Green Man 2025

Green Man Festival returned to the scenic countryside of Wales for its 23rd year. The nation’s most revered independent music festival featured headline performances from Kneecap, Wet Leg, Underworld and TV On The Radio as well as a stellar lineup of musicians from a wide range of genres. A favourite for families and listeners of Radio 6Music, there really is something at Green Man for everyone.

On a very sunny Monday morning, the floodgates opened to a smaller cohort of attendees who would camp for the entire week in order to soak up the atmosphere of the beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. With two music stages and an array of food stalls and workshops, this was no ordinary camping experience. Surrounded by mountains and rolling hills, the Settlement Stage and Hudol (“Magical”) acoustic stage played host to a lineup of local Welsh bands. Tuesday evening was headlined by Joy Division-esque Plastic Estate, and Wednesday’s acts featured Sywel Nyw, a Welsh-language singer and DJ whose sound seemed not too dissimilar to Barry Can’t Swim. The week’s programming also included drag and comedy shows, silent discos and West African drumming workshops. The close-knit and community feel of the festival is as prevalent across the week as it is during the main festival weekend itself. Despite the 33 °C heat (yes, 33!), the Settlement was incredibly enjoyable and is a must for families, especially those with young children.

After a 45-minute walk along the picturesque Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal you would find yourself in the village of Crickhowell. With a plethora of pubs and shops, and nestled between Crug Hywel (“Table Mountain”) and Mynydd Pen-y-fal (“Sugarloaf Mountain”), the walk is more than worthwhile for those staying the full week. Situated on both main roads leading into Green Man from the east, the village comes to life between Monday and Thursday as festivalgoers pass through. Other local walks head up the mountains themselves to offer stunning views of the countryside and the festival site in the valley below.

Thursday #

The vast majority of campers arrived on Thursday, bringing the number of people in the Glanusk Estate up to 25,000. A few select individuals (myself included) who entered the site early and happened to be in the right place at the right time were treated to a small performance as rap group Kneecap soundchecked for their headline performance later on in the day. With the main (Mountain) stage not opening until Friday, I spent the entirety of Thursday in the Far Out tent.

Heartworms

Opening the festival, Heartworms (project of singer and guitarist Jojo Orme) greeted their crowd with a theatrical and supernatural performance. Orme arrived onstage mysteriously dressed in black robes, whilst the rest of the band similarly wore black clothing. Their spooky take on indie rock felt like a performance at an occult meeting, and the frontwoman’s theremin pieces complemented the witchy vibe of the set, as did her creepy, unnatural dances. Though the music got heavier towards the end, it was the theatrical performance that brought it all together.

W.H.Lung

In a completely different manner to the act before, Manchester 5-piece W.H. Lung brought their joyful, feel good anthems to a crowd that couldn’t help but tap their feet and nod their heads. Singer Joe Evans was completely full of energy, dancing and encouraging the crowd to join him. By the second song he was drenched in sweat and the jacket had already come off. Though joyous instead of creepy, Evans’ performance felt just as theatrical as the one prior, with the singer performing with the energy of singers like Turnstile’s Brendan Yates.

Adwaith

Adwaith followed into the afternoon; the Welsh-language three-piece drew a large audience. Armed with a vibraslap and Welsh & Palestinian flags, the all-female trio’s take on indie infused the rich cultural heritage of the nation with calming and soothing guitar sounds. The home audience cheered raucously to Carmarthen’s biggest band, which sits slightly west of Green Man’s own Brecon Beacons. Whilst the Walled Garden stage on Thursday consisted completely of Welsh artists, it was nice to see the group on a bigger stage.

Gurriers

Ireland’s Gurriers subbed Thursday evening. The nation’s ties to Palestinian solidarity were made very clear before the music began, as a friendly troupe of fans flew flags and handed out leaflets in support of Love Music Hate Racism’s campaign defending Kneecap’s Mo Chara in his trial the week after. Front man Dan Hoff was filled with energy and passion, and the four musicians played their hearts out as the first moshpit of the festival opened. With only a single album released, Gurriers’ setlist was bound to be incredible. The band played 8/11 tracks from album Come and See as well as three unreleased songs from a potential upcoming album. During ‘Des Goblin’, Hoff came to the barrier and practically screamed the lyrics to the audience who surged forwards and backwards as pits opened and closed. Gurriers are definitely a band to watch in the future, and one that certainly deserves a consistent rise in popularity over the next few years to come.

Kneecap

In the most anticipated and busy set of the entire festival, Kneecap headlined Green Man’s first day. A set at the festival has never been so rammed! The tent was not only full to the brim, but spilled outside dozens of rows back. In fact, an extra screen was erected outside especially for this performance. The trio of Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai walked onstage to ‘3CAG’ before the crowd went absolutely wild to ‘ITS BEEN AGES’. At a time where the rap group are receiving such an exceptional amount of media attention, they of course used their platform to call for a free Palestine and for free speech in their artistry. All three of them seemed genuinely happy to be there and proud of the fact that they can draw such a crowd. The crowd in question was rowdy, passionate and wild. The moshing did not stop for a single moment, and brief respite was only available on the edges of and outside the tent. For those of us who chose to remain at the very front for the entirety of the set, it was a sweaty and unrestrained experience. Kneecap performed all of their hits, including collaboration with Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten ‘Better Way To Live’ and political comedy track ‘Get Your Brits Out’. All featuring bilingual lyrics in English and Irish Gaelic, the trio’s songs combine political commentary with witty lyricism and instrumentals you’d find in a packed, dingy club. The set closed with their biggest track ‘H.O.O.D’, followed by collaboration with DnB producer Mozey ‘THE RECAP’. After a roasting set, the cool nighttime air was much needed.

Friday #

Adult DVD

Friday morning came with absolutely sweltering heat, so it was nice to spend the first half hour of the day in the small Round The Twist tent. At night time it plays host to an array of DJs, but in the daytime it contains secret sets from bands already playing (and also those not on the lineup at all!). Adult DVD were first on, and their set was incredibly fun. The Leeds-based band combined electronic synthesisers with indie rock in a fun and bouncy manner, pulling it off along with silly lyrics and vocals in a similar way to Squid. I was glad to have caught this set as their regular set headlining the Rising stage clashed with another band later on in the day.

Ishmael Ensemble

The Mountain stage was now open and was very busy for the time due to the sheer number of people wanting to enjoy the heat. A lot of people expected Ishmael Ensemble to sound more like a jazz band, but in fact sounded a lot more modern sonically. Holly Wellington’s vocals combined with Pete Cunningham’s jazzy synthesiser and saxophone lines created a soundscape of high-energy funky grooves. Guitar riffs and solos alongside these upbeat electronic instrumentals brought club music and jazz together in a way that reflected upon the legacy made by groups like Maribou State and Mount Kimbie.

Pissed Jeans

Back in Far Out, Pennsylvania hardcore band Pissed Jeans opened messy moshpits filled with rowdy men spinkicking and punching the air. Despite this, there was plenty of space to dance and everybody was respectful of their surroundings. Singer (or screamer!) Matt Korvette was very outgoing onstage with amazing presence. He performed ridiculous dances with the microphone stand before tucking it in the back of his waistband to strut about the stage. Towards the end of the hour-long set it was hard to discern songs from one another but that was no issue at all - it was a fun time surrounded by other people who were there for the spectacle of it all.

Mike

With 28 albums under his belt, 27-year old rapper Mike is one of, if not, the most prolific American rappers of the modern alternative hip-hop movement. His shows follow a classic hip-hop style, with short songs (the majority lasted a maximum of two minutes) and interactivity with the audience. Mike’s flow over crisp beats melded with audience participation - the crowd were taught songs’ hooks in a call & response manner - kept the crowd alive as they danced and sang. Playing both hits and deeper cuts (of which the rapper has a LOT), the gaps between songs were used to rile up the crowd with joy and love. Mike is very sweet and a kind soul at heart, and that is made very clear in his live shows. The one thing missing was a live band!

Los Campesinos!

Potentially the band with the most hardcore fan base at this year’s Green Man, Los Campesinos! and their cult following descended to sing every single word along to every single song. In one of the best sets of the entire festival - and the first since they played the festival in 2008 - singer Gareth David proved that his voice sounds just as good as it did on record, even on the band’s earlier albums. Over half of the setlist consisted of tracks from 2024’s All Hell, but there was definitely time for the hits. ‘Romance Is Boring’ and ‘Avocado, Baby’ had the front centre of the crowd bellowing their lungs out. ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ began with all 7 band members (and the guitar tech) surrounding the drumkit to play together, using one drum or cymbal each. The music built up slowly from the melancholy beginning before exploding into a party, with everybody singing, dancing and clapping along. Despite the drab and depressing lyrical content of the band’s music, their performance was an hour of joy and happiness.

Wunderhorse

Whilst 99% of Green Man’s clientele are the loveliest people on the planet, the insufferable 1% descended upon the main stage as Wunderhorse opened their set with ‘Midas’. The setlist and audience size was very different to their last performance at the festival in 2022, in which they performed in the early afternoon in Far Out. So, sadly, was the etiquette of the crowd. Constantly talking and pushing in front of others for Instagram videos, it’s a true shame that such a good band’s fanbase has headed in such a disrespectful and “ladsy” direction. Luckily, no unnecessary moshpits opened (as is commonplace at their recent shows) and most people at the front of the crowd knew the words to most songs. A group of drunk “lads” even tried to start a fight near me at one point, and this atmosphere paired with the constant chatter through quiet parts completely ruined the music. Frontman Jacob Slater performed with his regular rockstar energy, strumming his guitar excessively hard and standing on speaker stacks to perform his vocal parts. However, his classic style of not speaking to the crowd at all ceased when he was forced to apologise to the audience to technical difficulties. After an amp broke during ‘July’, Slater trashed his gear, smashing a guitar and throwing the amp across the stage. The set was cut short over twenty minutes after this unprofessional hissy fit. At this point, a mass exodus to Panda Bear took place, which ended up being a much more chilled out, friendly and upbeat experience.

Greentea Peng

Whilst Wet Leg closed the Mountain stage for the night, Greentea Peng headlined Far Out. Opening with a darker, more rock-leaning vibe than usual (which, in all fairness, reflected the new album quite well), by the third song she was back into her usual soulful, summery groove. With a variety of percussion and rich basslines that reverberated throughout the crowd, the funk infected the entire audience, who captured the flow of the music and swayed. Oddly, the setlist featured very few hits compared to her shows previous years. There was a lot of music from new album TELL DEM IT’S SUNNY, but there was of course time for a couple of big tracks such as ‘Mr. Sun (Miss da Sun)’ and an acapella version of ‘Hu Man’. Greentea’s soulful and beautiful voice was complimented by incredible guitar solos, especially during ‘TARDIS (hardest)’. Having only seen the singer on outdoor stages on sunny afternoons, her headline performance in the tent was an interesting new perspective that certainly worked just as well.

DOVE

Bicep played the festival’s ‘After Dark’ slot in 2022, and this year one of the duo (though it was impossible to tell which it was in the fog) returned under alias DOVE. “Focused on experimental concepts” and “an extreme version of the Bicep sound”, the 2-hour set consisted of unreleased tracks with a heavier sound than you’d expect from Bicep. Incorporating drum & bass, trance and techno, the steady pace of music ensured that finger guns came out and hands waved about in the air. It was impossible to make out more than a silhouette at most due to the sheer amount of dry ice that was being pumped onstage for the entirety of the set. However, the crowd being shrouded in this low-hanging mist made the experience even more fun.

Saturday #

Taff Rapids

Chai Wallahs is nestled between Far Out and the Cinedrome, and is host to a range of ‘world music’, ranging between folk/country, reggae/dub and traditional African music. On Saturday morning, Cardiff bluegrass outfit Taff Rapids had a small yet mighty audience who danced and jigged along to Welsh language folk music. Featuring a banjo, double bass, guitar and violin, the quartet gathered around a single mic as they harmonised. Though I caught snippets of many sets here from the bar at the back of the tent, this was the only full set I ended up watching, and it was definitely worth the time.

Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek

German-Turkish singer Derya Yildirim and her band Grup Simsek performed traditional Anatolian folk tunes with a modern twist, combining her 3-stringed baglama with strong basslines which underpinned melodies throughout the entire set. This year’s Yarin Yoksa was absolutely phenomenal, so it was a real treat to be able to hear so many tracks from the album live. Mirroring the way in which psychedelic rock is blended with Turkish language vocals and traditional instrumentation, the video onscreen behind the band depicted their performance through warped, psychedelic filters, which duplicated, flipped and discoloured the live footage.

Melin Melyn

Far Out was quite busy given the early start time for Welsh comedy band Melin Melyn. Having played the other three stages at the festival, and to increasingly larger crowds, the reception towards the home favourites was clear in the sea of “Save The Mill” signs made and brought along by members of the audience. Six years after the band’s formation, their debut album Mill On The Hill is finally out (Melin Melyn translates to “Yellow Mill”). The group’s last trip to Green Man in 2023 featured the fictional supermarket “Jolly Basket” (many audience members sported hats with the supermarket’s logo) and an array of inflatable fruit, so the crowd was excited to see what they had in store this time. With a model of the aforementioned mill behind them and similar signs to those in the crowd attached to their microphone stands, the band opened with a long instrumental before launching into their happy-go-lucky psychedelic indie. The music itself is amazing, with danceable instrumentals and bouncy melodies, but Melin Melyn are truly a comedy band inside-and-out. The lyrics were silly and funny, and moments like inviting the “Green Man” onstage in the form of a drag queen were simply hilarious. Despite the matching flowery jackets and complete ridiculousness, frontman Gruff Glyn used the need to save the mill from being turned into a car park into a poignant metaphor about the need to protect grassroots music venues.

YHWH Nailgun

True complaints about the dust in the air began as YHWH Nailgun fired up with raucous, intense drums as the crowd flailed uncontrollably. A mixture of complex drum rhythms, aggressive and distorted guitar and synths complemented Zack Borzone’s screaming and crazed dancing. The sound effects made by each instrument made the “Nailgun” of the band’s name onomatepoeic. The moment the first pit of the set opened, a huge cloud of dust flew up into the air, but that didn’t stop a conga of festivalgoers exploring every corner of the dustbowl. From the get-go, Borzone was out of breath with his screeching and crazy energy, melting every song into one conjoined breath of madness. However, the dust got too much for him which resulted in a makeshift head covering in the shape of a towel. At one point, the guitarist’s string snapped completely, but that did not stop him. Whilst continuing to play, he threaded in a new string and had the guitar fixed within a couple of minutes. I had never been so amazed. Between headbanging and two-stepping there was respite on the edges of the pit, but who wanted to miss any of the action? YHWH Nailgun definitely pulled off one of the most fun sets of the entire festival.

Just Mustard

As a fan of their music on record, I was quite disappointed by Just Mustard’s live performance. Yes, the music itself was alright, but it didn’t quite hit as well as it does through a speaker or headphones. A loud intro filled with feedback suggested the band would be energetic and rowdy, however, they were anything but. Singer Katie Ball stood there completely lifeless, singing into her microphone monotonously like a mannequin doll. It seemed as if she was trying to come across as cool and mysterious but frankly just came across as boring. The heavy and shoegazey instrumental sections were great, but nothing out of the ordinary. It’s safe to say I left early.

Fat Dog

As they emerged onstage, the crowd barked ferociously. Yes, Fat Dog were back at Green Man for the second time in three years, this time on a bigger stage. King of the Slugs Joe Love walked onstage with his band to sirens which built into a drum beat. The pits which immediately ensued were HUGE. Taking up a ridiculous amount of space in the Far Out tent, hundreds bounced, shoved and danced for a full hour. In all honesty, the full set felt like one very long song that varied in melody but kept the same bounce and tempo. When they weren’t shouting lyrics, the crowd sang along with the songs’ melodies. Between circle pits and grappling to reach Love as he leapt down to the barrier, there were plenty of oddities in the pit including a man wielding a dog kennel toy. This was the nicest crowd, typical of Green Man. Fat Dog took the life out of me so I headed back to the tent for a drink and some rest before heading back out for Underworld’s headline set.

Underworld

With heavy bass and strobe lighting, Underworld performed the most memorable set of Green Man. Opening with ‘Dark & Long (Dark Train)’, it was funny to hear people behind me singing the PinkPantheress lyrics to ‘Illegal’, which sampled the Underworld track. Karl Hyde performed all vocals precisely as they sounded on record two and half decades ago, which was honestly impressive. Whilst Hyde showed off his groovy dance moves, Rick Smith stood behind a console that wouldn’t look out of place on a science fiction space station. Bleeding wires and featuring an array of flashing lights, this sound engineer’s worst nightmare was a gorgeous addition to Underworld’s visual element. The lighting itself also complemented the duo’s sound. A lattice of lasers illuminated the night sky, and multicoloured strobes penetrated the mist onstage. It was easy enough to ignore the disrespectful teens just there to record ‘Born Slippy’ for their Instagram stories (which was a very small minority in the crowd) in the sea of jumping, dancing and singing. I was completely immersed. By the time ‘Born Slippy’ finally came around, it was a fitting end to such an amazing set. Other highlights included ‘Two Months Off’ and ‘Cowgirl’.

Sunday #

Molina

TikTok high-hitter Molina (who did not perform her “TikTok famous” track after all) began dusty Sunday in the boiling Walled Garden. Almost everyone (barring three people) began the set sat down in the shade, but the number on the barrier slowly grew as the set progressed. Still though, it was oddly empty for an artist whose biggest hit has over 125 million streams on Spotify alone. With beautiful & high vocals meshed with danceable guitar riffs amongst slow and dreamy keys, Molina curated a slow and gentle start to the morning. A semi-electric drumkit looked oddly bare, with a single snare drum the only recognisable piece of equipment (the kick drum was a miniscule black pad). At one point, the singer pulled out panpipes and, through both her unsettling folky sound and her Scandinavian accent, Molina’s music wouldn’t feel out of place in a soundtrack to a film like Midsommar.

Getdown Services

The unannounced secret sets at Round The Twist are always extremely packed, and on a day when the sun was beating down relentlessly as many people as possible attempted to cram themselves inside the small tent. The crowd ended up being a good 15 rows of people outside the tent by the time Getdown Services arrived onstage. With very heavy bass and silly lyricism and crowdplay, the duo were a ton of fun. The entire crowd was singing and jumping along, and the whole experience was very silly (but in a good way!). Sadly, though, the accumulated heat of a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd in a packed tent ended up being too much, so I was forced to leave and watch from outside after the first two songs.

Warmduscher

Warmduscher brought their sleazy, electronic take on punk, jazz and rock-n-roll back to Green Man to transform the Mountain stage into an even bigger dustbowl than the one the previous day in Walled Garden. Starting with a small moshpit that grew, the audience jumped and shoved along to bouncy and catchy music. Frontman Clams Baker Jr. spoke to the crowd through a distorted microphone before hopping into the crowd to jump around with everyone. By this point, some respite was needed as my lungs were completely choked up with dust, but I was lucky enough to have stayed long enough to witness a guest performance from singer Nuha Ruby Ra.

Joshua Idehen

Undoubtedly, the best set of the entire weekend came from British-Nigerian-Swedish spoken word artist Joshua Idehen. I have never seen the Walled Garden stage so busy in six years of visiting the festival - it was completely packed. Walking onstage to gentle cheers, the poet was not quite satisfied. After referring to himself as the “African Taylor Swift” and encouraging the audience to give it their all. He left the stage and walked back onstage to raucous applause before telling the crowd, “Shake it off, Green Man”. With a theme of kindness and the “power of people”, Idehen’s set transcended both music and poetry. The performance began with group humming, which transitioned into the opening note from track ‘Don’t You Give Up On Me’. Ludvig Parment a.k.a. Saturday, Monday provided electronic beats which created the foundation for Idehen’s spoken word poetry. Joshua pulled off some rather extravagant dances that translated straight into the crowd, who joined in instantaneously. With audience participation in new song ‘Illegal Hit’ (a collaboration with Bjorn of Peter, Bjorn and John), Idehen demonstrated his incredible stage presence through audience interactivity and the way he presents himself onstage. Before the hit popularised by 6Music, ‘Mum Does The Washing’, the crowd gave huge cheers and a loud round of applause. This track’s powerful message really resonated with the audience, who cheered in solidarity. Joshua is all about spreading peace and love. Again, the set was all about inclusivity when it came to the crowd. A “Nigerian wave” (a Mexican wave but front-to-back instead of side-to-side) was created before Joshua asked everyone to shake hands with a stranger and tell them “you are good”. The poet hopped down to the barrier to do the very same thing. Idehen closed his set with a modern take on Talking Heads classic ‘Once in a Lifetime’, performed over a drum & bass beat. The end of the set left the whole audience feeling emotional and empowered. Joshua has a beautiful soul, and is truly a walking ray of sunshine.

Beth Gibbons

After Joshua I was able to catch the final half of Beth Gibbons - luckily in time to witness ‘Tom the Model’. The Portishead singer’s set was moody, smoky and spiritual. 8 musicians surrounded Gibbons in a crescent formation, including 2 violinists and a percussion and wind player surrounded by well over a dozen instruments. Beth herself was otherworldly and ethereal, with the grandeur of a main stage performance in the dark perfect for her performance. Amazingly, her soothing and healing voice sounded exactly the same as on record, and she remains as strong a singer as she was in Portishead’s heyday. The end of the set was a real treat; Beth played Portishead’s ‘Roads’ and ‘Glory Box’ back-to-back to end her performance. The guitar solo in ‘Glory Box’ was incredible, as was the atmosphere as the crowd drew back their breath to take it all in. The buildup of ‘Reaching Out’ surrounded the centrepiece of Beth’s vocals with all three guitarists playing on tom-toms, until it reached its powerful peak. Despite only seeing half of her set, I was able to fully immerse myself in her spellbinding performance.

TV On The Radio

After saying hello to the audience, TV On The Radio opened their set with Young Liars. The slow intro built up into a powerful song, with a trombone playing the melody behind singer Tunde Adebimpe’s easily identifiable voice. A guitar-heavy sound was backed up by synth and trombone, but the bassline really carried the chorus of ‘Golden Age’. Psychedelic visuals matched the distorted guitars, and, despite the fun and groovy rhythms, it was clear that TV On The Radio are a rock band at heart. Guitar riffs and melodies were strong throughout, especially during ‘Lazerray’. The crowd danced with their shoulders and hips as three core members - Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone and Jaleel Bunton - performed stellar vocals throughout their performance. Adebimpe had a specific microphone for whistling and humming which he leant towards many a time throughout the set. His classic high vocals over the guitar riffs to ‘Wolf Like Me’ had the crowd jumping around like crazy. A moshpit to TV On The Radio!?! The crowd were filled with noughties nostalgia and unity with the band’s anti-fascist and pro-love messages. Despite a melancholy feel at times, the group’s performance contained a peaceful and happy vibe and felt like a fitting headliner to close the festival.

Kelly Lee Owens

After the annual burning of the Green Man sculpture and small firework display, Kelly Lee Owens brought her live set to Far Out’s After Dark programme. With synths and keyboards surrounding her and a microphone to the front, Owens performed vocals live with a lot of reverb. Before she walked on, a heavy bassline built up before her arrival. The letters “DREAM STATE” appeared big on the screen along with the song of the same name in a Brat-esque fashion. The whole thing was very Charli XCX, but executed with better beats and a much better live performance. Illuminated by a flashing rear screen, Kelly’s dreamy instrumentals came to a culmination during Radiohead cover ‘Arpeggi’, in which the breakdown featured incredibly fast finger movements on knobs and dials in the style of Fred Again. When Owens performed ‘Love You Got’ there was a sea of dancers jumping up and down with their hands in the air. ‘Dreamstate’ both opened and closed the set, with the motif on the screen repeating at the end of the last song.

High Contrast

In a 2-hour long set to end the festival for the year, High Contrast walked onstage in a blue labcoat and see-through mask to bless the crowd with his drum & bass wizardry. He had enough material to keep the audience going the entire time with a catalogue filled with jump up, rollers and jungle. The whole thing felt very gimmicky - the DJ used an old wind-up telephone instead of a headset for the second deck - but it was great fun nonetheless. As much of a good hypeman as the MC was, it all felt a little too much at times. Some of the better drops of the set were somewhat ruined by his talking. With such a late finish, getting up early in the morning was rough, but it was worth it to end the weekend on a bang.

Summary #

Facilities at Green Man have a focus on sustainability. All toilets are compostable and there is a cup swap system in place at the bar to promote reuse. Rubbish must be separated into different categories to recycle, which helped the camping areas seem absolutely spotless in relation to most weekend festivals. Showers also came with complimentary sustainable body wash, which almost made up for the shockingly weak water pressure! Whilst toilet and vendor queues were not too long over the weekend, queues for water points were absurdly big. With only four taps at each water point (of which the main festival site only had three) and such hot weather, queues stretched way further than they ever had before.

There are a wide range of activities at the festival other than the live music programme over the course of the weekend. The “Wishbone” contains cabaret and drag shows late at night, and Round The Twist and Chai Wallahs feature late night dance music. “Nature Nurture” features massage and physical therapy parlours, and there are dedicated areas for workshops for children, teens and adults. “Somewhere” is Green Man’s area for teens, in which there is a chillout space with beanbags and plenty of fun things to keep young people occupied. Finally, for the younger children, “Little Folk”’s theme this year was time. The area itself is rather large, with plenty of fun activities and a parade on Sunday afternoon (which ended up kicking up a whole load of dust before Warmduscher had even appeared onstage!).

The sense of community you feel at Green Man is unlike any other festival on the planet. You feel part of something for at least a weekend, and a tight-knit bond forms between yourself and other festivalgoers. It’s a privilege to attend an independent festival who have the liberty to curate their lineups without pressure from shareholders, and it’s honestly refreshing to see such high levels of political free speech from performers. The music itself is also excellent, and I would be hard pressed to find true fault in the festival and the way in which it is run. I look forward to returning to the Brecon Beacons next year, as Green Man is the highlight of the festival season.