It sounds like a pocketful of rain

Despite a couple of years when the appalling weather broke the hearts of heppest hepcats, I shall be returning to the Green Man Festival later this month. The sun must surely shine this time. Tickets were purchased via an online ticket agency last evening. My erstwhile comrade S will not be accompanying me on this occasion but Mrs Cole and the two female Cole offspring shall be joining me in Brecon. My record of catching the Sunday night headliners has been frankly poor (I had returned to my Gloucestershire abode, sodden and melancholic before both Stephen Malkmus in ’07 and Pentangle in ’08 had taken to the stage) but I am determined to witness the remarkable Wilco this time round. It still rankles that I missed The National last year too. I sense I may be trotting to the children’s field a fair bit this year but I am certainly keen to salute British Sea Power and Animal Collective on the Friday evening ‘n’ The Phantom Band, Grizzly Bear and Bon Iver on the Saturday. As ever, there are plenty of acts I’ve kind of heard of and shall endeavour to research and revise as much as possible before setting out. There seems to be more comedy and literature stuff to enjoy this time around. I’m keen to catch writer Jon Savage, the fellow behind the finest tome on the subject of punk rock, England’s Dreaming and I note that the veteran folk-rock hipster and mastermind Joe Boyd is appearing too. I’m looking forward to the event but shall be hoping for dry meteorological conditions.

To celebrate the forthcoming festival I am happy to offer some previously unpublished photographs taken two years ago. From top to bottom the pictures are entitled 'General Crowd Scene', 'Another General Crowd Scene' and 'Ritz Crackers and Wellies: A Maudlin Tent Interior'.