Music: Green Man 2010 Playlist

The festival season has had a topsy turvy ride this year, what with the sunny success of Glasto now swiftly blotted by the horrid tragedy at Love Parade in Duisberg, Germany. But I have been a part of precisely none of this so far (thankfully of course on the part of the latter), bound as I have been by financial and logistical limitations. Yet months ago, upon seeing the line up for this year's Green Man Festival in the Breccon Beacons in Wales, I blew my wad and gave myself something to look forward to.

As a religious fan of traditional folk, nu-folk and Americana, the line up has me both drooling and grinning at the same time, so much so that there's an air of all-night bender about me even as I write this. As well as headliners like Joanna Newsom and The Flaming Lips, there is a wealth of talent on the lower bills, from Laura Marling to Wild Beasts, to Beirut and Tallest Man On Earth. It is a stream of brilliant musicians, many of whom have the ability (un-like certain other auto-tuned puppies - cough - MGMT - cough - that couldn't put on a good live show if the future of music depended on it...and according to NME it does, so careful boys) to up their game onstage. Wild Beasts, in particular, are a band whom I have seen transform many a doubter with their hypnotic live sound. Mumford and Sons, similarly, may be a bit crass and overplayed, but they can tear up a PA system with the best of them, and we all know there's nothing like a good hoe-down.

SO, in order to celebrate this forthcoming weekend of audible brilliance, I have compiled a playlist on Spotify (which most, if not ALL of you should have), of the bands and songs that I am most excited to see. Here be the link:

Man Culture Love: Green Man 2010

If you are unable to listen on Spotify and are curious, here is the tracklisting:

King of Spain - Tallest Man On Earth
Kentucky Pill - Johnny Flynn
Goodbye England (All Covered In Snow) - Laura Marling
Lord Help My Soul - Fionn Regan
Nobody Knew She Was There - The Unthanks
Ghost Town - First Aid Kit
Worried Mind - Megafaun
Cherbourg - Beirut
His Grinning Skull - Wild Beasts
Alike - Efterklang
For A Girl Like Mine - Pete Greenwood
Distant Shore - Billy Bragg

There are, of course, many many more acts worth checking out on the bill. But these are my favourites and most exciting.

Happy hunting. x