London-based Nigerian-Indian musician Tall Child has been crowned the winner of the Green Man Rising Competition 2026.
The musician, whose real name is Zha Gandhi, was announced as the competition winner by BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio Wales’ Huw Stephens at Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff.
As a result, Tall Child will open the coveted Green Man Mountain Stage at the upcoming festival.
Additionally, Gandhi will receive a week’s studio time at Prah Recordings, a live recorded session at GM26 and a physical vinyl release with Dinked Edition.
Tall Child came out triumphant on top of a line-up that included other shortlisted finalists Cyn Cwsg, Glasshouse Red Spider Mite, Kiosk and The Slow Country, following a record-breaking number of 2026 applicants.
Fiona Stewart, Green Man Managing Director and owner, has celebrated Tall Child’s success, sharing: “Supporting emerging talent is at the heart of Green Man. We had a record-breaking amount of entrants this year, so to be a finalist is a massive win ready.”
Previous shortlisted acts in the competition include Brit Award winners The Last Dinner Party, Mercury Prize-winners English Teacher, as well as on-the-rise alt-country outfit Westside Cowboy.
As has now become standard for the iconic festival in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, all tickets for the forthcoming edition sold out on the day of release.
This year, the festival taking place on August 20th to 23rd will be headlined by Wolf Alice, Mogwai, Wilco, and Four Tet.
Other notable acts include indie four-piece Lime Garden, The New Eves, Aldous Harding, Baxter Dury, Dry Cleaning, Shame, high-energy returners Getdown Services, Cate Le Bon, Nation of Language, Mannequin Pussy, Sorry, Daniel Avery (Live), and Wednesday.
Last year, headliners included CMAT, MJ Lenderman, Wunderhorse, Wet Leg, Panda Bear, and more. Far Out were on the ground and tracked all of the mayhem of the euphoric weekend, observing, “Green Man brings the best out of music, and the best out of us: we must hold onto it, and learn from it before it is too late.”
