This Must Be The Place - Green Man Festival
Green Man Festival
Here we go again on our own. The UK has entered it's third national lockdown in under a year to try and contain the new variant of Covid 19 and once again we find ourselves yearning for life to return to some sort of normalcy - it's even got me paraphrasing Whitesnake. The unwelcome, but absolutely inevitable news got me thinking and dreaming of a return to my happy place. Some of you will find solace in dreaming of golden-sanded beaches with miles of coastline as far as the eye can see, swimming pools with a good book and endless top-ups of cocktails on demand; the sun burning you to a crisp with scantily-clad Europeans giving you the eye. Not for me brother.
Every year since 2015, My partner and I spend our escapist long weekend at the Green Man Festival in the midst of the Brecon Beacons - a National Park in South Wales. We've both been avid festival goers in our youth with plenty of V, Reading, Glastonbury, Latitude, Bestival, Truck and All Tomorrow's Parties festivals between us to hark back on - but it's Green Man that our heart belongs to.
Set in the picturesque location of Glanusk Park in the heart of the Black Mountains, Green Man is a festival for music lovers of all varieties. Fiercely independent in it's ethos of bringing the best artists from Wales and beyond without corporate backing; it has become one of the best medium sized festivals in the country. I decided it was time I documented our wonderful experiences there over the past five years.
The main focal point of the festival is the stunning Mountain Stage (pictured below) with it's natural incline leading downhill to it's viewing area. It's Green Man's main stage where the biggest acts on the bill ply their trade. Traditionally the stage has been more folky in it's approach, but that has evolved with the best in Folk Rock, Indie Pop and Indie Rock working it's way up the bill. There have been some sublime sets on there over the years.
Super Furry Animals played a hit laden set in 2015 in pouring rain with the atmosphere electric for more reasons than one - a thunder storm was on it's way. Belle and Sebastian caused the most civil and polite stage invasion I've seen in 2016 - sheer numbers on stage eclipsing even an Iggy Pop show. There was more shuffling and flailing going on than head-banging. Other headline sets that will live long in the memory include the elegant folk of Laura Marling, The soaring synth-pop of Future Islands, the shape-shifting glory of PJ Harvey and the experimental brilliance of Yo La Tengo.
It's lower down on the bill that have provided the real highlights for me on The Mountain Stage however. 2017 saw the return of a band that I thought I would never get to see live. Lift to Experience came from Texas and had produced a single album - 2001's The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads. The album has gone on to become a cult classic with it's concept being the Second Coming of Jesus Christ with Texas becoming the promised land. Musically it combined the swirling feedback of bands like My Bloody Valentine with the angelic vocals of Josh .T. Pearson coming close in tone to Jeff Buckley. It was a triumph of a set and I'm not ashamed to say I became overcome with emotion at various points through the set - it wasn't to be the first time.
An artist I've become enamoured with over the last 10 years is Anais Mitchell - the wonderful Vermont-based folk singer with similarities to her namesake Joni. Her 2010 folk concept album Hadestown, based on Greek mythology - went on to become a Tony nominated Broadway musical. Her early afternoon 2019 set was just her and one other musician playing songs that spanned her career. Again I became so overwhelmed by the experience that I blubbed uncontrollably - before getting a lovely hug from a maternal figure on the front row - You don't get that at Download.
You also don't tend to get Morris Dancing. The Mountain Stage did when Shirley Collins played and sang her trad-inspired folk songs with a narrator and yes..those men with beards and the funny hankies - a first for me at a Festival. Without a doubt, the most entertaining set though was the 2019 set from the inimitable Eels - A band that I have loved since I was a teenager in the mid 90s (I'm dead old me). With this one you don't have to take my word for it, the video of their full set was released by Green Man for all to see on Youtube - you can see it below.
The Far Out Tent (pictured above) is - much as the name suggests - home to the darker and sometimes weirder bands that play on the eclectic bill. It houses everything from Punk, Post-Punk, Psych Rock, Hip Hop, Drum n' Bass, Jazz and Electronica. It has not failed to come up with some of the highlights of the last few festivals. The 2015 set from Preoccupations (then called Viet Cong before the well-advised name change) was dark, and often deeply uncomfortable Post-Punk noise that had ears ringing all the way to the back of the tent. Japanese riff merchants Bo Ningen destroyed all who bared witness with their take on early Black Sabbath as re-imagined by androgynous witches in 2018. The experimental and often improvisational jazz of Kamasi Washington had some running for cover whilst providing a spectacular display of the form.
Headline sets in the Far Out Tent have often been chock full of theatrics and spectacle. The more seasoned festival goers among you will be fully aware of the clashes that can sometimes blight the later hours of a festival; Glastonbury is infamous for having multiple on any given evening. The choice in 2015 was St Vincent on the Mountain Stage and Swedish psych-rockers Goat at the Far Out. It was practically a coin toss that made us choose Goat, as I'd been a fan of St Vincent for several years. The result was a mesmerising, hugely energetic live show with an audience full of beaming smiles and dancing till it dropped.
Perhaps the most anticipated headline set at The Far Out Tent that I've seen is the 2019 set from Idles. The band had produced what many were openly touting - including BBC Radio 6 - as the album of the year with 'Joy as an Act of Resistance'. The band didn't disappoint; with songs comprised from 'Joy..' and first record 'Brutalism' whipping the massive crowd up into a frenzy. It is the biggest mosh pit I'd come across at a festival in quite some time and I didn't cope too badly considering I'm getting on a bit. In fact, I outlasted my Rage Against The Machine mosh pit from 2000 at Reading - although that one I'd have only lasted about 18 seconds these days!
The festival's smaller stages are where you can discover new bands and artists; whilst giving labels like Bella Union, Heavenly, Rough Trade and Memphis Industries the chance to showcase the more the leftfield talent on their rosters. The Walled Garden (pictured above before the festival) is an area of the site where we like to either start or end the day; weather dependent obviously. The start of the day there is a great location to find some laid back treats if the sun is out. Seeing the likes of Nadia Reid and Stella Donnelly perform intimate sets - where you could hear a pin drop - have been unexpected highlights. At night, The Walled Garden comes alive as much as any of the other stages.
An undoubted highlight in 2019, was the set from Liverpool synth pop band Stealing Sheep - who injected some much needed optimism and fun into what had been one of the wettest days I'd experienced at a festival. Beyond that, The Walled Garden produced a late night party that I'll never forget in 2016. We had seen Charlotte Church around the site various times, but little did we know what to expect when she performed the late night slot! Bringing on a group of friends to act as her Pop Dungeon - Charlotte launched into an all round assault of party, featuring her cover versions of Neutral Milk Hotel, Nine Inch Nails, Sugababes, the Cardigans, Basement Jaxx and of course - the greatest Rn'B track of all time - Amerie's 'One Thing'. I've never seen anything like it before or since!
The Green Man Rising Stage is for the bands on the bill that may not make the pulse race, but are there to be discovered. Some of the highlights there have been huge turnouts for bands like Peaness, Gintis, Phobophobes an explosive set from Black Midi in 2016 before they were signed. It's here I first saw Meilir perform his one man show that blew my socks off too - the review for his 'In Tune' album is linked above. Chai Wallah stage offers a diverse array of artists for those looking for something different. It stages those that often don't fit with the rest of the ethos of the festival and has a great ear for future sounds. It also houses the best cocktail bar in the festival..
Beyond the music stages there are other cultural and educational treasures to be found such as Babbling Tongues - housing the great Green Man Pop Quiz,, holding spoken word lectures and interviews and later in the evening - a full line up of some of the best Stand Up Comedy on the circuit. You can watch an assortment of cult classic films in the Cinedrome and for those with kids - there is even a field full of science experiments known as Einstein's Garden and a separate kids area where the whole family can enjoy sing-a-longs, dressing up and lots of games.
On the final evening of the festival, after all the bands have finished is the ceremonial burning of the Green Man. Every year, the Green Man is located between the Far Out Tent and Chai Wallahs and is a large wooden sculpture - often inspired by nature and the Celtic and Pagan history of the Brecon Beacons. At midnight, it turns into a bonfire with fireworks - a celebration of the creativity of man within nature. It's a joyous moment, but also rather poignant as a reminder that the festival is over for another year.
With 2020 being the year it was and life pushing us further away from each other than ever before, the importance of festivals have never been greater. It may be quite some time before we are at one again with the 2021 season in serious doubt, but our memories still remain. As this long diatribe explains in more than enough detail, it's important to celebrate creativity where we can.
The NNWNF Green Man Festival 2015-19 Spotify playlist is below - featuring all the artists mentioned in the piece. Take a listen.
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