THE 15th Green Man Festival at the Glanusk Estate near Crickhowell provided its usual successful, eclectic mix of indie guitar bands, singer-songwriters, folk acts, dance tunes, DJs, comedy, literature, cinema, theatrics and family fun. Not forgetting of course the ceremonial Sunday-night burning of the Green Man statue, this year bedecked with dragon’s wings, and fireworks.
The sold-out festival’s headline acts did not disappoint. Sunday night headliner PJ Harvey and her extensive band was the four-night festival’s highlight for many and they stayed on despite dispiriting rain. The crowd was rewarded with songs from her ninth studio album, The Hope Six Demolition Project, as well as some old favourites – ‘To Bring You My Love’ from her 1995 album of the same name was a stand-out number in the hour-and-a-quarter-long set.
The choreography added to the intense atmosphere and, although it was a shame Polly Jean didn’t rock out with her guitar, the whole thing was beautifully polished and visually stunning.
American singer-songwriter Ryan Adams’ Saturday night headline slot, preceded by a very popular Michael Kiwanuka, was full of crowd-friendly alt-country tunes. The sloping banks of the Mountain Stage were packed out but he did have to compete for his audience with the full-on indie madness from Thee Oh Sees headlining on the Far Out stage.
Thee Oh Sees were a real highlight with their mesmerising two drummers who were perfectly in sync and the edge-of-crazy stage presence of singer John Dwyer. Somehow the metronomic beats never got tired for the entire set.
Green Man favourites British Sea Power played Green Man again this year. The last time the Brighton guitar band played, in 2015, they were in a buzzing Far Out tent but this time for them it was Friday night on the main stage. The crowd loved their tunes, as well as their trademark dancing polar bear, who was joined by a brown bear and a yeti on stage, to the audience’s delight. Also veteran folk songstress Shirley Collins, now aged 82, provided festival-goers with some light relief on Saturday as she introduced some ancient folk songs and told some hilarious stories.
Current indie synthpop darlings, Future Islands from Baltimore, were hotly anticipated Friday night headliners on the Mountain Stage. You couldn’t help but marvel at singer Samuel Herring’s heart-tugging voice and energetic stage moves, even some impressive cossack-style dancing as he seemed to get lost in the music. A unique stage presence certainly sums it up. Thursday night was headlined by Oxford shoegazers Ride and music fans were also delighted by an energetic set from Toronto’s BadBadNotGood.
Away from the main stages special mention must go to Aldous Harding, mistakenly introduced as Aldous Huxley, whose intense Walled Garden set was for some the absolute highlight of the festival. The New Zealand folk singer’s vocal range was spell-binding and although it was just her and her keyboard player ‘Invisible Familiars’ for all bar one song, there was hardly a movement in the crowd as they revelled in the intensity of her beautiful lyrics and tunes. The Walled Garden has never been so packed out.
As always there’s so much more to Green Man than the main acts – and for some Chai Wallah’s provides soul, funk, dance and more to divert them from the main indie action – but the beauty of the festival is that there’s something for everyone.