Friday 17/08/07 The Green Man Festival @ Glanusk Park, Brecon Beacons

Once upon a time, deep in the valleys of Wales, there lay a beautiful secret: a quiet little event where music lovers could relax with a glass of cider, whilst enjoying the lovely sounds of whichever folk band happened to be performing, and without worrying about rowdy idiots elbowing them in the face or setting their tent on fire. These days, Green Man is not so much of a secret: ten thousand tickets were sold this year, a big leap from the three hundred odd at the first festival back in 2003, but the rest of the story holds true.
 
It's still a much smaller event than the likes of Glastonbury or Reading and definitely has a much more relaxed atmosphere. While you might catch the odd ‘big’ name, most people will never have heard of at least half the line-up and it's a genuine chance for discovery. However enjoyable it can be to dash from stage to crowded stage to catch all your favourite pop artists, there's something to be said for simply taking it easy, and letting new sounds wash over you.

It's not just these things that set Green Man apart though, and the festival audience is wildly different from the standard horde of indie kids and drunken rockers. Sure there are young people, but they're outnumbered by middle-aged couples, ex-hippies and a huge prevalence of families. Instead of sweaty mosh pits there are fold-up chairs and umbrellas (which were unfortunately needed all weekend). Gigwise even spotted one woman sat knitting. The two truly ubiquitous things at the festival are beards (this young journalist became quite jealous upon feeling his own patchy stubble), and small blonde children (sometimes it’s like being in a Germanic fairy tale).
 
You can't help but notice that it's also the most white, middle-class gathering imaginable, but with artists appearing from all over the UK (and indeed the world) it feels like a vital part of British culture, even if it's appeal is limited. The festival lives up to it's name too: there are plenty of organic food stalls, talks on climate change, and even a solar-powered stage. Meanwhile the dramatic scenery of the Brecon Beacons adds a little romance and magic to the air (as do the constant stream of bubbles emanating from the bubble wands held by every child on site).
 
So what about the music? Well, there are plenty of artists on the bill that might lead the average punter to label Green Man a ‘folk’ festival. There are certainly enough acoustic guitars and facial hair to warrant such a tag. But there’s also rock, in both the classic and alternative varieties, gorgeously twee indie-pop, and frenetic experimentalism. While much of its music is steeped in tradition and history, Green Man is a festival out to defy labels and push boundaries.
 
Let’s start with that traditional stuff then. Green Man definitely has enough pulling power to attract some real legends of the folk scene. There’s John Renbourn, one of the fathers of contemporary British folk, whose finger picking style is still utterly entrancing. Seasick Steve is a genuine ex-hobo from Mississippi who’s played his electric blues with the likes of John Lee Hooker, and produced Modest Mouse’s early albums. He bashes out his gloriously dirty tunes on a broken-down guitar with only three strings, sounding like he just got out of Folsom Prison.
 
Then there’s Vashti Bunyan, whose story has now become part of modern British ‘folk-lore.’ Expelled from art school, she travelled to the Isle of Skye with a horse and cart before cutting a single album in 1969, Just Another Diamond Day. It disappeared almost without trace until resurrected and re-released in 2000 (you might know the title song from a recent mobile phone advert), which re-started a career she had long given up on. Perhaps her legend holds slightly more presence than her music, but there’s an undeniable beauty in Bunyan’s songs much of which stems from a voice so fragile you fear a breath of wind might silence it.