There are stand out things that Deershed get right every year. There’s great line ups of old and new bands; there’s convenient camping, close to the parking and the arena, which also meant we were never out of ear shot from the main stages so missed very little; there’s the diverse range of quality food vendors and a damn fine bar, with food and drink all fairly priced; and there’s the workshops and Sports Field for the energetic kids to burn off their sweets and ice creams. What’s there to improve on??

Well, this year they improved the already excellent Kids Field, extending it with several tents and enough activities to keep a festival full of kids happy all weekend. The main attraction was the Machines tent with an array of engineering and techie stuff to play with – 3D Printing, Meccano, Raspberry Pi, Theremin – that kept both kids and adults occupied for hours. Deershed must have put a lot of thought and effort into this and the constant crowds showed it was a huge success.

Friday’s headliners were Gaz Coombes, and Edwyn Collins, and the considerate scheduling of the acts meant no one had to miss out on either. Gaz Coombes played a stunning set, including a few Supergrass tracks, and he had the Lodge Stage rocking. Edwyn Collins was just simply awesome, and put in one of the best performances that weekend – none of his wit, charm and vocal has been diminished by his illness. 2 days later and I’m still singing Rip it Up!

Saturday’s opening act Blood Relatives got the day off to a great start with their mix of folk and pop getting the crowd jigging in no time. They were followed by the North East’s Smoove & Turrell who’s soul and funk tracks – including an excellent cover of Alison Moyet’s 'Don’t Go' – had people nodding and bopping along in the sun. Away from the main stage there was Mrs Barbara Nice, returning for a second year in a row, who ended up with the kids on stage and the adults all dancing.

One of the great things about Deershed is the ability to sit in the sun and see acts from two stages, and we took full advantage of this and eased through the afternoon whilst artists like Luke Sital Singh and Zevras & Pepper played. An act worth special mention is Sweet Baboo, who’s funny and quirky lyrics and great story telling make him a potential star of the future. It really was a fabulous way to spend an afternoon.

As Saturday night approached the tempo picked up, and Eugene McGuiness showed why there’s such a buzz around him. He rocked the In The Dock Stage and had the crowd whooping and cheering in response. It would have been better if he’d played where there was more space for everyone to dance, but the main stage was being prep’d for the weekend’s headline act Darwin Deez. And what a headliner they were, the light show, the performance, the glam, the pure fun of them all had the festival arena on fire and Darwin Deez closed the day on a festival high. 

Sunday has only a few acts, but Deershed don’t scrimp on the quality. We were treated to amazing performances from The Moulettes on the main stage with their quirky folk-rock, and The Unthanks at the Big Top, with their emotional lyrics accompanied by a film showing the demise of the North East shipbuilding industry which really bought a tear to the eye. But it was Public Service Broadcasting who blew everyone away that day. I’ve seen them in small indoor venues before, but their anthemic and inspirational tracks interspersed with banter from a synthesised, Pathe news reader went down a storm at a festival and will have won them many new fans.

As the festival drew to a close, King Creosote got the crowd moving and cheering for one last time. Kenny Anderson had the crowd onside with some knowingly cringe worthy puns – “Is anyone Thirsky?” was the opener – and he and the band played out the festival perfectly.

"Deershed, a festival of musical discovery and awakening your inner child"

Deer Shed Festival 5 will take place on 25-27 July 2014, well into the school holidays. Early bird tickets available from September 4th

Article and photos: Seb and Charlie Greenwood