When: 16th – 18th June 2023
Where: Eridge Park, Kent, England
When the winds start to get warmer and the weeks of no rain are building up you know it’s about time for Black Deer Festival to swing around again. And here we are, three weeks and no rain in the UK (well, most of the UK) and Black Deer is back. This year the line-up is stronger than ever so in this preview we’ll tell you the five acts you really have to see, and a bunch of other things that we love about spending the weekend in Eridge Park.
Unusually in the festival world the Friday at Black Deer is the most packed with acts to see, from Kelly Jones (of Stereophonics) side project, Far From Saint, to actor-cum-musician Damian Lewis, by way of slacker rockers (lazy description, sorry) Kurt Vile & the Violators and supergroup Bonny Light Horseman. The real standout acts are on the more traditional side of country muisc though with Jaime Wyatt‘s wonderfully polished sound, Melissa Carper‘s homely twangs, and Willi Carlisle‘s witty lyrics a trio to get excited about.
Saturday brings solid gold headliners in The Pretenders and Bonnie Raitt, with the latter currently playing shows across the UK to five-star reviews. The middle day of the festival also brings Americana pioneers Calexico to the Kent countryside. Three of the most exciting acts of the weekend are Allison Russell who will play tunes from her terrific 2021 album, Outside Child, and her forthcoming follow-up, The Returner, due in September. Joining Allison on Saturday are Amythyst Kiah, whose Wary + Strange was another wonderful album from 2021; check out her searing solo version of ‘Black Myself’, and Tami Neilson whose 2020 record Chickaboom went somewhat under the pandemic radar, but Kingmaker from earlier this year showcased her incredible voice and songwriting chops.
On the final day a really special show will come from Steve Earle who is playing an acoustic set on the main stage which should be moving. With a huge catalogue to choose from – including four albums in the last four years – going back to 1986’s Guitar Town, it’ll be one set not to miss in the early evening sunlight (hopefully!). Some MOR country-rock will come from crowd-pleaser Drake White, and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, who have some great tunes and some superlative guitar playing to liven up Sunday. Someone that might fly under the radar is Bella White but her more traditional take on country is not to be missed, while Nashville songwriter extraordinaire and great performer in her own right, Brandy Clark returns to the UK to give us a taste of her wicked sense of humour and talent for the one-liner in a song. Finally, from a musical perspective, is Amanda Shires. Not only is she song-editor for Jason Isbell (if you’ve seen the recent Running With Our Eyes Closed you’ll get what I mean) she is a hugely talented singer and songwriter in her own right. The uniqueness of her fiddle playing combing with storytelling and lyric writing that are on another level means Amanda’s set should be one of the standouts of the weekend.
As well as music there are a bunch of other things going on at Black Deer, you should definitely check out The Roadhouse, which is a good an approximation of a biker bar you’re likely to find in a field in the UK. The main non-music activity is the Live Fire stage, where some of the most interesting talks and demonstrations you’ll see take place. Want to know more about BBQ, what meat to cook, the wood to use, or how to control the heat? Come hang out. But mainly come see a bunch of volunteers (!!!) enter a chili eating competition and ask yourself why.
Final tickets are on-sale now.
