Deerstock Festival - Newton, Nottinghamshire

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 7 / 1 / 2023

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This had been a long time coming. It’s actually three years since the last Deerstock due to Mr Covid. A lot has happened during that time. It was a chance to catch up with good friends and good music and it didn’t disappoint. The weather forecast was pleasant enough with just a few showers due on the Saturday morning and the rest of the time we were expecting sunshine all the way. The non-profit boutique festival, now into its nineth year has manifested itself in different formats and this year was no exception. The layout for 2022 had totally changed. The site was much smaller this year, or at least felt it. The biggest change was layout of the two stages. The two separate stages were still there but this year both of them were housed under the same big top. The huge tent had the main stage smack bang in the middle to the back and the Roy Stone stage that used to be outside in a separate tent was now in the same one set just to the side of the main. The idea being that if the weather turned, festival goers could enjoy the proceedings without getting too wet. The new set up was welcome in some ways, as the previous event saw the temperature drop to what seemed like minus ten degrees and a monsoon ensued with this writer’s camera becoming a casualty. Elsewhere the stage in the Glade had gone and a new late night venue had been set up further down the hill below the festival itself. This didn’t seem to deter the partygoers however, as it was well attended all weekend. Friday kicked off with decent temperatures and the tent slowly filled up as the day progressed. It was a great day to be fair. There were a lot of bands and artists that had graced the festival before that returned for 2022. It was great to see the likes of Unknown Era with their unique high energy, politically conscious music while Whiskeystain served up their own brand of gutter-slung smoke-smothered sand-blasted southern stomp rock. The highlight for me was the retro sounding groove machine that is Lois who ooze catchy hooks and a retro-tinged coolness towards the end of the night. A solid three piece they got the revellers jumping from the first chord. Another standout from the opening day was all girl group King Violet who were that good they somehow managed to set one of the speakers on fire! Despite the poor lighting and malfunctioning amps we managed to get some decent shots. Saturday started off with rain. Well, drizzle to be exact that seemed to last forever, it certainly soaked my campfire breakfast that’s for sure. It moved on slowly during the day. There were a few late starters due to the previous night’s shenanigans down the hill and early highlights included local one man band Steve McGill. There was a plethora of guitar bands on the bill Saturday afternoon which culminated with Doggen’s All Stars. Led by longstanding Spiritualized axeman Tony Foster, the Nottingham native has an outstanding CV, spanning from his work with Notts psych rock notables Six By Seven. Taking in Julian Cope along the way. The Roy Stone Stage had morphed into the ‘I’m Not From London’ showcase and highlights from the session there were Falling Off Maps while the main stage sported the brilliant Sleep In Motion who have a unique take on garage punk material. Sunday was a no go for this writer. A combination of the closed environment and perhaps the long time out of action due to Mr Covid put paid to the proceedings for me but a reliable source tells me the inimitable John Otway who appeared here last time out was again the star of the show. Dance rock outfit Filter Sequence got everyone on their feet with their electronic bleeps and bloops with psych preachers Goldwater returning from 2019 brough the weekend to a rousing climax. All in all it was an enjoyable three days. It had its highs and lows, but the chance to catch up with folk and meet new people and artists made the event. That said, I’m unsure about the single large tent setup, I thought it killed the atmosphere a bit. Congrats to all the backroom staff that make Deerstock what it is. Hopefully I’ll stay the course next year. Until then…

Band Links:-

http://jsouthgat7.wix.com/deerstock
https://twitter.com/deerstock
https://www.facebook.com/jed.southgate

Play in YouTube:-

Picture Gallery:-

King Violet


Kasper and the Swamp Dogs


Unknown Era


Vortex Town


Sleep in Motion

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