The Green Man Podcast

The worlds of pop and rock owe a much greater debt to the classical canon than we realise. A direct and fascinating lineage draws from the experimentalism of Pierre Henry to The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows, from Stockhausen to Donna Summer’s I Feel Love. In her new book Everything We Do is Music, Elizabeth Alker shines a light on the fertile ground that exists between the borders of classical music and pop. Elizabeth is in conversation with broadcaster Huw Stephens.  Recorded at the Talking Shop, and our final episode for 2026. See you next year!

Two of our comedy heroes putting the world to rights? Oh, go on then. Stew and Josie talk political activism in comedy, and pessimism of the intellect vs optimism of the will. How does one engage revolutionary optimism, and when did Josie come to realise that her comedy shows have been doing just that? They discuss the desire for physical media and the impermanence of "clip comedy", and how to ride out the storm. They ask "What do artists do with the document of what they do?" and lament the thankless work of blazing a trail.

Power, resistance, and the race to save our world. By the end of this century half of the world's 7000 languages will be gone. Killed by war, climate breakdown, migration, nationalism, or neglect - and losing with it the vital knowledge that they have sustained for centuries. Sophia Smith Galer - inspired by her Nonna's passing, who spoke an endangered Italian "dialët" - journeyed across the globe to report on this disappearing world. Sophia is joined in conversation with broadcaster Huw Stephens. Recorded at the Talking Shop

Cameron Picton is the former black midi guitarist and bassist and his new project, My New Band Believe, has hit upon a sound that could have taken multiple albums to establish. The debut album released in April is urgent and jangly, almost tripping over itself in its eagerness to be heard.  After thrilling the Walled Garden, Cameron heads to backstage Mountain for a natter with Horsegirl, and you’ll have to forgive us for the sound quality on this one, kit failure happens to the best of us.  Horsegirl are a band of best friends. They began making songs while still in high school, and paused their early success after their 2022 debut, Versions of Modern Performance, to finish undergraduate degrees at NYU. The Chicago trio returned earlier this year with Phonetics On And On, their minimalist, spacious follow-up album that was produced by Cate Le Bon, and contains the kind of confidence that only comes from taking your time while somehow remaining utterly and brilliantly precocious.  Cardiff five-piece Casual Smart returned to Green Man off the back of headline shows at Clwb Ifor Bach and recording sessions at the new Cwrw studios in Carmarthen. They swap stories with alt singer-songwriter Dermot Henry, who’s attended Green Man plenty of times and played his first show on the Rising stage this year, straight from supporting Lewis Capaldi in Liverpool.  Completely bonkers, 100mph, and Yorkshire-born, Dolly Trolley is a drag queen and neo-burlesque artist. Known as a rambunctious compère with high energy and ludicrously hilarious performances, she’s a multi-talented act commonly reviewed: “I’m exhausted just from watching”. When not MCing the Wishbone or performing as part of Cabaret Sauvignon, or leading Drag Aerobics, or hosting Blind Date, Dolly chats to Phoebe and Andy from Repair Cafe Wales.  Repair Cafe Wales popped up at Green Man for the first time, saving the planet and fixing tents, buggies and dresses for the revellers under the mountain. Andy and Phoebe ran workshops to teach the best practices and community feeling of the repair cafes in Welsh villages. They chat to Dolly about the new ‘secret’ spot and the drag shows across the weekend, plus the fixes needed behind the scenes. 

In his astonishing and subversive memoir, Bless Me Father, Kevin Rowland lays bare his unvarnished life story for the very first time. From the juvenile courts of his troubled teenage years to the early days of the New Romantic scene in the late ’70s and beyond, he recounts his darkest hours, deepest desires and greatest joys. Back with a new album as Dexys Midnight Runners, Kevin Rowland is joined in conversation with journalist and broadcaster Sophie Williams.  Recorded at the Talking Shop. 

Green Man Rising winner tall child — aka London-based Nigerian-Indian songwriter Zha Gandhi and their band — melds intense, stormy emotion and grungy riffs with sweet melody and happy-go-lucky indie jangle, to irresistible effect. The name “tall child” comes from a Mitski lyric: a marked influence, together with Radiohead, Arlo Parks, and Rachel Chinouriri. tall child released their debut EP Somehow You Grow last year, on which they grow like a tall tree and rise above the challenges of being a queer, disabled, POC indie artist.  Cyn Cwsg — “before sleep” — offer a tad more bite than their name might suggest. Their harmony-soaked rock, oddball country, and hallucinatory pop has drawn comparisons to Iwan Llwyd and the Beach Boys: music armed with lush indie guitar sounds, Britpop-adjacent riffs, and a touch of Elliott Smith if he’d been raised in north Wales. The quartet released their debut EP Pydru yn yr Haul last year: songs in Welsh and English that telegraph gritty vulnerability and bite straight to the bone. Leeds-tronica duo Kiosk have variously described their sound as “3am at the club”, “buttons and knobs”, and “better than Monopoly”. Burgeoning out of the West Yorkshire powerhouse’s diverse DIY scene, the pair — Isabella Alcock on vocal and synths and Rory ‘Maz’ Maslen on bass and synths — make dance-punk with all the accoutrements: dreamy, aloof vocals, new-wave tinges, electro-clash fervour, 00s indie synth pop, surrealist spacey soundscapes, industrial noise, and a techno pulse. Kiosk only have three singles out in the wild so far, but a buzzy live reputation on the underground circuit that promises nothing but great things.  This year’s Green Man Rising competition winners and runners up reminisce about the process which landed them all playing this year’s festival.  Green Man Rising is a unique artist development program that supports artists on their journey to becoming the headliners of tomorrow. It seen as the UK’s most comprehensive support package for grassroots music. It offers a massive leg-up for emerging artists at a time when those opportunities are diminishing. All four finalists get a slot on the Rising Stage, with the winner being the opening band of the iconic Mountain Stage, sharing the bill with top international headliners.

Two tremendous talks to set your mind whirring. “Every day when I wake up, I thank the Lord I’m Welsh…” If the story of Wales in the ‘90s was a movie plot, it would all seem so far-fetched. Thankfully, it was all true. Featuring fresh analysis and new interviews, International Velvet: How Wales Conquered the '90s Charts revisits the unforgettable 'Cool Cymru' era when Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia, Super Furry Animals, Stereophonics, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Feeder, 60ft Dolls and many more won over the masses. Author and journalist Neil Collins is joined in conversation with journalist Teresa Delfino.  And, ahead of his performance as Everything is Recorded, Richard Russell treated us to an illuminating conversation about his remarkable life in music. For almost 30 years as label boss, producer, and talent conductor at XL Recordings, Richard has discovered, shaped and nurtured the artists who have rewritten the musical dictionary of the 21st century, including The Prodigy, The White Stripes, Adele, M.I.A, Dizzee Rascal and Giggs. His acclaimed memoir Liberation Through Hearing tells the remarkable story of XL Recordings' three decades on the frontline of innovation in music. Richard is in conversation with journalist Eamonn Forde.  Recorded at the Talking Shop. 

They say "never meet your heroes," but here at the Green Man Podcast we can't pass up an opportunity to make dreams come true. So when Johnny Lynch aka Pictish Trail told us he's a HUGE fan of The Beta Band (his words, "probably the most important band of my LIFE") we knew what we had to do.  Electrocuted by illuminated stage suits, leaving £4000 worth of velcro costumes on the tube, accidentally playing a show in a remote scout hut, appearing as one of John Cusack’s favourite bands on High Fidelity: The Beta Band have had quite the career. Scotland’s Steve Mason and co recently reunited to celebrate their thirty year anniversary, their idiosyncratic songs and live extravaganzas burn as brightly as ever. “I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs by The Beta Band…” 

Emmy-nominated actor Maisie Williams and collaborator Lowri Roberts talk activism, creativity and criticism in a world that’s Just. So. Online. They talk to journalist Teresa Delfino about environmental action, climate care, the power of ‘having a go’,  and getting comfortable with not getting it 100% right every time.

Leeds band Bathing Suits closed Rising on Saturday night with their club-ready noise-rock. Hear them sat under the shade of a Green Man tree, with South Korean riot grrl trio Sailor Honeymoon, who had opened Far Out that same morning.  Seoul’s antidote to K-Pop, Sailor Honeymoon are a punk band who’ve been going against the grain since 2022. Formed by photographer Abi Raymaker and techno DJ Zaeuun Shin, the band connected with Bathing Suits over their musical communities in their hometowns of Seoul and Leeds. The episode continues with Jennifer Walton, who played the Walled Garden early on Sunday, chatting to thredd, who lit up Round The Twist on Friday.  Last autumn the Sunderland-born, London-based electronic musician and DJ Jennifer Walton released her debut solo album Daughters after a decade and a half of working with others and touring as a session drummer. London trio thredd boast the title for the most inviting debut album name — It’s Lovely, Come On In, also out last year. The group, featuring Immy Williams of Imogen and the Knife, make what Big Jeff once coined “cold pop”: dancey, dark, synth-imbued, influenced by Portishead, Massive Attack, Lana Dey Rey, and Britney Spears — as thredd say, “icy, succinct pop music for those who are up for a party, down for a cry”.