there's an eclectic mix of music on offer on the first day of Green Man

The last two years of the Green Man festival have been very wet, yet enjoyable, washouts, so it is perhaps a little surprising to find out that all 10000 tickets are sold out well in advance of the 2009 offering, however, the druids have done their work and conjured up a festival with 3 days of dry, and often glorious, weather after the rain on Friday morning drifted away.

The electro-pop sound of Wave Machines washed over the campsite as we set up our tent and we make our way into the main arena in time for Broken Records. Armed, or perhaps that should be footed, with our wellies (let's not forget that we are in Wales after all!) the most notable difference with the site is how easy it is to navigate when dry, and how even more spellbinding the surrounding landscape appears with the nearby Sugar Loaf mountain peering down on the festival.

The debut album from Broken Records, a seven-piece from Edinburgh, 'Until The Earth Begins To Part', was a little bit of a disappointment when it was released at the start of the summer after some rave live reviews, however it is on the stage where the band really come alive. Tracks that on record have often been compared to the Waterboys are blown into Arcade Fire style boisterousness with singer Jamie Sutherland's vocals not sounding so pompous and overblown. The early single 'If The News Makes You Sad, Don't Watch It' makes the transformation from a middle of the road indie-rock track into a thunderous live moment and is the top point of an exciting set.

Moving away from the main stage arena towards the Far Out tent (last year named Folkey Dokey) for Beth Jeans Houghton it is immediately clear how much work the organisers have done in rearranging the site to make it more easily accessible and with a less congested feeling. The movement of the Green Man Cafe from the overcrowded courtyard to a new walled Green Man Pub area is a stroke of genius with a larger stage and much more room for the punters. The Far Out stage is also moved to a more convenient location and there is the introduction of a new Chai Wallahs tent.
Beth Jeans Houghton, now with a blonde Afro wig and backing band Hooves of Destiny (complete with harlequin face paintings), is a teenage (anti-) folk singer-songwriter from Newcastle with what is looking like a big future. A little kooky (not always a bad thing) and sassy but with an ear for a fine tune, rather like a flamboyant Laura Marling. Her own water-themed short film, also titled Hooves of Destiny plays on the large screens next to the stage inside the Far Out tent with images of waterfalls and seaside silent movies, whilst Houghton sings songs from her much anticipated forthcoming album and previous EPs. 'I Will Return, I Promise' is the most memorable of her uplifting melodies with it drifting in and out of my conscience for the rest of the day.

Another songwriter with a much larger reputation for a melody is Martin Carr. Better known as the songwriter and guitarist of Britpop legends The Boo Radleys, Carr has broken away from his electronic Bravecaptain moniker and recorded a more traditional first solo album under his own name, 'Ye Gods (And Little Fishes)'. If you followed him on Twitter you might be mistaken for thinking he is a bit of a miserable git, but on the Green Man Pub stage he actually comes across as a jolly, amiable chap with (real) hair to compete with Beth Jeans Houghton's wig. Treating us to new song 'Love In The Afternoon' Carr puts on a really good gig showcasing triumphantly his song writing skills, and considering he shied away from lead vocals with The Boo Radleys his likeable vocals add to the gentle tunes. My favourite track from the new album 'Darwin's Tree' gets an airing and hopefully Carr's more approachable new tunes will help him once again meet mainstream approval.

Gang Gang Dance's 'Saint Dymphna' was a big underground hit in 2008 making many end-of-year lists and their live reputation made their set on the Main Stage one of my potential highlights for the weekend. Lead singer Liz Bougatsos is centred at the front of the stage with her own set of percussion energetically accompanying the drummer at the rear of the stage, whilst vocally she sounds a little like Karin Dreijer Andersson of Fever Ray and indeed at times Gang Gang Dance sound like a beefed-up The Knife, Andersson's other band. New York City's Gang Gang Dance are well received by the growing crowd but I can't help feeling that their sound would have been much better suited to the Far Out stage with some of the experimental electronic sounds being lost to the mountains. Opening track 'Vacuum' seems to linger forever but 'First Communication' with its underlying math-rock vibe is fantastic. Bougatsos declares her love for Wales adding "I think we'll move here in 4 years" which goes further to enrapture the Green Man crowd.

After a quick look in to the poppy-shoegazing of Errors it's back to the main stage for regular festival favourites British Sea Power. Once again the foliage is out to welcome the band and opening trio of 'Lights Out For Darker Skies', 'Remember Me' and 'Waving Flags' is a great vigorous start for the slightly eccentric Cumbrians. Later on tonight they are to play the live score to the 1934 documentary film Man of Aran to a packed out cinema tent, but in the meantime for us we're off to catch the wondrous Wooden Shjips.

The minimalistic, psychedelic and garage-rock influenced Wooden Shjips are difficult to describe, and are one of the most uniquely brilliant bands I have seen. Their booming bass, hypnotic organ and organic loops are a joy to witness and a massive Far Out audience tended to agree.

After a short burst of highly influential Texan song writing legend Roky Erickson, founder of 60s band The 13th Floor Elevators, and a comedy set from the lovely Josie Long, it was time for Friday's main stage headliners Animal Collective.

With a highly lauded album, 'Merriweather Post Pavilion', released earlier this year a lot was expected of the New York City based experimentalists. After 15 minutes of nothing more than drone they never really seemed to get going and were the only real disappointment of the weekend, if only because expectations were that high. 'My Girls', the single from the spring that has received the most mainstream airplay of any of their releases in the UK, meandered and wobbled its way through to completion. It wasn't a bad performance, just disappointing and frustrating, when it should have been brilliant.

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