Super Furry Animals

One of the most creative and consistently engaging bands that Wales or indeed the World has ever produced. 8 albums in now and recently signed to Rough Trade, the Super Furry Animals haven’t dropped the baton once. From all-out experimentalism to pure pop bliss the Super Furry Animals have been leading the pack for nigh on 13 years. Hey Venus! is a swing back to the poppier sounds of Fuzzy Logic which can only mean their set on Saturday will be the perfect soundtrack to a proper shindig.

Spiritualized

Jason Spaceman is back with his 6th studio outing under the Spiritualized banner, “Songs In A&E”. Jason explains “ The Idea was to record and put the record out quick, but then I became ill. I had double pneumonia. I had Legionnaires’ disease or something, so…I was quite ill, it took it out of me” But despite the initial harrowing genesis of the album he has still managed to produce a record more even than any of its predecessors and of course is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year. Live they are legendary and there could be no better way to close the first night on the Main Stage.

Pentangle

Well now, many have wanted this day to come but possibly never realistically expected it to happen. Well it has and one of the most influential groups ever have reformed. For six relentlessly active years spanning 1967-73 British folk/jazz 'supergroup' Pentangle were one of the most exciting and innovative groups in the world, genuinely pushing boundaries and exploring new musical avenues. This is a turn up for the books of monumental importance, many, if not most of the acts that have played the Green Man stages over the years will undoubtedly doff their caps to the influence that Pentangle have had on them. Recent live performances have been received rapturously and proved that they can still cut it big time and remain as fresh and exciting as ever.

Drive By Truckers

2007 was a year of transition and reinvention for the band, having been on the road almost constantly since the Autumn of 2001 a break was desperately needed. A little time at home to recharge and perhaps rethink some things. Thankfully for us the brief hiatus is over and the band are back with a new album “Brighter Than Creation’s Dark” which has received rave reviews pretty much everywhere it has been featured. A treat is in store because live they awesome and they will surely go down in history as one of the best Southern rock bands of all time.

Richard Thompson

There are not many artists who emerged in the second half of the 60s who have had as much impact on music as Richard Thompson. While in his teenage years he formed one of the 60s most influential groups, Fairport Convention. Fairport were THE folk rock pioneers and he hasn’t let up since, continually recording and touring throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s and is still going strong with yet another album under his belt, “Sweet Warrior”. Still as vital and fresh as ever almost 40 years on, Richard Thompson remains one of the most important musicians this country has ever produced.

Iron And Wine

While many of us learned of Iron and Wine by way of Sam Beam’s tender and spare rendering of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” on the Garden State soundtrack, those who dug deeper discovered a classic American tunesmith with a precocious musical signature. Songs like “Lion’s Mane,” “Jesus the Mexican Boy” and “Naked as We Came” are remarkable demonstrations of craft; musically memorable, lyrically evocative and casually atmospheric. Recent tours have seen the live band expand resulting in a deep, textured and immersive live experience with the full intentions of Beam’s mind realised

The National

The National are a band of New Yorkers transplanted from Cincinnati, Ohio: Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, and Scott Devendorf. What each member of the band does is not that important, but what they do together seems increasingly more. When last we heard from The National, they’d released and toured behind their Beggars Banquet debut, Alligator, an album whose reception closely mirrored the kind of sounds they made on record—it started out quiet, and ended up very, very loud. Their New album “boxer’ is already receiving much praise with the term ‘Masterpiece’ being used increasingly.

Black Mountain

Favorite psych-and-prog-spiritual pioneers Black Mountain are back with "In The Future", their second full-length album that resonates with the same epic ring, beloved deep rock touchstones and genuine folk fragility that made their self-titled debut full-length an instant classic. The new album possesses immense breadth, seamlessly showcasing short and classic folk-pop gems along with driving modern rock masterpieces. Live they are gigantic, huge riffs through to immersive soundscapes take you on a trip of monumental proportions.

Howlin Rain

Formed originally in 2006 by John Moloney (Sunburned Hand Of The Man) and Ethan Miller (Comets On Fire) Howlin Rain have become a going concern in their own right and have transcended the ‘side project’ tag. With new full time members the band have recorded one of the year’s best albums “Magnificent Friend”. It’s a departure from the dense and complex psychedelic swirl of Comets On Fire, Ethan Miller puts it this way “ I tried to make the songs have a simpler pop resonance than Comets but still left room for a certain amount of controlled chaos”. Live, it’s an absolute treat, be prepared to ROCK!

King Creosote

A Green Man favourite and for good reason. As part of the fence collective and as a solo performer King Creosote (aka Kenny Anderson) has been at the forefront of the current UK folk revival. A veteran of almost 30 albums, mostly released solely as limited CDRs, King Creosote raised the stakes with 2003's "Kenny and Beth's Musical Boatride" album, his first to receive a widespread release courtesy of Domino. The following year's "Rocket DIY" took Anderson to the next level before moving to 679 for "KC Rules OK" which confirmed his potential as an accomplished singer-songwriter whose talents could no longer be confined to the underground of British folk. His latest album “ Bombshell” is his best to date.

The Cave Singers

Here is the mystery of Seattle’s Cave Singers: They never listened to much folk music, they never intended to play folk music, and more importantly, their guitarist never picked up the instrument until recently. Yet, this strange trio is writing and performing some of the most hypnotizing folk music we have today. Their latest album “Invitation Songs” will work its way into your subconscious and become the soundtrack to this moment in your life. “Invitation Songs” will remain a part of you forever.

Magik Markers

After much touring and a clutch of self released cdrs Magik Markers have gone on to release records with Latitudes and Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label. Previous releases have been mixtures of psychedelic rock, drone rock and outright feral amorphous noise. Their latest release however, “Boss” has seen them incorporate their mastery of noise into a more song based approach. The result is basically a ‘pop’ album but they manage to keep it sounding dangerous with the sinister growl of previous releases lurking just beneath. Live they mix it up with wild psychedelic bursts and songs from the album and are absolutely awesome.

Nina Nastasia

Nina Nastasia an accomplished musician, songwriter and performer who currently makes her home in N.Y. Nina Nastasia's rare gift of a voice is an intimate, winged presence that is able to either freeze or melt your heart, that can powerfully soar and twist, or brush ultra-gently against you, suddenly summoning goose bumps. Mojo commented on its ability to "suck the air out of the room". Picking over themes of love, longing and loss, childhood, dreams and human dramas, her beautifully concise, hook-laden songwriting has a certain gritty, rustic charm and intensity. Simultaneously tough and fragile, her songs crackle and smoulder with an intimate emotional honesty and a dark undertow.

Caribou

Formerly called Manitoba (but had to change their name because of a slightly bizarre lawsuit from ageing punker ‘Handsome Dick Manitoba’), Caribou are amongst the best live bands out there. Their latest album “Andorra” is jam packed with awesome psychedelic pop along with experimental and electronic touches that are more akin to some of their earlier productions as Manitoba. Caribou is basically the brainchild of one man, Dan Snaith but his troupe of likeminded and highly accomplished musicians create one of the most glorious noises around.

Lightspeed Champion

Lightspeed Champion is the name of the new musical venture by ex-Test Icicle Devonte Hynes, currently signed to Domino Records. Containing musical elements from a variety of genres, Lightspeed Champion is a radically different sound to Hynes' previous band. As this incarnation on his debut album “Falling Off The Lavender Bridge” he produces lush acoustic pop ballads that call to mind artists as diverse as Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes and Weezer.

Badly Drawn Boy

Damon Gough chose his stage name from the title character in the show Sam and his Magic Ball, which he saw on TV at a party in Trafford, Manchester in 1995. A chance meeting with Andy Votel at the Generation X bar in Manchester, where Gough's friends Scott Abraham and Damon Hayhurst were contributing to an exhibition by the Space Monkey Clothing Company and Votel was DJing, led to the foundation of Twisted Nerve Records. Badly Drawn Boy's first seven-inch single, EP1, was pressed the following year to critical acclaim, although only 500 copies were made. From these humble beginnings, Damon Gough went on to release 5 albums, win the Mercury Music prize and soundtrack a major british film “ About A Boy”

Archie Bronson Outfit

A three piece from the West Country, Archie Bronson Outfit have been producing their strain of psychedelic rock n roll over two albums for Domino after a chance encounter with label founder Laurence Bell in a pub. Taking the good bits of US blues and rock 'n roll and blending it with a punk front that's definitely English gives Archie Bronson Outfit a certain edge amongst their post-everything contemporaries. Aspects of their performance bring to mind Captain Beefheart's classic 'Safe As Milk' debut album, imbuing proceedings with a nice, incoherent edge so often missing from the pop-racket made by many of their peers.

Fuck Buttons

Fuck Buttons are a two piece from Bristol who make a huge sound way beyond their numbers. Starting out as a pretty abrasive noise outfit, continual gigging and recording has refined and mutated their sound into something that simultaneously incorporates their nihilistic noise tendencies with quite beautiful melody and texture. An absolutely relentless touring schedule in the USA with Caribou has honed their skill yet further and they are now a formidable live proposition.

Cath And Phil Tyler

New Jersey native Cath Tyler has a background in teaching Sacred Harp singing, something which spills over into her music, which is largely comprised of traditional pieces, played with husband Phil. Despite its immediate origins in North Eastern England, this music is deeply rooted in the traditions of rural America, sung with spare accompaniment from fingerpicked acoustic guitar or banjo, with a few harmonised acappella songs along the way. Significantly, these two aren't excessively reverent about the source material changing lyrics and re-writing melodies at their whim, throwing in one or two of their own compositions along the way. Plan B and The Wire have both poured praise on their debut LP “Dumb Supper” for the excellent No-Fi label.

John Stammers

John Stammers released 'Ivy and Dennis' 7" ep, now long deleted, from his dusty stockpile of home made treasures last year. Now complimented live by his three piece combo and with a new 7" about to be released your ears are in for a treat. We can promise you heartbreak and tears of joy! With sublime harmonies, all drifting in an exquisite gondola propelled by the tightest swinging folk/jazz imaginable. John was tour support for Lone Pigeon last spring and for Alfie in the summer. He has also played with King Creosote, Sam And The Plants, Pip Dylan, Jack Cooper and Aidan Smith.

Little Wings

Little Wings aka Kyle Field has been a surfer, a transient living out of the back of a camper, an artist who'll soon be publishing a book, and a member of a band with M. Ward. He's also collaborated with everyone from unsung lo-fi folkies from Indiana to Jason Lytle of Grandaddy. His music isn’t slick but rather just good honest songwriting, just like songs by Palace Brothers, Cat power, Smog and Devendra Banhart. Live he is obviously doing what he enjoys best with performances often going long into the night.

Lou Rhodes

Lou Rhodes is probably best know as being the lead singer in Lamb although that is possibly set to change as her debut album in 2006 was nominated for The Mercury Music Prize. Lou Rhodes set up her own record label “Infinite Bloom” to issue her debut album “Beloved One” on which she was able to indulge her folk influences. The follow up, “Bloom” is out now and looks to top the success of the first.

Pete Molinari

Pete Molinari is a young country blues genius from the Medway Delta. He’s just finished recording his second album which showcases his remarkable falsetto, you’ll hear shades of Woody Guthrie, Jimmy Scott, Bob Dylan and even Patsy Cline in a voice and a poetry the is entirely his own. The Guardian, NME, The Sun, Time Out and the Observer have already lined up to sing his praises and he has just been nominated for a Mojo Honours List 2008 award for best Breakthrough Act.

Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts are a new age pop band that originated in Kendal, England in 2002. The bands' first single, “Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants”, placed 17th in a national independent record labels chart and won Steve Lamacq's Rebel Playlist on BBC 6 Music in January 2007. Now signed to Domino with debut single for the label “Assembly” gathering much praise having been feted by everyone from the Guardian to the NME things are looking bright for Wild Beasts.

Wildbirds And Peacedrums

Wildbirds & Peacedrums are charismatic singer Mariam Wallentin and drummer Andreas Werliin. Together the Swedish duo have forged an extraordinary hybrid of spiritual pop, primal blues and ecstatic soul music. Seesawing between pagan rhythms and sparse, bewitching ballads, their self produced debut is a declaration of intent: immediate, exhilarating, and just plain new. Their debut album “ Heartcore” was originally released in Sweden in 2007 but the forward thinking and ever excellent Leaf Label have had the sense to license it for worldwide release.

Heather Jones

The end of the sixties and the beginning of the seventies was a key period in the development of Welsh pop. Heather Jones - with her mix of rock, ballads and traditional folk music was an important cog in the music machine. Heather Jones has been at the forefront of Welsh music since the 60s when she performed not only by herself but with stars like Geraint Jarman and Meic Stevens and is still going strong today.