Green Man Festival

Folk music your thing?

Green Man Festival is a music festival that has grown from a one day event(2003) to a four-day extravaganza. This festival is held is the Brecon Beacons, Wales and offers so much more than just music.

This independent festival has comedy, poetry, music (obviously!), hot showers (always a plus!), all night bon fires, and fun things/areas for people of all ages.

This is a festival, so although all the above sounds very exciting the main attraction is obviously the music. Although mostly folk, Green Man Festival delivers other genres: indie, dance, and Americana, across five stages. On top of this, every night an array of DJs play everything from electro to rock.

With a capacity of 20,000 this festival is nothing on Glastonbury (which has around 150, 000 people) however if you are looking for that quieter/ smaller alternative, than this is the perfect option.

In terms of the line up, this year's headliners are; Ben Howard, Band of Horses, and Kings of Convenience. Other acts to perform include Lord Huron, Roy Harper, The Horrors, Local Natives, and Patti Smith.

For more details check out the Green Man Festival website; http://www.greenman.net/

Stereophonics

A great band.

I am confident you have heard of this band but just in case; Stereophonics are an alternative rock band from Wales that have been around for years! To date they have released eight studio albums and recorded many hit singles, including "Dakota," "Have a Nice Day," and "Devil."

First hitting the music scene in 1997, it comes as no surprise that Stereophonics are a well practiced live band! Described as "classic rock delivered with whiskey vocals," lead singer Kelly Jones is a hugely talented guy. Over the years the boys have performed on a number of great stages (the BRIT Awards), and in front of huge crowds (V Festival, Glastonbury, Hyde Park and T in the Park).

I saw Stereophonics live last year, and you can check out my review by following the link: http://musicgigsnfestivals.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/bt-london-live-opening-ceremony.html

Tour Dates:
26th March. Empress Ballroom - Blackpool
27th March. Usher Hall - Edinburgh
17th Aug. V festival
8th Nov. The Hydro - Glasgow
9th Nov. AECC - Aberdeen
14th Nov. Manchester Arena - Manchester
15th Nov. Leeds Arena - Leeds
16th Nov. Metro Radio Arena - Newcastle Upon Tyne
18th Nov. Capital FM Arena - Nottingham
19th Nov. LG Arena - Birmingham
21st Nov. The Brighton Centre - Brighton
22nd Nov. Bournemouth International Centre - Bournemouth
24th Nov. Motorpoint Arena Cardiff - Cardiff
25th Nov. Motorpoint Arena Cardiff - Cardiff
26th Nov. Motorpoint Arena Cardiff - Cardiff
28th Nov. The O2 - London

For more details regarding tickets and tour dates check out: http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Stereophonics-tickets/artist/795944#artist_table_focus

Under The Driftwood Tree Music Gig

I only heard about this band recently but I really like their sound. Under The Driftwood Tree are a five piece folk band from Wales. In addition to their strong vocals this band use an assortment of unusual instruments such as the ukulele, didgeridoos, djembe and accordion.

This band recently reached the final and were the Welsh winners of the Surface Unsigned battle of the bands. They have played numerous times on Fearne Cotton's Radio 1 show and even performed with Jack Johnson at the Eden Project.

Songs to check out by this band are If Only If and Under The Thumb. They are currently in the process of producing their debut album - so definitely keep your eyes out for this band in the future.

 Tour Dates:
19th - 21st Aug. Greenman Festival - Brecon, UK