We delved deep into the Welsh Black Mountains and discovered Green Man, a musically aware and environmentally positive festival founded in friendship and happiness. This is what we thought:
Fat White Family: A+
Most likely to… bend every rule.
The band of the weekend. Perfect light-drizzle music which got the sodden punters moving, mimicking the quite brilliant shapes thrown by lead singer, Lias. Mixing some real treats with a smattering of tunes from the latest album, the Fat Whites rocked up with their usual moody – yet somehow encapsulating – tunes, fusing a new mastering of synths and sax with the old-school hard guitars that they’ve become so loved for.
Khruangbjn: A
Most likely to… be the coolest kids.
Effortlessly cool jams, slick performing and a wonderful connection with the crowd. Khruangbin have made “Thai funk” their own, encapsulating their influences that range from Asian pop to Middle-Eastern soul. From minute one they had everyone hooked; people were lost in the wonderful sounds created, floating along to the dreamy noises that swam through everyone’s heads.
Sharon Van Etten: A
Most likely to… teach at the same school she attended.
Assured in her ability not only as the singer-songwriter she started as, but the rock goddess she has become, Shazza showed that motherhood has not mellowed her. A huge sound filled the deep Welsh valley to the brim. With only an hour and fifteen minutes, she played through most of her fifth album (released this year) and demonstrated live a skill-set that has always been evident on her records: the ability to be tentative and gentle, yet still with the capacity to scream, evoking that same pain she felt writing the lyrics she now sings.
The Growlers: A
Most likely to… skip school and go to the beach.
This set was hotly anticipated festival-wide, as the grace of The Growlers’ self-proclaimed ‘beach goth’ does not surf onto British shores too often. Another lead singer with a great stage presence: pacing the stage, posing during the long instrumental sections and even engaging in some microphone-to-beer baseball. All this, with the Strokes-esque distorted vocals and groovy guitar licks, created quite a special moment, appreciated by the many that flocked to witness.
Pottery: A-
Most likely to… get a surprise A.
In the vocals of Wire, blended with the guitars of Parquet Courts and the swagger of The Clash, Pottery have a very welcomed fresh sound and desire to perform. It was clear that, as a relatively new and unknown band, they were ecstatic that people had come to see them on their pretty big slot – even if they tried to play it off cooly. The lead vocalist picked plucky tunes and had an immediately obvious talent for performing, supported by a loud, driving bass. Discovery of the weekend.
Yak: B+
Most likely to… flip tables, chairs, cupboards, desks, everything.
The Wolverhampton boys smashed any mid-Sunday drowsiness away as they brought their notoriously riotous live performance, mixed it up and kicked it in your face. New songs from this year’s LP are much better live, with the lead singer chanting and inciting borderline violence amongst those who dare to venture close to the barrier. I think the Welsh countryside needs time to recover.
A Certain Ratio: B
Most likely to… be the parents at parents’ evening.
An honourable mention to this lot, who, despite their age, lack of chart hits and lack of acknowledgement (unlike many other Manchester bands in the post-Joy Division era) were a class act. A band way ahead of their time: hard-hitting bass riffs steered a well-oiled ship, propelled by a synth sound familiar now but not when they first began. Switching instruments – with a sax player who popped in and out and shit-loads of cow bells – it’s truly remarkable how they aren’t huge. Unappreciated for how good they are.
