O Children / The Boxettes / The Flaming Lips @ Green Man Festival 2010, Wales

As I entered the picturesque Brecon Beacons, I felt a sigh of relief at having left the heart of London town behind. Selling out the tickets in record time, Green Man Festival has become vastly popular over the last couple of years, with astounding musical, comedy, theatre and literature line-ups and other additional activities.

They really couldn’t go wrong as an independent festival, grasping on upcoming bands who are just finding their feet in the industry alongside headliners like Doves, Flaming Lips, Joanna Newsom, Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling, to name a few.

Apart from the torrential down pour on Friday, it started like clockwork with an assortment of acts taking to the four stages, making it incredibly hard to decide where to go next. Kicking off by the familiar O Children, who performed their psychedelic post-punk tunes to a packed-out audience, some there for support, others were seeking protection from the rain. Their gloomy trips and deep lyrics interlinked with the black skies, becoming inexplicably endearing.

They say never judge a book by its cover and this was surely the case with The Boxettes, five regular girls from South London just waiting to be discovered. Their extraordinary talents mixing with a beat boxing phenomenon left my stomach turning with excitement. Blending well together, their timing was right on key, making the word ‘unique’ a definite understatement as my mouth was firmly on lock down as they left the stage.

Fuck Buttons did their thing, as usual, making my feet move from start to finish, lost in the music. Their concentrated passion throughout the set didn’t go unnoticed bringing crowds in from left right and centre. After that it was anyone’s guess...

Saturday kept the high going with the young, multi-talented Mancunian’s, Egyptian Hip Hop, who seemed daunted by the turn out, keeping their heads firmly down, however, this didn’t faze them keeping everything minimal yet imaginative.

Saturday’s stars go to the Flaming Lips, who produced a mind-blowing set, releasing giant balloons, streamers, bright coloured strobes and Wayne Coyne going across the audience in an inflatable ball. Despite being crushed beyond belief, the bursts of adrenalin really kept me going; they need to be seen to be believed.

Darwin Deez, Field Music, Bear In Heaven and Laura Marling got Sunday afternoon rolling, preparing the evening folk for exclusive treats. The vastly popular Mumford & Sons and Joanna Newsom ended the rural festival with a blast; a perfect ending some might say. However, it wasn’t an end for me until Gold Panda played his final electro beats before he goes off to American shores.