Festival archives: The Green Man

Another festival archive for you today, along with 5 new records added at the end cos some unbelievable tunes are being released lately.

The festival I’m writing about today is the second-best weekend of the year (behind Glastonbury) but has things that Glasto doesn’t, so you could argue that it’s just as good a weekend.

Every August since 2009, we’ve paved our way through the Welsh countryside down to the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons just outside the village of Crickhowell, to The Green Man Festival, and it’s become a yearly occurrence and is progressing every year, in terms of the lineup, the layout, the variety of things to watch and do, and the general atmosphere.

It’s the most chilled out, relaxed, laid back, however, you wanna call it, place in the whole world and it’s reflected by the people who attend, the security, the staff, the Police (or lack of), and so on. You don’t ever feel intimidated by anyone, nor do you feel as if you’re constantly being spied on by jobsworth security or bouncers. This festival thrives off the trust the organisers put into its visitors, which is reciprocated by the festival-goers.

For example, over the 11 years that I’ve been, I’ve very rarely had my bag checked when going into the arena, because I’ve not given anyone a reason not to think that I’m doing anything wrong, and this is the way all festivals should be run as I can’t recall ever seeing an arrest being made, a fight taking place or any other kind of trouble for that matter. The chilled out vibes that surround this place is a huge reason why I love it so much.

They always seem to get bands that are up and coming, the ones that are future stars, the ones that give them their first chance. I saw Mumford and Sons in 2010 on the main stage in the middle of the day who went on to headline Glastonbury in 2013. I watched the experimental rock quartet, Alt-j, open the second stage (The Far Out) in 2012, and they went on to headline The Other Stage at Glastonbury in 2015. I’ve seen tonnes of bands at this festival so, like my Glastonbury piece, I’m gonna write about my favourite sets and some of the reasons why it’s such a boss place.

The first one, again, has to be getting there on the Thursday afternoon, walking the short distance from the car to the campsite and essentially having the freedom of a whole field to choose from, nothing like Glastonbury. It’s all about going around the easily walkable arena and seeing if anything’s changed since the year before (it never normally does), it’s about meeting up with friends that you’ve made therefrom over the years and catching up with them after a whole year of not seeing them (shout out to Emily, Lexie, Mary, Rachel and co.)

Chai Wallahs

There’s never normally much on the Thursday but the Chai Wallahs (the best stage design in the world) always has something to offer, ranging from dub and reggae to folk, jazz and whatever else you can think of. If you don’t fancy that, which is something that doesn’t normally happen because everyone loves the Chai Wallah’s then the Hurly Burly cafe always has a DJ on, as does the Round The Twist tent. Essentially, you’re not gonna be bored for the whole weekend.

Admittedly the majority of the lineup is bands a lot of people have never heard of, including me, so you’ve got to do your research before you get there, otherwise, you’ll go home having seen no bands or you’ll realise that two of your favourite bands are playing that year and you’ll be livid with yourself for missing. For example, Khruangbin and Maribou State played last year’s festivals and I missed the pair of them because I didn’t do enough research. As I write this now, it still annoys me. Oh well.

However, I did do some research and I cannot put into words how good The Comet is Coming were. A trio based in London who produce jazz, psychedelic rock and electronic rock but are instrumental, which made it even more surreal. How can a saxophone, a synthesiser and a drum kit produce music and an atmosphere like they did that night?

They played at the Far Out stage which is a tent based stage, like the John Peel at Glastonbury, which made it much more intimate, and the sound they made in there wouldn’t have compared if they played on the main stage. If you haven’t already, go and listen to Summon The Fire and you’ll understand why I’m raving about how good they were.

I’m a firm believer that instrumental music will take over one day because eventually, everyone’s gonna get sick to the back teeth of listening to artists sing about their childhood sweetheart leaving them heartbroken.

Jagwar Ma

Another surreal set I watched was in 2016. Jagwar Ma is a psychedelic dance band from Australia and some of their first 2 albums are ones that I’ve played excessively over the years, so when I had the chance to see them here, I jumped at it.

They had the place rocking. Just like The Comet is Coming, they played at the Far Out so the intimacy of the gig was huge and their sound was spot on. Sometimes you watch bands at small stages or indoors and they sound too distorted or just too loud in general but I’ll never forget just how on point these sounded.

Jamie xx

Jamie xx also played the Far Out and he again was mind-blowing. Always bewilders me that one fella can make that much-sophisticated noise by pressing buttons and sliding dials. You never get bored of watching him because it’s absolute genius the way he does it.

Away from the music, the lack of commercialism is something I’m very fond of. It’s just a festival, with punters, live music and other acts, beer, and boss food. No huge billboards with a massive sponsor plastered all over it, no TV cameras there, no rich celebrities there for Instagram points, it’s just a festival and everyone who’s been before will understand the importance of this.

From a selfish point of view, The Green Man doesn’t attract the Pretty Green, bucket hat and dark fruits crowd, unlike Kendal Calling, Reading and Leeds and Ynot, to name a few. This isn’t a criticism by any means, but attracting that kind of crowd, and you know exactly the people I’m referring to, they’re inviting pressure on themselves to get the best possible lineup, and the lineup depends on how many tickets will be sold.

The Green Man need not worry about this outcome because I’d go regardless of the lineup, because of the atmosphere, the vibe, the layout, the variety of people who go and the new music you find. So I’m hoping and praying that they stick to this and continue being one of a kind because that’s what attracts so many people.

For instance, our mates we meet up with every year, had only heard of 1, 2 at a push, acts that were on last year, yet continuously go, year in year out, because of the reasons I’ve mentioned above.

Another set that stands out to me is seeing Half Moon Run on the Walled Garden a few years back. It was made even better that they only had their first album, Dark Eyes, out at the time so I was guaranteed to know, and love every song they’d perform.

Walled Garden

The Walled Garden is my favourite area on site. My description won’t do it justice because it’s literally just a stage, a bar and a few food stalls surrounded by a 30ft stone wall, but it’s ace. I keep going back to it, but the intimacy of the areas of the festival are crazy, and The Walled Garden is no exception.

Invisible Black Mountains

Even the Main Stage is similar, formed by 3 small banks at the back and a small flat area at the front, whilst being overlooked by the vast, yet sensational Black Mountains. On a sunny day, it’s a view to behold, yet on a cloudy day, the mountain tops are invisible.

The Main Stage has been home to some memorable sets over the years too. Bon Iver played one of the first years I went and you can imagine how dreamy that was.

Justin Vernon had the crowd in the palm of his hand and you could hear a pin drop when they’d play one of their quieter songs. How good is their first record? Just imagine being able to see it performed live. It was a privilege.

Nick Mulvey, The War on Drugs, Mumford and Sons, Billy Bragg, Michael Kiwanuka, The Flaming Lips, Doves, Band of Horses, Villagers, Four Tet are all acts that I’ve watched on this stage and I’ve probably missed out loads.

Like I said near the beginning of this piece, their scouting system is like no other. The way they manage to pick out some of these acts that aren’t highly acclaimed and give them a chance is admirable. They’re like the 6 Music recommends of festivals. I mean, Michael Kiwanuka’s latest album has been nominated for the Mercury Award this year, and we saw him play way back in 2011. He was due to headline this year, as was Caribou but a respiratory virus has scuppered that.

And how could I forget IDLES from 2019? One of the most unbelievable hours of my entire life. The sheer passion from Joe Talbot was terrifying, yet at the same time, riled everyone up, and, considering it was Sunday night, it was a welcome wake up. Everyone was glued to them, no one was speaking to anyone, just watching IDLES perform one of the loudest and most passionate sets The Green Man has ever seen. Get them at the top of your bucket list immediately.

Every year, they have a green man made out of trees and flowers and then burn it on the Sunday to signify the end of the weekend. Before they set fire to it, they invite the guests to go and write wishes on the paper they provide and tie them to the tree, so not only is the green man being burnt, but people's wishes and anxieties are too. A nice touch.

'The Wishing Tree'

I could go on and on about this place, just like I could’ve with Glastonbury. Two massively different festivals in their rights, yet the two festivals I couldn’t go without. They’re the opposite to each other yet the two best weekends I have are the weekends that these events take place.

The Green Man, though, is so much more chilled out, everything is a stone throw away from everywhere else, so if there’s a clash in the lineup, you don’t need to worry, because you’ll get to the other stages in 5 minutes max. Unlike Glastonbury, where a clash means you have to choose between one or the other.

It’s not just the festival that’s more chilled out, in my opinion anyway. The punters are too. The whole thing is just one weekend of nothing but relaxation. No frantic rushing to get to a stage at the other side of the festival, because the other side of the festival is a 10-minute walk and not a 5 mile round trip like it is at Glasto.

The people who are lucky enough to experience it, go for a weekend of live music, drinking beer but can quite easily come home having met new mates for life. We’ve met loads of people there over the years and still keep in touch with them now, which backs up my point of the people being so chilled out and approachable. Everyone’s your mate.

It’s hard, to sum up, but it’s a weekend of happiness, to put it mildly. One of the friendliest places that’ll ever exist in the ever diving *United* Kingdom. A place where mainstream media doesn’t exist, social media doesn’t exist because the signal’s terrible (unless your mate’s got a WiFi hotspot), politics doesn’t exist. It’s like living in the past, and it’s brilliant. I don’t know one person who’s got a bad word to say about the place.

I’ll miss it this year. I’ve had some of the best times of my life there and I cannot wait to get back there. God bless that place.

Oh, by the way, the only lager they’ve got on tap is Wrexham Lager, and they serve it in reusable cups, so tell me why this isn’t one of the best festivals in the country and I’ll tell you why you’re wrong.

If you’re still reading then here’s your weekly music fix. 5 tracks you need to listen to.

1. Martha Hill - Grilled Cheese

2. Michael Kiwanuka - Final Days (Bonobo remix)

3. Planningtorock - Jam Fam

4. Porij - 150

5. BALTHVS - Colombian Girl