Aretha Franklin is regarded as a global blues legend and will long be remembered as one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The ‘Queen of Soul’ died on August 16th following her fight with cancer. The ‘Queen of Soul’ championed global hits such as ‘I Say a Little Prayer’, ‘Respect’, ‘Think’ and ‘You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ which established her as an iconic figure in music. Franklin also collaborated with artists such as Annie Lennox and George Michael in the duet ‘I Knew You Were Waiting For Me’. The soul singer also had a cameo…

A hushed incredulity sweeps onlookers of the Walled Garden stage; a communal, subconscious recognition of the uniqueness present before us. Piercing through a delicate current of strings – Susanne Sundfor’s tender, effortless and, at times, soul-wrenching vocals. She softly purrs: “I’m as lucky as the moon.” No crowd rabble. Just pure, unadulterated stillness, and a sincere reverence given to every word. To call the Green Man attendee a ‘festivalgoer’ is quite possibly discourteous. Perhaps a more applicable term would be ‘aesthete’: a person with great sensitivity to beauty. Glanusk Park provides a haven for artists which, at other festivals, would…

Potent flusters of emotion are engrained in almost all of my Green Man memories. This year, the most notable moment wasn’t something being said. It wasn’t even a song being sung. It was the willowy glint in Julie Byrne’s eye as she gracefully sat and showered in the adoration of an ever responsive Green Man crowd. No bravado. No disconnect between artist and audience. Just a collective mutual pleasure in creativity. That, for me, is the personification of Green Man Festival. The organisers could probably book MC Hammer to headline all four nights and still attract a 20,000 strong horde…