Green Man Festival 2009 – music and mysticism from the valleys.
With new stages, an expanded layout, and sunshine, this was a revitalised Green Man Festival. The Far Out Stage boasted a great line-up, including Peter Broderick, Four Tet, Vetiver and Pivot. On Friday, it hosted one of the best sets of the festival, from Glaswegian quartet, the Errors, whose electro melodies and rock surges captivated the packed tent, while their original sounds had a magnetic pull that kept the crowd growing throughout their set.
The Errors
Backstage we had a chat with half the band, in the shape of Stephen (guitars, keys, programming) and Greg (guitars), who offered tales of their European tour, supporting Mogwai, which has seen them spend much of the year in Germany and France. For Greg, the Berlin Festival was a highlight because of its quirky venue – a disused airport. So why did they decide to come and play in the Welsh valley? Stephen explained, “…we wanted to play Green Man as the line-up makes it one of the best…it’s a festival we would actually go to if we weren’t playing. We’ve got a lot of friends here.” The guys were keen to check out Wooden Shjips and festival headliners’ Animal Collective, as well as what pieminister had to offer.
The band confirmed that there’s a new album on the horizon (yet to be named) and a UK tour, hopefully including a visit to Brighton. Respite from Friday night’s cloudless chill was found in cups of brandy chai, whiskey hot chocolate and dancing in the packed Chai Wallahs tent (the festival’s best addition). It was Brighton’s King Porter Stomp, an eight-piece ska/hip-hop ensemble who were lifting everyone’s spirits with their new outrageous horn lines, thumping beats and delicately crafted conscious rhymes, making it obvious why they have had such a successful summer. Afterwards, Jonezy (lead vocals) was clearly buzzing from their first set at Green Man and explained why they can’t wait to do it all again next year “…what a site, the amazing backdrop of the black mountains and loads of space to chill and soak it all up.. but it was the crowd that we enjoyed the most, everyone was fully up for a good stomp and boy, stomp they did.” After a jam-packed festival season KPS will be back in the studio recording an EP at the end of the year.
During the weekend, there was much talk and excitement about Peggy Sue as well as main stage performances from, Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, Dirty Three and Jarvis Cocker and this year’s festival was both impressive and intriguing. There’s no doubt that Green Man is growing but somehow it still feels full of organic goodness and retains its mystical valley charm. The druids, the Green Man pub (complete with random, framed pictures) and the spectacle of a burning Green Man effigy were woven into the weekend and kept alive the traditional bearded, cider-loving, knees-up atmosphere. With the explosion in the popularity of festivals it seems easy for organisers forget why and how they started. We’ve all returned to festivals which have lost their special vibe in favour of becoming ‘bigger and better’ so what has been Green Man’s secret in keeping the balance?
Festival Director, Fiona Stewart, who spends much of the year creating the festival, believes it comes down to an independent spirit: “Green Man has remained truly independent with no backers or sponsorship or any other investment,” she explained. “The joy of working like that is that you can have complete freedom to choose the content.” She is keen for the festival to continue working like this as it helps to keep it unique and fresh.
This year’s line-up has been described as groundbreaking in diversity and appeal, which comes as no surprise when you hear how an innovative approach is deeply embedded even in the festival planning. As Fiona explains, “Most decisions are made in my kitchen rather than at a boardroom table. So we don’t have any strategies to target particular people or anything like that…the outcome of this is that people of different ages come. What links them is a love of music, good living, and having fun.” For Fiona, being part of a great festival means “…listening to anyone who thinks they can add to the festival, allowing people creative freedom and support to develop their idea and getting more of a kick out of seeing people have fun than hearing pennies drop into bank accounts.”
And what about Green Man 2010? “We are working on something really special for next year but we can’t announce it until December and I am hopeless at keeping secrets so (we’d) better change the subject!”
Words by Amalia King
Photography by Francesca Jones
