It is a mark of the growth in the Americana and country scene in the UK that there is a newly burgeoning crop of festivals dedicated exclusively to the genre cropping up. At the end of June, Off the Record was fortunate enough to attend the first ever Black Deer Festival held at Eridge Park just outside of Tunbridge Wells. As many will know the first instalments of festivals often face teething issues – Black Deer though was fortunate enough to escape this curse, positioning itself well as a truly welcoming, upbeat festival, hitting the bulls eye with just enough sweet touches to call itself a family festival without turning away the cool kids and ardent country fans. For those who wanted the full holistic experience of the American South, this was really the place to be, with music blaring from all directions alongside food pop ups and diners, selling all the American treats your heart could desire.
The sun was shining on Eridge Park in more ways than one for the weekend. Indeed, it is these kinds of events that will provoke a deeper love of the country and Americana genre in the UK, avoiding the kind of hero worship experienced with stages, like the O2, creating real connections between the audience and the artists. Though there were doubtless some big heavy hitting names that graced the stages at Black Deer, producing incredibly memorable sets (reference Sam Palladio’s set bringing Cassadee Pope on stage for a few songs and Passenger) and drawing crowds, yet it was the smaller adjoining stages, like the Ridge Tent and the incredibly poignantly named Haley’s Bar that stole our hearts Here, artists like Jarrod Dickenson, Lost Hollow, O&O and Kate Ellis were able to establish real connections with the audience and tug heavily on a few heartstrings.
Off the Record’s Highlights – Day 3
1. O&O, The Ridge
2. Sam Palladio (and Cassadee Pope), Main Stage
3. Passenger, Main Stage
4. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Main Stage
5. Kate Ellis, The Ridge
