by David Auckland
It is the last weekend in September and, as the pink footed geese fly in from their Icelandic nesting grounds, I was also headed for the North Norfolk coast and what is one of the highlighs of my musical year. It is the annual Deepdale Festival, back this year and again hosted by Jason Borthwick and his enthusiastic team at Deepdale Camping & Rooms.
Many are still understandably apprehensive about attending live music events, but Deepdale helped to reassure by insisting on proof of double COVID vaccination from all attendees. They also rearranged the site layout to provide plenty of room for audiences to distance if required. Acts were alternated between the cavernous Brick Barn and the well-ventilated Orchard Stage, meaning that we could watch at least some of every act from the packed weekend programme. This is how I spent the weekend.
Thursday
Arrived mid-afternoon, and got settled in. Glorious warm and sunny day – definitely t-shirt weather, so took myself off for a walk along the Norfolk Coastal Path, which runs 83 miles from Hunstanton to Hopton-on-Sea, and can be accessed via a short footpath from Burnham Deepdale. I make do with a gentle four mile stroll that takes me to Brancaster beach and back, and takes me past the back of The White Horse gastropub, and the gardens of rich folks’ holiday homes. I return to my van and feast on cheese and Marmite sandwiches, before London-based folk-punks Man The Lifeboats take to the stage in the Brick Barn, launching the festival with the same energy and enthusiasm that they ended it in 2019 – with much audience participation, and energetic dancinguntil the 10.45pm curfew.
Friday
I pass on the 9am yoga session, and make do instead with a strong latte from Break Charity’s ‘Coffee Break Drinks Van’ in the courtyard. I also pass on the percussion workshop being held in the orchard, but I do buy a plant from one of the pop-up shops. I hope it survives until I get home on Monday. The music starts at 12.30 with Ben Denny Mo, a local singer songwriter who reminds me a bit of Paolo Nutini. There is a juggling workshop at 1.30, but I don’t feel that my co-ordination is quite up to it, so head over to the bar for my first drink of the day, a pint of Moon Gazer’s delicious Dark Skies (4,4% ABV, and priced at a very reasonable £3.50 per pint). Husband and wife team The Browns start the day’s music on the Brick Barn stage, and from then on the acts alternate between the two stages, enabling me to catch at least half of every set. Most of Friday’s acts are local, and include Ebb Tide, Mammal Not Fish and the excellent experimental folk trio Inlay. The evening headliners are rock roots band Little Red Kings, delivering a typically raucous set that has us all dancing again. Sourdough pizza from The Wood Fired Food Co is washed down with more pints of Dark Skies. Rumours begin to circulate of a petrol shortage.
Saturday
Another coffee fixes me up for the morning, and I head over to the orchard for Bryter Than, a duo from Northampton with a neat line in self-penned songs and an eclectic bunch of covers. The fudge stall is announcing that there is a fudge shortage, and encourages us to ‘panic buy’. I don’t need any, but queue up to buy some anyway. In the barn ‘The Bear’ from Baroness & The Bear is playing what is probably the largest electric bass guitar in the world.There is an afternoon gig in the church from Kirsty Merryn & Ben Walker, after which I return to the barn for Norwich’s Lucy Grubb and her band and, from my home town of Lowestoft, the excellent John Ward Band. Over in the orchard I catch Irish singer Emma O’Reilly and her band, the most excellent Katherine Priddy (who will be supporting Sam Kelly and The Lost Boys at Norwich Arts centre in November), and one of my local favourites, The Shackleton Trio. The Goat Roper Rodeo Band make it all the way from North Wales. Will they have enough diesel to get home in the morning? The Brick Barn concludes with some Bristol-based Balkan swing from Cut Throat Francis, and Birmingham folk-punks Bleeding Hearts, who have arrived minus their drummer, but still agree to perform their headlining set as a trio. Fortunately, Deepdale’s music curator, Chris Haycock, is a handy sticks man, and gallantly steps in to fill the void for a number of songs.
Sunday
I can’t believe that it is Sunday already, but it must be because I already have quite a collection of CD’s purchased from the acts (Chris has repeatedly instructed us to support artists by buying their music rather than streaming it, and the site office was also stocking a wide range of their albums for sale). Morning in the orchard is hosted by Alton Wahlberg, and features sets from three of his AWMTV mentored acts – Billy Hunt, Curtis Cronin, and False Colours. In the barn Joe & Mary are followed by Norwich’s Lisa Redford. Another afternoon gig in the church features the delightful Katie Doherty & The Navigators, who have come all the way from Newcastle, and who need to navigate themselves to a filling station with fuel if they are to make it back. In the barn The Joe Keeley Band entertain us until it is time to return to the orchard for another local favourite, Norwich’s Alden, Patterson & Dashwood, followed by The Drystones, an enigmatic folk duo from Bristol who charm the audience, and have them and the Deepdale crew members dancing in the late afternoon sunshine. I want to buy a painting from one of the pop-up shops but cannot really afford it, so settle for another sourdough pizza instead. Then it is back into the barn for the legend that is Martin Simpson. There are some artists in whose presence one really feels humbled and in awe. Martin Simpson is definitely on that list. Which left just the closing act of Deepdale, and what an act. 3 Daft Monkeys, from St Agnes in Cornwall, are absolute masters at whipping an audience into a dance frenzy with their infectious blend of world-music influences, and are the perfect close to what is probably the perfect music festival.
Monday
Just enough time for another long walk to clear away the last of the Moon Gazer cobwebs, and then it is time to pack up and leave. Thank you so much to Jason and Chris for all the hard work they put in during the year to ensure that this year’s festival could even go ahead. Once again, they and their entire team excelled themselves and the weekend was a huge success. Let’s hope we can do it all again next year.
If you fancy a musical Autumn break on the beautiful North Norfolk coast, then you couldn’t wish for more than the Deepdale Festival. It is both child and dog friendly (even though it is on a working farm the site is not grazed on by sheep or cattle), the staff really cannot do enough for you, and the entire site was spotlessly clean throughout the whole weekend. Chalk the dates into your diary for 2022 – September 24th to 27th. I will see you there!
Original review: www.outlineonline.co.uk/content/deepdale-festival/live-reviews-/121464/2486