: it’s a celebration of the earth, Welsh culture, art, science. Every year, it hosts the best alternative folk music the world has to offer: previously, the festival’s smallest stages have seen , and . It’s a special place with an always curated line-up, and, as the festival’s director Fiona Stewart cheers on Thursday night: “Still fully independent, still owned by a woman, and still in Wales!”
Regardless of those obvious feats, there’s been moments where they’ve had to change: this year, the cathartic burning of the Green Man himself, stuffed with wishes from the festival’s punters, was cancelled following Britain’s summer of horrendous wildfires. All around the festival, we’re reminded of an impending sense of doom. The grass is dead and yellow. The heat is still unbearable. Additionally, Green Man’s grown from Wales’s best kept surreal and folkloric secret into one of the most popular festivals in Britain, each year their ticket sales outsell their last, often within the space of an hour.
Is it any wonder? is homely, cosy, affordable. It’s environmentally conscious and, crucially, it’s independent: providing five days in the gorgeous Welsh mountains, free of adverts and corporations and all that stuff. Every year, their line-up exceeds expectations by discovering offbeat, interesting and original musicians. ethereal space-folk and inventive use of the omnichord to enliven her vivid songwriting invigorate the Walled Garden. Handpicked newer artists wow unsuspecting festival-goers with their experimental methods; one highlight is , an odd fourpiece who’ve seemingly emerged from the island of . Bizarre storytelling and vocal inflections with masterful musicianship draws – and captivates – one of the biggest audiences seen at the smaller stages. and Copenhagen’s refresh indie rock, shoegaze and emo with a modern twist, with neither of their sets sounding like the classics that have come before.
On the Mountain stage, we’re treated to a host of brilliantly unconventional headliners: play an astonishing two hour set of non-stop rockers, alternating their live renditions just enough for the band’s set to remain surprising. Jeff Tweedy’s earnest and charming demeanour eases us from Friday night into the early hours of Saturday morning. throws us an energetic set before takes the reins and continues driving the crowd towards dance. This mix of folk, indie-rock, electronic music is how Green Man continues to thrive as a festival – there’s no qualms about rogue bookings; they exceed whenever they take risks.
Surprises include set at Round the Twist; a small tent that feels like a local venue. Sleepy and perhaps a bit jet-lagged, Freeman plays an impeccable show with a setlist of hits, and the excitement of the crowd makes the 30 minute slot feel like he’s only played for 10. London darlings Mary in the Junkyard were a welcome replacement for Insecure Men, who were removed from the line-up after Saul Adamczewski was accused of abuse by two former partners. No one seemed bothered that Insecure Men had dropped out; in fact most were confused they’d been put on the line-up in the first place.
Mary in the Junkyard, regardless, play a magnificent set, elevating their recorded material to new heights. Vocalist is a strange and alluring frontperson, whose between-song humour endears her to the crowd. They’re up there as one of the best sets of the weekend; the other two being, undoubtedly, and . are seen as ‘the people’s headliner’: the band ’s looking forward to seeing. Karly Hartzman’s guttural screaming with her North Carolinian twang meshing country and rock are mesmerising as the band swing through their most recent release ‘Bleeds’. Hartzman gets emotional as the crowd take over during Elderberry Wine and sing along loudly – “Fuck, we’ve never had a singalong like that at a festival before”, she gushes – Wednesday, to the people of Green Man at least, are truly the band of a generation.
close the weekend with a glittering, staggering, hilarious and brilliant set of their newest album ‘The Clearing’ and a back catalogue of hits. Ellie Rowsell commands the crowd with maniacal power, shifting from operatic, soprano vocals to pure hardcore punk snarling. The spirit of their set is delightful: here are four friends who really make the most of their success by ensuring they’re all having fun – that’s the priority. Elements of their production veer off into camp tropes of old-school leather-jackets-and-sunnies-inside Rock’n’Roll, and the audience loves it. The tender rendition of ‘Fade Into You’ by – where Rowsell is accompanied by and , is a tender moment that brings a gorgeous close to a magical weekend.
In replacement of the ceremonial burning this year, instead punters were treated to a rather lacklustre rendition of The Waterboys’ ‘The Whole of the Moon’, performed by , in an attempt to engage everyone in a kind-of campfire singalong. After spending Sunday with the star power of Ellie Rowsell and Karly Hartzman, it truly fell flat. That’s no fault of the festival. As the heat rages forward, burning the British landscapes as we watch up close, Green Man’s a respite from the AI-driven, political horror going on in the outside world. For one weekend of the year, we have the space to turn off, celebrate, and transcend time for a little bit.
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