The backdrop, a beautiful estate in the middle of Wales, Glanusk Park. Green Man Festival welcomed all to sample its many delights. In fact I was one of the many crew members who greeted those who made the trip and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my Green Man experience.
Green Man hosted a multitude of people from fields of Cinema, Comedy & Literature and many technology based companies to give you a small idea of all the hustle and bustle, however my concern here is of course music.
The action at Green Man got underway on a Thursday (well for the staff, the day before with the staff party, hehe) and lasted until the end of the week. For each day I will name a few acts who were my personal favourites, however just a few, otherwise this would turn into essay. Let’s begin.
Thursday: Rackabeat & Bar-Low make me move my Honeyfeet
Thursday was the day I discovered Chai Wallahs. Chai Wallahs is a lottery funded project that is a venue for emerging talent and is continually branching out through more and more festivals; including festivals such as Beach Break.
Chai Wallahs was an intimate venue that boasted its own shisha bar and a bar that served a vast array of drinks, a personal favourite of mine being chai brandy, delicious!
The first act that really caught my attention were Mancunian group, Honeyfeet. Honeyfeet, led by frontwoman, Ríoghnach Connolly and assisted by her immense rhythm and horn section, really kicked off my Green Man experience with their blend of folky-pop funk. A track that I remember fondly was ‘Quickball’, wonderful singing and big band beats, what more could you ask for.
Another act that stood out for me were DJ’s Rackabeat & Bar-low. They had strong similarities to sample heavy DJ’s such as A.Skillz, which can only be a good thing from my point of view. They were rather eclectic in their choices of music too, they included everything from Fat Freddy’s Drop to System of a Down, it was great. Their scratching too was top notch and it really setup the weekend nicely. A great start.
Just to give you a little sample of both bands music, here is some music by both artists. Enjoy!
Friday: Mogwai and Mr Scruff, more than enough
The head was hurting friday morning, my partying perhaps got a little out of hand but on with the show. My day began with litres with coffee and before I knew it I was on shift.
My shift lasted six hours in that time I managed to catch a quick glimpse of Dexys and Junior Boys, however the line-up had been kind to me and left with me the two acts I came for; Mogwai and Mr Scruff.
My first opinion of Mogwai and probably everyone else’s is that they are LOUD! And I mean LOUD! Regardless they were magnificent. I was entranced throughout the entire set and was caught completely unaware when they finished.
A few hours wait and it was time for me to break my Scruff virginity, and thankfully it was well worth the wait. The set began slowly however grew and grew until he masterfully unleashed big basslines and some classics from his notorious Keep It Unreal album. I even managed to have a sneaky conversation with him after the show. Top man.
I leave this section with being proudly able to reveal Mr Scruff’s new singles out on digital release 24th September and a Mogwai classic. Ah memories.
Listen: Mogwai - I'm Jim Morrison, I'm dead
Saturday: Yann or Van, the battle to be ‘The Green Man’
In the blue corner, Van Morrison, a Northern Irish legend who was perhaps the main reason for the visit of the vast majority of the Green Man faithful. In the red corner, Yann Tiersen, a French favourite of mine who has previously had this writer’s approval. However just who was ‘the man’. Being ‘the man’ is perhaps the holy grail of all social titles one could receive, yet deciding who deserves this accolade was certainly tricky.
Let’s start with Van, to many of his fans he is already known as Van the Man. It was easy to see why, Van and his band were firing on all cylinders. Van like a diligent taskmaster worked his band to near-perfect renditions of hit songs Brown Eyed Girl and Here Comes The Night and many more besides.
Before Yann came on stage, I was very intrigued to how Yann’s unique style would translate to the stage. Luckily, very well. Yann’s live band played many classics including Another Shore, my favourite song from his latest album Skyline.
However who was The Green Man? I would have to give it to Van, as his performance delighted both young and old and that perhaps over the weekend he was the act that epitomized the Green Man spirit.
Yet there was some other acts that I couldn’t not mention in this section of the review. First and foremost was Laid Blak. They absolutely oozed of natural charisma and they really got Chai Wallahs bouncing. Hit song Red led to some truly dodgy skanking by myself, but hey I was having fun.
Here is some more songs by both all these fantastic artists. Ooh I do spoil ya guys.
Listen: Van Morrison - And It Stoned Me
Listen: Laid Blak - Red (Burnin')
Sunday: Out of the clouds came a Ghostpoet and a Hidden Orchestra
Saturday was excellent, my first thought was how was Sunday ever going to compete with that? Actually that’s a lie, my first thought was OMG this hangover is appalling, help me!
Sunday began with the prospect with a 1am to 7am shift so I planned my day carefully so that I could see everyone I wanted to see. I’m happy to report I managed to see all the bands on my list and more, great success (Borat accent emphasis)!
The first on that list was Ghostpoet. I think in all my years of going to concerts, I have never been so sure an act was going to be so good after just one minute. Damn, he was good. Ghostpoet truly brought the sun out of the clouds, the music gods had sent a saint to bring joy to Green Man. Ghostpoet launched into his many hits from his debut album, Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam. He finished with Cash and Carry Me Home however I didn’t want him to go, his music stept up several notches when performed live and he was superb. Great audience interaction was a real plus too. Well done Ghostpoet, now go and collaborate with Portishead or Massive Attack as I really believe that you are a lost member and i’m 99.9% sure it would sound amazing.
Chai Wallahs once again delivered when Hidden Orchestra emerged onstage. Boasting two drummers, Hidden Orchestra were certainly something unique. Hidden Orchestra are a different beast live compared to your average listen in your bedroom. Louder, bigger bass, the live drums all these little differences add up to make a huge difference. Electronic Jazz at its finest.
Yet before I conclude this review there was one group I couldn’t leave out. Urban Folk Quartet (UFQ) were truly mental! Chai Wallahs had experienced some acts that lit up the crowd, however UFQ took it to a new level. They made the crowd clap faster than the speed of sound, bend down collectively like a military display and skank like people’s lives depended on it. You could really tell they were a group who were really having fun performing. Folk has never been more fun than with these guys.
Listen: Ghostpoet - Survive It (feat. Roots Manuva) (Gang Panang Remix)
Overall my experience was something special, I would just like to thank those who helped me enjoy these fine acts and the wonderful people I met during my time at Green Man. Well that’s me done, hopefully I will return next year and report on more festivals too, [theMusicHobo] out!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 8:52PM 
