doppelkorn Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Read my (redacted) review here! http://www.subba-cultcha.com/live-reviews/article.php?contentID=26395 Also Praying Mantis Kung Fu is Tom's front for a drug smuggling ring Kung Fu club This is my third visit in a row and with one of the weaker line-ups in recent history - at least on paper - I was a little apprehensive as we descended into the Brecon Beacons last Friday lunchtime. Very little changes and all the favourites were back: the kid’s area, keeping the hundreds of under-16s out of the way of the real action, the Green Man Pub with its smaller folk acts and real ales, Einstein’s Garden full of science and education stalls and the Green Man himself, a huge wooden sculpture which is ceremoniously torched by the local druids to round off proceedings on the Sunday night. Once we’d arrived we made a bee-line for the Chai Wallahs tent, another Green Man favourite which showcases acts that fall outside the festival's standard folk/acoustic/indie remit. Tin Roots’ punchy ska and the Backbeat Sound System’s more laid back dub got the self conscious crowd grooving early in the evening and ready for the eagerly awaited Alternative Dubstep Orchestra. This tight, multi-piece band ran through almost an hour of well-known and original dubstep tunes, all played live of course. I don’t think the instrumental format particularly suits the genre and the trademark wobble and dirty bass was missing but the outcome was still captivating. Switch and JFB (former world and current UK DMC champion DJs respectively) teamed up for a set of high-speed, high volume turntable trickery later on which had the crowd reeling as they span hip hop, dubstep, beats, bass and James Brown - oh and Disney tunes - showing just why they deserve their titles. This left us just enough time to catch Bellowhead on the main stage, for me one of the highlights of the whole festival. Their English folk propped up by danceable drum beats makes for an infectious live experience and the whole field was swinging their partners by the hand, completely forgetting how stupid they looked. Later on, with the pumping house of 2 Bears (a side project of Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard) not being right up our street, we checked out one of last year’s standout ska acts Yes Sir Boss and then headed off to the always excellent comedy and literature tent for a nightcap and a giggle. The rich pickings of Saturday‘s line up lay before us and once we’d coaxed our camping stove into providing us some bacon and meths flavour butties we started out by catching the so-so Leisure Society on the main stage. Virginia’s Wild Nothing straight after that sounded too much like the Cure not to enjoy. One of the themes I spotted this year is apparently the saxophone and Polar Bear employs two of them - and a Wiimote! Their jazzy experiments during a torrential shower outside left me wanting more and left me in no doubt as to their talents. Fleet Foxes - arguably the biggest name of the weekend headed the main stage which we took in from the huge spectators’ hill under the backdrop of the black mountains. The band grew into the set. After what seemed like a tense first 20 minutes Robin Pecknold seemed to find his voice and they eventually settled into a more assured, masterly gig. Norwegian singer songwriter Thomas Dybdahl gave us a reason to drag ourselves out of bed on Sunday (4pm is early!) and seemed to genuinely love the experience, as did we. James Blake followed with an uncategoriseable blend of singer-songwriter melancholy and literally sickening bass for the cool kids in sunglasses. The cinema tent was doing a special showing of The Wicker Man with an interactive singalong and free sweets, providing a welcome chill zone and an excuse to be much sillier than a grown man should be with a stuffed rabbit. Iron and Wine topped the final bill and had the crowd in the palm of his hand, respectfully obeying the obligatory one-saxophone-per-band rule. But Green Man is so much more than the music stages: the comedy was, as always, spot on. Usually a tent full of people just wanting a break, the acts manage to ad-lib each evening into its own little mini-performance with in jokes and crowd participation. The literature readings are top-class. John Cooper Clarke made an unbilled appearance and The Fast Show’s Simon Day read from his brilliant memoirs. A special mention must go to The Sonic Manipulator. This man (if you can call him that) started off as a sort of guerilla act who was eventually invited to perform. Clad in a silver space suit and with an array of home-made, light-up instruments that almost always work, he strolls around the site singing songs about the cosmos and gravity (“It’s gettin’ me down.”). The dozens of smaller stalls and acts like Preying Mantis Kung Fu who put on free workshops and the guys who brought along baby chicks so that drunken oafs like me could hold them need a pat on the back too. Green Man is simply one of the friendliest, cleanest and most chilled out festivals going. the crowd knows it, and the acts seem to love performing there. I’ll be there next year and I hope you will too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndhand Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Did you get any corn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelkorn Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Nah I mainly ate this indian curry thing and at no point was I reduced to eating out of bins like that other time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndhand Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x2k Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 and all the favourites were back: the kid’s area I still need to upload that vid of you and that chick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelkorn Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 @2ndHand: what a nice image. Vicky Binns's Wikipedia page is considerably shorter than Molly Dobbs's. I bet that's quite saddening. @x2k: don't...please. That comment has done more for my rep on here than posting the video ever could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 and all the favourites were back: the kid’s area I still need to upload that vid of you and that chickDo it! Now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 im telling L-ron!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelkorn Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 I'm a serious journalist and yet I get played like a sucker around here. No respect I tells ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I'm a serious journalist a serious Idiot more like! also isnt that your only published piece? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelkorn Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 you're right! I'm a charlatan! But I did do an interview that's due to be published "soon" apparently and I also reviewed a festival as a favour aaaaaaaaaaages ago for a mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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