The Green Man Festival 2009
Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd August 2009Glanusk Park, Usk Valley, Powys, Wales, NP8 1LP, Wales MAP
adult weekend £115, teen £50 (children aged 12 & under are free) - SOLD OUT
Last updated: Wed 19th Aug 2009
Saturday, again with the sun shining down on the Glanusk Park Estate, kicked off with The Soundcarriers providing their pleasant Stereolab styled pop and Cate Le Bon, who finally has a debut album 'Me Oh My!' on the way performing her gentle pop in both English and Welsh.
Catching the end of Peter Broderick's set makes me realise that I should have caught the whole of the performance and tempts me to attend the Cardiff gig that he mentions as he finishes his set of cinematic looped classical song craft.
On top form Grizzly Bear's set centred mainly around 'Veckatimest', the recently released and highly acclaimed album. Victoria Legrand, of Beach House, joined Droste and co onstage for the highlight 'Two Weeks' with 'Cheerleader' also excelling. It was a fantastic performance that would have easily pleased the crowd as a headlining show.
Having seen Bon Iver at virtually every other festival I have been to in the last year or so the potential difficult clash with Andrew Bird was easily solved. Bird was on stunning form with his mission to bring whistling to the masses, whilst looping him violin to amazing effect. An incredibly impressive performance was capped by the beautiful, if one of the more stripped down songs, 'Effigy'. Another sterling show that could have been one of four potential headlining acts of the night.
The actual main stage headliner was that of another Britpop legend, ex-Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker. As usual, the perfect host and entertainer tried his best at greeting the gathered large crowd in Welsh whilst throwing lollypops into the audience and then later offering the chance to "Wrap your gums around my plums" whilst throwing in the fruity healthy option. Jumping and gyrating his way through a set of songs from his first two solo records Cocker is an ideal headliner, and although I am sure many were hoping for a Pulp track or two he stuck to his solo material which is some of the heaviest songs he has written in his long career but not losing any of his lyrical wit and humour.
review by: Richard Stevens
photos by: Sarah Stevens
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