{"id":2114372,"date":"2026-08-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2114372"},"modified":"2026-08-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-357","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2114372","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tTHE UNIQUE JOY OF GREEN MAN FESTIVAL<\/span>
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In celebration of one of the best British festivals, Green Man, which, in their 2026 edition, only continues to cement a peerless excellence, championing singularity where other festivals lean into commerciality.\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Winding through Bannau Brycheiniog feels extremely cinematic; the smouldering remains of the hillsides scorched by the recent wildfires shrouds the landscape in an ominous fog, further building anticipation for the weekend that lies ahead. Green Man festival is nestled in the foothills of the dramatic Black mountains, bordered by a babbling river. Once pitched up, we head into the festival for a well-deserved Wrexham lager and promptly begin exploring the stunning site.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The heavens open just before Irish band-of-the-moment Madra Salach take to the stage, sending swathes of people seeking refuge into the Far Out stage. The tent is bursting at the seams by the time the Dublin sextet kickstart their powerful and brooding trad-infused punk, which serves to further justify the hype this band have been enjoying over the last few months. They somehow manage to make even the biggest crowd feel like an intimate gathering; frontman Paul Banks is a force to be reckoned with \u2013 intense and pacing one minute, then cracking on with the audience like they\u2019re his new best pals the next. It feels like you\u2019re witnessing something incredibly special, an apt way to kick off what continues to be a huge weekend (spoiler alert). The crowd is united in song: \u201cI am drenched from the rain \/\/ but the man who seeks pleasure \/\/ is the man who seeks pain<\/em>\u201d and the band receive a huge cheer from the crowd when they end their set with chants of \u201cFree Palestine\u201d, teeing up the political tone for the festival.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cYour New Favourite Wonk Pop Band\u201d Lime Garden are up next, and their cheeky fusion of synth-soaked alt-pop and anthemic singalong indie enraptures their huge crowd. A shock of red hair, Chloe Howard oozes star quality (her t-shirt brilliantly reads \u201cJulian Casablancas\u2019 controversially young gf\u201d) as they rattle through their wall-to-wall banger setlist. The unreleased track they debut sounds like an instant classic, and it\u2019s testament to the strength of their discography that they can whip out a cover of The Cardigans\u2019 \u201cMy Favourite Game\u201d and have it feel like it could\u2019ve come off their recent record. For their final tracks they\u2019re flanked by backing dancers doing the macarena \u2013 iconic. Lock in or lose out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Vibe whiplash ensues when we witness Mogwai\u2019s wall-of-sound masterclass straight into the chaos of Welsh icon Charlotte Church\u2019s Pop Dungeon, covering everything from Black Sabbath to the Twin Peaks theme song. Was it weird? Yes. Was it good? Jury\u2019s out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Waking up to the stunning view of the mountains doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019ll ever get old. You really couldn\u2019t ask for a better view to peel open your tent zips in the morning. Shaking off the remnants of the night before, we meander through the campsite and hop over a stream to reach the backless Rising Stage, which puts on the hottest new acts framed by a stunning vignette of the Black Mountains.<\/p>\n

Up first is Little Grandad, the London four-piece rapidly making a name for themselves with their brand of Americana-infused indie. Fronted by brothers Jack and Harry Lower, their songs feel lived in and immediate; no doubt proof of how they\u2019ve crafted and shaped them through an intense year of playing live. Ned Ashcroft\u2019s stunning trumpet interludes provide sonic sunshine to a raincoat-draped audience during set highlight \u201cUnmasked\u201d. Jack quips that he was \u201cone of us\u201d last year as he used to drive a band who played that very stage, so it\u2019s a special moment for them to be included on the lineup. Considering they\u2019ve only been playing gigs for a year, it\u2019s an impressive feat. After this set, it seems likely they could be making the short journey over to the main stage in a year or so time.<\/p>\n

This was the very trajectory for Westside Cowboy, whose set we catch next. \u201cWe played on that stage last year,\u201d guitarist Reuben Haycocks says, pointing back over to the Rising Stage. Their Friday afternoon set lands on the release day of their future classic album It Goes On<\/em>. The performance stands proud as a victory lap for the Manchester band, whose rise to recognition as one of the leading lights of UK guitar music is a joy to behold. They\u2019re the kind of band that makes you want to start a band yourself; Aoife O\u2019Connell\u2019s primal yet pitch-perfect harmonies are anchored by the band\u2019s kinetic engine room in the form of propulsive drummer Paddy Murphy. They end their set as has become their standard; all crowding around one microphone, a perfect and harmonious illustration of the palpably close bond between the four friends and musicians.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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This short hop from Rising to Main Stage within a year is a perfect illustration of the booking prowess of Green Man Festival, whose keen ear for up and coming talent is a perfect litmus test for predicting the \u2018next big thing\u2019. It also shows that there\u2019s a real sense of camaraderie between bands and the festival itself \u2013 the audience seems to really root for the artists and follow their journey far beyond the weekend. The brilliant booking also means that you have to make the difficult decision of catching a hot new band you already know, or winding your way through the estate\u2019s manicured hedges and stumbling upon your next favourite band. It\u2019s at this point I happen upon Ghanaian disco cult-fav Ata Kak, whose funky fusion of house-adjacent tunes lures me in across the site and completely cures the post-lunch slump after enjoying a delicious onion bhaji wrap. It even incites a conga line that curls through the main-stage crowd; it\u2019s so joyful that I don\u2019t even realise it\u2019s raining.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Next we head up to Round The Twist stage for thredd, whose self-proclaimed \u201cmusic for people who are up for a party, down for a cry\u201d perfectly describes their set; Imogen Williams\u2019 emotive vocal floats atop Max Winter and Will Lister\u2019s soundscape of gut-trembling bass and club-ready synth. This trio makes \u201ccold pop\u201d feel HOT. A vibe whiplash once again as we descend into the natural amphitheatre of the main stage for Aldous Harding. With barely a word spoken, she transfixes the audience with her otherworldly stage presence and off-kilter folk. It\u2019s an absolute wonder to behold \u2013 a main-stage set late into Friday night, and you could hear a pin drop, save for the thunderous applause between songs. Another demonstration of the festival-goers\u2019 reverence for musicianship and performance, and how this crowd celebrates singularity where other festivals lean into commerciality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Trudging back up the hill over to Far Out, we catch the final songs of Baxter Dury\u2019s set. With his blazer jacket dangling from his arms, striking poses not dissimilar to a drunken uncle at a wedding disco, he commands the crowd with outbursts of \u201cGreen Man let\u2019s get naked\u2026appropriately!\u201d and \u201cSCREAM!!!!\u201d. By the time he kicks into epic banger \u201cAllbarone\u201d the tent erupts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Suitably loosened up, we race over to the Walled Garden stage for Leeds dance-punk outfit Adult DVD. Led by Harry Hanson who stalks around the stage with a justified swagger, they launch headfirst into an unrelenting assault of acid house synths, big beat drums and absurdist singalong lyrics. They bring out the eponymous Real Tree Lee character from their recent video<\/a> \u2013 recalling Chemical Brothers videos of years gone by \u2013 and incite the first crowd-surfing we\u2019ve encountered all festival. If anyone in the crowd wasn\u2019t feeling up for a night out before, they certainly will be now. Their set is a pre-drinks, a night out and an afterparty all chucked into one set, a wonderful cocktail of chaos.<\/p>\n

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Saturday\u2019s highlights include mary in the junkyard\u2019s enchanting alternative folk in The Walled Garden, with the set acting as a stunning showcase of their acclaimed new record Role Model Hermit<\/em> \u2013 the beefy \u2018New Muscles\u2019 and the whispery, whimsical \u2018Mouse\u2019 are surefire standouts. Then we head into the packed Chai Wallah\u2019s to stomp around to Opus Kink\u2019s explosive and frenetic ska-soaked set, with multiple band members impressively thrashing their instruments while simultaneously crowd-surfing. Back down the hill into Sorry\u2019s dark and spiky lair in the Walled Garden, where moments of tenderness during \u201cEchoes\u201d are perfectly juxtaposed with the strutting and irreverent \u201cStarstruck\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Sunday sees us emerge from the tent a little worse for wear, and we thank our lucky stars that we had the foresight to book a sauna session in the quaint \u2018Nature Nurture\u2019 area of the festival, the Green Man equivalent of Glastonbury\u2019s Healing Fields. Feeling slightly more human post cold-plunge, the first act we see is Dove Ellis on the Main Stage, and what a way to begin. The Galway-hailing, Mercury-nominated musician kicks off his set triumphantly with the soaring anthem \u201cLove Is\u201d, and the set then goes from strength to strength. His captivating performance and expansive songwriting make you forget that there\u2019s a sea of people around you, mouths agape as they witness what genuinely feels like the beginnings of a generational talent \u2013 truly goosebump-inducing, even as the welcome afternoon sun gloriously beamed down.<\/p>\n

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After bopping around to the dub of Scientist, we then catch North Carolina cult favs Wednesday \u2013 an enchanting presence with smudged black lipstick, Karly Hartzman\u2019s vocal ranges from a delicate whisper to a cathartic roar, and their track \u201cElderberry Wine\u201d inspires devotion amongst the crowd. Fcukers managed to inject all the energy of a Friday night into a slightly weary Sunday evening crowd within seconds: Shanny Wise coos \u201cdo you guys like to paaaaaarty?\u201d \u2013 for this crowd, the answer is yes \u2013 skipping through garage beats, dub-house and electro-pop all held together by a brilliant live drummer and scratch DJ, they turn the Far Out tent into a sweat-slicked club in downtown New York. The tent is rammed and everyone is dancing. It\u2019s an absolute highlight of the weekend.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Onto the final act of the festival: the formidable Wolf Alice<\/a>, whose glittery stage production perfectly matches their hard-won festival headliner status. The leather-clad Ellie Rowsell is an absolute marvel \u2013 she pivots effortlessly from the cinematic singalong \u201cThe Sofa\u201d into the snarling trio of \u201cYuk Foo\u201d, \u201cPlay The Greatest Hits\u201d and \u201cSmile\u201d, all whilst clutching a Flying V guitar and screaming into a megaphone. Then they roll over and show us their tender underbelly once more by inviting Anna Calvi and Dove Ellis up onstage. They perform \u201cSunday Light\u201d, which they recorded together for the collaborative HELP(2) <\/em>record, and a stunning cover of Mazzy Star\u2019s \u2018Fade Into You\u2019; a fitting show of musical unity, capturing the overall spirit of Green Man. Bassist Theo Ellis gets the crowd to turn around and look at the moon, naming Green Man as \u201csacred ground\u201d and saying that \u201cnights like these don\u2019t come around very often\u201d. He\u2019s right, and it\u2019s a perfect way to close out the festival.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Green Man Festival is an absolute triumph. It\u2019s unique in the way it fosters a genuine collective spirit. Even the progression from punter to future headliner doesn\u2019t feel completely unheard of here, which is genuinely unique in the current festival landscape. It\u2019s no wonder the tickets sell out within an hour without even a whiff of a lineup announcement. The absolute trust in their curation keeps people coming back for more. Diolch and see you next year!<\/p>\n

Words<\/strong> \u2013 Eden Gardener<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t27 August 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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Festivals<\/a><\/div>\n
Music<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tI spent the night with Ariana and fell in love with pop again<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\tBeyond the merch t-shirt: the Golf Wang effect<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland THE UNIQUE JOY OF GREEN MAN FESTIVAL In celebration of one of the best British festivals, Green Man, which, in their 2026 edition, only continues to cement a peerless excellence, championing singularity where other festivals lean into commerciality.\u00a0 Winding through Bannau Brycheiniog feels extremely cinematic; the smouldering remains of the hillsides scorched by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-2114372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2114372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114372\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2114372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2114372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2114372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}