The Canadian singer-songwriter will play the 10th anniversary Green Man Festival on Sunday August 19, and heads the first wave of amazing acts confirmed for the most varied and exciting line-up in our decade-long history.
Feist’s Grammy-nominated 2007 solo breakthrough The Reminder sold over a million copies worldwide, while last year’s superb follow-up Metals was declared the best album of 2011 by The New York Times.
A long-standing member of acclaimed music collective Broken Social Scene, Feist has also collaborated with the likes of Wilco, Beck and Grizzly Bear, and this month received a 2012 Brit Award nomination for Best International Female Solo Artist.
What better way to end Green Man’s 10th birthday bash than in the company of one of the most beguiling voices in modern music? Heavenly…
If that wasn’t enough, the following astounding artists are joining Feist at Green Man 2012, in the heart of Wales’ breathtaking Black Mountains, from August 17-19:
The Walkmen The Felice Brothers Yann Tiersen Jonathan Richman Junior Boys Damien Jurado The Time & Space Machine (Live) Cass McCombs Scritti Polliti Slow Club Ghost Poet Pete Paphides – Vinyl Revival Peaking Lights Dark Dark Dark, Cashier No. 9 The Wave Pictures Islet Rocketnumbernine Alt-J Teeth of the Sea The Perch Creek Family Jug Band Richard Warren Goodnight Lenin Sweet Baboo Alaska
Trust us, this is just the beginning – we’ve got TWO more brilliant headliners and over 100 other acts yet to announce!
To celebrate we will reveal the first batch amazing artists lined-up to play Green Man’s big birthday bash in Wales’ breathtaking Black Mountains from August 17-19, including one of three unbelievably great headline acts!
It promises to be the most memorable Green Man Festival yet, as your old friend assembles an unmissable array of musical talent from across the globe to soundtrack the feel-good party of the summer.
All Earlybird tickets for Green Man 2012 were snapped up in record time, and the entire festival has sold out for the last three years in a row. We’re expecting demand to be high once again, so don’t miss out!
Tickets cost:
Adult Ticket
£145
Student Ticket
£125
Teen Ticket
£75
Child Ticket
£5
Live-In Vehicle Ticket
£60
Holiday Ticket
£40
Car Park Ticket
£5
Resident Day Ticket
£50
And what about that line-up? Well, we’re so excited we could run to the top of the Sugar Loaf Mountain and scream their names across the sweeping valleys below!
Alas, we’re sworn to secrecy so you’ll just have to hang on until Monday. Trust us though – you won’t be disappointed. This is Green Man we’re talking about, after all…
Celebrating its 10th birthday in 2012, you can expect big things for last years winner of the Best Medium Size Festival Award.
No one throws a party quite like Green Man, so the 10th anniversary of Britain’s friendliest festival is guaranteed to go with one almighty bang…
“Earlybird” tickets for Green Man 2012 go on sale from 9am next Tuesday (November 15th), and once again we’re offering you the chance to join in all the fun at specially discounted prices!
But hurry, this exclusive offer is available for a limited period only and WILL sell out very quickly!
Please note that due to the huge popularity of Green Man’s family-friendly ethos, we’ve had to introduce a small charge of £5 for 12s & under this year to keep all other ticket prices as low as possible.
And to minimise traffic congestion, any vehicle using any of the three main car parks (General, Family and Holiday Camping) at Green Man 2012 will need a £5 parking ticket. Be warned, there are a very limited number of tickets available for the Family Camping car park, so make sure you get yours soon.
We’re still buzzing from the spellbinding success of this year’s festival, but rest assured that Green Man has plenty of exciting plans up his sleeve to make sure his 10th annual summer shindig is truly the stuff of legend!
So consider yourself invited to the (birthday) party of the year, and keep your eyes peeled for more exciting Green Man 2012 news coming soon…
There’s a little celluloid something for everyone this summer in a packed programme of mind-bending movies and live music guaranteed to stimulate your senses – whatever time of day (or night) it is!
Lights…camera…action!
The Music Of Vernon Elliot performed by North Sea Radio Orchestra Step back in time with The Clangers, Ivor The Engine and Bagpuss in a celebration of music from the classic kids TV shows made by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin’s legendary Smallfilms Productions.
Optimum Classics Late-night screenings of classics including Apocalypse Now, starring Marlon Brando, David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth and hit thriller Source Code.
The Beat Is The Law – Fanfare For The Common People Documentary charting Pulp’s rise from ‘80s Sheffield obscurity to Glastonbury headliners, featuring interviews with Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley.
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde accompanied by Blue Roses Celebrated Yorkshire folk songstress Blue Roses performs a live musical accompaniment to MGM’s seminal silent horror film.
Consumed – Inside The Belly Of The Beast The UK premiere of a challenging and eye-opening new documentary about modern consumerist culture.
7 Inch Cinema/Ghost Box Records Featuring the talents of Belbury Youth Club, a host of DJs, a video disco and a selection of shorts and archive clips to quicken the heart and chill the soul.
Singalongawickerman Dust down your best Scottish accent and get your Pagan hymnbook primed for an interactive sing-a-long screening of classic cult horror film The Wicker Man.
In Chapters Cardiff arts collective present four hours of film, music videos and live music, featuring the launch of former Gorky’s bassist Richard James’ new album.
PLUS much, much more including new Efterklang film An Island and live audio/visual performances from Emily Barker, The Real Tuesday Weld and film composer Harry Escott featuring a string quartet!
Whether it’s cartoons with the kids in the morning or losing yourself in a darkened room with a late-night cider, you can be sure it’s showing on Green Man’s silver screen this summer!
Grab yourself a cider in our magnificent marquee of merriment as some of the best stand-ups in the business take the mike from 7pm to 2am daily!
There’s so more to Green Man than the fantastic music – we’ve got three nights of brilliant comedy lined-up from an amazing array of acts including:
Tom Wrigglesworth – the national have-a-go-hero who rescued a little old lady from the jaws of Virgin train bureaucracy, only to be arrested for begging. The resulting sell-out show bagged him a prestigious Chortle award and his own BBC Radio 4 series.
Tony Law - an Edinburgh Festival favourite whose self-styled “acid-casualty” approach to stand-up is as laid-back as it is hilarious. The Canadian’s scorching jokes and incisive wit made him the perfect choice to support Stewart Lee on his recent UK tour.
Trevor Lock – among the most intelligent, original and exciting acts in comedy today. His ability to improvise whole routines with cleverly crafted wordplay and stream of consciousness ad-libbing has gained him a worldwide cult following.
Alistair Barrie – one of the most in-demand MCs on the international circuit. He hosted and helped organise Bye George, the comedians farewell to George W. Bush at London’s Southbank Centre, alongside Rory Bremner, Mark Thomas and Marcus Brigstocke.
Gary Delaney – a razor sharp comedian widely regarded as being the most quotable stand-ups on the circuit. His high-volume, high quality one-liners have left audiences reeling, from rowdy clubs to bizarre corporate gigs at the Labour Party Conference. Ben Clark and Tom Parry – the two tallest members of acclaimed sketch group Pappy’s. Their unique brand of silly comedy has won rave reviews at Edinburgh, a Chortle award for Best Sketch Act and slots on BBC Radio 4 and Channel 4.
PLUS sets from Mike Wozniak, Helen Arney, Maeve Higgins, Mark Olver, Bec Hill, Tom Bell, Terry Saunders and many, many more yet to be announced.
With around 50 hilarious comedians waiting to tickle your funny bone in the breathtaking Brecon Beacons, isn’t it time you booked your tickets for Green Man 2011? It will be no laughing matter if you miss out…
Ticket Details: - Adult weekend pass £135.00 (18 and over) - Student £115 – can only be purchased with proof of an NUS card or ISIC card. - Teenage ticket (13 – 17) SOLD OUT - Holiday ticket (£40.00) can only be purchased with a weekend adult pass. It enables people to arrive four days early, camp in the Green Man’s spectacular site in the Brecon Beacons National Park, and combine the festival with a holiday in magical Wales. - Children 12 and under go free but must be accompanied by an adult (18 and over) - Camper Van SOLD OUT - Car park £5.00
Tickets available via http://www.ticketline.co.uk/green-man-festival-tickets
There is no harmony like brotherly harmony, and few do it better than North Carolina’s incredible Avett Brothers.
Discovered by the legendary Rick Rubin, siblings Scott and Seth Avett will keep the Green Man family vibe going in the beautiful Brecon Beacons this August.
Major label debut I and Love and You, produced by Rubin, is packed with raw emotion and naked honesty and finds the brothers poised to breakthrough to the wider audience their songwriting deserves.
The unbridled energy of their self-styled “punkgrass” live show is a must-see – expect raw emotion, some stomping singalongs and the odd snapped banjo string!
Destroyer – aka multi-talented master craftsman and arranger extraordinaire Dan Bejar – headlines the Far Out Tent at Green Man on Saturday.
The Canadian’s ninth album Kaputt is an opulent, lyrical, game-changing masterpiece – elaborate, funny and funky early ‘80s pop songs brought to life by an eight-piece touring band. With a flurry of five star reviews and comparisons to Roxy Music and David Bowie, this astonishing record has rightly been hailed as “a retro dance soundtrack for disco fans”.
You can download the totally ace taster Chinatown for free by clicking here: http://www.scjag.com/mp3/do/chinatown.mp3
Josh T. Pearson’s acclaimed solo debut Last Of The Country Gentlemen is quite possibly the bravest album you’ll hear in 2011.
A collection of seven songs drawn from the lessons of what he describes as “a rough year”, this is personal, powerful, painful, music to melt the heart of the most hardened cynic. If you managed to catch Josh’s spellbinding appearance on Later With Jools Holland last month, you will be licking your lips in anticipation…
Alessi’s Ark is the stage name of West Londoner Alessi Laurent-Marke, whose 2009 debut was produced by Bright Eyes member Mike Mogis in Conor Oberst’s own studio. Now the prodigious 20-year-old is back with the follow-up Time Travel, released last week on the ever-excellent Bella Union.
Matthew And The Atlas have played in some of the UK’s most iconic venues thanks to a support slot last year with Mumford and Sons – not least the Green Man Boat party! Led by gravel-voiced singer Matt Hegarty, the band are now emerging in their own right as one of the brightest stars on the UK folk scene.
Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog – brothers Iwan, Aled and Dafydd Hughes – continue the family theme. Formed in 2006 between the predominantly Welsh-speaking villages of Botwnnog and Llaniestyn in the Lynn Peninsula, the band’s beautiful, rootsy, country-tinged sound is quickly attracting an ever-growing following.
You can discover Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog and scores of other amazing, upcoming new acts lovingly hand-picked by Green Man himself in the Brecon Beacons from August 19th to 21st.
And if you’re lucky, we might even have some more exciting news on the welcome return of one of Green Man’s very good friends up our sleeves for a rainy day…
Backed by a superb live band, acclaimed Texas-based singer songwriter Sam Beam will bring the curtain down on our ninth annual summer shindig in the Brecon Beacons on Sunday August 21st.
Iron & Wine’s brilliant fourth album Kiss Each Other Clean was released to rave reviews at the start of year, drawing comparisons with the likes of Mercury Rev, Simon & Garfunkel and even Stevie Wonder.
It is Beam’s most ambitious and accessible record to date, adding increasingly adventurous instrumentation and a healthy dose of funk to the dusty American of Iron & Wine’s achingly beautiful 2007 breakthrough The Shepherd’s Dog – we can’t imagine a more atmospheric climax to Green Man 2011.
The list of exciting new additions to our amazing 2011 line-up goes on and on!
Gruff Rhys, a bona fide Welsh music legend, has good Green Man form. He headlined the main stage with Super Furry Animals in 2008 and, in typically off-kilter fashion, played a secret solo acoustic set in a nearby cave in 2007. One of the most prolific and consistently original songwriters of his generation makes a welcome return when he headlines the Far Out Tent on Sunday. Gruff will be joined by ace Welsh surf band Y Niwl as he performs tracks from new album Hotel Shampoo, along with melodic gems from his solo back catalogue.
Noah and the Whale have matured beyond their origins on the West London folk scene alongside contemporaries Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling to morph into one of Britain’s most vital and life-affirming pop bands. Main man Charlie Fink describes new album Last Night On Earth as his “coming of age record” – witness the rise of a compelling band hitting brave new creative heights.
James Blake makes music that melts hearts and moves bodies in equal measure – not so much breaking down musical barriers as leaping over them. It is fair to say that the 22-year-old composer and producer is hot property right now, and for once the hype is justified – here’s your chance to find out what all the fuss is about.
James Yorkston has been holding Green Man audiences spellbound since our very first festival in 2003. As warm and comforting as a well-aged whisky, James will combine timeless folk song-craft with readings from his wry and witty tour diaries It’s Lovely To Be Here – the first ever book from Domino Records’ new publishing imprint.
Suuns are the latest in a long line of great bands to emerge from the musical hotbed of Montreal. The Canadian four-piece fuse post punk, electronica and Krautrock as crashing drums and nose-diving guitar riffs punctuate tautly-weaved beats.
PLUS we’ve got sets from The Antlers, The Cave Singers, Thomas Dybdahl, James Vincent McMorrow, Ben Howard, Treefight For Sunlight, Moddi, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Marcus Foster, John Mouse, Chialo Sim, No Thee No Ess, Neverest Songs, The Sleeping Years and The Bleedin’ Noses to name but a few.
We’ve been keeping you on tenterhooks, but now our final main stage headliner is revealed at last! The good news is that our 2011 line-up doesn’t end there. Ever the tease, Green Man still has some big names hidden up his sleeve. The bad news is that tickets are selling fast, and it just wouldn’t be the same without you…
*Line-up so far:* 2:54 / Admiral Fallow / Bellowhead / Ben Howard / Benjamin Francis Leftwich / Bleeding Heart Narrative / Chialo Sim / Driver Drive Faster / Duotone / Ellen & The Escapades / Emily Barker / Explosions In The Sky / Fleet Foxes / Gruff Rhys / Hannah Peel / Holy Fu ck / Iron & Wine / James Blake / James Vincent McMorrow / James Yorkston / John Mouse / Lia Ices / Marcus Foster / Moddi / Neverest Songs / No Thee No Ess / Noah and the Whale / Oh Ruin / Our Broken Garden / Polar Bear / Robyn Hitchcock / Suuns / The Antlers / The Bleedin’ Noses / The Burns Unit / The Cave Singers / The Doozer / The Gentle Good / The Leisure Society / The Low Anthem / The Ramshackle Union Band / The Sleeping Years / The Travelling Band / Thomas Dybdahl / Treecreeper / Treefight For Sunlight / Ute / Villagers / Wild Nothing… with more to be confirmed in the coming months
*The Festival Site:* The Green Man Festival site is situated in the Brecon Beacons, crossed by the River Usk and enveloped by rolling countryside and breathtaking mountains and hills. It is, in a word, idyllic. We encourage everyone to explore this wonderful site, and make the most of the surroundings. Wide open spaces contrast with intimate moments. Natural beauty blends with community spirit. Camping is limited to one week of the year – Green Man festival. It’s a unique opportunity to camp in surroundings unlikely to be found at a commercial campsite. The Main Stage is located in a natural grassy amphitheatre. Sprawl out on lush green slopes while watching world-class artists perform against the mystical backdrop of Sugar Loaf Mountain. The formal gardens are used for Einstein’s Garden where art installations, stalls and entertainment are positioned between rose arbours and flowerbeds. The Courtyard Bar is situated in a Gothic Victorian Stables (keep your eyes peeled for the bats at night) and makes for an ideal halfway meet-up point for the festival. From the Stables you can follow an avenue of ancient trees decorated with garland lights where stalls sell delicious global food and quality crafts. From the avenue, you can enter the walled garden where the Green Man Pub hums until the wee hours. The Green Man Pub is an intimate space where you can drink a superb selection of ales, beers, cider and cocktails while relaxing at sturdy wooden tables and chairs as glorious music wafts across from the Pub Stage. After the avenue of trees, the space opens up to the Science and Literature tents. Near here is the bonfire area, a focal point for late-night jamming from dusk till dawn. The Far Out big top is also nearby, and when the sun goes down the Far Out After Dark keeps the fun alive long past the witching hour, fuelled by the nearby End Up Bar which is open very, very late indeed. And once you’ve got your bearings, why not pay a visit the all-seeing, all-knowing Green Man himself? He might just make you wish come true…
* Green Man pub-quiz facts:* * Green Man is the leading contemporary music and arts festival in Wales. * Independent festival founded 2003 – this is our ninth year * Only UK festival with a 24hour drinks licence * Only UK festival offering a holiday ticket for festival-goers to camp on site for a week and enjoy the local tourist sites and outstanding countryside before the festival happens. At just £40 more, this initiative adds quality to the ticket and also generates more income for the local economy. * Kites, buzzards, dippers and swallows have been spotted on our breathtakingly beautiful site during previous Green Man festivals
* Ticket Details:* – Adult weekend pass £135.00 (18 and over) – Student £115 – can only be purchased with proof of an NUS card or ISIC card. – Teenage ticket (13 – 17) SOLD OUT – Holiday ticket (£40.00) can only be purchased with a weekend adult pass. It enables people to arrive four days early, camp in the Green Man’s spectacular site in the Brecon Beacons National Park, and combine the festival with a holiday in magical Wales. – Children 12 and under go free but must be accompanied by an adult (18 and over) – Camper Van SOLD OUT – Car park £5.00
Tickets available via http://www.ticketline.co.uk/green-man-festival-tickets
Get yourselves in the mood with a free download from the Fleet Foxes website: http://www.fleetfoxes.com/helplessness-blues.html
Tickets for Green Man 2011 go on general sale TODAY!
We promised you big news and we’re giddy with excitement to reveal the first headliner for our ninth annual shindig – but the stellar supporting cast is taking shape too…
Bellowhead have been voted Best Live Band at the BBC Radio Two Folk Awards an unparalleled FIVE times! The 11-piece band, complete with brass section, bagpipes and bouzouki, are sure to be one of the highlights of Green Man 2011.
The Burns Unit is a new “carnival rock/pop supergroup” featuring our old friend King Creosote, ex-Delgados singer Emma Pollock and Scottish indie legend Future Pilot AKA. Not to be missed.
Villagers released the Mercury-nominated Becoming A Jackal on Domino Records last year, a spine-tingling debut album packed with gripping poetry and spine-tingling melodies.
Wild Nothing – aka Jack Tatum – counts My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins as influences for his dreamy synth-pop songs, while Sic Alps bring some lo-fi, Pavement-esque experimentalism to the party from across the pond.
Polar Bear need little introduction, led by drummer Seb Rochford and featuring members of Acoustic Ladyland, electronics whizz Leafcutter John and one of the greatest saxophonists in Britain.
Robyn Hitchcock is one of England’s best-loved songwriters, a cult hero who has played with the likes of Nick Lowe, Gillian Welch, Graham Coxon and REM’s Peter Buck over a varied 30-year career.
All of this plus hotly-tipped newcomers and old favourites alike, including: Ellen & The Escapades, Our Broken Garden, Emily Barker, The Gentle Good, 2:54, The Travelling Band, Bleeding Heart Narrative, The Ramshackle Union Band, Mancub Babywoman and more!
Why not join them in the Brecon Beacons on August 19-21?
Trust us, this is just the beginning.
The message board and Facebook page are going mad with requests of who you want to see play at Green Man 2011.
Fear not – we’ve got two more phenomenal headliners and over 100 other amazing acts up our sleeves for what promises to be the most diverse and downright devilish Green Man yet.
Ticket Details:
£135.00 for an adult weekend pass (18 and over)
Student £115 – can only be purchased with proof of an NUS card or ISIC card.
Teenage ticket (13 – 17) £60.00 – teenagers can only come into the festival accompanied by an adult
Holiday ticket (40.00) can only be purchased with a weekend adult pass. It enables people to arrive four days early, camp in the Green Man’s spectacular site in the Brecon Beacons National Park, and combine the festival with a holiday in magical Wales.
Children 12 and under go free but must be accompanied by an adult (18 and over)
Camper Van (£50)
Car park (£5.00)
Tickets through http://www.ticketline.co.uk/green-man-festival-tickets
So, thought we’d stop announcing new exciting stuff once the festival sold out? Think again.
Green Man is proud to present the UK première of a film that nearly never was. Almost four decades after it was first made, this is the strange tale of Bird On A Wire – a remarkably candid documentary captured across all 20 concerts of Leonard Cohen’s 1972 European Tour.
We’re rolling out the Green Carpet and converting the “Far Out Tent,” into a 2000 capacity cinema on Thursday night, as Wales and the Green Man host the UK première of this astonishing portrait of an uncompromising artist in his prime – as it was meant to be seen and heard in all it’s undiminished glory.
Tony Palmer Director and Editor “The film is precious to me and the venue for its first public screening vitally important, so when someone like Fiona asked me to première Bird on a Wire at Green Man and explained that it would be shown in a large circus tent in the beautiful welsh mountains, how could I possibly resist.”
A hitherto unseen insight into the world of one of music’s genuine geniuses, this near-mythical piece of musical history was hijacked and hacked up upon its completion.
Reluctantly lost from director Tony Palmer’s hands, artistic wrangling and massive editorial cuts mean Bird On A Wire has never been seen as its makers intended.
Now, having languished in the vaults for 38 years, the original film has been salvaged, restored and pieced back together through a huge labour of love (and just a little luck) – and you can see it first at Green Man.
Director Tony Palmer, who has previously made films with The Beatles, Cream, Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa, said: “Maybe what is valuable about the film today is not only that it contains 17 of Cohen’s greatest songs performed by him in his prime, it has a real feel for the rough and tumble and difficulties of life on the road.
“I know of few other films where the backstage confusion comes so vividly to life, with Cohen apparently taking no notice whatsoever of the camera. I doubt if today we would be allowed such access.
“The songs are haunting, unforgettably so. The poetry is extraordinary. But so is the man. Looking back after 38 years, my admiration for Cohen remains undiminished. The original film was made with love – I hope that quality once again shines through the restored film.”
Bird On A Wire promises to be a real treat not just for Cohen’s fans, but for anyone with even a passing interest in music, poetry and cinema.
Producer Stephen Machat, whose late father the famous industry stalwart Marty Machat managed the star until his death in 1988, added: “This film is the culmination of an epic journey. My father cajoled Leonard into documenting his tour even though Leonard didn’t want to. But my father could see what it would mean. At the time, I had no idea why he was interested in doing this. But on viewing the beautiful film that Tony has put together, I see it and feel it.”
This UK exclusive will take place on the Thursday night of this year’s festival – an extra special treat for all you Holiday Campers and early arrivals. What better way to raise the curtain on what promises to be our best-ever festival?
You can read the full incredible story of how Bird On A Wire was rescued from the cutting room floor in an exclusive in-depth feature in this year’s festival programme written by Tony Palmer himself.
This is Green Man after all – so expect the unexpected.
