Live Report: Green Man Festival 2015

Perennial festival favourite returns...

Thank goodness those nice people at the Met Office sometimes get the weather predictions wrong. Clash was prepared to get a soaking during the thirteenth Green Man festival, held in the glorious Brecon Beacons in the shadow of the Black Mountains. But the sun came out and despite a few downpours it was fine times in fine climes.

The Brecon Beacons is a famously bucolic place for a festival site and the atmosphere is always welcoming at Green Man. The weekend is greatly enhanced thanks to an absence of idiots. There is no steaming carnage, ransacked tents or pots of piss being flung around, as per some of the UK’s more corporate festivals. Green Man is never tiresome or threatening… it’s a family festival but not at the expense of ebullience or edge. There is simply a warm and friendly feel that permeates the whole weekend. It’s 20,000 music fans ready to enjoy a well curated line up of over 1,500 multi-arts performers.

The site is a doddle to navigate and it’s never more than a ten-minute womble to get to any of the stages. The Mountain Stage, with a dramatic Brecon Peak looming above it, is home to the usual glut of standout headliners.

Leftfield kick off on Thursday and seem visibly taken aback by the positive energy sent their way. Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeabor (a collaborative project with members of Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem and The Beastie Boys) get everyone bopping on Friday night performing the infectious synth-heavy Nigerian funk of the mysterious William Onyeabor, and Hot Chip keep the momentum going and bring Friday to a climax with a closing cover of ‘Dancing In The Dark’ by Bruce Springsteen that is lapped up by the masses whilst illuminated bouncy balls are launched from the stage. Saturday night sees a sensational performance from Charles Bradley, his vocals as jaw dropping as his backstory, a virtuosic delivery of classic 70s album ‘Marquee Moon’ by Television, and the big homecoming-heroes moment courtesy of Super Furry Animals.

Sunday was marked by a protean performance from Father John Misty. He rolled out all the rock posturing classics – mic stand raised over the head, dropping to the knees, one foot up on an amp etc. – but all delivered with his tongue firmly lodged in his cheek making it totally forgivable and a right ole hoot. He belted out his idiosyncratic blend of angst rock balladry and stole the show. St Vincent brought the main stage music to a fittingly electric end but there was plenty left to see as toddlers were packed off to comfy tents and untethered parents and teenagers alike kept the night going.

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As impressive as they all were, one of the many great things about Green Man is that there is much more to enjoy than the headliners. Everyone ticks off a few must-sees, but the smaller Walled Garden stage and the Far Out tent boast a slew of brilliant artists – some well-established, others breaking through, and there is always something to stumble upon.

The Walled Garden, which looks how it sounds, is like a festival within a festival, replete with a big outdoor pub and plenty of food vendors. Tom Robinson shrugged with earnest gratitude as the garden audience roared in appreciation at the close of his mid-afternoon set, a full-throated chorus of his 70s classic song ‘War’ wafting up to the cloud cover. Richard Dawson was another highlight on the same stage, surely garnering himself an army of new fans. If you’re a fan of wonky, unhinged alternative stuff by the likes of Frank Zappa, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim et al, then Dawson will be for you. LIPA luvvies All We Are also thrilled the garden crowd, getting a huge response to their infectious 80s sounding ‘Keep Me Alive’.

Over in the Far Out tent Songhoy Blues gave one of the most joyous performances of the whole festival. These permanently smiling Northern Malians, exiled from their home country by Islamic fundamentalists who would mete out death to those playing rock music, played a vivacious blend of electric desert blues and had all present screaming in support of singer Aliou Touré’s killer dance moves.

Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes also graced the Far Out stage as Sexwitch, her new project with hairy psyche rockers Toy. Although unrehearsed and a bit woolly in places, she gave good gusto and positive things can be expected in future.

Elsewhere Colorama played a hook-ridden set in the sunshine and again in the Rough Trade record shop tent and Matthew E White unleashed laid back grooves from his first two albums. Hidden beneath a flamboyant range of costumes the Swedish band GOAT provided another highlight of the weekend. Their music manages to blend Black Sabbath ‘70s heavy guitar drone rock with effervescent African rhythms and the energy of the front women is staggering.

The Sun Ra Arkestra is equally whacked out and provides some space jazz for those that way inclined, whilst The Staves, the three sisters from Watford with honeyed harmonies, are a more soothing affair. Hooton Tennis Club and their producer pal Bill Ryder Jones bring some Northern charm to the Welsh Valley, Jones playing a clutch of typically brilliant songs from his forthcoming second solo album ‘West Kirby County Primary’.

As well as three days of music the Babbling Tongues tent was home to some top class comedy with standout shows from the laconic French character Marcel Lucont and a rousing festival debut by Lancashire veteran Dan Nightingale.

This year's talks were as riveting as ever, the most amusing between brave freelance journalist Ben Thompson and the infamously cantankerous and slippery Mark E Smith. He didn’t let anyone down, berating Thompson for liking the wrong Captain Beefheart album “Oh, you’re one of them,” and at one stage bemoaning the variety of crisp flavours available. As unfathomable as he is compelling, Smith later banged out a solid set with The Fall, getting up to his usual antics of self-sabotage, blaring into several mics and shoving his band members around (except for his wife on keyboards).

With so much to see Clash kept lubricated and active at The Courtyard bar, which hosts a hugely popular Welsh Beer Festival serving 99 beers and ciders. Many were sampled, including Green Man’s very own brew, Growler bitter, and the sherbet tinged Tudor Blitz was a favourite. We also enjoyed the Orson Welles classic film noir movie ‘Touch Of Evil’ in the Cinedrome and admired a bit of walkabout theatre from Citrus Arts 'Ceirw' – folk in lovely handmade stag masks larking about.

The blazing finale for a truly great event was the burning of the Green Man effigy… a visual spectacle that’s always tinged with bittersweet sorrow as you become endeared to his presence over the weekend, but it’s alright because he’ll be back next year, as will we.

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Words and Photographs: Nick Rice

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