Green Man Festival: Meet The Acts

Wales’ largest music festival, Green Man, has just announced that it will be going ahead as planned on the weekend of the 19^th-22^nd of August. Amid the uncertainty for live music, the announcement has followed the Welsh government’s decision to scrap most Covid rules from the 7^th of August, if the public health situation allows.

If you haven’t heard of Green Man Festival before now, it is an independent music and arts festival held in the heart of Brecon Beacons. The festival comprises of; 10 different areas spread over the scenic, pastoral grounds, revealing a playground of literature, art installations, and extraordinary performances. And as the name suggests, the festival prides itself on its green credentials!

 

Unlike many festivals nowadays, Green Man boasts a diverse lineup year after year, covering genres such as indie, rock, psychedelia, electronic music and pretty much anything else you can think of. To name all the greats that have taken over the stages would take more space than is allowed here, but just a few names that you have missed consist of Stereolab, Four Tet, Mac DeMarco, and St Vincent.

 

However, this year the festival has returned with one of its most impressive lineups so far – featuring huge headliners, such as Fontaines D.C., Shame, Little Dragon and many more!

 

Mogwai

 

Mogwai offers shoegaze for days. It’s difficult not to be hooked by the Scottish quintet and their dexterity with different styles. They are the quintessential ‘post-rock’ band of the late 90s: always remaining underground, occasionally protruding into the mainstream, but being too clever and enigmatic to be understood. Mogwai's set will undoubtedly offer an electrifying sense of what we have been missing with some sonic time capsules.  

 

Best tracks: ‘Ceiling Granny’, ‘We’re Not Done (End Title)’ and ‘Party In The Dark’.

 

Caribou

 

Picture this; It’s Friday night and oscillating rhythms of melodic electronica ricochet between the Black Mountains as you dance the night away. Caribou is the perfect artist to create total chaos in the countryside, with his introspective grooves: combining classic house and garage, underscored with an array of synths, piano-house, and blasts of hi-hats. It’s a thrill that Caribou will be at the centre of the stage for Green Man.

 

Best tracks: ‘Odessa’, ‘Never Come Back’ and ‘Can’t Do Without You’.

 

Kelly Lee Owens

 

Welsh-born Kelly Lee Owens thrums with a somatic immediacy that transcends all conventions of dance music. Owens filters her anxieties regarding climate change and relationships through the prism of electronic music – creating songs for perspective, not escape. Owens is a multi-faceted odyssey of punchy techno, dreamy soundscapes, and thundering energy. Beauty takes many forms - and one of them is Owens discography. 

 

Best tracks: ‘Melt!’, ‘Let It Go’ and ‘Throwing Lines’.

 

Tiña

 

The South-London band, Tiña, bridge eclectic sounds of psychedelia with modern post-punk. They deliver chaotic soundscapes that tantalise the eardrums whilst meandering with consuming hooks and ambient melodies. Each of their tracks channels the very personal yet universal struggles of the frontman, Josh Loftin – asserted by their dry lyrics, which transition between abstraction, pathos, and satire. If you want a spiritual booster shot, then make sure to watch Tiña. 

 

Best tracks: ‘Dip’, ‘I Feel Fine’ and ‘Growing In Age’.

 

Check out Green Man Festival's official playlist to discover more huge acts! 

 

By Aimee Dodd

Image: Official Green Man Festival Poster 2021