MOG

At 11:15 p.m. on a Friday night in a valley in Wales, the security guards have given up maintaining a gap between the crowd and the stage, people are pushing and wheedling their way into any gap they can find, trying to get an optimum view of the set.

Neal Morgan has been on stage and set up his drum kit, the banjo and violin are ready to go, the monitors and stool are in position, but something's missing.

There's a great big harp-shaped void on stage. Hmm.

Just as the crowd are beginning to worry, the harp appears, to a massive cheer from the crowd, being carried by one burly stage technician, and a tiny Joanna Newsom, tottering onto the stage in skyscraper heels, wearing her hotpants/overalls and a matching jacket. She waves to the audience, and proceeds to set up the harp and set up the mic for vocals, by producing the strangest noises.

At dead on 11:30, she's ready to go.

Before doing anything, she introduces her band to the audience, and then, looking like a tiny doll behind the enormous harp, opens with Bridges and Balloons. Her vocals are spot on - better than I've heard her sing for a long time.

This is followed by Colleen, which gets the crowd at the front excited, joining in the 'HAH' noises! Joanna drives the harp hard throughout the song, and towards the end, her feet get caught up in the pedals (pesky shoes), and the harp produces the most hideous noise... and yet she doesn't flinch, carrying on without ever losing her stride.

Two songs from Ys follow, Emily and Monkey & Bear, both sounding amazing live. Emily in particular, with it's references to the constellations, seems a perfect song to be listening to when sat or stood (or crushed) in a field, with nothing but the night sky overhead.

Book of Right-On and Inflammatory Writ provide a break from Ys, the latter sounding much better played on the harp.

At this point, Joanna forgets where she's up to, and has to check with her band as to what's next - it's Sawdust, then Only Skin.

Sawdust and Diamonds sees Joanna playing unaccompanied by the band, who sit quietly watching on. At this point, bubbles are blown on to the stage from the crowd, and Neal Morgan sits and watches them, looking genuinely confused - either by the bubbles, or by life in general.

Throughout the night, Joanna is happy, smiley, and talkative, obviously enjoying being on stage and seeming undaunted by the massive crowd. There is a closeness between her and her band, she chats with them between songs, pulls faces at them through the harp - her behaviour conveys that they're not merely supporting players.

She even chats with the crowd between songs, remarking on the sound from the other stage... "Is that another band playing? They sound awesome!"... before mimicking the drum sounds emenating from the Tunng set only 75 meters away. She also comments on the giant "MEXICAN" sign, that she can see, way at the back of the field - and informs us that that's going to be the theme for the night.

The night ends with Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie, which sounds just as perfect as on the Ys Street Band EP. Only Neal has left his drum kit, and is standing at a mic behind Joanna - who turns to the drum kit to look at him and can't find him.

Despite the odd technical hitch with the harp, the set is close to perfect, and the hour passed too quickly. Some of the crowd shouted for more, but Joanna tried to explain that there were rules.... but quickly got shouted down by the audience. She seemed genuinely surprised by the crowd chanting "Go, Joanna, Go, Joanna!" at the end of the set. "Well, that's a first!" she exclaims and giggles, and leaves the stage, bringing to a close the first day of the Green Man festival.

And then the rains came.........

ALL MY PHOTOS FROM GREEN MAN FESTIVAL CAN BE FOUND HERE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezontour/sets/72157601570957523/