Post by synthpopeye on Aug 22, 2023 0:04:04 GMT
Another life affirming vs ear destroying weekend at the best festival on planet earth! Here is my annual run down of Green Man Festival after last year off and a fresh jump right into the deep end with very little knowledge on a lot of the new bands we were planning on going to see...
Let's kick off with the Thursday:
β The Bug Club β
I was told ahead of the festival by a couple of people that these were a band we needed to check out. We headed over to the Walled Garden stage to watch the Caldicot based Indie-Punk trio do what they do best. I think that was the most packed I've seen that stage all weekend and they were pretty good. The first 4-5 songs we heard were really cool short bursts of Punky songs played with clean guitars, which I'm always a fan of, but it did start to get a little samey then so we tapped out about halfway through. They were good though, a great way to kick off the weekend of bands ahead!
β Spiritualized β
I've heard a lot about this band but sadly, they weren't for us. Maybe it was because we expected more of a party mood on the first night of the festival, or the fact that their name does sound like a 'dance' sort of act, but it was a bit too chilled for our liking. Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to listen to them and give them another go, but at the time it was drawn-out pretty piano music with angelic backing singers, which I reckon would have been better suited for the main stage in the afternoon rather than late on the opening night.
We're getting older now and we like sleep. As everyone partied until the early hours of the morning, we retraced our steps looking for my missing ear plug which was long gone... Like a needle in a haystack! I was a bit worried, but bought some disposable ones from the shop and hoped for the best ahead of the BIG Friday night:
β UNIVERSITY β
This year they delegated some of the short live session acts to the Round The Twist stage, which was a good way to get a taster for some of the bands who would be playing on the bigger stages later on - It was a cool way to get to see more intimate sets earlier on in the day. UNIVERSITY were a trio who were noisy as heck! In a good way and in a bad way. Volume wise it was ear-splitting, but musically they were pretty interesting and Punky. We didn't stick around too long to watch them, but each band were only playing about 3 songs each on this stage so they were cool enough to kick the day off for us. The singer kept pulling an evil smirk every couple of seconds, which we found quite funny for some reason
β CumGirl8 β
Watching the band, we were pleasantly surprised! Kind of Gothy sounding and drawly post-punk tunes with trebly guitars and an almost Jesus and the Mary Chain / Siouxsie and the Banshees sort of vibe. I will admit they were a bit of a gimmick, with the all-girl band dressing up like extras from a PG-13 version of The Craft, but it really worked as a whole. I actually enjoyed them that much we followed them down to the signing tent so I could grab a copy of their new EP which was released the same day. We also took a photo with them and they were very friendly and approachable. One of my highlights of the weekend!
β Butch Kassidy β
We went back to the tent for a short while and then I ventured off to charge my phone and watch some of Butch Kassidy's set in on the Rising stage. They were pretty good but I did trundle off after about 3 songs as they were a bit too heavy for my liking. Imagine a cross between the power of Mogwai and the energy of At The Drive-In, then you've got this band. We watched them do one song at the sessions tent a couple of days later too which was ok but not enough time to take them in fully. They were ok though!
β Ξ£tella β
We wandered over to the Walled Garden to check out this Greece based band who I liked the sound of on YouTube when listening the night before. We didn't stay too long for the set as we wanted to check out another band on another stage, so stayed for a few songs. They were pretty tidy though, some nice dreamy guitar work going on, but it was a bit too 'serious' for my liking. They weren't bad at all though, definitely a band I could listen to.
β Warmduscher β
And the award for the most disappointing band of the weekend goes to these guys. I fell victim to the hype machine it seems as I've heard nothing but rave reviews about this band, but honestly found them nothing too special. Just Rock/Punk with a little bit of an edge, nothing to really write home about. Maybe I just heard the wrong songs or something at the time, but I'll admit I was a little let down.
β Devo β
THE BIG ONE. We were suited and booted, ready to take on the spudboys for their farewell tour and it was GLORIOUS. I have no complaints whatsoever and I could write a review ten times as long as this status for Devo alone, but I'll just pick out some highlights. All the songs I wanted to hear, all the energy / gimmicks I expected, getting one of their ripped suits, being right down the front and centre all the way through it, chatting to Devo fans near us... Argh, it was PERFECT! We dressed up, we got filmed fist-pumping to the songs on the main screen, we got a photo of ourselves on the Green Man AND on the Devo Facebook pages. I can't describe how happy I am that I got to experience one of my all time favourite bands, at the best possible place and with the person I love, right on my doorstep. THANK YOU β€
Everything after this was now just a bonus, so we blissfully meandered into the Saturday without a care in the world:
β Yabba β
We pulled our chairs out with us for a lazy Saturday afternoon, just checking out any band that caught our ear in the afternoon. Glasgow's 'Yabba' hit the Rising Stage with an angry pomp which was a little bit Rage Against The Machine but also a bit Punk rock, they were pretty good to be fair! Angry, shouty post-punk with rapid fire vocals and a ton of unmatched angst. I can listen to these, will check them out a bit more over the coming weeks I reckon! We also managed about one song by 'Suep' right after but they weren't really for us so we just wandered off.
β The Wedding Present β
We went over to the Far Out tent to check out these guys as we've heard a lot about them in the past, but didn't know much of their material. Knowing them as this 80s Indie / Goth band, they weren't too bad, just a bit chill. They had some great melodies and old school vibes that reminded me of bands like The Nightingales or The Cure, but were relaxed enough for us to warrant bringing our foldable chairs along with us.
β uh β
My partner went over to watch Dylan Moran perform a comedy set in another tent so I went to the Rising Stage on my own to catch this ethereal synth-duo. Not long after they started she scrabbled her way to the front to find me as she wasn't enjoying Dylan much due to the tent being packed and the volume not being loud enough to hear what he was really saying. I think she didn't mind though as I text her saying "They sound like Yazoo!" but then I realised shortly afterwards it was a bit more psychedelic wailing with farty dance beats in the background. Not bad at all though, quite captivating and a really enjoyable synthy / DJ sort of set.
β Bob Vylan β
I wasn't a fan going in but my partner was a bit curious to see him and I was at the point in the day where anything goes. Hypocritically of me, I really enjoyed the first 5-6 songs! There were Metal meets Punk kind of vibes with a ton of manic energy which I really picked up on. I'm not invested in political lyrics personally, but it was loud and raucous enough to be drowned out by the loud thrashy music. As the set went on though, it started to devolve into more Skepta sort of Hip-Hop territory so we turn tailed and headed out to watch someone else. No regrets though, they were perfectly fine!
β Water From Your Eyes β
This New York duo were really cool and another highlight for me of the weekend. Cool hipster post-punk vibes with a bit of a modern dance beat, keeping me engaged. They had a good slot on the Walled Garden stage which was easy to get to the front and back for so we were dipping in and out to watch them, grab a beer and use the loos. I really liked them and I'm looking forward to checking out more of their music soon (maybe I should have actually watched them when they supported Interpol in Bristol a few months ago though? Oops).
β Goat β
This band performed a BIBLICAL set. A really interesting and mix of psychedelic, world music and heavy-ish Rock. All dressed up in interesting face-hiding costumes and really energetic, engaging and fun to watch. I thought their music was definitely suited to the more hippy-ish demographic but it was awesome to hear all that mental bongo playing, cool guitar and bass interplay and yelping lead vocals all mix together to create something so unique and special. One of the highlights of the weekend for me considering I didn't think I'd enjoy them as much as I actually did going in.
With the post-hangover kicking in, the sleep deprived body aches and the general 'I'm starting to feel fed up now' kind of vibes. We went into Sunday with a relaxed attitude with plans to head home around 11pm after we watched a handful of bands in the afternoon. Sunday went like this:
β Julie β
Starting the day off with some heavy shoe-gaze, Julie were pretty damn cool! A very loud fuzzy dream-pop trio with some interesting backing visuals of a power-point projector screen malfunctioning. I made a joke to my partner saying that I want to spend that amount of time on the floor when I'm gigging myself as the band were down on the ground twiddling pedals and adding to the extra cacophony of noise to help boost their set.
β Nuha Ruby Ra β
It was nice to see Nuha perform again, this time with a backing guitarist to add a bit of extra oomph. She wasn't pretty cool but I think a mix of drinking over the weekend, the heat and the lack of proper ear protection was starting to catch up with me at this point. I did really enjoy the song I like called 'Self Portraiture' and she was totally in her element with the usual stage swagger she's been become know for, but I tapped out after 20 minutes.
β Thus Love β
My partner went over to check these guys out while I was charging my phone but then I lost her. Spending half an hour wandering around searching the Walled Garden while Thus Love played didn't give me much opportunity to focus on their set, but they sounded ok enough. Vocally they reminded me of Wall Of Voodoo in places, but it was just some inoffensive Indie Rock and Roll with a bit of an edge. Totally fine by me! I managed to find her for the next band when she asked a stranger to text me and meet me there. Bless her!
β Gilla Band β
One of my favourite bands on this year's line-up didn't disappoint. I haven't seen them live for a few years and their new music is starting to get much more eerie and creepier in places. The world's most pathetic mosh-pit kept trying to get started during their set, which never really built up into anything too chaotic as the music is kind of a 'controlled noisy mess' being the best way to put it. I love it for that reason though! It's arty, but accessible, rythmic but also inaudible. I thought they were ace! I think they were the most original band of this year's line-up and I think you should check them out.
β Amyl & The Sniffers β
Now, I went in slightly ignorant to these guys, but I thought they were great! My aprtner wasn't too fussed saying they reminded her of a budget Plasmatics covering Motorhead, and she wasn't wrong, but I thought they were enjoyable. Plenty of anarchic stage presence, some really catchy songs and the fact they kept swearing on the main stage was nothing short of hilarious! I found it such a surreal slot for such a Punky band, but I pretty much watched the entire set from different places in the audience and I quite enjoyed them. I couldn't imagine how mental that show in Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardff a few years ago must have been?
β Island of Love β
We finished off our day with about 5 songs from Island of Love on the Rising stage who I thought were pretty cool. Sort of Indie/Rock slacker vibes with echoes of Yuck, early Green Day and The Strokes. They were quite a young band but very tight, had some wicked guitar interplay and also the added bonus of a skeleton with a monkey hat hanging from the stage. I'll definitely be checking these guys out a bit more this week!
Overall, another wonderful festival. My ears are a bit sore after losing my main earplugs (expensive to replace now sadly) but we are happily stuffed full of Mac N Cheese. I picked up some cool vinyl albums and my partner got a cool jacket and some little titbits. Green Man is a very special festival which is close to our hearts, lovely to see so many people we knew and every stranger we spoke to was lovely and down to earth as expected. Some bands we missed out on this year who sounded great were Madmadmad, Les Savy Fav and Jockstrap, but hopefully we may get the chance to see them again someday. We couldn't do it all, but by God we tried. We love you Green Man!
Let's kick off with the Thursday:
β The Bug Club β
I was told ahead of the festival by a couple of people that these were a band we needed to check out. We headed over to the Walled Garden stage to watch the Caldicot based Indie-Punk trio do what they do best. I think that was the most packed I've seen that stage all weekend and they were pretty good. The first 4-5 songs we heard were really cool short bursts of Punky songs played with clean guitars, which I'm always a fan of, but it did start to get a little samey then so we tapped out about halfway through. They were good though, a great way to kick off the weekend of bands ahead!
β Spiritualized β
I've heard a lot about this band but sadly, they weren't for us. Maybe it was because we expected more of a party mood on the first night of the festival, or the fact that their name does sound like a 'dance' sort of act, but it was a bit too chilled for our liking. Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to listen to them and give them another go, but at the time it was drawn-out pretty piano music with angelic backing singers, which I reckon would have been better suited for the main stage in the afternoon rather than late on the opening night.
We're getting older now and we like sleep. As everyone partied until the early hours of the morning, we retraced our steps looking for my missing ear plug which was long gone... Like a needle in a haystack! I was a bit worried, but bought some disposable ones from the shop and hoped for the best ahead of the BIG Friday night:
β UNIVERSITY β
This year they delegated some of the short live session acts to the Round The Twist stage, which was a good way to get a taster for some of the bands who would be playing on the bigger stages later on - It was a cool way to get to see more intimate sets earlier on in the day. UNIVERSITY were a trio who were noisy as heck! In a good way and in a bad way. Volume wise it was ear-splitting, but musically they were pretty interesting and Punky. We didn't stick around too long to watch them, but each band were only playing about 3 songs each on this stage so they were cool enough to kick the day off for us. The singer kept pulling an evil smirk every couple of seconds, which we found quite funny for some reason
β CumGirl8 β
Watching the band, we were pleasantly surprised! Kind of Gothy sounding and drawly post-punk tunes with trebly guitars and an almost Jesus and the Mary Chain / Siouxsie and the Banshees sort of vibe. I will admit they were a bit of a gimmick, with the all-girl band dressing up like extras from a PG-13 version of The Craft, but it really worked as a whole. I actually enjoyed them that much we followed them down to the signing tent so I could grab a copy of their new EP which was released the same day. We also took a photo with them and they were very friendly and approachable. One of my highlights of the weekend!
β Butch Kassidy β
We went back to the tent for a short while and then I ventured off to charge my phone and watch some of Butch Kassidy's set in on the Rising stage. They were pretty good but I did trundle off after about 3 songs as they were a bit too heavy for my liking. Imagine a cross between the power of Mogwai and the energy of At The Drive-In, then you've got this band. We watched them do one song at the sessions tent a couple of days later too which was ok but not enough time to take them in fully. They were ok though!
β Ξ£tella β
We wandered over to the Walled Garden to check out this Greece based band who I liked the sound of on YouTube when listening the night before. We didn't stay too long for the set as we wanted to check out another band on another stage, so stayed for a few songs. They were pretty tidy though, some nice dreamy guitar work going on, but it was a bit too 'serious' for my liking. They weren't bad at all though, definitely a band I could listen to.
β Warmduscher β
And the award for the most disappointing band of the weekend goes to these guys. I fell victim to the hype machine it seems as I've heard nothing but rave reviews about this band, but honestly found them nothing too special. Just Rock/Punk with a little bit of an edge, nothing to really write home about. Maybe I just heard the wrong songs or something at the time, but I'll admit I was a little let down.
β Devo β
THE BIG ONE. We were suited and booted, ready to take on the spudboys for their farewell tour and it was GLORIOUS. I have no complaints whatsoever and I could write a review ten times as long as this status for Devo alone, but I'll just pick out some highlights. All the songs I wanted to hear, all the energy / gimmicks I expected, getting one of their ripped suits, being right down the front and centre all the way through it, chatting to Devo fans near us... Argh, it was PERFECT! We dressed up, we got filmed fist-pumping to the songs on the main screen, we got a photo of ourselves on the Green Man AND on the Devo Facebook pages. I can't describe how happy I am that I got to experience one of my all time favourite bands, at the best possible place and with the person I love, right on my doorstep. THANK YOU β€
Everything after this was now just a bonus, so we blissfully meandered into the Saturday without a care in the world:
β Yabba β
We pulled our chairs out with us for a lazy Saturday afternoon, just checking out any band that caught our ear in the afternoon. Glasgow's 'Yabba' hit the Rising Stage with an angry pomp which was a little bit Rage Against The Machine but also a bit Punk rock, they were pretty good to be fair! Angry, shouty post-punk with rapid fire vocals and a ton of unmatched angst. I can listen to these, will check them out a bit more over the coming weeks I reckon! We also managed about one song by 'Suep' right after but they weren't really for us so we just wandered off.
β The Wedding Present β
We went over to the Far Out tent to check out these guys as we've heard a lot about them in the past, but didn't know much of their material. Knowing them as this 80s Indie / Goth band, they weren't too bad, just a bit chill. They had some great melodies and old school vibes that reminded me of bands like The Nightingales or The Cure, but were relaxed enough for us to warrant bringing our foldable chairs along with us.
β uh β
My partner went over to watch Dylan Moran perform a comedy set in another tent so I went to the Rising Stage on my own to catch this ethereal synth-duo. Not long after they started she scrabbled her way to the front to find me as she wasn't enjoying Dylan much due to the tent being packed and the volume not being loud enough to hear what he was really saying. I think she didn't mind though as I text her saying "They sound like Yazoo!" but then I realised shortly afterwards it was a bit more psychedelic wailing with farty dance beats in the background. Not bad at all though, quite captivating and a really enjoyable synthy / DJ sort of set.
β Bob Vylan β
I wasn't a fan going in but my partner was a bit curious to see him and I was at the point in the day where anything goes. Hypocritically of me, I really enjoyed the first 5-6 songs! There were Metal meets Punk kind of vibes with a ton of manic energy which I really picked up on. I'm not invested in political lyrics personally, but it was loud and raucous enough to be drowned out by the loud thrashy music. As the set went on though, it started to devolve into more Skepta sort of Hip-Hop territory so we turn tailed and headed out to watch someone else. No regrets though, they were perfectly fine!
β Water From Your Eyes β
This New York duo were really cool and another highlight for me of the weekend. Cool hipster post-punk vibes with a bit of a modern dance beat, keeping me engaged. They had a good slot on the Walled Garden stage which was easy to get to the front and back for so we were dipping in and out to watch them, grab a beer and use the loos. I really liked them and I'm looking forward to checking out more of their music soon (maybe I should have actually watched them when they supported Interpol in Bristol a few months ago though? Oops).
β Goat β
This band performed a BIBLICAL set. A really interesting and mix of psychedelic, world music and heavy-ish Rock. All dressed up in interesting face-hiding costumes and really energetic, engaging and fun to watch. I thought their music was definitely suited to the more hippy-ish demographic but it was awesome to hear all that mental bongo playing, cool guitar and bass interplay and yelping lead vocals all mix together to create something so unique and special. One of the highlights of the weekend for me considering I didn't think I'd enjoy them as much as I actually did going in.
With the post-hangover kicking in, the sleep deprived body aches and the general 'I'm starting to feel fed up now' kind of vibes. We went into Sunday with a relaxed attitude with plans to head home around 11pm after we watched a handful of bands in the afternoon. Sunday went like this:
β Julie β
Starting the day off with some heavy shoe-gaze, Julie were pretty damn cool! A very loud fuzzy dream-pop trio with some interesting backing visuals of a power-point projector screen malfunctioning. I made a joke to my partner saying that I want to spend that amount of time on the floor when I'm gigging myself as the band were down on the ground twiddling pedals and adding to the extra cacophony of noise to help boost their set.
β Nuha Ruby Ra β
It was nice to see Nuha perform again, this time with a backing guitarist to add a bit of extra oomph. She wasn't pretty cool but I think a mix of drinking over the weekend, the heat and the lack of proper ear protection was starting to catch up with me at this point. I did really enjoy the song I like called 'Self Portraiture' and she was totally in her element with the usual stage swagger she's been become know for, but I tapped out after 20 minutes.
β Thus Love β
My partner went over to check these guys out while I was charging my phone but then I lost her. Spending half an hour wandering around searching the Walled Garden while Thus Love played didn't give me much opportunity to focus on their set, but they sounded ok enough. Vocally they reminded me of Wall Of Voodoo in places, but it was just some inoffensive Indie Rock and Roll with a bit of an edge. Totally fine by me! I managed to find her for the next band when she asked a stranger to text me and meet me there. Bless her!
β Gilla Band β
One of my favourite bands on this year's line-up didn't disappoint. I haven't seen them live for a few years and their new music is starting to get much more eerie and creepier in places. The world's most pathetic mosh-pit kept trying to get started during their set, which never really built up into anything too chaotic as the music is kind of a 'controlled noisy mess' being the best way to put it. I love it for that reason though! It's arty, but accessible, rythmic but also inaudible. I thought they were ace! I think they were the most original band of this year's line-up and I think you should check them out.
β Amyl & The Sniffers β
Now, I went in slightly ignorant to these guys, but I thought they were great! My aprtner wasn't too fussed saying they reminded her of a budget Plasmatics covering Motorhead, and she wasn't wrong, but I thought they were enjoyable. Plenty of anarchic stage presence, some really catchy songs and the fact they kept swearing on the main stage was nothing short of hilarious! I found it such a surreal slot for such a Punky band, but I pretty much watched the entire set from different places in the audience and I quite enjoyed them. I couldn't imagine how mental that show in Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardff a few years ago must have been?
β Island of Love β
We finished off our day with about 5 songs from Island of Love on the Rising stage who I thought were pretty cool. Sort of Indie/Rock slacker vibes with echoes of Yuck, early Green Day and The Strokes. They were quite a young band but very tight, had some wicked guitar interplay and also the added bonus of a skeleton with a monkey hat hanging from the stage. I'll definitely be checking these guys out a bit more this week!
Overall, another wonderful festival. My ears are a bit sore after losing my main earplugs (expensive to replace now sadly) but we are happily stuffed full of Mac N Cheese. I picked up some cool vinyl albums and my partner got a cool jacket and some little titbits. Green Man is a very special festival which is close to our hearts, lovely to see so many people we knew and every stranger we spoke to was lovely and down to earth as expected. Some bands we missed out on this year who sounded great were Madmadmad, Les Savy Fav and Jockstrap, but hopefully we may get the chance to see them again someday. We couldn't do it all, but by God we tried. We love you Green Man!
Whenever I go to Green Man, I do my best to do a little write up hungover in bed when I get home haha. I will admit I do know what I like, but not afraid to check out some new bands and artists. I forgot to mention I watched Lankum, Etran De L'AΓ―r and a little bit of Self Esteem too who were all great. I also made a video but the file was too large for my phone so I had to trim each band down to around 1 minute each and upload in slightly lesser quality haha. 