The Green Man Podcast

Chameleonic LA composer and multi-instrumentalist Julia Holter has shape-shifted before our eyes since 2006, moving between indie, electronica, art pop, and chamber pop, between studios and outdoor settings, between ancient Greek tragedians and twentieth century American poets. Her imminent sixth album Something In The Room She Moves is an equally fluid exploration of melody and voice, and of “being in the passionate state of making something: being in that moment, and what is that moment?” 

At Green Man, Julia sat down with Richard King to discuss his latest book, Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, A Life, a landmark publication celebrating the life and work of one of the twentieth-century’s true musical visionaries. 

Richard King is the author of Original Rockers (shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and a Rough Trade and Times Book of the Year), How Soon Is Now? (Sunday Times Music Book of the Year), The Lark Ascending (a Rough Trade and Evening Standard Book of the Year, shortlisted for the Penderyn Prize) and, Brittle with Relics: A History of Wales, 1962–97, all published by Faber & Faber. He is the current Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media & Culture.

Recorded at the Talking Shop 2024.

André Marmot is an agent at Earth Agency in London, specialising in the common ground between African, jazz and global electronic music. Unapologetic Expression: The Inside Story of the UK Jazz Explosion, is his first book, and explores the new U.K. jazz wave, encapsulating its revolutionary spirit and tracing its foundations to the birth of the genre itself. Drawing upon extensive interviews with the likes of Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd to Gilles Peterson, Courtney Pine and Cleveland Watkiss, it captures the radical spirit of a vital musical movement, and places it within the wider context of a divided, postcolonial Britain navigating its identity in a new world order. 

James Endeacott was born in Halifax on St Patrick’s day 1965, and the first record he bought with his own money was Space Oddity by David Bowie. He was 10, and in some regards he has been working in and with music ever since. From playing in bands and working in record shops, to managing Tindersticks, hanging out with The Strokes, and signing The Libertines to Rough Trade. He started his own label, scored a number one album, and these days presents a show on Soho Radio every weekday morning.

Wales meets West Africa as we jump into another tale from the mountains, starting with Mari Mathias and N’Famady Kouyaté. Mari’s mystical sound won her status as one of the Green Man Rising finalists, and her mythical Welsh folk songs mesmerised the Sunday crowd.  Mari speaks to N’Famady Kouyaté, Guinean artist based in Cardiff, who uses his wooden xylophone (balafon) to create modern interpretations of West African Mandingue songs. N’Famady makes his triumphant return to Green Man after supporting Gruff Rhys on tour.

Then we join Ash Kenazi and friends to talk Byrne’s Night, the world’s first Robert Burns and David Byrne crossover show. Described by some as “a joke that got out of hand”, the special guest-studded Talking Heads covers show brought the (proverbial) roof down on the Walled Garden this year. Ash chats to Lola Stephen and Maddy O’Keefe from the band Hank, Ali Shuttleworth from Lice, Hannah Hayden from Platonica Erotica, and Kyleen Hengelhaupt who corrals the lights and visuals for the show. 

And then catch up with Welsh comedians Laurie Watts and Katie Gill-Williams having a sgwrs with Settlement headliner Tara Bandito. A wrestler's daughter, Tara burst onto the Welsh music scene two years ago, and has since been found on top 10 lists and BBC 6 music playlists. Mixing her experiences of learning yoga in India and touring with Charlotte Church’s pop dungeon, Tara’s unique style includes Welsh language, English, and Sanskrit, with raw lyrics and thumping beats.

Join us on a jaunt over to Einstein’s Garden, Green Man’s hub of scientific delight, to explore the activism of anarchy gardening!

Stuart Goldsmith, the internationally award-winning podcaster & climate comedian, is joined in the garden by Kalpana Arias, the tech-philosopher and climate activist, and Koundinya Dhulipalla aka KD, a digital artist combining nature and technology.

Dive into a new world of guerrilla and cyber gardening, and bringing wildflowers back to cities and streets, as they discuss everything from planting without permission, to taking to the internet and building your own digital garden!

The 2024 Green Man Podcast continues with another unmissable episode from the black mountains. We’re back to the podcast tent with festival icon Ash Kenazi, swapping stories with Moonchild Sannelly, the future ghetto funk musician and blue-haired tour-de-force who exploded onto the Walled Garden headline slot on Friday. They chat all things collabs, including working with Self Esteem, and Beyoncé herself. Then strap in for wonky pop connoisseurs Lime Garden sharing the mics with orchestral mayhem creators Man/Woman/Chainsaw. Mayhem is apt as they discuss performing at the festival, breaking America, and strange alter egos. Shelf Lives round off this episode chatting amongst themselves - Toronto’s Sabrina Di Giulio and Northampton’s Jonny Hilliard, whose rowdy comedic sets have left their marks on a number of stages, talk about the biggest meme of the year: Brat Summer.

It’s time to tuck into a second slice of Green Man 2024! Join us again on site as we head backstage at the intimate Walled Garden to hear from a duo that are usually found hidden behind the scenes. Producer Barney Lister who has worked with Obongjayar, Rina Sawayama and Celeste joins forces with Kojo Degraft-Johnson, a vocalist who can be heard on Little Simz tunes to create MRCY, a soulful sound for tough times.

Then it’s time to venture into the woods to visit art installation, Dewiniath (or “sorcery”), by Megan Broadmeadow and supported by the Green Man Trust. Who better to discuss reconnecting and realigning with nature and folklore than forager, herbalist and founder of Healing Weeds, Maria Fernandez Garcia, a Right to Roam campaigner and educator fresh from her talk in the Einstein's Garden Omni Tent, and Welsh folk singer Gillie who brought wonder to the Walled Garden opening the stage on Thursday afternoon.

And to finish off this slice, we pop over to the Cinedrome, where compere extraordinaire Jason Solomons is in conversation with filmmaker Sally El Hosaini, who returns a year after her spellbinding masterclass to chat about her daring romantic drama Unicorns.

Another weekend for the ages! If you’re already missing the mountains, let’s take you back there for the first podcast from the 2024 festival. Kicking things off is Green Man legend Pictish Trail, helmsman of Lost Map Records, in conversation with This is the Kit’s Kate Stables, who took the Mountain Stage by storm on Friday.

We then join first time attendees and folk duo Lemoncello as they take a wander around the fields of Green Man, taking in the sites and stopping at this year’s Green Man effigy which burns at the close of the festival.

Super Furry Animals’ parallel band and veteran performers Das Koolies then chat all things late night amidst the babbling brooks of fortune falls.

Not long now ‘til we’ll be together in the mountains. In this final preview episode ahead of Green Man 2024, N’famady Kouyaté shares some Green Man stories and Ella from PVA picks her favourite After Dark offerings. See you all soon.

With balafon — wooden xylophone — in hand, N’famady Kouyaté returns to Green Man with his modern interpretations of West African mandingue songs. The Guinean artist relocated to Cardiff in 2019 and has already played among our mountains as well as supporting Gruff Rhys on tour. Expect to see a djembe, kora, doundoun, or calabash or two alongside brass, drums, and guitars, as he inflects traditional sounds with pop, funk, and jazz.

Key players in south London's fervent indie scene, PVA are purveyors of good times and beating pulses. Come witness their blistering late-night DJ set on Saturday in the Walled Garden.

As we get ever closer to Green Man Festival 2024, This Is The Kit shares her must-sees, Ash Kenazi talks queer representation on the line-up, and comedian Robin Morgan shares some foodie favourites and top camping tips.

British-born, Paris-based Kate Stables — the intimidatingly talented artist behind This is the Kit — has been delighting stages since 2008. Her seventh album Careful Of Your Keepers, a work of fragile wonder that was produced by Gruff Rhys, came out last year. Live, she surrounds herself with friends on stage (including Rozi Plain on bass), while she flits between guitar, banjo, trumpet, and percussion, singing all the while.

Ash Kenazi returns to the Babbling Tongues stage for 2024 bringing the same humour, perspective and drama for which he has become cherished. Host of the podcast The Pink Room, Ash has spoken to the likes of Self Esteem, Mac De Marco and Ezra Furman on issues ranging from queer experiences in the music industry to the dangers of huffing poppers. Alongside his hosting duties, Ash continues to entertain audiences with their unique brand of hyperpopera with an EP release planned for later this year.

Robin is a Welsh stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in Cardiff.

Robin has appeared on Mock The Week (BBC Two), The News Quiz, The Now Show (BBC Radio 4) and co-created Ellie Taylor’s Safe Space (BBC Radio 4). Other credits include Comedy Central’s Richard Hammond’s Brain Reaction, Sky One’s Romesh Presents… and CBBC’s The Dog Ate My Homework.

Almost as ubiquitous of the festival as the Green Man himself, Pictish Trail — aka Scottish musician Johnny Lynch — hasn’t missed a single year, voyaging down from his home on the remote Isle of Eigg every August. He furrows his own, idiosyncratic path on records of unpredictable electro-acoustic psych-pop, most recently on fifth album Island Family, and also helms Lost Map Records — a linchpin of UK independent music.

Welsh folk storyteller Gillie returns to Green Man this summer with her bilingual, hazy charm. The Carmarthenshire-born singer and songwriter has just released a new EP called Yn y Bore, a collection of songs filled with propulsive guitar loops and soft harmony, that add light to your day and are “a reminder that it will all be okay by the morning”.

In this Green Man 2024 preview episode, Johnny and Gillie reflect on some of their fondest Green Man memories, and look ahead to their must-sees for 2024. Gillie relives her teen years at the festival, and Johnny pens a love letter to the Walled Garden, where they’re both playing this year - Gillie at 4.15pm on Thursday, Pictish Trail at 5pm on Sunday.