words: April Heade
From an initial entry of 658 bands, Green Man Festival’s Green Poll competition has been whittled down to just five who will battle it out one last time on Thurs 8 July, with the winner opening the sold out Green Man Festival this August. The bands you chose – Evening Chorus, Huw M, The Dufflefolks, Joseph & David, and The Mariner’s Children – go head to head live at the Monarch, Camden in front of a panel of four top music industry judges to win the opening spot. They will be performing on the main stage that will be shared, over the course of the weekend, with the likes of The Flaming Lips, Doves, and Joanna Newsom. Not only will the winner get to perform their songs in front of thousands, but they get airplay on Green Man YouTube for a year and feature in national press such as NME, Mojo and The Guardian. Oh, and two of the competitors are locals…
Evening Chorus
Cardiff-born folk band Evening Chorus started making music in October 2009. Their sound is based around powerful vocal harmonies.
Huw M
Another contender based in Cardiff, Huw M’s first single was broadcast on BBC 6 Music on Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone, who described it as a “stunningly beautiful piece of music.” Under record label Gwymon, Huw M’s thoughtful welsh lyrics and uplifting sound make him one to watch on the Welsh music scene.
The Mariner’s Children
Seven-piece alternative folk band The Mariner’s Children create exciting and uplifting folk music with heavy instrumentation and dense texture they displayed on tour with Peggy Sue last year. The band is releasing their debut EP later this year.
The Dufflefolks
A glockenspiel here, an autoharp there – the London-based Dufflefolks inject colour into their compositions. The word “eclectic” is thrown around a lot and, despite being the only band in the competition with “folk” in the title, The Dufflefolks play electronic pop.
Joseph & David
Here’s to my Old Friends from Joseph & David on Vimeo.
Songwriters Joseph & David have just finished their debut EP So Short Of Time, a collection of songs aimed to move their audience by the tracks the pair are most proud of. The boys are joined in live sets by a few musicians for a fuller sound adding strings, percussion and the accordion to the organ, guitar, and vocals already there.
