The sun set fast upon driving through the hilly roads of the Brecon Beacons, the traffic disappearing off into towns of the dual carriageway, until it’s 10pm on the Thursday of Greenman, and my car is alone in the dark winding single lanes, seemingly lost, hoping that I hadn’t missed a sign out there. There’s an air like something bad is going to happen, and like clockwork my ipod’s shuffle mode provides me with some haunting strings, thanks to Owen Pallet, creating a cinematic end to a long journey, which is thankfully interrupted by the sight of the Far Out stage through the trees. There’s an alive atmousphere from the second I step out of my car: it’s apparent that I’m one of the last people arriving that day, and the numbers of people turning up have dwindled, but you can still hear people cheering and enjoying themselves just over the fence. First goal then, attempting to put up my unnecessarily huge tent in total darkness. Sorted.
The thing that arriving late at night takes away is getting a real feel for your environment, the view limited to the lit walkways and the edge of the festival site. Stepping out of my tent was breathtaking, the picturesque Black Mountains providing the nicest backdrop of any festival I’ve been to. The organisers couldn’t have picked a nicer location to put the festival site on visually. The only possible concern is that, as we’re on low ground with tall hills all around, I do wonder what the site would be like with a lot of rain. Not that it’s an issue this weekend, the small amount of drizzle is easily cleared up by the frequent bursts of sun.
The arena area isn’t huge and so before the bands start getting a feel for the site is essential. It turns out I was camped just outside the Kids area, home to shows, games and enjoyable things for kids to stay entertained. Probably not the best idea if you’re someone who wants a lay in every day at a festival, but as someone who wants more of the day to enjoy the festival I had no problems with kids yelling in enjoyment and entertainers being generally loud!
The first band of the festival for me was Parquet Courts, who I decided to see purely because I’ve seen their name dotted around (sometimes by our writers). I learned pretty quickly that they’re not really my cup of tea; their brand of inoffensive indie didn’t really get my day going to an energetic start, with simple songs and at one point even a song which I could have sworn contained all of two chords, and felt like it went on for about a month. On the positive side I would say they put on a tight performance, but it did mean there was no real excitement and I would go as far as saying that it felt to me like the band weren’t even all that bothered about performing themselves. I followed this up with The Pastels who didn’t really get the energy flowing, although were much more interesting musically, incorporating a wide range of instruments and actually having well written songs (the intro track in particular was quite epic).
After a quick dinner (Pie Minister; my source of energy at festivals 2013), I headed over to catch Portico Quartet who I expected big things from, as I’m quite a fan of their work on record. I’ve got to say, they didn’t disappoint! The setup on stage was quite amazing, to ensure a blend of the traditional instruments with the new technology available to them. The drums appear to be a mix or acoustic drums and triggered electronic drums. There’s a nice energy to it all which seems to be absorbed by a peaceful crowd, smiles on a lot of faces. It’s a bit late, but musicwise the festival has caught up with its surroundings and cheery atmosphere. It’s definitely on the up. An interlude in that comes from a quick few songs from Midlake, who unfortunately made me aware that I was drifting off a bit (nice folky vocals and acoustic music making me realise how tired I really am), who were abandoned in favour of Fuck Buttons.
Fuck Buttons are a band who I’ve seen before, and enjoyed (supporting Mogwai in London), but have never really connected with on record. Recorded it’s just fine electronic music, where in a live situation you can see the energy going into it, and how it’s not all sequenced to oblivion. Their Green Man set is no exception, the band throwing themselves into their table of toys creating complex soundscapes that at times flatter the ears, and at others send them to hell. The visuals were perfect too, the two Kinect cameras mounted on the front of the screen allowing a real time green screen affect using the proximity of the two members, allowing for lush backgrounds. It’s safe to say the audience were getting into it: an energetic end to a great day!
After what was a comparatively quiet sleep for a festival, Saturday started out promisingly, with a bacon roll from the Dorset Smokery before heading to Revere over at the far out stage. A band that I’ve heard so much about, yet not really given the time to, Revere’s set had a whole lot going for it; the detail in the songs and the intelligent structures really worked for me, brought together by seven members. I’d definitely suggest going to watch them live if you get the chance as they were easily one of my Green Man highlights.
I decided to spend a bit of time at the Green Man Rises stage to check out a bit of the new talent at the festival. The first band I was there for were Chinese Missy, named after the frontman’s Corgi. They were pretty inoffensive and harmless, but seemed quite dated really, as the band members were inevitably young playing a style of rock music that’s well before their time and possibly been done to death. I can’t argue that the guys had the attitude, and they certainly did manage to get the fairly docile audience standing and dancing a bit during the last song. There were a few bits which bothered me (why was a clearly non-American band singing the lyrics “God bless America, the land of the free”?), but the audience did seem to enjoy them. Next up were recent Alcopop! Records signing Rad Stewart. Their lyrics were pretty amusing and they had lovely interactions with the audience, their painted faces making it hard to take them too seriously. Very much a garage band, their songs were certainly fun.
After a quick lunch break soundtracked by the lush vocals of Roy Harper it was time for one of the bands I was most looking forward to, Low. They started strong, the fairly epic sounding instrumental building up at a good volume for the time of day! The vocal harmonies were prominent and enjoyable, and the band seemed to be revelling in playing with such a great view of the hills beyond the audience. It was emotional stuff, with a few of my favourite songs of the band, ‘Monkey’ and ‘Murderer’, and they even played a request from an audience member, which is a rare occurrence with bands of their size.
On the other side of the festival, Archie Bronson Outfit were the polar opposite of what I had just witnessed, with their bluesy riffs, heavy drumming and fairly aggressive vocal style. They were quite striking in their Jumpsuits, but also due to their layout on the stage, the drums taking the stage left position, something a bit different. The Horrors were my main evening band to see on the main stage, and I was met with one of the busiest crowds I’d seen at that point over the weekend. Their fairly noisy fuzzy set went well with the dark stage and flashing lights. I don’t really follow The Horrors but their set was mostly recognisable to me, making me think it was mostly a greatest hits set. The Saturday was ended with a relative calm however, thanks to Villagers over at the Far Out Stage. I wouldn’t say the band were that ‘far out’ but their inoffensive indie was pleasant to listen to, and the vocals were incredible. The yellow raincoat of the frontman seemed fairly fitting with the rain picking up outside – while never heavy this was definitely not the right festival to be the first time I’ve forgotten to bring a coat.
Sunday came around fairly quick and looking at the schedule it was the first time all weekend where running from stage to stage was a possibility. After half hour of Fernhill, with their lovely music, some of it in English, some of it in Welsh, I decided to head over to the Far Out Stage. While it may have annoyed some people, the slight delay on the Far Out stage lead to the stage pretty much perfectly syncing up with the other stages allowing me to catch more music. Starting the day though, were Flamingods, who I would go as far as saying were the first band on the Far Out stage to justify the stage’s title, the five piece band playing a selection of rock, traditional and ethnic instruments to create some incredible sounds with intricate structures. People were actually dancing at 12pm! And not just the girls who came out to dance to one song, the audience actually seemed to brought alive by the incredible sounds coming from the stage.
Based entirely on the fact I liked their name, I rushed over to Fanfarlo on the main stage, as the five piece soft-indie was coming into swing. Their music was nice, and the vocals were lovely, but I feel they should perhaps work on their stage banter, comments like “Sponsored by Island Magic, a better blend” which I think the frontman thought was funny, but it really wasn’t and the audience comprised mostly of families probably didn’t really appreciate the endorsement of crap rum. Sitting down to lunch from the community kitchen (which was really good food considering how cheap it was!), Lau were playing in the back and I thoroughly enjoyed their slow building folky music and finger picked guitars.
A quick trip back to the Far Out stage, Woods were about to start something interesting, with their fairly folky psychedelic music, with long jams and crazy instrumental sections. The vocals were kind of weird, but definitely distinctive. I didn’t actually enjoy that aspect, but I can imagine that they’d likely grow on me after a while. Staying with the Far Out tent, Melodies Echo Chamber played a synth heavy set driven by a punchy bass guitar. There were the odd long instrumental section, but the front woman’s pleasant voice glided peacefully to my ears through most of the set. I’d definitely watch again! Staying in the same spot, Unknown Mortal Orchestra kept justifying the stage name with a set of incredible musicianship, with extended solos and the guitarist seemingly lost in the moment.
In the Walled Garden, Public Service Broadcasting had drawn such a crowd that a one way system had to be put in place to stop people getting stuck in the enclosed space. The projection aspect of their performance was sadly very dull before the sun started to set, which I can’t really complain as it was the sign of a sunny afternoon, but the band made up for it with incredible looped sets with synths, guitar, banjo and drums performed by two members. The band’s way of communicating, using samples triggered off a keyboard, was a sure winner with the audience, who giggled as a robotic voice requested “More…synth…please” and proclaimed “it’s good to be here at…Green Man Festival”. The drumming was fantastic, keeping it together despite the looped nature of the music. Another festival highlight, if the band come to a venue near you then you really must see them!
One of the few names on the comedy line up I recognised, Josh Widdicombe was playing on Sunday evening, and I presumed it would be impossible to get into, so after Public Service Broadcasting I took my seat for the end of Pappy’s set, what seemed to be a long musical representation of the worst thing that could happen upon daring to ask someone out. It’s a shame I missed the beginning of their set because it was seriously amusing stuff. This was followed by Suzie Ruffle who seemed to talk a lot about relationship stuff (which doesn’t usually amuse me very much, although got a few laughs) and had a few highlight lines in the form of things her grandma said in hospital. Josh Widdicombe’s set was next, and it had its moments; he offended V Festival at one point, but kind of undid that by offending rugby. Not the best place to do so! The audience stayed on his side though, providing some interesting moments (“I have no idea how to deal with a heckle like that” in response to someone asking if he’ll marry her friend). He was as quick witted as you’d expect and certainly got a tonne of laughs.
The musical finale for me came from Swans. Multiple people have tried to get me into Swans before, lending me albums because it’s “the kind of thing that you should love” but, other than the odd song, I’d never really gotten in the band. Seeing them live has changed that. The way that Michael Gira commands the band and the amount of energy in the performance is inspiring. The quieter moments were beautiful and the heavier moments were insanely loud. That show was easily the second loudest show I’ve ever heard. In the photo pit standing in front of the bass bin to take a shot I could feel myself being pushed backwards, and the actual volume generated just by the amplifiers on the stage was frankly insane. The structures of the songs were intricate and the musicianship was something else. It wasn’t a case that everyone was playing all the time, people knew when to drop out and how that added something to the overall soundscape. It’s prompted me to revisit their back catalogue because, honestly, I was wrong. Swans are something special.
The grand finale of everything was the burning of the Green Man, I believe representing the end of summer, when the trees lose their leaves and re-grow them in Spring, which had a huge crowd in the complete darkness. The firework display and burning was stunning to watch, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad for the Green Man – essentially you were watching an big, grinning, leafy man being burned to the ground, and I find myself siding mentally with the people chanting “Let. Him. Live”. Spectacular anyway, of course.
So that was it, Green Man 2013, my first Green Man. I didn’t know what to expect when I headed to the festival, other than a fairly soft line up, but I found the most beautiful scenery in which to host a festival possible. Everyone I bumped into was an absolute delight (even the dance tent late at night was peaceful) and it was easy to feel welcome and, well, just good, all weekend. If I was to give one bit of criticism, it would be the lack of security – I only had my wristband checked once going into the campsite despite going to the car a few times over the weekend. No one seemed to stop anyone (usually a glance is fine, but as someone who has an arm of wristbands it’s impossible to check without looking), and it was Saturday before anyone checked my wristband going into the arena. There was also no real security presence at the front of the stages for most sets, the lone security guard on the main stage for the earlier sets actually being behind the speakers, with no line of sight. It’s a small issue on an otherwise faultless weekend however, and it’s definitely preferable from my point of view than the opposite and having over the top security (Y Not Festival’s policy of searching everyone for example). If you want a peaceful festival, Green Man’s the one.
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