Wales’ largest music festival, Green Man, has announced the first wave of acts to be playing their 20th anniversary event, returning once again to the epic surroundings of the Black Mountains deep in the heart of the Brecon Beacons.
Joining already-announced Michael Kiwanuka as headliners for this year’s festival are iconic electro-pioneers Kraftwerk, acclaimed Baltimore duo Beach House and eclectic party starters Metronomy. Tickets for this year’s festival sold out in two days back in September following a triumphant weekend in the Welsh Mountains in August that was able to take place against all odds.
The magic of Green Man lies not just in its scenery and music. Made up of 10 individual areas, the festival also offers a diverse range of events to accompany its incredible line-up, boasting art installations spread throughout the tranquil valley. Further line ups of music, science, film, comedy & literature will be revealed in the coming months.
After over 50 years as a band, 2022 will be Kraftwerk’s first time at Green Man Festival festival. Innovators of electronic music and infamous for their ‘robot pop’ style, Kraftwerk’s work has influenced much of what we hear today in modern music.
Also headlining will be Baltimore duo Beach House, who will bathe the festival in their gorgeously ethereal dream pop. The band will play a career spanning set, including new material from their expansive new record Once Twice Melody.
Joseph Mount-fronted electro-pop collective Metronomy will kick off the weekend. With the band’s seventh album Small World out this month, their set is sure to be a genre traversing adventure of fan favourites and new material alike.
Electronic duo Bicep will keep tempo up across the weekend, their 2021 album Isles, which followed up their 2017 debut featuring their unmistakable track ‘Glue’.
New York band Parquet Courts will return to the Welsh mountains alongside slowcore band Low, who last year shared their widely acclaimed new album HEY WHAT. Also heading over from the United States will be Ty Segall & Freedom Band with a raucous live show, Ezra Furman with her unmistakable art pop, cult indie hero Alex G, the unpredictable genreless glam of Yves Tumor and Its Band, Americana singer and multi-instrumentalist Valerie June and more.
From across all four corners of the UK and Ireland come some our finest homegrown talent, including Welsh musician and producer Cate Le Bon, who recently released her new album Pompeii, spoken word performer and poet Kae Tempest, post punk band Dry Cleaning who come off the release of their brilliant debut album New Long Leg, Dublin band The Murder Capital, alongside many more headliners of the future on the festival’s beloved Rising stage.
From across the globe to the Brecon Beacons come Senegal’s iconic dance band Orchestra Baobab, Swedish electro post-punk outfit Viagra Boys, Niger’s Tuareg songwriter and musician Mdou Moctar, Zambia’s Zamrock band Witch, Grammy nominated Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab, Japanese ten piece Minyo Crusaders, French-born, Belgian-Caribbean avant pop artist Charlotte Adigéry and Australian psych rock band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.
Elsewhere, Cassandra Jenkins, James Yorkston & Second Hand Orchestra, Indigo De Souza, Pictish Trail, Gotts Street Park, Maria Somerville, amongst many others are sure to prove as highlights from across the rest of the weekend, with plenty more names across all stages to be announced over the coming months.
The full first line-up announcement is as follows:
Kraftwerk | Michael Kiwanuka |
Beach House | Metronomy | Bicep (live) |
Parquet Courts | Low | Kae Tempest |
Cate Le Bon | Ty Segall & Freedom Band |
Yves Tumor | Black Country, New Road |
Dry Cleaning | Ezra Furman | Jenny Hval |
Alex G | Valerie June | Mdou Moctar | Arab Strap | Orchestra Baobab |
Viagra Boys | The Murder Capital | Witch | Beverly Glenn-Copeland | Arooj Aftab |
Frazey Ford | Torres | Katy J Pearson | James Yorkston & Second Hand Orchestra | Cassandra Jenkins | Pictish Trail | Charlotte Adigery | Psychedelic Porn Crumpets |
Optimo (Espacio) | Pip Blom | Minyo Crusaders | Marisa Anderson & William Tyler |
Willie J Healey | Balimaya Project | Group Listening | Planningtorock | Soccer96 | Modern Nature |
Sugar Candy Mountain | Indigo De Souza | Ichiko Aoba | Bess Atwell | Cola | Keeley Forsyth |
Gotts Street Park | Natalie Bergman | Annie Hart | Maria Somerville | Strawberry Guy |
John Francis Flynn | Katherine Priddy | Melin Melyn | The Umlauts | Keg | Adwaith | Buffalo Nichols | Lucy Gooch | Sophie Jamieson | Maria BC |
Jessica Winter, Pregoblin, Brian Destiny (Dash The Henge) | Papur Wal |
Ailsa Tully | Alice Low | Bingo Fury | Blue Bendy | Deathcrash | English Teacher |
Kathleen Frances | Lemondaze | Lime Garden | M(h)aol | Mickey Callisto | Porij | Robocobra Quartet | Tara Clerkin Trio | Tenderhost | Unschooling
Huw Stephens | Deptford Northern Soul Club | Adam Walton | Alfresco Disco | Birthday Party | Big Jeff |
Green Man ’22 runs from Thursday August 18th to 21st. Tickets are sold out