The Chemical Brothers, Jamie XX To Headline New Bristol Festival, Forwards

The Chemical Brothers and Jamie xx have been announced as the headliners of the inaugural edition of the new Bristol festival, Forwards.

Forwards will take place on Clifton Downs in Bristol from September 3-4, with 60,000 people expected to attend over two days.

Jamie xx will headline the opening night of the festival on September 3, with the day also set to feature performances by the likes of Little Simz, Khruangbin, Fred again.., Floating Points and Shygirl.

The Chemical Brothers will close Forwards 2022 on September 4, with their headline slot following sets by the likes of Róisín Murphy, Caribou, Sleaford Mods, Kae Tempest and Self Esteem.

More names are set to be added to the line-up soon. You can find out more information and tickets, which go on general sale on Friday, February 25, for Forwards 2022 at the event’s official website.

As well as live music, Forwards is aiming to “challenge what metropolitan festivals can be today and how they can do good, from the inside out”. The festival will feature an area called ‘The Information’: “a space for activism, examination, debate and understanding on today’s current affairs and cultural issues, plus challenging the role of music festivals”.

Forwards is also partnering with Big Team CIC to offer opportunities for young people in Bristol “who have historically been excluded from and are under-represented in the festival and events industry”.

The Chemical Brothers will also headline Field Day Festival in London this summer, while they’ll play in the grounds of Castle Howard just outside York in June. The grade I listed Castle Howard was built upon the site of a former castle and has been home to the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years. It has appeared on-screen in the 1981 and 2008 adaptations of Brideshead Revisited, and more recently in the Netflix series Bridgerton.

Listen to the best of The Chemical Brothers on Apple Music and Spotify.