Green Man festival in Wales: rain, a cancelled bonfire and Wolf Alice's standout finale

This year's Green Man festival in the Welsh valley took place under unusual circumstances, after roughly 20 wildfires swept through the region the previous week, leaving scorched peat and grassland on the surrounding hills. The dry, hazardous conditions forced organisers to cancel the traditional closing ceremony, in which a towering effigy of the Green Man, decorated with festival-goers' handwritten wishes, is normally set alight.

Rain drenched the main stage on the opening Friday, but that didn't stop Manchester band Westside Cowboy from drawing a large crowd with their blend of British indie and Americana. They closed their set with a stripped-back, emotional rendition of "In the Morning".

A varied lineup

Throughout the day, the stage hosted Ghanaian musician Ata Kak with his mix of highlife and funk, London post-punk band Shame with energetic sets and calls to "free Palestine", and Dry Cleaning vocalist Florence Shaw, who performed "My Soul/Half Pint" for the first time with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. Malian rock band Tamikrest brought desert blues sounds, while Gambian musician Suntou Susso led a large conga line through the crowd. Producer Daniel Avery surprised with a heavier, metal- and drum'n'bass-inflected set, and Four Tet closed the night by building from ambient textures into heavy bass.

Wolf Alice's standout moment

The weekend's main closing performance went to Wolf Alice, whose vocalist Ellie Rowsell commanded the stage, blending indie singing with near-operatic vocals and raw screams. The planned replacement ceremony — an acoustic rendition of the Waterboys' "The Whole of the Moon" accompanied by aerial acrobats — failed to fully engage the crowd. Instead, a surprise closing DJ set featuring several musicians and Madonna remixes turned into a genuinely joyful finale for the festival.