Music
Our resident music guru Paul Dunton celebrates the long-awaited return of live music starting with Black Deer Festival
Photograph: Ania Shrimpton
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6 | May 2021 | SO Magazine
t the time of writing this article the government was still preparing to take the country out of lockdown by June 21. And as long as infection rates from Covid stay very low then we can hopefully look forward to a summer spent with friends and family listening to some great live music. One of the events I am super excited about is the return of the Black Deer Music Festival. Established in 2018 by music pros Gill Tee and Deborah Shilling it has one a slew of industry awards including The Guardian’s best new small festival in 2019 thanks to the fact it attracts a wealth of wellknown musicians. The likes of Kris Kristofferson, Kiefer Sutherland, Band of Horses, Billy Bragg and The Staves have all performed on its numerous stages over the past couple of years. After being cancelled last year due to the pandemic, this impressive music extravaganza which celebrates all things Americana is, all being well, going ahead on the weekend of June 25 to 27. So what can festival goers expect this time round? The answer to that question is undoubtedly something very special. The artistic line up is nothing
short of astonishing, with headliners Van Morrison, Robert Plant & Suzi Dian, and Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls all topping the bill. In fact, the entire programme is brimming with world class artists featuring the likes of Jake Bugg, Imelda May, Jade Bird, Foy Vance, Band of Skulls, John Smith, Ben Ottewell, Wildwood Kin, Declan O’Rourke, William The Conqueror, Bess Atwell, Elephant Tree, Stubb, Psychlona, Judy Blank, Mountain Caller, Black Orchids, Dunes and Lead Desert Blues - just to name a few! A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY Black Deer is known for its country and Americana vibes but there is also a healthy dose of superb Desert Rock on offer. Not heard of it? Then let me explain. Desert Rock is a subgenre of hard rock that started life in the early 1990s and is known for its atmospheric sound that’s coupled with sludgy grooves, blues and psychedelia. One of the champions of this genre is Desertscene and they return to Black Deer in order to present a celebration of the best of British heavy desert rock, psychedelia and stoner. On the Saturday the headliners will be none
