The smell of BBQ and leather hangs in the air. All around, you hear the strum of banjos, the swoop of fiddles, and the occassional thud of an axe splintering wood. A mustachioed man with a microphone announces that a chili-eating contest is about to begin on the Live Fire stage. This is Black Deer Festival, the UK’s annual celebration of country and Americana music.
Far from your bogstandard tailgate party, Black Deer is a decidedly genteel affair that begins with a stroll through a flower-filled meadow in Eridge Park (the oldest deer park in Britain) and down to the main festival site. Dust kicks up underfoot as punters amble across the sun-beaten grass, hauling those cursed fold-out chairs (one of the few blights on an otherwise perfect weekend) and their kids in four-wheeled carts. It’s Stetsons as far as the eye can see, along with neckerchiefs, cowboy boots and denim cut-offs.
