Thousands revel in the sun at Powys staged Green Man 2025
There were returning favourites and future stars, and a monumental Mountain Stage performance from CMAT, who described her long awaited Welsh debut as 'one of the best shows of her life'.
Draped in the Welsh flag, CMAT and The Very Sexy CMAT Band filled the Mountain Stage with one of the biggest crowds in Green Man history, with festival-goers two-stepping to songs old and new; from her 2022 breakout single I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby! to viral hits The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station and Take A Sexy Picture Of Me, staking her claim as one of the most memorable Green Man performances to date.
The late-night euphoria of electronic music legends Underworld – who formed in South Wales nearly 40 years ago – closed the day with a pulse-pounding set packed with techno beats, hypnotic visuals, and festival-defining moments.
A triumphant rendition of their hit 'Born Slippy' sent the crowd into a frenzy, proving to be one of the biggest highlights of the night.
Other remarkable performances lighting up the Mountain Stage on Saturday included Seattle-born singer-songwriting force Perfume Genius, who treated entranced audiences to a captivating set spanning his critically acclaimed catalogue, including tracks from his breakout 2025 record Glory, alongside North Carolina's MJ Lenderman and his band The Wind, whose special, 90-minute extended set of gritty, indie-rock energy and compelling storytelling electrified the crowd.
Wales' own star Gwenno took the Green Man crowd by storm on Saturday afternoon, as she mesmerised fans with ethereal vocals and electronic soundscapes from her acclaimed 2025 album Tresor
The Mountain Stage also played host to Afrofuturist ensemble Fulu Miziki and Boss Morris, with their modernistic reimagining of morris dancing.
MJ Lenderman wasn't the only artist making a triumphant return to the Black Mountains, as 2024 Mercury Prize winners English Teacher and Welsh surf-pop favourites Melin Melyn also returned to Green Man.
Having played at the festival in 2022 on the Rising stage, English Teacher soared on the Far Out stage, with crowds singing every word of their breakout anthem 'Nearly Daffodils'.
Earlier, Melin Melyn lit up the same stage with their psychedelic flair, sparking a technicolour dance party that stood out as one of the weekend's most joyful moments.
Over at the Walled Garden stage, another emerging Bristol star, Lucy Gooch, left crowds breathless as she held them in a dreamlike haze with ambient soundscapes.
The ancient stone walls and oaks of the Walled Garden stage proved to be a beautiful setting for her standout performance, and those that followed.
The Babbling Tongues area bustled with curious minds on Saturday afternoon, as jasmine.4.t, the newest Saddest Factory signee, joined hyperpop artist and drag royalty Happyness, a.k.a Ash Kenazi, for a raw and fascinating conversation on queer identity, vulnerability, and defying genre expectations in the music industry.
Later in the same area on Saturday, celebrated comedian Stewart Lee gave a deliriously funny set of riffs on cultural decline, and the absurdities of modern life, leaving the audience in stitches.
For festival goers seeking a fix of heavier sounds, Saturday night provided unruly belters from emerging experimental artist Black Fondu, who brought his signature blend of abstract grime, punk, and electronica to a Rising stage crowd ready to bounce around, and Manchester newcomers Westside Cowboy, who delivered a DIY indie-rock fueled set in the spirit of 2000s garage bands.
With the festival weekend now in full swing, there's plenty more in store on the final day of Green Man 2025, with performances from dancefloor funk pioneers Cymande, trip-hop alt-indie alchemist Nilüfer Yanya, mighty Birmingham duo Big Special, New York City genre-benders Been Stellar, ethereal techno auteur Kelly Lee Owens, and many more.
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