Of all the festivals I've been to, one thing that strikes me about Green Man above all others is the setting. Deep in the Brecon Beacons, in the shadow of the Black Mountains, you really couldn't image a more bucolic spot to pitch up a tent for 4 nights. Sitting on the mound overlooking the Mountain Stage each night with the towering peaks and lush countryside in the background makes for a majestic spot to watch live music. That alone recommends the festival. On top of that, the great food (much appreciated by Ruth), the lack of litter and corporate sponsorship, the family-friendly atmosphere including designated children's areas (appreciated by the kids) and the fantastic music line-up with a heavy focus on folk and psychedelia (appreciated by me) made Green Man a real winner.
That's not to say that taking children to a festival doesn't come without its challenges and limitations. Lugging belongings from the car pack to our pitch in the family camping area was made much harder with kids in tow, while trying to get them to sleep each night with flashing lights and loud music was a mighty challenge. On the first night, Ava slept while Rosie danced to the music, then we hired a trolley for 3 nights from Mr Trolley, which meant that Rosie was able to sleep in her sleeping bag while mobile and under the stars. However, Ava decided that for the next 2 nights she'd rather watch proceedings on the stage than snooze, so our entertainment was (somewhat) limited. Finally though, on the Sunday night, both children slept in sync and their parents decided to take advantage by finishing off both boxes of red wine.
On most days, we'd start bleary eyed with a leisurely breakfast and then around mid-morning we'd hear Harry Nilsson's "Lime In The Coconut" being played at the nearby Hurly Burly tent, accompanied by a special dance, which we used as the sign to mobilise for the day. Being in the family camping, we were also lucky to have pitched our tent up by some friendly parents, whose kids made great playmates for Rosie & Ava. Their fun would then continue at the Little Folk area (designed specifically for the 0-12s), with hand-operated rides, bouncy castles, hula hoop classes, bike-operated discos and a travelling circus among the entertainment on offer. Rosie also enjoyed the fairy tale corner, while Ava played with the toy kitchen and enjoyed the space to roam.
In the afternoon, we'd often explore the site, including the brilliant Einstein's Garden (a fun science area for adults & children), Babbling Tongues (the talk & comedy area) and the Far Out stage. The latter was where we caught our first Green Man performance, Patti Smith no less, who wowed the packed audience with material from her latest album, Banga. The set began with Redondo Beach from Horses, which sounded magnificent and the enthusiasm in Patti Smith's voice was infectious. I loved her cover of Summertime Blues too, even if she screwed up one of the verses, as well as the snippets of poetry in People Have The Power. Rosie even danced to some of the numbers, no doubt feeling some communion with a fellow rebel soul.
Friday heralded some great weather and, bar the odd shower on Saturday, the sun was shining on us all weekend. We lazed by the Mountain Stage that afternoon, catching sets by Peggy Sue, Sam Amidon and Julia Holter. Amidon's banter between songs was especially entertaining, talking of communicating with Jimi Hendrix beyond the grave and reading messages in the eyes of Kirsten Dunst. His versions of I See The Sign and Way Go, Lily were sublime and fitted the hazy afternoon feeling perfectly. Julia Holter was a revelation. I'd only heard a few tracks from her previous album, Ekstasis, but now I'm a huge fan; her voice floated in the air in a dreamlike way and the song arrangements were stunning and catchy.
After taking the kids for a shower (yes, Green Man has decent showers and toilets, compared to lesser facilities at festivals like Glastonbury), Ruth spent the late afternoon in the Babbling Tongues tent listening to Caitlin Moran, while I babysat Rosie & Ava and made friends with a family of 5 from Wigan. That night, we caught the end of the Edwyn Collins set, including renditions of Rip It Up and Girl Like You, and settled down for one of my favourite current bands, Midlake. This was a massive highlight for me - a chance to check out new material from their forthcoming album, and see tracks like Roscoe and Head Home performed live for the first time. They also dedicated their song Kingfish Pies to the wonderful offerings at Pieminster (where I ate the Matador, beef & chorizo pie, on Saturday). The loss of Tim Smith from the Midlake line-up is a big blow though. I would have liked to have seen out the day listening to F**k Buttons, but it was my job to wheel Rosie back to the tent in her trolley.
Highlights for me on Saturday were seeing John Cale in conversation and Roy Harper on the Mountain Stage. Local Welsh legend Cale had some brilliant anecdotes from his childhood, his time in Velvet Underground and his later solo and production work. His classical training in the Welsh Youth Orchestra and experiments in the avant-garde while a Goldsmiths student helped give a fully-rounded picture of a man who came to fame as one of the innovators behind the Velvet sound. He also produced the Stooges and Happy Mondays, describing Bez as someone "you couldn't take your eyes off", and comparing his abstinence from drink & drugs at the time to the Mondays' excesses. Cale also described being at an MC5 gig as like a "Nuremburg rally" and explained the success of his solo album, Paris 1919, as part of the appetite for "nostalgia". I really wanted to ask him about his work with Nick Drake, but no questions were allowed. Later that evening, he played a set on the main stage, mainly new material from Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood, but also old hits like Pablo Picasso and Fear's A Man's Best Friend.
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Roy Harper's Saturday afternoon set was another highlight of the festival. The drizzle meant there was a small but committed group of fans near the front of the stage, and Roy's chatter in between songs and the rapt attention of everyone around me made the experience feel very intimate. On top of that, his guitar work was sublime, with Me & My Woman, Girl from the North Country and Green Man (which he attempted unrehearsed) all brilliant. I'm not afraid to say I cried a little when he closed his set with When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease, his voice full of emotion and wisdom. Hats off to Roy.
I then returned to the tent after catching just some of the fabulous Low set (I'll be seeing them in Norwich later this year, and parental duties called). They sounded great, as did the Horrors and Band of Horses, who closed out proceedings that evening on the Mountain Stage. We also caught some of Steve Mason's chilled out set on the Far Out stage, while I frantically rocked Ava in her pushchair and she resolutely stayed awake, so after churros & chocolate and some real ale, we headed back to the campsite.
Our final day was bathed in glorious sunshine. After a flat white and some time in the Little Folk area, we caught Fanfarlo on the main stage, which was a lot of fun and a really upbeat way to kick off the afternoon. After a lunch of Pad Thai, I spent the late afternoon listening to James Yorkston in conversation with Pete Paphides, who played some songs and talked very movingly about his friend and former bass player, Doogie Paul, who died from cancer late last year. He also told some great anecdotes, such as his "areshole move" of insulting Daniel Johnston, and voiced his profound dislike of Spotify executives.
Sunday night involved an enjoyable set from Stornoway, a rousing performance by the Local Natives and a chance for me to catch Swans live, while Ruth watched Ben Howard. I could only sustain an hour of the aural assault of Swans; the wall of sound and the feeling of facing an army of advancing orcs, not least when frontman Gera was snarling "To Be Kind", left me totally floored. I returned to Ruth and the more anodyne tones of Ben Howard, with churros in hand, to see out the rest of the festival (and our red wine) together. Our Green Man experience was completed with the pagan burning of the green man effigy and fireworks. Amazing. We decided there & then that we'd definitely go again next year, and in 2014 I think we'll opt for the holiday camping, which will give us a chance to settle in early and find a prime pitch, then explore more of the Glanusk Estate and nearby Crickhowell, as well as the wider Brecon Beacons. The prospect excites me already.
That's not to say that taking children to a festival doesn't come without its challenges and limitations. Lugging belongings from the car pack to our pitch in the family camping area was made much harder with kids in tow, while trying to get them to sleep each night with flashing lights and loud music was a mighty challenge. On the first night, Ava slept while Rosie danced to the music, then we hired a trolley for 3 nights from Mr Trolley, which meant that Rosie was able to sleep in her sleeping bag while mobile and under the stars. However, Ava decided that for the next 2 nights she'd rather watch proceedings on the stage than snooze, so our entertainment was (somewhat) limited. Finally though, on the Sunday night, both children slept in sync and their parents decided to take advantage by finishing off both boxes of red wine.
On most days, we'd start bleary eyed with a leisurely breakfast and then around mid-morning we'd hear Harry Nilsson's "Lime In The Coconut" being played at the nearby Hurly Burly tent, accompanied by a special dance, which we used as the sign to mobilise for the day. Being in the family camping, we were also lucky to have pitched our tent up by some friendly parents, whose kids made great playmates for Rosie & Ava. Their fun would then continue at the Little Folk area (designed specifically for the 0-12s), with hand-operated rides, bouncy castles, hula hoop classes, bike-operated discos and a travelling circus among the entertainment on offer. Rosie also enjoyed the fairy tale corner, while Ava played with the toy kitchen and enjoyed the space to roam.
In the afternoon, we'd often explore the site, including the brilliant Einstein's Garden (a fun science area for adults & children), Babbling Tongues (the talk & comedy area) and the Far Out stage. The latter was where we caught our first Green Man performance, Patti Smith no less, who wowed the packed audience with material from her latest album, Banga. The set began with Redondo Beach from Horses, which sounded magnificent and the enthusiasm in Patti Smith's voice was infectious. I loved her cover of Summertime Blues too, even if she screwed up one of the verses, as well as the snippets of poetry in People Have The Power. Rosie even danced to some of the numbers, no doubt feeling some communion with a fellow rebel soul.
Friday heralded some great weather and, bar the odd shower on Saturday, the sun was shining on us all weekend. We lazed by the Mountain Stage that afternoon, catching sets by Peggy Sue, Sam Amidon and Julia Holter. Amidon's banter between songs was especially entertaining, talking of communicating with Jimi Hendrix beyond the grave and reading messages in the eyes of Kirsten Dunst. His versions of I See The Sign and Way Go, Lily were sublime and fitted the hazy afternoon feeling perfectly. Julia Holter was a revelation. I'd only heard a few tracks from her previous album, Ekstasis, but now I'm a huge fan; her voice floated in the air in a dreamlike way and the song arrangements were stunning and catchy.
After taking the kids for a shower (yes, Green Man has decent showers and toilets, compared to lesser facilities at festivals like Glastonbury), Ruth spent the late afternoon in the Babbling Tongues tent listening to Caitlin Moran, while I babysat Rosie & Ava and made friends with a family of 5 from Wigan. That night, we caught the end of the Edwyn Collins set, including renditions of Rip It Up and Girl Like You, and settled down for one of my favourite current bands, Midlake. This was a massive highlight for me - a chance to check out new material from their forthcoming album, and see tracks like Roscoe and Head Home performed live for the first time. They also dedicated their song Kingfish Pies to the wonderful offerings at Pieminster (where I ate the Matador, beef & chorizo pie, on Saturday). The loss of Tim Smith from the Midlake line-up is a big blow though. I would have liked to have seen out the day listening to F**k Buttons, but it was my job to wheel Rosie back to the tent in her trolley.
Highlights for me on Saturday were seeing John Cale in conversation and Roy Harper on the Mountain Stage. Local Welsh legend Cale had some brilliant anecdotes from his childhood, his time in Velvet Underground and his later solo and production work. His classical training in the Welsh Youth Orchestra and experiments in the avant-garde while a Goldsmiths student helped give a fully-rounded picture of a man who came to fame as one of the innovators behind the Velvet sound. He also produced the Stooges and Happy Mondays, describing Bez as someone "you couldn't take your eyes off", and comparing his abstinence from drink & drugs at the time to the Mondays' excesses. Cale also described being at an MC5 gig as like a "Nuremburg rally" and explained the success of his solo album, Paris 1919, as part of the appetite for "nostalgia". I really wanted to ask him about his work with Nick Drake, but no questions were allowed. Later that evening, he played a set on the main stage, mainly new material from Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood, but also old hits like Pablo Picasso and Fear's A Man's Best Friend.
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Roy Harper's Saturday afternoon set was another highlight of the festival. The drizzle meant there was a small but committed group of fans near the front of the stage, and Roy's chatter in between songs and the rapt attention of everyone around me made the experience feel very intimate. On top of that, his guitar work was sublime, with Me & My Woman, Girl from the North Country and Green Man (which he attempted unrehearsed) all brilliant. I'm not afraid to say I cried a little when he closed his set with When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease, his voice full of emotion and wisdom. Hats off to Roy.
I then returned to the tent after catching just some of the fabulous Low set (I'll be seeing them in Norwich later this year, and parental duties called). They sounded great, as did the Horrors and Band of Horses, who closed out proceedings that evening on the Mountain Stage. We also caught some of Steve Mason's chilled out set on the Far Out stage, while I frantically rocked Ava in her pushchair and she resolutely stayed awake, so after churros & chocolate and some real ale, we headed back to the campsite.
Our final day was bathed in glorious sunshine. After a flat white and some time in the Little Folk area, we caught Fanfarlo on the main stage, which was a lot of fun and a really upbeat way to kick off the afternoon. After a lunch of Pad Thai, I spent the late afternoon listening to James Yorkston in conversation with Pete Paphides, who played some songs and talked very movingly about his friend and former bass player, Doogie Paul, who died from cancer late last year. He also told some great anecdotes, such as his "areshole move" of insulting Daniel Johnston, and voiced his profound dislike of Spotify executives.
Sunday night involved an enjoyable set from Stornoway, a rousing performance by the Local Natives and a chance for me to catch Swans live, while Ruth watched Ben Howard. I could only sustain an hour of the aural assault of Swans; the wall of sound and the feeling of facing an army of advancing orcs, not least when frontman Gera was snarling "To Be Kind", left me totally floored. I returned to Ruth and the more anodyne tones of Ben Howard, with churros in hand, to see out the rest of the festival (and our red wine) together. Our Green Man experience was completed with the pagan burning of the green man effigy and fireworks. Amazing. We decided there & then that we'd definitely go again next year, and in 2014 I think we'll opt for the holiday camping, which will give us a chance to settle in early and find a prime pitch, then explore more of the Glanusk Estate and nearby Crickhowell, as well as the wider Brecon Beacons. The prospect excites me already.
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