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Irish Daily Mirror

Forever Now festival delivers post-punk and goth glory at Milton Keynes debut

I'd never been to Milton Keynes until last month when I ventured to the 60,000-capacity arena The National Bowl for a celebration of all things post-punk, alternative rock and Goth. Along with Kraftwerk. And Berlin. The occasion was the first Forever Now festival, a one-day event targeting a niche musical audience with figureheads from a scene that was largely born and bred in the UK. Even though this was actually a sister festival to Goldenvoice's celebrated Cruel World festival in California. You would have expected the crowd to be, like me, enthusiastic music fans of a certain age, and while that was predominantly the case, there were plenty of dazzling young goths encountered throughout the nine-hour music marathon which was spread across two stages. Our lively day of entertainment began with a superb funky punky set from Kirk Brandon and Theatre of Hate on The Other Stage, which was located in front of a dusty area that was far too small and narrow for the large numbers it attracted throughout the proceedings. We then embarked on a tour of the festival site, a natural amphitheatre surrounded by a sheltered walkway housing a decent mix of food and drink stalls. However, it would transpire that there were not enough vendors, as the food ran out shortly after 8pm. Also in short supply were easy-to-see signposts, but every festival I've been to runs into teething problems that are usually ironed out on subsequent outings. We were here for the music, after all, and thankfully this was one of the most stellar line-ups of 2025. While waiting for cult Manchester band The Chameleons, we saw Berlin performing their one big hit Take My Breath away. Singer Terri Nunn informed us that in America, the music on offer at Forever Now is called darkwave. The Chameleons' singer may have looked like a throwback to Bono in U2's War era, but the band's angst-ridden anthems sounded fresh and vibrant. It was a solid set you wished had gone on longer. Next up was an absolutely storming set from Psychedelic Furs with frontman Richard Butler on outstanding form and the band looking as much the part as in their heyday. We caught the climax of John Lydon and PIL's tour de force on The Other Stage where there was a huge swell of people clamouring to see the ex-Pistol in action. We dashed back to catch Johnny Marr who rocked out the most perfect main stage outing of the day; an array of Smiths classics peppered with solo hits, an Iggy Pop cover and Electronic's Manc disco anthem Getting Away With It. Grown men and women were in tears when he launched into Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want. Billy Idol and revered axesmith Steve Stevens followed while over on The Other Stage, things had started going awry during indie dance upstarts Happy Mondays set, which seemed to spill over into pleasing aural assaults from The Damned and Jesus and Mary Chain who later voiced criticisms on social media about their sets starting late and being cut short. The festival organisers have since apologised for what they called 'technical problems'. To be fair, there was a solid PA on The Other Stage delivering the sonic goods - especially for The Cult's thrilling closing set - but to be fair it paled in comparison to the pristine sound system on offer at the main stage which was best exemplified by a divine run from The The. It was my first time seeing Matt Johnson and his cohorts who were joined for two songs by former member Johnny Marr. More emotion. German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk brought things to a climax with an audio-visual masterclass that seamlessly blended crystal clear sound, performance art and digital animation with panache and thunderous kick drums and basslines you could feel vibrating inside your core. They were not the ideal closing act for this crowd but the iconic band's mesmerising visuals would not have worked outdoors any earlier in the day. Overall, it was an exciting celebration of alternative culture and we hope there will be a return adventure in 2026.