For the final day of a festival, when sore heads and bleary eyes are the norm, Green Man did not pull any punches. Kicking off the Far Out stage, back to back sets from O. and Lambrini Girls had us up and back in party mode from the outset. Thank god for the dreamy folk tales of harpist Cerys Hafana in the Walled Garden that eased us into the afternoon.
It’s wild to think Cerys has only performed once before at the festival, as her music feels synonymous with the cloud topped mountain backdrop of Crickhowell. We stuck around for a performer on the other end of the spectrum, who has attended all GM festivals to date, Pictish Trail! A crowd favourite who makes his yearly pilgrimage from the Isle of Eigg, bringing his alternative indie madness to a packed afternoon crowd.
We couldn’t resist settling in at the Mountain Stage then for the rest of the evening, with only a quick intermission to rush over to the comedy tent to catch Cardiff local legend Leroy Britto. Sets from Black Country, New Road, Ezra Collective (who managed to get the whole of the hill up on their feet, an unprecedented feat in GM history), and the jaw dropping headliner Sampha brought the main stage to a spectacular close.
The grand finale of the burning of the Green Man felt particularly poignant last night. This year he mourned the River Usk, holding it in his arms, after years of pollution from negligent sewage treatment companies.
Despite the horrors occurring across the globe and the riots that gripped the UK in recent weeks, people from all cultures, religions and backgrounds were welcomed with open arms to a small corner of Wales. Green Man has always been an embassador for Welsh art, as well as opening the door for international artists to showcase their talent to a loving audience. We are so lucky to have an event of this scope and scale in Wales, and we cannot wait to do it all again next year.
