The Green Man Podcast

The worlds of pop and rock owe a much greater debt to the classical canon than we realise. A direct and fascinating lineage draws from the experimentalism of Pierre Henry to The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows, from Stockhausen to Donna Summer’s I Feel Love. In her new book Everything We Do is Music, Elizabeth Alker shines a light on the fertile ground that exists between the borders of classical music and pop. Elizabeth is in conversation with broadcaster Huw Stephens.

Recorded at the Talking Shop, and our final episode for 2026. See you next year!

Two of our comedy heroes putting the world to rights? Oh, go on then.

Stew and Josie talk political activism in comedy, and pessimism of the intellect vs optimism of the will. How does one engage revolutionary optimism, and when did Josie come to realise that her comedy shows have been doing just that? They discuss the desire for physical media and the impermanence of "clip comedy", and how to ride out the storm. They ask "What do artists do with the document of what they do?" and lament the thankless work of blazing a trail.

Power, resistance, and the race to save our world.

By the end of this century half of the world's 7000 languages will be gone. Killed by war, climate breakdown, migration, nationalism, or neglect - and losing with it the vital knowledge that they have sustained for centuries. Sophia Smith Galer - inspired by her Nonna's passing, who spoke an endangered Italian "dialët" - journeyed across the globe to report on this disappearing world.

Sophia is joined in conversation with broadcaster Huw Stephens.

Recorded at the Talking Shop

Cameron Picton is the former black midi guitarist and bassist and his new project, My New Band Believe, has hit upon a sound that could have taken multiple albums to establish. The debut album released in April is urgent and jangly, almost tripping over itself in its eagerness to be heard.

After thrilling the Walled Garden, Cameron heads to backstage Mountain for a natter with Horsegirl, and you’ll have to forgive us for the sound quality on this one, kit failure happens to the best of us.

Horsegirl are a band of best friends. They began making songs while still in high school, and paused their early success after their 2022 debut, Versions of Modern Performance, to finish undergraduate degrees at NYU. The Chicago trio returned earlier this year with Phonetics On And On, their minimalist, spacious follow-up album that was produced by Cate Le Bon, and contains the kind of confidence that only comes from taking your time while somehow remaining utterly and brilliantly precocious.

Cardiff five-piece Casual Smart returned to Green Man off the back of headline shows at Clwb Ifor Bach and recording sessions at the new Cwrw studios in Carmarthen. They swap stories with alt singer-songwriter Dermot Henry, who’s attended Green Man plenty of times and played his first show on the Rising stage this year, straight from supporting Lewis Capaldi in Liverpool.

Completely bonkers, 100mph, and Yorkshire-born, Dolly Trolley is a drag queen and neo-burlesque artist. Known as a rambunctious compère with high energy and ludicrously hilarious performances, she’s a multi-talented act commonly reviewed: “I’m exhausted just from watching”. When not MCing the Wishbone or performing as part of Cabaret Sauvignon, or leading Drag Aerobics, or hosting Blind Date, Dolly chats to Phoebe and Andy from Repair Cafe Wales.

Repair Cafe Wales popped up at Green Man for the first time, saving the planet and fixing tents, buggies and dresses for the revellers under the mountain. Andy and Phoebe ran workshops to teach the best practices and community feeling of the repair cafes in Welsh villages. They chat to Dolly about the new ‘secret’ spot and the drag shows across the weekend, plus the fixes needed behind the scenes.

In his astonishing and subversive memoir, Bless Me Father, Kevin Rowland lays bare his unvarnished life story for the very first time. From the juvenile courts of his troubled teenage years to the early days of the New Romantic scene in the late ’70s and beyond, he recounts his darkest hours, deepest desires and greatest joys. Back with a new album as Dexys Midnight Runners, Kevin Rowland is joined in conversation with journalist and broadcaster Sophie Williams.

Recorded at the Talking Shop.