The 4th Green Man – 2006
You can read memories from people who were there in 2006 here.
We needed to change site after two years at Baskerville Hall. The festival had out grown it and we were completely shattered. The massive success of 2005 projected us forward and exhausted us, it was hard to keep up. Still just Danny and I organising everything. We needed help, and fast. We needed a much larger venue and we needed to start organising the 2006 Green Man.
We got a team around us and secured the Glan Usk Estate, about 20 minutes from where we were living, in the Brecon Beacons of Wales.
In 2005 we had 2,500 customers which meant just over 3,000 people on site over the festival weekend.
For 2006, with the new location, team and publicity we were getting, we decided to grown the festival to 6,000 tickets.
We started to book the artists. When we had confirmed enough, Jon Clee designed us some fliers.
Here’s what the festival sounded like at this stage –
It’s Jo & Danny is on the flier but we actually played the first half of the set as It’s J&D and morphed into The Yellow Moon Band live on stage.
Everything was really taking shape. We also booked the d.j. tent, films and John Williams once again booked the literature. When everything was confirmed, Jon Clee designed us this.
Pete Fowler also designed us some posters in 2006.
Once again, we sold out well in advance.
The weekend came. We drove to the site on the Thursday evening. We walked around and chatted to friends and folk we knew. People from the new team, the production guys we had designed the site with. The festival was open to the public but no bands until the next day. We were interviewed for Radio 1 Wales by Huw Stephens, he also chatted to our kids on air. We drove home to spend the night, my Dad and Danny’s Mum were due to help with our children the next day. It chucked it down all night. It had been forecast, but still with the sun shining on the Thursday evening I hoped the forecast was wrong. We lived in a converted barn and the roof had velux windows. I was awake all night listening to the rain hammer down against the roof. It was still raging when we packed the car up the next morning and headed back over to Glan Usk. We were in a glum mood.
The only rain we had had so far was literally after everything was finished, the previous year, 2005. It had rained heavily on the Sunday night / Monday morning, starting at about 3am. We had been very lucky. Who knows how different everything might have been if we had had rain on those first three years? Instead, the sun had shone.
Until now.
At some point, I honestly can’t remember when, the rain stopped. There is a particularly wonderful feeling when the rain stops and the sun comes out at a festival. People peep out from the their tents and edge out cautiously. Relief and joy. Ready to party.
Thanks to Justin Thomas for these photos.
It was all pretty mind blowing for Danny and me. In the previous three festivals, we had organised absolutely everything, from building the stages to organising the toilets, booking all the artists, all the films, organising security, tents, PAs and generators, getting the licence. Food stalls, showers, getting wrist bands printed and along with the contracts, posted. Advertising, being interviewed. Picking up the litter at the end of the each night! Everything. In 2006 we had to learn to let go a bit and it was odd. People worked we didn’t know. People working who didn’t know us. It was all so big! Such a wonderful site. It’s pretty amazing walking round a festival site and knowing every beat and musical note has been booked by you. Even the music that came out of the PA speakers in between the bands was compiled by us. All the stresses and strains, all the worries and insomnia are worth it. Seeing so many friends and family, making new friends and having a right laugh. Amazing.
I found this on YouTube.
ITTLG 