Forwards Festival 2023: Erykah Badu and Aphex Twin lead line-up

  • Published
Erykah BaduImage source, Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports
Image caption,

Singer Erykah Badu is set to perform at the event

One of Bristol's largest music festivals has confirmed its 2023 line-up.

Grammy award-winner Erykah Badu and musician and DJ Aphex Twin will headline Forwards, which will be returning for its second year.

Other acts at the event in September will include Primal Scream and Arlo Parks.

The two-day festival will have a capacity of 60,000 people.

Alongside its music offering, organisers say the festival will tackle the city's "important" issues.

With a programme called The Information, it will feature debates about current affairs with a series of experts, writers and artists.

Organisers will confirm this year's speakers and topics over the next few months.

'Amazing talent'

Tom Paine, co-founder of Team Love, said: "We're proud to be bringing Forwards back this year to the best city in the world, and our hometown Bristol.

"Building on our work from our inaugural year, we are incredibly excited to be able to pull together a musical offering with such an amazing array of talent.

"It continues to be our aim to make Forwards a space which invites debate and challenges the status quo.

"Offering our audience a place to come together, dance and make memories, while trying to inspire discussions, actions, and to enact positive change through the urgent conversations at The Information."

Image source, PA Media
Image caption,

Primal Scream are among the acts confirmed

Young people will be offered work experience, shadowing and paid job placements at the festival.

This will include the return of Capture Forwards, a scheme which offers young photographers first-hand experience of photographing live events to help them develop their careers.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk