Festival Strip 2014 - Green Man Festival, Brecon Beacons, Wales

Green Man Festival 2014, Wales, 14-17th August 14

With this year's festival season swiftly approaching I've chosen a few I think people should really hear about and Green Man Festival is definitely one of them.
Set in the idyllic hills of Brecon Beacons, Wales it adds a fantastic atmosphere to the festival, basking in the sunshine in the lush green grass and listening to a variety of amazingly talented musicians it makes for a great couple of days.

They have out done themselves this year producing such a brilliant line up with the likes of Mac DeMarco, Canada's response to Ben Howard, who recently released his third album 'Salad Days'. Filled with hypnotic melody and stinky bass lines it just oozes summer, DeMarco is practically perfect for Green Man fest and with a positive response from regular green man goers, this year is going to be memorable.

TOY, indie rockers from Brighton are making another appearance at Green Man with their sophmore album 'Join the Dots', their psychedelic sounds fit the festival well, otherwise deemed 'hippy fest', I have a feeling another set will be appreciated.

Neutral Milk Hotel, Beirut, The War On Drugs, Boy & Bear, Daughter and many others will be making an appearance at the festival this year, and with tickets at a reasonable £159 it is perfect for small time festival goers. Filled with stalls and activities for the children it's a very welcoming environment for adults and families alike, and certainly not to be missed. It's definitely on my list!

Georgie.

LIVE REVIEW - THE ORWELLS – MANCHESTER – 06/06/14

These Chicago born indie rockers recently released their sophmore album ‘Disgraceland’, with a follow up of five UK dates before hitting up the festival circuit including an appearance at Reading and Leeds this year. I was lucky enough to grab myself a ticket to see them at Gorilla in Manchester, this being the last date before they head back to the US of A they gave it everything they had as a sweet goodbye to the UK. With a setlist mostly consisting of songs off their new album it was a push as ‘Disgraceland’ had only been released a short 4 days before, they pushed the boundaries but it paid off as they delivered a fantastic performance with loyal fans knowing nearly every song word for word.

It was an honour to see The Orwells live and was most definitely something of a spectacle, lead man Mario Cuomo isn’t just a performer but a showman. He delivered energetic vocals with eyes wide as the audience desperately clawed to feel flesh, he stared with amazement at the crowd, bringing a bottle of wine onto the stage, he would swig it after every couple of songs or so. I’m not too sure what had been drank, smoked or popped before he went on stage as some of his actions were questionable but all the same a marvelous gig.

With great support from up-and-coming band ‘Blossoms’ from Stockport, Manchester, blasting out psychedelic tunes with a little help from an electric organ. A sound that reminded me of The Kinks with a hint of Tame Impala. With lead man Tom Ogden slapping his tambourine and the rest of the Blossoms gang clothed in black turtlenecks and drainpipes to match they certainly put on a show. The vocals were spectacular and I promise we will be certainly hearing more of them in the near future. 

With two albums under their belt what will we see next from The Orwells? If you’re looking for a vicious beating but a good time listening to great music I highly recommend an Orwells gig. 

Georgie Bridges