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The Green Man Festival is a small alternative music festival started by folk act, It’s Jo and Danny.

Click here to view this interview with accompanying artwork  in The 2007 Festival Edition.

The first event took place in 2003, at the Craig Y Nos Castle built by Madame Adelina Patti, but moved in 2004 and 2005 to Baskerville Hall Hotel near Clyro (Wales). The last couple of years the green man has been hosted at Glanusk Park. Each year the event has grown in size. The Green Man Festival has been labelled a folk music festival, but incorporates related styles of music too.

This year saw headline sets from Joanna Newsom, Robert plant and Ian Malkamus. Creature’s highlights from this year include Misty’s big adventure, John Smith and the Broken family band all of which can be found within the festival edition.

Creature has been in attendance for the past two years, the atmosphere is relaxed, the music is good and the setting idyllic, we would whole heartedly recommend this festival to any folk/alternative music fan. The organisers are proud that the event has retained its anti-corporate feel yet continues to thrive…

Creature managed to grab a minute of Jo’s time to ask a few questions about this lovely little festival.

What makes Green Man different from other festivals?

I think probably that we are musicians ourselves and we have always organised it out of love rather than a corporate event set up purely to make money. We’ve been copied by both huge corporations and small independents over the years – that’s kind of wierd!

Did you ever think the Green Man would be as successful as it has been?

We were always so foccused and the growth has seemed so logical that we do have to take a step back every now and again to remind ourselves where we were five years ago!

Which artist do you think most captured the Green Man spirit most this year?

It’s very hard to say, everyone always seems to play their socks off at the green man, I think there’s a magic in the air that everyone feels. I honestly wouldn’t want to highlight anyone, but seeing Robert Plant play A Whole Lotta Love was pretty special!

You have been organising this festival for five years now, what is your most treasured memory?

Again, very hard to say. I love every minute of the festival, even (when I look back) the stressful moments. 2005 was a very special year, seeing a buzzard flying under a full moon as Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy played ‘I See A Darkness’ was pretty cool. Someone let a red smoke flare off and everyone went ‘ooooh’ that made me tingle a bit it’s fair to say!

How much of a difference does the weather make for festival organisers?

Well, the rain can make things tricky from an organisational point of view. The mud made it difficult to move some of the heavy vehicles etc around, loading on and off stage etc. We were well prepared and everything went smoothly though.

Do you get to go to all the other festivals for free, like a brotherhood?
To be honest we haven’t really gone to any other festivals recently. We have played the large ones as it’s jo and danny and obvioulsy used to go to Glastonbury and Reading before we started the Green Man. We’re thinking of going to Bestival next year, now we can relax a bit.

Whats do you enjoy most about running a festival?

It’s a buzz booking the bands, seeing the whole thing take shape. The cinema and kids area are fun to organise too.

How do you think the new layout worked this year?

Very well. We’ll tweak a few things next year, we learn every year.

Do you all work full time, all year round?
Yes, although this time of year we’re kind of recovering and thinking of ideas rather than working solidly in a traditional sense.
What advice would you give anyone who is thinking of organising a festival?

Don’t try and be flash by starting too big.
What bands are you hoping to book for next year?
That would be telling!

The Broken Family Band Interview – Forward by Jonny Rogers

The Broken Family band don’t look like a band who have suffered parental anguish, in fact they look like the sons my mother would have preferred. Four albums in and the future is looking bright for the four piece from Cambridge, major airplay and positive reviews have made the Broken Family Band a must see of the summer.
Front man Stephen Adams has enough wit and charm to win over any disbelievers of “country metal indie music”. Adams ’ English wit adds to the flavour with precision, at a time when indie music is becoming more and more dull, bands like Broken Family Band rule the school.

Please introduce yourself and your band.

My name is Steven and I’m in The Broken Family Band. So are Jay, Mickey and Gavin.

The Broken Family Band is our band of the summer, Creature has found new love, how do you feel about this?

Very good. We love doing what we do and it’s always a treat to find out that we make some people happy. Thanks for saying so.

You mentioned you have been to many festivals this year, can you put your finger on a favourite?

I had a good time at all of them, but End Of The Road was my favourite. The festivals have been good for different reasons though, like Glastonbury was about being there with my friends, and the gig was sort of incidental. Summer Sundae was all about our show as far as I’m concerned. We played this posh festival near Oxford called Cornbury – we shouldn’t have been there but I had a ball.

Why shouldn’t you have been there?

Because – believe it or not – I think we were a bit too alternative. David Gray and Blondie were the big draws of the weekend. David Gray’s a nice chap as it turns out, but that’s not really our field.

You really leapt out at us at TEOTR, was it as much of a pleasure for you as it was for us?

Yeah! Sometimes we lose sight of why we’re doing it, but that was a dead good show. I enjoyed seeing Jay playing with the elephant mask on more than is healthy.

Why an elephants head? Any relevance?

You’d have to ask Timothy Victor, who was playing with us. He bought it for Jay… I imagine it was just the most extravagant gift at available in the novelty concession.

It was nice of you to point out that we had the option of an hour with Howe Gelb. Who would you have seen if you were me?!

I’d’ve come to see us. He’s a bit of a noodler.

There was healthy amount of audience interaction at the EOTR, is this a common occurance and what do you think that adds to a live performance?

You can’t ignore the people who are watching you, at least I can’t. Some people get lost in their own little world onstage, but I like to have a laugh, make them laugh, faff about. People seem to enjoy it.

Please tell us more about your EOTR experience, What did you get up to? Any crazy stories? Will you be attending next year?

I was with my people, and the rest of the band came along on Saturday night. Mick and Jay opted for sitting in the van drinking rather than watching bands, and there are no crazy stories. Although it was me who upset everyone watching the lady playing piano in the woods by shouting ‘what’s fucking Jean Michel Jarre doing here?’ late on the Saturday night. Apparently. I’d love to go back there next year. Let’s see if they ask us. I’ve got a taste for getting into festivals for free and camping with the A-listers now.

Whats your most memorable live performance?

Levenhulme Bowling Club in Manchester a couple of years ago was pretty good. A couple of sets we’ve played at the Cambridge Folk Festival. One particularly wonderful night playing in a gay club in Madrid .

Some of your songs have a distinct Americana sound to them whilst others draw influences from Indie, Rock, Country and even Metal. Do you worry that people may not be able to define you and accuse you of being a band lost within themselves?

I don’t think ‘worry’ is the right word. Maybe it is. I think we’re like thousands of other bands who have taken influences from various spheres and created something distinctive, but people complain when we don’t stick with what people were expecting. The net result is that we are becoming less inclined to please people and more concerned with our own aesthetic. Is that whining?

The Creature has heard lots of good things about “The Local”. Can you tell us a little about it?

The Local is a night put on by my friend Howard Monk. He seems to put on some of the best shows in London , and not necessarily just elitist bullshit like some people. Proper value for money. Who else is putting on Nina Nastasia and Tom Brousseau or however you spell his name?

You have been on the circuit for some time now, have you struck up any beautiful friendships with other bands? If so Who?

We do get to say hi to people, but we’re not in the bosom of it. I like saying hello to Euros Childs because he’s shy and I feel like a teenage girl about him. He’s younger than me as well. James Yorkston is a nice fella to see around. I think I bore him, but I do enjoy a chat with him. All that Fence lot actually.

Met any bands you utterly despise?

No, I’m pretty lucky in that no-one has stuck me in a room with Cherry Ghost or The Pigeon Detectives so far.

Whats your beef with Cherry Ghost?

Why do you pick them and not The Pigeon Detectives? Cherry Ghost ain’t no good and I resent the intrusion and I’m jealous of their marketing spend.

I pick them because the Pigeon Detectives are shit and should not be allowed to hold instruments, but I think Cherry Ghost are pretty damn good, intense melancholia! Hits a spot in my brain that is quite pleasurable. Have you heard the album?

I’ve heard a couple of songs from the album, and then saw them at Summer Sundae in Leicester. In one of the songs he sings ‘did ever get the feeling you’ve been stitched up?’ or something. I think the emperor has no clothes on and his music is pish. As my Mum always said, the world would be a duller place if we all agreed. But you’re wrong.

If the Broken Family Band had a motto, what would it be?

Do what thou wilt be the whole of the law.

A friend of mine told me you own a roller disco. Is my friend a liar?

I’m sure your friend isn’t a liar. It’s not me though.

Why does Gavin (bassist) always play seated?

Because he likes sitting down. He says he likes to concentrate on playing the bass rather than shuffling about like a twat.

What on earth inspires you?
It varies. At the moment it’s Peter Ackroyd, The Walkmen and Euros. And Pink Floyd. I’m all over Live At Pompei this week.

So it’s definitely not the end of the road for The Broken Family Band, what’s up next?

We’re just starting on some new songs. I’m hoping to steer us towards some Satanic pop. We’ve written a couple of dirty rock ‘n roll songs and we’re about to play a few shows of our own… after a summer of forcing ourselves on people in fields.

Intro by Jonny Rogers:

The name alone implies something a little different and it delivers. Creature has been a fan of Misty’s big Adventure for some years now, the ridiculous gigs and the incredibly catchy songs make it very hard not to be. Misty’s music is an eclectic mix of jazz, lounge, psychedelia, two tone, pop and punk. But this is only really half the tale.

The eight piece is led by the aptly named Grandmaster Gareth, who is the ringleader to a very peculiar bunch. (suggestions for the collective noun of Misty’s Big Adventure members are most welcome). Lurking near the Grandmaster is Erotic Volvo, a man dressed in a loose full-body red sack with numerous stuffed blue gloves attached, with his face painted blue. It’s difficult to know where to look or what to do or say, I find it fitting to dance with a beer and a leer. A very English affair.

Although the band do enjoy singing about murdering their neighbours, parallel worlds and hindering dogs, its not all fun and games, Mistys’ biggest hit Fashion Parade, featuring a cameo from Sir Noddy of Holder, takes a swipe at the current state of the independent music scene, and in “Evil” they tell us what they really think about George W.

To say that John Peel championed this band would be silly, but he was a fan and that goes a long way. Prepare for the lunacy.
How was your summer?
Fairly uneventful. I’ve mostly been working on our tour CD Grumpier Fun and doing some work on our next studio album ‘Television’s People’.

For the readers who don’t know Mistys how would you describe your  music, briefly…

In brief, Grumpy Fun. Lots of genres all mushed together with a cynical bent.

We’ve seen you at the Green Man two years running, what is it that attracts you to this festival?

They’ll let us play! And it’s a very good festival. I think Green Man and End of the Road have a really nice atmosphere you don’t find at other festivals. It seems to be more about seeing good stuff rather than just getting hammered. Though I’m sure some people manage to combine the two!

This year, at the Greenman, my friend got drunk passed out and was set upon by a hoard of screaming three year olds, one of our friends woke up completely covered in grass, they had buried him alive! What’s your funniest festival story?

So you managed to combine the two. Well done! I don’t really have a funny festival story. I’m generally not at one long enough for something funny to happen!

In the song “Fashion Parade” you appear to take a swipe at certain  contemporary indie bands. Whats your gripe?

The main gripe is with the bands that seem to spring up whenever a band, say Franz Ferdinand, gets big and then for the next year or two, proceeds to rip them off. Particularly when Franz Ferdinand ripped off a load of bands in the first place. It’s boring to say the least. I find the music scene depressing at the moment because being in a band should be about trying to be original and do something different and although there are people on the fringes doing just that, the music industry is clogged up with bland uninspired bands whose only aim is to one day be posing on the front cover of the NME. Whilst being sponsored by Shockwaves and Topshop. Money for music is good. Music for money is bad.

What did Noddy Holder make of the strange world of Misty’s big Adventure?
Noddy was great! He thought Fashion Parade was “a good track” and agreed with it’s sentiments. Slade made a film that has a similar story to the one in our song.

How is the smoking ban going for you?
I don’t go out unless we’re touring so not much of a problem! It’s just another distraction technique anyway. The people in charge will do anything to stop us thinking about what’s really going on.

Our first Misty’s experience was down the local pub, The Ale House in Salisbury, it was all very involved. How has the band coped with the transition to bigger events?

We’ve never really changed doing what we do. It’s not like we think because we’re doing a bigger show that we need to make any more of an effort! We might just be a bit more nervous.

Does Misty have any side projects?

I do solo stuff as Grandmaster Gareth. I make Minute Melodies. They’re a lot more mental than what I do with Misty’s. There’s less pressure to make them as accessible. And I also don’t have to think about how to play them live. I’ve also been doing some producing for Kategoes, The Retro Spankees and Dave McCabe from The Zutons.

Finally, what’s next for Misty’s Big Adventure?
Our new album Funny Times is out on the 5th of November. And we’re touring all through October and November.

Take care and good luck with your magazine,

Gareth

Flipron are an entirely unique, almost unclassifiable, band, from Glastonbury, UK, consisting of singer and songwriter Jesse Budd, pianist/organist Joe Atkinson, drummer Mike Chitty and bassist Greg Shepheard. Flipron were signed to Tiny Dog Records in 2003.

At creature mag we put a lot of emphasis on noticing, on noticing what you notice, it’s what this issue is all about, what do you notice?

JB: I can’t speak for the others, as I’ve hijacked this interview for myself, but I’m not sure what I do and don’t notice. I feel it’s important to notice and understand your emotions, your subtle secret intentions, your real motives, things that you don’t really like to admit to yourself. We deceive ourselves on so many levels. But in physical terms, smells are well worth noticing as they are so evocative.

Smells are generally under-represented on the noticing stakes. I also like little sounds. Bird song, ticking clocks, watches, breathing. Quiet breezes. When I drive Mrs. Flipron to work in the mornings, we drive through the Somerset levels near Glastonbury where we live. In the spring we notice Little Egrets lurking in boggy fields.

They’re like small herons but completely snow white, really gorgeous looking creatures. Mrs Flipron has an eye for tiny details like no other. She can spot the tiniest of flowers in the busiest of surroundings. She is a Master Noticer. I am but her clumsy apprentice.

You are a band with seemingly lots of influences yet it’s hard to put you in any sub-genre. Do you see this as a good thing? How would you define your sound?

Yes it’s true we have lots of influences, and we readily allow them to find there way into our music. We don’t have a door policy or a dress code for our influences! I think most musicians and writers have lots of influences, possibly they don’t always confess it as readily as we do. Our sound I would describe as spooky, cartoonish, wordy and, at a push, modestly exotic.

Humour seems to play an important role in your music, who are Flipron’s comedy inspirations?
There’s a difference between humour in music and Comedy as such. Humour is an emotion like any other. We should not fear it as part of an artists toolkit. Pop music becomes sterile when it loses it’s sense of humour. Personally I’m very fond of artists such as Beefheart and Syd Barrett, who had a strong element of humour in their work, without it ever really being comedy. I love Jarvis Cocker too for the wit that is such an important part of his writing. For Flipron some humour is just needed in what we do; we have lots of songs about mortality, loss, decrepitude, regret and facing up to the horrors we’ve hidden in the unconscious. Without some humour our music would be depressing and unlistenable! So it’s part of a balancing act. And pop music is entertainment as well as art, we’d be cheating people if we weren’t able to give them some enjoyment.

There are numerous references to dogs in your songs, which breed of canine would Flipron be?

A mongrel of course! A canine cocktail. The only one of our kind.

If you had to name three objects that have had a profound influence over the music you write, what would they be?

The ear. The heart. The head.

Finally, what’s next for the band? Festivals, gigs, more releases?

Correct! Festivals, gigs, more releases. In fact, we have a single, Dogboy Vs. Monsters coming out on May 14th. You can see the video online at the moment on our myspace page. (It has giant crabs marching across the Somerset countryside) Then some gigs. Then some festivals. Then we’ll record the new album in the autumn, if we’ve finished writing, arranging, rehearsing it….