwriting was honed when she penned chart hits like ‘That’s So True’ and ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’ for Gracie Abrams. This is perhaps why despite being an emerging act, her performance comes with an air of grounded confidence.
That is apart from the moment before ‘Sue Me’ where she brought a trampoline onstage, making a few awkward bounces before launching into her viral hit. The clown analogy makes sense when you pair this with her authentic approach to engaging the audience. Halfway through, despite earlier airing her frustration for those filming most of the set, she declared “I've never had more fun, this is a true smile".
Elsewhere a local talent took to the East Stage, Bristol producer and vocalist Grove swerved the afternoon into a different direction. Having built a stellar reputation on the underground electronic scene, their buoyant blend of dancehall, jungle and drum & bass lent a new buzz to a rainy afternoon. Later in the day pop singer-songwriter Maisie Peters lead a stirring tribute to Dolly Parton with a spirited cover of ‘Here You Come Again’ by Barry Mann. “I wouldn’t be here without you Dolly!” she professed to the audience.
For those that don't know Joe Keery from Stranger Things or Fargo, you may know him as DJO from the unstoppable 'End of Beginning' which has amassed nearly 3 billion streams on Spotify. But beyond the runaway success of the song heard round the world, Keery's music is sepia-tinged retro synth pop with flavours of garage-rock grit and a light dusting of psychedelia. 'Charlie's Garden' lifted tricks straight from the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band playbook and the smooth bass groove of 'Delete Ya' had echoes of The Police. Yet Djo made his throwback sound bleed with raw originality, easily engaging fans ahead of the main event.
On the West Stage powered by green hydrogen, the only waste is drinkable water. In iconic fashion, Lorde began by drinking this water from a fountain before slipping into bold opener ‘Royals’. "A while ago when I found out the festival was clean powered, that resonates so much with me. You just did the right thing Bristol" she said while ruminating on her Forwards experience.
Despite once famously proclaiming in The Guardian “I’m not a climate-change activist, I’m a pop star”, the ‘Solar Power’ singer has become a stalwart for greener touring. Her partnership with sustainable touring non-profit REVERB has helped eliminate single-use plastics for her whole team and even help with redistribution of leftover toiletries, batteries and catering so nothing is wasted.
For someone with such a complex emotional palette, the alt-pop siren excels at bringing light to her most difficult moments through her music. ‘Shapeshifter’ and ‘Man of The Year’ confront her approach to gender identity in different ways, evolving from her discomfort in her dress at a GQ awards show to her seismic rebirth into her gender fluidity. But ‘Broken Glass’ was the most strikingly profound highlight. She twirled against a backdrop of a heart monitor crooning “I want to punch a mirror, to make her see that this won’t last” – seeing her perform live a song about her tackling her eating disorder and body dysmorphia shows just how far the New Zealand singer has come since the days of Pure Heroine.
Growth has been a prominent part of the Auckland singer’s journey; the best example was displayed (quite literally) during ‘Liability’. As she delicately sang “They say, you’re a little much for me, you’re a liability” her younger self is projected on her chest. Nothing is quite so on the nose as when she charts her evolution from pop's new girl to a confident young woman who is more candid than ever about her gender identity and her body.
As she reached her final victory lap, preceding closer ‘Ribs’ was the emotional gut punch ‘David’. Having become a viral live set piece, she deployed a banner which is passed back through the crowd boldly stating ‘I don’t belong to anyone’ – a thematic set piece which defines the pop auteur. Lorde’s Forwards Festival debut was a striking testament to an artist who has stopped apologising for breaking the mould but instead embraced her vulnerability as her greatest strength.
Words by Oliver Evans
Photo Credit: @giugliotto
