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Erykah Badu, Aphex Twin, Bonobo and Primal Scream are among the first acts confirmed to play FORWARDS 2023. The forward-thinking music and discussion-driven festival will return to Clifton Downs this September after an impressive debut last year. , which saw memorable sets. by Little Simz, The Chemical Brothers, Charlie XCX and Kae Tempest.

The two-day festival will welcome a variety of international music names to its stage on September 1 and 2, 2023, with headliners including American singer-songwriter, Erykah Badu, who will perform some of her hit singles. like ‘On & On’ and ‘Next Time’ in the city for the first time. She rose to fame in the late 1990s with her debut album Baduizmpioneering a new genre and leading her to be known as ‘the Queen of neo-soul’.

Aphex Twin, the influential electronic music DJ who grew up in Cornwall, is also one of the most prominent. Speculation about the artist’s performance arose a few weeks ago when billboards were seen in Bristol; It will be the first time that the artist plays in the city since 2006.

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Spread across two stages, other notable artists include internationally renowned DJ Bonobo, Scottish rock group Primal Scream, indie singer Arlo Parks, electronic legends Leftfield, as well as a special performance by Goldie with the Live Ensemble. FORWARDS complements its musical programming with a space for discussion and debate on the ‘THE INFORMATION’ stage, with an endless number of experts, disruptors, creatives, writers and thinkers, who will be announced at the end of this year.

Hosted by Team Love (Love Saves The Day, Arcadia at Glastonbury), co-founder Tom Paine said: “We are proud to bring FORWARDS back this year to the greatest city in the world, and our hometown of Bristol. Building on our work since our inaugural year, we are incredibly excited to be able to bring together a musical offering with such an incredible array of talent.

“Our goal remains to make FORWARDS a space that invites debate and challenges the status quo. Offering our audience a place to come together, dance and make memories, while we try to inspire debate, action and enact positive change through the urgent conversations in ‘La Información'”.

Tickets go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 24, with pre-sale access starting at 10:00 a.m. on March 23, 2023 on the FORWARDS website. Early bird day entry starts at £49.50, with weekend tickets available from £89.50. Concessions are available to children ages 5-15, local residents, and low-income individuals.

Following on from last year, FORWARDS will be offering discounted NHS tickets to those who work there as a small way of saying thank you for all the hard work and dedication. Doors open at 12:00 p.m. every day of the festival with last entry to the event at 8:00 p.m.

FORWARDS will arrive at Clifton Downs, Bristol on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 September 2023. Tickets on sale March 24, 2023 at 10am with pre-sale access from March 23 at 10am.

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