Festival season is upon us once more, as revellers from all corners of the country assemble in various fields and parks nationwide to consume cans, sunshine and some of the best music around.
A staple of the summer is Green Man, held in South Wales. The festival is a hegemony of science, music, art, comedy and culture: there is a reason GM is always revered by revellers. The Indie Is Not A Genre team are heading down to Crickhowell, and we have handpicked a selection of the best from the lineup:
Beth Gibbons
Ex of Portishead, Beth Gibbons, is a force to be measured. Her first post-Portishead solo record, On Lives Outgrown, is a reflection on grief, the passage of time and the beauty and romance found in the mundane. The record took Gibbons a decade to create and earned her a Mercury nod – it’s a chillingly beautiful piece, sure to sound exceptional in the fields.
IINAG Pick: Whispering Love
English Teacher
One of the country’s most exciting bands, English Teacher, are in the process of realising their massive potential. The debut album, This Could Be Texas, has already won the band a Mercury. Gorgeous, multi-layered art-punk, math noise and poetry dissecting the quirks of deepest Yorkshire and misplaced nationalism. They have lately bulked up their live show and are already right at home at the top of a bill.
IINAG Pick: Nearly Daffodils
Gurriers
Irish post-punk has been exploding for some time: leftwing politics, thunderous percussion and riffs made of sludge are Gurriers at their best. This will be the mosh pit of the weekend, without a doubt: their name is Dublin slang for tough and disruptive young men, which sums up their rabble rousing post-punk sound to a tee.
IINAG Pick: Des Goblin
Divorce
Divorce are yet another example of British music on the rise: beautifully blending country, Americana, folk and indie pop, Divorce are a prime mixture of fun, sarcasm and brilliant tunes. Two stellar EPs primed the band for a mega debut record, and Drive to Goldenhammer is precisely that. Divorce are a band who have been playing bigger and bigger venues, whilst exceeding expectations consistently.
IINAG Pick: Antarctica
BIG SPECIAL
BIG SPECIAL are big, bold, brash and Brummie. Their brand of cataclysmic poetry is nihilistic, enigmatic and hopeful – working class anthems taking aim at societal norms, harmful institutions and ultimately, finding beauty and hope in the mundanity of life.
IINAG Pick: GOD SAVE THE PONY.
Westside Cowboy
Fresh out of Manchester, Westside Cowboy are an intriguing prospect of slacker rock, Bob Dylan groove, Pavement., Teenage Fanclub, and more. The band are one of the hottest movers and shakers in the British scene right now: they are slowly drip-feeding songs from their upcoming EP release, with each one garnering more and more hype.
IINAG Pick: Shells
beth gibbons, Big Special, Westside Cowboy, Green Man Festival
