The most wholesome event in the musical calendar has to be Deer Shed Festival*, and Record Weekly was chuffed to be back for the fifth year running. 

We usually go with a few main artists we’re eager to see jotted down; in the past, it’s been Self Esteem, The Mysterines, Bombay Bicycle Club, Wunderhorse, and so on. All legends. But of the 2026 line-up, our big-hitters of Everything Everything and Fat Dog happened to be bands we’ve had the pleasure of catching before. The beauty of that? Total freedom and flexibility to flit between the stages, activities, food trucks, vintage clothes stalls and other terrific tents, and immerse ourselves in whatever takes our fancy. 

Deer Shed really is a festival of experiences; something arguably increasingly important in the wake of the AI revolution. The chance to spark and harness creativity from a young age, in a collaborative, family-friendly environment? Gold dust. 

We arrived late afternoon on the Friday, armed with camping gear, eager to find the ultimate pitch-up plot. Erecting our fabric home for the next couple of nights was soon done, and we had a flick through the programme (chunky and very well-laid-out, as per!) to figure out our next move. 

Sauntering down the hill, mentally wishing I’d packed outrageously flamboyant sequinned garms as my photographer for the weekend started to get snap-happy, I detected that familiar, onrushing feeling of giddiness. Between the zone for the tree climbers, foldable chairs already lined up by the Main Stage, and sea of food stalls and pop-up shops, there was abundant joy. Big and small, young and old(er), faces were all smiles — that’s just what Deer Shed does to people.

As we snaffled our zingy Bangkok burritos from the masterful Earthworm Kitchen (which we can never seem to stop going to), we caught some of Bill Ryder-Jones at the Lodge Stage. And a little later, the soulful disco vibes changed the pace as we watched some of Say She She headliner the Friday. No wonder all the kaleidoscopic wardrobes were out — it was absolutely party time! The swathe of brightly fairy-lit camping stools was so on-point, too — especially with all the neons of the Ferris wheel interchanging in the backdrop. 

This year, we decided to make more of the late-night offerings; heading down through the Wilderwild area in search of the secret fireside sessions became a post-11pm ritual. Friday’s instalment was Rail Replacement Bus Service. The group — a trio comprising Lily of Sunflower Thieves fame — was very fuss-free and no-frills, but they delighted everyone who’d turned out. They spoke of simple nights at the Cardigan Arms in Leeds, observing punters around them. Their set was low-key and orchestrated in good humour; jibing a little at themselves but remaining charming and endearing. Just enough chat but with beautifully harmonised male and female vocals against acoustic guitars. And it had an in-crowd immersion layer to it as well — everybody was glad to join in. 

The Friday bonus? Leaving the campfire and finding the folky silent ceilidh, run by none other than the Hench Wenches (ace name), on the Wilderwild stage. What a hoot!

Saturday was full-on, in the best way. With a scattering of chill time at the tent here and there, we spent about 15 hours up and about, relishing the quirks and perks of Deer Shed. Our morning began with a cluster of short films, a frothy flat white and Earthworm’s signature breakfast burrito. We witnessed the final frames of an animated piece, then a documentary about child expressing freedom in movement and dance, an imaginary chicken-ruled land dreamt up by kids from Gothenburg, and a quick edit about a female rollerskater living for the sport. All very uplifting! 

We swung by the Noisy Toys tent, to hear what all the mayhem was, as children tinkered with their significant adults on wooden pallets behind, and science demos were getting going. Down at Wilderwild, the workshops were really piquing interest from all ages. You’d better believe there was a blacksmith, copper ring making drop-in, pottery class, foraging lesson, wand-whittling session, and even the chance to do some potion-concocting! Ideal for those with active imaginations. And that doesn’t even cover the lot. We made a small bug house for £1.50 — a total bargain for a very mind-centring, artsy activity. Granted, it had been designed with kids in mind, but you’re never too old to get stuck in! Again, very much the Deer Shed way. 

Discovering Jamie Dalton late morning on the Wilderwild stage was a stroke of luck. His coarse, gruff vocals were so addictive. The Irish artist took to the front, just him and his guitar, and onlookers sat and bobbed their heads along. “This is another sad song, so happy Saturday everyone!” — Jamie had a cheeky humour to him as well. Although his originals were stellar, I’ve got to hand it to him — his Springsteen cover was a top-notch way to round-off his set. Who can resist ‘Dancing in the Dark’? 

Lunchtime at the Main Stage had a poppy flavour as Gretel assumed a place, though we were too full for anything more substantial than a pot of churros with Belgian choc to dunk into. *Drool*. 

One of my personal highlights was actually sitting down to the conversation between Dave Simpson and award-winning author, journalist and broadcaster, Sathnam Sanghera. I knew him from his column in The Times, but I had no idea he’d written a book about George Michael’s life — a bit of a topical departure from his traditional wheelhouse. But that’s what he was there to chat about, and it was incredibly fascinating. Wham! were the first western band to play China. Not a fact I’d had in my back pocket before, but pub quizzes, come at me. We both felt the interview’s podcast-style nature suited the conversation flow well, and drilling into a subject we weren’t that knowledgeable about was a true, interesting pleasure. 

Afterwards, we got acquainted with Seamus Fogarty for the first time. His Lodge Stage set, with modulated synths and simple shakers for drums, was a fine art, and the folky acoustic ballads were soul-stirring. Seamus and his drummer were at Deer Shed as part of their latest album tour — a record we’ll be checking out pronto! And dare I say ‘I Passed Your House’, which benefited from a full drum kit, was a bit Coldplay ‘Birds’ towards the end?

It had been a bit of a blustery day (shout-out to our neighbour who hammered down the pegs that flew out as our tent tried to take flight!), so finding a spot up the front for Fat Dog as the sun peered through the early evening clouds was just a tad biblical. The vibes were insane, to put it frankly. That was the best I’d seen the collective; a very classy choreographed formation of saxophone, violin, keys, strings, drum kit and steel drums. Plus those blistering vocals? Cinematic and then some. They incited a mosh pit and dancing of all kinds as a giant inflatable football did the rounds, getting punched back and forth across the crowd. Bubbles even floated above at one point.

Jazzy, ska-tinged and even a bit thrashy, their sound is hard to sum up, but it appealed to everyone on Saturday. ‘King of the Slugs’ and ‘Cancel Me (I’m Tired)’ were favourites, while their cavalier attitude to the minimal-swearing rule was well-received during the playful ‘Go Fuck Urself’. Naughty.

The scheduling gods shone down on Saturday, as ten minutes were carved out to walk up to In The Dock for the whirring ball of dance/trance deliciousness from Working Men’s Club (photographed below). Their violin-led walk-on amid deep blue lights didn’t give rise to what came next; a big, booming surge of energy in the form of rave-worthy, intensely loud, pulsing synths. Our ears were no match (even with protection) so we descended upon Earthworm again to refuel. An exquisite feed of a falafel wrap and dhal on chips with bhaji bits and chilli. Sublime.

As mentioned, we couldn’t help but venture down for the secret fireside music session again. And it was Seamus Fogarty on the Saturday! Our second time seeing him that day. What a serious treat it was — just him with his acoustic guitar and harmonica. He so candidly offered background behind the tunes, making people laugh with his self-deprecating quips. The song about nuns that he said was the last he released with former record label? Genius. Although, maybe a smidge unfortunate. But we were huge fans of Seamus by midnight.

On the Sunday, nothing was stopping us ordering that *divine* breakfast burrito again from Earthworm (yes, we did exclusively eat meals from there). We enjoyed a dodgy swingball rally and brief watch of a puppet show before unpegging our little campsite and hitting the road home. What a weekend it had been! 

*With thanks to Hanglands for the press access (again! Always very grateful). 

All images by Jack Crabtree. Follow his account InthemomentJC on Instagram for professional shots, collabs and job enquiries.