Voting is now open to decide on a shortlist of potential bands to open Green Man’s iconic Mountain Stage in August.
Welsh bands Hyll, Mellt, SHLUG, Rona Mac and Papa Jupe’s T.C. have made the long list of 23 potential finalists in the Green Man Rising emerging artist competition. It is now down to the public to vote on who makes the shortlist of five final acts.
All five finalists will record a professional session ahead of the livestreamed virtual final, which will run across Green Man’s digital channels in the summer.
Green Man Festival has a worldwide reputation as a launchpad for emerging talent and this year’s Green Man Rising competition received demos from over 3500 hopeful acts - a record number of applicants in the competition’s 16-year history.
The five Welsh acts shortlisted – Hyll, Mellt, Shlug, Rona Mac and Papa Jupe’s T.C. - showcase the sheer variety of talent emerging from Wales – from electropop to Americana folk, riff-packed rock and every influence in between.
Green Man Rising offers up-and-coming talent the unique opportunity to join music legends and play in front of Green Man’s music loving audience and industry maestros, joining many well-known musicians who credit the festival for kick-starting their careers.
Judges consist of leading music industry agents, managers, promoters, journalists and bloggers which in previous years have included MOJO, Bella Union, Moshi Moshi, NME, Domino Records, Communion, Rough Trade, Heavenly Records, Beggars, ATC, Times, CAA, Guardian and others.
Teddy Hunter from South Wales, winner of Green Man Rising 2021 competition, said: “[Rising] gave me more confidence in where my music could head the exposure to an enormous new audience, major industry tastemakers, the support of Fiona and her team at the festival and the Green Man Trust over the past year, and the personal pride of being the winner of such an internationally well-respected festival slot has been incredible!”
Acts who have played the Rising stage, including Porridge Radio, Black Midi and Sports Team have gone on to receive Mercury Prize nominations and two-time Welsh Music Prize winners Adwaith, Melin Melyn and Panic Shack have all played the Mountain Stage. Many of rhe Rising acts have returned to play Green Man’s bigger stages and others have had Best Album of the Year nominations, appeared in Rolling Stone and Maida Vale Studios and signed to Domino, Communion, Rough Trade and Moshi Moshi.
Every single Green Man Rising application has been listened to by a leading music industry decision maker, with high-profile industry experts lined up to select the final winner from your shortlist of five.
Phil Alexander, Global Creative Director for Kerrang added: “Rising is an excellent way for new music talent to become noticed and benefit from development opportunities. Participating artists perform at the festival in front of an audience of thousands. This in itself is unique and of huge benefit to the acts.
“It provides them with a platform in a way that is rare in this day and age.”
Head to gmfe.st/rising-vote to listen to the 23 acts and vote for your shortlist by June 4, 2023.
The Welsh bands in the running, include:
Hyll
Hyll is a Cardiff band who are known for their melancholic sounds and intelligent lyrics, which they sing in their native Welsh tongue. Iwan’s distinct vocals tell tales of growing up in Cardiff, with witty and often tender lyrical observations.
Their sound is influenced by artists such as Pavement, Soccer Mommy and The Pixies, whilst also taking inspiration from the thoughtful lyricism of Courtney Barnett, King Krule and Silver Jews. A firm favourite on the Welsh festival circuit, Hyll are busy recording their first LP which will be released on JigCal Records by the summer of 2023.
Mellt
Mellt is a four-piece band originally from Aberystwyth. Their debut album 'Mae'n Hawdd Pan Ti'n Ifanc' (It's Easy When You're Young) won the coveted Welsh Language Album of the Year in 2018 and was nominated for the Welsh Music Prize the same year.
The band is now working on their second album, set for release in 2023 by Clwb Music (ClwbIfor Bach's music label). Their recent single 'Marconi' has featured on BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales, with their catchy guitar riffs blending perfectly with slacker rock and post punk sounds.
SHLUG
Rona Mac
Rona Mac is a queer Singer-Songwriter who combines lo-fi alt-Indie with Folk and Americana influences, crafted in her caravan home-studio in west Wales. Her music comes raw and unfiltered, aching with the kind of nostalgia that comes with rural, rugged places. She weaves satisfying guitar-driven riffs with hooky melodies and sophisticated lyricism.
Rona has released a DIY Debut Album ‘Sheelah’ and EP ‘Shades Of Ham’, with personal highlights of 2022 including plays on primetime BBCRadio1, BBC 6 Music and Radio Wales and featuring in Clash magazine.
Papa Jupe’s T.C.
From the grimy backstreets of Cardiff emerge the sounds of a bubbling cauldron of surf-soaked post-punk called Papa Jupe’s T.C.
After dark, a bluesy cacophony of cult-inspired numbers seeps into the alley below a first floor window - behind which P.J.T.C gather. Vice is everywhere around them. Their city is awash with misguided marauders.
The hatred that once brewed only within the forums of the deepest and darkest corners of the web now spews through airways and into living rooms. The rotting fruits of a civilisation in decline are everywhere. But in the band’s great leader, Papa Jupe, a dust spec of hope floats through cracks. His wisdom is a warm milk and it bathes them. The band members are his 5 disciples, Papa Jupe offers redemption to those who wait.