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Haggis
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brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 18:11
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Hi all
My first event, did i enjoy well i tried too really i did, but the bottom line is it was shit due to the English or Welsh summer weather. Come on dont get all hippyon me, i love the music and there were some great acts on....but after a while for normal decent humans those conditions will screw up your weekend, and i think they did ours - all we wanted to do was sit on the lawn, and chill....you couldnt even do that - what shitte weather. , even the artists were showing concern and empathy.... if over coming those condition is supposed to be some sort of Britsih pride then sod BP, im off abroad next year i used to live in California, and ive seen street parties in blazing sunshine with potentially better artisits than that and you never got screwed evrey time you felt hungry neither...
im sorry, i used to wrok in marketing and i know the stall tricks....small plates to enforce small portions, tea at £1.50 or more, we were being screwed ladies and gents and you all know it. get a life greenman or next year youll be alot smaller with the credit crunch.. and some of the artisits were shit without doubt, l have a good ear...the good people were obvious and we all know who they were, but the rest was crap filler....really...the last 4/5 on the main stage were ok, but the rest ???, would have been better in a smaller more personal venue.
maybe its this countries weather getting me down i have spent over £2000 on british events and holidays this year and every one has been totally destroyed by this countrys weather and you get no come back on the monies spent.
would i go again no, because...its too soul detroying, and clearly miserable if your honest youll agree, 6 inch deep lakes of mud are funny for a bit, even cute and entertaining, but after a while, it becomes a fucking joke and the organisers did nothing about it. im guessing they didnt want to risk the expense i guess laying down panels at the main junction points. wouldnt want to eat into those greed based(not quality based) profits eh.
anyway i can imagine the response to this if it gets posted. let me know what you thought.
Haggis
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buckaroo
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 19:02
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Its a shame that you allowed the weather to get in the way of enjoying yourself. It was a bit of rain and it got muddy, that was all. Wasn't as nice as being in the sun and it was tiring, but all you need is a pair of wellies and a waterproof to cope with rain and mud.
The food is reasonably priced - the stallholders are there to make a living after all and not to give it away - but if it was too expensive then we were all on a campsite where we could make our own tea and food. And if we overlooked bringing food and tea along then Crickhowell is 2km down the road to stock up.
There were over 50 acts; I don't expect them all to be to my taste or even sometimes any good, but that's the point of a festival - if there's rubbish on one stage then there's always another stage, tent or bar to go to.
I think the truth behind your feelings lies buried in your post, Haggis; "maybe its this countries weather getting me down". The festival is in Wales, and in August; there's a chance that its going to rain and if it rains, with 10,000 people wandering around, there will be mud.
On the bright side, now that you know what Green Man can be like, why not view this year's festival as an experience to learn from so you can enjoy next year's a little bit more?
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webbins
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 19:02
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Haggis wrote:
Hi all
My first event, did i enjoy well i tried too really i did, but the bottom line is it was shit due to the English or Welsh summer weather. Come on dont get all hippyon me, i love the music and there were some great acts on....but after a while for normal decent humans those conditions will screw up your weekend, and i think they did ours - all we wanted to do was sit on the lawn, and chill....you couldnt even do that - what shitte weather. , even the artists were showing concern and empathy.... if over coming those condition is supposed to be some sort of Britsih pride then sod BP, im off abroad next year i used to live in California, and ive seen street parties in blazing sunshine with potentially better artisits than that and you never got screwed evrey time you felt hungry neither...
im sorry, i used to wrok in marketing and i know the stall tricks....small plates to enforce small portions, tea at £1.50 or more, we were being screwed ladies and gents and you all know it. get a life greenman or next year youll be alot smaller with the credit crunch.. and some of the artisits were shit without doubt, l have a good ear...the good people were obvious and we all know who they were, but the rest was crap filler....really...the last 4/5 on the main stage were ok, but the rest ???, would have been better in a smaller more personal venue.
maybe its this countries weather getting me down i have spent over £2000 on british events and holidays this year and every one has been totally destroyed by this countrys weather and you get no come back on the monies spent.
would i go again no, because...its too soul detroying, and clearly miserable if your honest youll agree, 6 inch deep lakes of mud are funny for a bit, even cute and entertaining, but after a while, it becomes a fucking joke and the organisers did nothing about it. im guessing they didnt want to risk the expense i guess laying down panels at the main junction points. wouldnt want to eat into those greed based(not quality based) profits eh.
anyway i can imagine the response to this if it gets posted. let me know what you thought.
Haggis
It's called a stiff upper lip, it's why our boys stood knee deep in French mud and shit, their flesh hanging off their feet with no Vango tents or sturdy wellies or Pure Pie (who won the battle of the pies this year, imo), just so we wouldn't have to sing 'Deutschland Uber Alles' every day and goose step into work. Whenever life deals you a wrong 'un, you say 'Bally Ho!' a few times, put the kettle on and wrap up a little warmer. Granted the weather was a touch inclement, but as some seasoned Glasto goers told me, this was a breeze compared to how rain affects that festival.
Yes, the stall prices are expensive, but maybe you should consider economics rather than marketing, it's classic supply and demand, they supply it, you demand it, but you pay their price, what you should consider is these prices have stayed the same as last year despite the well known credit crunch and rises in inflation, so the stall owners may in fact be making less than previous years. If it bothers you, then like myself and many other shrewd like minded campers, you should have taken provisions of your own, an inexpensive camping stove and the small pleasure of eating in nature's garden.
Above all, please remember that the Green Man is a tiny, independent festival, that word again, INDEPENDENT. To avoid being branded with some hideous mobile phone company's name and logo or to be referred to as The Carling Green Man, certain elements that you do get at large corporate festivals don't appear at GM, but that is part of the charm and is why I will continue to go after being won over at last years event, itself too not short of the wet stuff.
It's a shame you took so many negatives from this festival so it is clearly not your bag but I assure you, that you are in the minority, as I am sure many people will point.
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NoFolking
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 19:04
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I sympathise, but if you'd ever been to some our the UKs more comercialised events such as V, T in the park and the like, you'd realise that as regards to food prices and such, we were very lucky and I can't beleive anyone could argue that as far as festival food goes, Greenman is one of the better ones.
In agreement though, I do worry that the festival is/has become a little more appealing to the idiots. I was there in 2006 and I felt this years festival was perhaps a little less relaxed, there more people who seemed to be there to be seen rather than there to enjoy the music. Get rid of SFA & Spiritualised type bands. I on't know, just a personal thought. I certainly thought the crowd this time round was less family friendly than my last jaunt to Greenman. I'm sure those who were there in he early years would say 2006 didn't have the same atmosphere as previous years, I just think increasing the capacity to 10000 seems to have attacted a few more idiots. If the capacity increased again and pop/indie acts such as SFA were headlining, I'd think twice of returning. Still really njoyed it though, just a few minor gripes.
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NoFolking
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 19:10
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and to mirror the point above, Pure Pies appeared to be a very well kept secret, 3 mile lines for pieminster whilst pure pie was empty, and selling something just as good, if not better!!!
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Haggis
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 19:32
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Hi all,
I posted to get a response, i wanted to see what youd all say.
let me back track a tad, we arrived on Thursday night how lush was that arriving to a stunning sunset, and to fall asleep on a starry night, we were so happy to be there, then even the Friday early on it was lush, we laid out on the grass....and we thought this is awesome...
flip to sunday pm and the lakes of shitte.......you can see where im coming from our weekend was wrenched from a high to a slamming shitty low.... increasing the numbers is a marketing and greed tactic and could have destroyed that awsome landscape (temp i know), i dont care if the prices are the same as last year there a con through and through Its price entrapment they know people wont bother scooting off to the shops come on....!!!. we wnt to one little stall in the gardens and bought a Chai Tea...what they took our money and gave us a tiny glass trinket two sips and it was gone..they even requested a £1 deposit for the glass to be returned???? why did greenman let these wankers in, why dont they vet and cap prices in respect of decency and the paying crowds. why not...????
IF I WAS THE ORGANISER I WOULD HAVE GIVEN FREE TEA AWAY AS A JESTURE OF GOODWILL... IN REGARD TO THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE EVENT IN THOSE CONDITIONS....BUT THATS ME....ID BE BETTER AND MORE RESPECTFUL.
I did have a tent (How did you know i had a vango ha ha) we did have food well some and we did have a cooker for the basics...etc etc...
I did enjoy the film tent, and all that was shown there an awesome idea...and i enjoyed some of the cafe artists i love all that but the day we spent in the cafe, it pilled down, to the point of being comical....im hardy i hike, but it just started to seem pointless, i looked around and saw the look on peoples faces, so many were like what the hell - or why even bother with this shit....you could see it on peoples faces .
IM GOING IM GETTING WOUND UP...#
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webbins
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 20:08
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I would have a Coke and a smile (I won't add what Richard Pryor would have said after that!!) let your fire die down and you'll eventually look back and laugh... or not. The weather was a shame but I would say that was the only disappointment... oh no, the paellas were a let down, I just remembered, the chicken one was all bone and little meat, and the seafood one was too dry and bland.
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MichaelW
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 20:14
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Haggis,
I'm afraid it does tend to rain in Wales, although a second year of mud did seem to have dampened people's spirits a bit this year. Not sure I agree about the food though - plenty of good deals to be found - tea for a quid in the school tent, massive portion of paella and noodles for a reasonable price.
You are way off the mark condeming a lot of the bands as filler though - one of the delightful things about Green Man is Jo and Danny's choice of music - all the bands seem to be chosen with love and care, and the early afternoon bands are always a source of delight for me. This year I loved Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, 9 Bach, Radio Luxembourg, Cate Le Bon, The Drift Collective, War on Drugs and the particularly wonderful Los Campesinos. If you want pop names that you hear on the radio or whatever you're at the wrong festival (but you'll have to pay a lot more for your food at those festivals!!)
NoFolking - I agree, there did seem to be a few more idiots there this year. I had more people knock over my little daughter this year, and at one point we had to move because I was concerned about her safety because of the careless (rather than vindictive) behavour of a a drunken group that didn't seem to be the usual friendly and caring green man type. Caused by SFA/Spirtualized fans? Don't know, but I'm guessing these guys weren't into Joanna Newsom...
Here's hoping for sun next year!
M.
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Haggis
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 20:34
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I dont quite understand how you can commment on dannys choice of music and its quality and then slagg off of spiritulised and their fans. ??
didnt find the £1 tea....but hold on a sec....£1 for a tea? are we all twats or what...!!!
I did like some of the smaller artisit and have already bought what i liked online, so its not that im unable to take on new types of music, and as for Los camp.....cant remember full name...sorry but they have a long way to go before they impress me....they made my face curl, screaming kids...talking shitte...and there placement within the days music seemed wrong...ho hum...moan moan....
last post and bottom line,
i did not regret going and enjoyed it as much as i could, but i struggle to see the pleasure in tromping around in shitte and being pissed on comstantly when all i wanted was to curl up with me lady on the grass (not alot to ask for really) . ... sad i guess.
i went to a true hippy festival years ago the Rainbow festival, that year they were in the wilderness of Idaho USA, way way away from anyone....now that was cool.
anyway....im out of here. which your probably happy about, but i am sure there are lots of poeple wanting to say something about the mess of all and i am oofering the moaners outthere a chance for a truly british moan.....COME ON MOAN.....that mud was shitte.
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MichaelW
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Re: brownman not greenman...!!!
Aug 18, 2008, 20:45
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Just for the record, I wasn't 'slagging off' Spirtualized or SFA or their fans (I'm a long term fan of the former).
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