as wishes go, the return of Green Man lives up to expectations

Sometimes, the anticipation is better than the payoff. Not so with The Green Man Festival. They confirmed themselves as going ahead less than 5 weeks before the start date, and still somehow managed to produce a near-impeccable festival. Set in a stunning location in the Brecon Beacons, signposting, arrival, COVID safety checks, wristbanding, etc. were all swift and efficient. 

The first act we saw was Nubiyan Twist, whose delightful afro-jazz brought upbeat vibes that would remain through the festival. Lazy Habits’ hip hop varied, he’s a much better singer than a rapper. Tirzah was a worthy Thursday headliner, her ethereal, dreamy voice captivated the tent, but she just lacked enough presence that it felt like she could become lost on a bigger night.

The food and beer selection was predictably excellent, as well as their own ale and IPAs both being very tasty, the Courtyard bar offered over 80 different real ales from across at least 10 local breweries, the sort of range that’s always appreciated.

Bimbling aside, most of early Friday was spent at the Green Man Rising stage for upcoming artists. Lazarus Kane particularly stood out, with good performances from Tina and Sister Wives sandwiching a fairly bland display from Pet Deaths.

Django Django felt similarly generic, but thankfully opposite them was the excellent Greentea Peng, who paired an incredibly groovy bassline with one of the most arresting vocal displays I’ve yet seen amidst hundreds of artists. 

Caribou is one of those acts who I’ve always worried is going to disappoint live. Thankfully this wasn’t the case, they merged their disparate songs between dreamy chilled electro-pop and intense psych-beats perfectly in a series of medleys, and the light show shifted the band into silhouettes or more prominent in tempo to the stylistic changes.

Along with the 4 main musical stages, Green Man hosts a Chai Wallahs, Cinema tent, a fully solar-powered stage and an impressive array of art installations, comedy, and workshops. 

Somehow, despite the array of disparate styles on offer, we mostly spent Saturday afternoon seeing folksy soft rock guitar acts. Peggy Sue stood out with a haunting vocal performance, only outdone by Laura Marling, both playing a secret solo set and performing on Far Out as her dark-psych project LUMP. Comparatively, James Riley Band was inoffensively bland, lacking the poetry of BC Camplight, or the upbeat energy of This is the Kit.

Black Midi felt almost out of place, particularly in contrast to the acts earlier that day, but this was a stunning performance. Their off-tempo math-rock felt driven by the dominant, sludgy basslines, and the presence of dark mimes on stage perfectly accentuated the slightly punchy spoken word used sparingly as vocals.

Mogwai crafted a haunting set, steadily growing in intensity as they blended together an almost perfect set across their remarkable history, with an elegantly mixed dose from their latest number one album. Some bands just seem to constantly improve, and their soundscaping crept deeply into everyone’s subconscious and out the other side to produce something truly magical.

The range of late night entertainment after each day’s headliners was fantastic. Far Out offered some fantastic intense dance and electronic music such as Kelly Lee Owens, Ross from Friends, and Giant Swan; The Walled Garden showcased Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon, Dutty Disco, and the Deptford Northern Soul Club to provide some upbeat classics in a range of styles; there was comedy until 2am, although Stuart Goldsmith’s Sunday attempts at observational wit would barely make the filler of most other comic sets; and Chai Wallahs DJs and the campfire completed a delightful range of ways to pleasantly spend the early hours.

A delay arriving on site swapped The Showhawk Duo and Aleighcia Scott’s performance times around, but while hearing reggae in a Welsh accent felt somewhat bizarre, she impressed, as did The Staves, with their delightful guitar-pop perfect for the afternoon summer sun. As a booking, Squid felt like a slightly disappointing choice of special guests, given their ubiquity on festival line-ups this summer, but their performance felt full of energy, even if the circuit doesn’t need yet more post-punk revival white boy guitar bands.

Dream Wife felt much more refreshing, delivering modern feminist lyrics with power that felt like new, challenging punk, completely outstaging Fontaines D.C. While the final headliners had a wit and brutality to their lyrics and performance, it felt like they could have been a relevant band at any time in the last 40 years, whereas Dream Wife’s dominant presence on the Walled garden just prior could only happen now.

For the closing ceremony, the Green Man burned, complete with an array of wishes written inside it across the weekend. The accompanying firework display was impressive, but understated enough to not detract from the fire itself. While there was still a variety of late-night entertainment carrying on towards 4am, it felt like a marker was laid down: The Green Man was gone, but he will return. Bittersweet to go, but a spectacular conclusion to an amazing festival. As the Green Man steadily collapsed into the flames, the most potent wish felt like a wave of desire to return and see it again.

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