Like a buxom broad, it’s hard to look past Green Man Festival’s striking beauty.

An ivy-strained Walled Garden, the idiosyncratic main stage at Mountain’s foot, streams leading through shubbery to hidden experimentation; each nuance dances about this sunny thicket in the shadow of the Beacon.

In the sun-stained yawns of Friday Afternoon, Green Man’s groundswell of depth was surmised quite affectionately. Our first venture to Mountain’s Foot was serenaded by Sam Amidon’s ‘nicely out of tune’ sprays of vocals and smooth, simple instrumentation. The crowd is noticeably younger than in the past, or, judging by my non-ironic drink choice of Herefordshire’s ‘Growler’, I’m getting old.

Jacco Gardner is a surprise. His set paints the ‘Far Out and After Dark’ Stage in flamboyant, orange colour from a pallette laden with harmonies, Hammond Organ and experimentation. The highlight of the day are Parquet Courts, who manage to encapsulate and embellish the nonchalant aggression of their superb debut album ‘Light Up Gold’.

As the evening trickles by, we lounge about the cinema tent and allow Richard Ayoade’s ultra-literal comedy, Submarine to entertain.

Midlake are met by a doting legion of expectants who clamber through chorus after chorus, beaming – it wasn’t until they started playing until I realised I knew so much of their material. It was refreshing to see a group who were so in control of the subtleties in their set.

12:45am: shrouded in mist, expectation and low-light, Fuck Buttons come to crown the night with their new record, Slow Focus, in tow. Rough textures fast become slippery and smooth as your hand bounces against the wall – we’re envigorated.

Saturday has John Cale, Low, Band of Horses and Villagers at it’s behest, so I must depart the press tent with a need for a fresh head.

Goodnight.

Green Man Festival 2013 – Friday Review.

Photography by Peter Butler