Thurs 15-Sun 18 Aug

words BILL KNOWLES

★★★★

“Thing is,” said my friend. He took a drag on his rollie and waited for a woman in a huge cardboard box to dance past us. “Thing is, I think Green Man’s at a kind of crossroads this year. It’s become big now, y’know? It’s not just be this mad little hippie thing anymore. It’s changing.”

It was true. The little upstart of festival – which began in 2003, with just over 300 people – had finally hit the big time, and just like that band that everyone’s talking about, it now had the pressure of making the transition from hot new thing to seasoned pro.

In part, GM13 achieved this seamlessly: the intricacies of Einstein’s garden were, as ever, wonderful to explore; the cinema and spoken word tents provided artistry and intrigue in droves; local culture and produce was brilliantly integrated (there were 100 local ales and ciders on tap!); and the tempestuous beauty of the place was – as it always is – breathtaking.

The line-up, though, perhaps fell short. There were considerable highs, in the likes of Villagers, Portico Quartet and John Cale (not to mention Chai Wallahs, electric as ever), but there wasn’t quite the range that was available in previous years. The ‘folk’ and ‘family’ tags seemed to have become a little more steadfast, to the detriment of the programming (which seemed markedly less eclectic), and the nightlife (which seemed to have lost some of its energy).

In all, it was still a wonderful festival. But it’s one with some tricky years ahead.