Little Simz Brings Style, Swagger and Soul to Forwards Festival
Forwards Festival, Bristol 30th September 2026
WORDS / IMAGES DAVID BROOME
There are few artists who unite a crowd like Little Simz can. She’s a rapper but you don’t have to be into rap music to like her. There’s a photographer who is with me on the day and is wearing a Korn t-shirt (I assume that’s his go to genre) but when asked who are you looking forward to seeing today, he says “Little Simz”. I guess people come to her music from different routes. Maybe you’ve seen her act in Top Boy, or you like her art or her fashion or just simply like her music. Either way, there’s a huge crowd here at Bristol waiting for her to do her thing.
Simz is widely regarded as one of the most vital voices in contemporary music and she is landing in Bristol on the wave of a stream of successful shows both here in the UK and in the US. She kicks off with “Thief”, the opening track to her latest album, Lotus. Forty Thousand people join in the “La La La La” bit. She bounces around the stage and looks happy to be there. “I’m glad to be back in Bristol”, she says. Then we’re into “Flood” with that driving drum back-beat. She whispers her way through the verse, but everyone is hanging on each word. “Young” is a quirky track with a super catchy chorus. The lyrics are smart and sassy and everybody in the crowd knows them.
What separates Simz from many of her peers is her ability to balance technical brilliance with a genuine emotional connection. Her flow remains agile, moving effortlessly between hard-hitting rap passages and reflective moments that reveal the depth behind the confidence.
I wondered if she would do her DJ set – and gladly she did! It’s the moment in a Little Simz show when a concert venue is transformed into a nightclub. Everyone unites in dance, even those like me who have the timing of a wooden spoon.
Her best-known tracks are left until last. The stunning “Woman” and the anthemic “Gorilla” close out the set. Any doubts that Simz could headline a festival as big as this are put to rest. Her performance embodied everything the festival aspires to be, ambition, originality and fearless creativity. The lights go down and everyone takes stock. This was a special moment. If you didn’t know it already you were shown why Little Simz has become one of the defining British artists of her generation.
SET LIST
1. Thief
2. Flood
3. Young
4. I Love You, I Hate You
5. Venom
6. (DJ set begins) Mood Swings
7. Game On
8. SOS
9. (DJ set ends) Open Arms
10. Lion
11. Point and Kill
12. Woman
13. Gorilla
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