An AUK favourite, Black Deer Festival, revealed today the first wave of artists on the bill for the festival, taking place at Eridge Park, Kent on June 16-18th, 2023. Although only the fourth festival, Black Deer Festival has established itself on every Americana fan’s must-attend summer itinerary. Previous artists include Van Morrison, Wilco, Billy Bragg and Jason Isbell. A review of last year’s festival (among others) is available here.
Kickstarting Black Deer’s 2023 line-up is one of the defining faces of American, Bonnie Raitt. In a career spanning 50+ years, the multi-Grammy Award-winning guitarist has released 18 acclaimed studio albums and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her 2022 Grammy-nominated Americana Album Of The Year, ‘Just Like That…‘ continues her career.
Colorado natives Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have established themselves with their genre-hopping sound that is best seen live. The band, spearheaded by multi-instrumentalist Nathaniel Rateliff, released their third LP in 2021 entitled ‘The Future‘.
The Teskey Brothers have rapidly amassed fans worldwide with their soulful recordings and stunning live shows. The four friends from Melbourne, Australia, have surprised listeners via their recent cover of The Zombies’ classic, ‘This Will Be Our Year‘ showcasing this alongside their international hit ‘So Caught Up‘.
Another legend on the Black Deer 2023 line-up is Lucinda Williams. Widely considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time, with staff writer David Jarman calling her “Undisputed Queen of Americana“, Lucinda has a large back-catalogue of hits and deep cuts to cherry-pick from for her performance that will be a set not to miss.
Calexico has spent the better part of the past three decades exploring the musical borderlands of the American Southwest, crafting songs inspired by this landscape. Their 2022 album, ‘El Mirador‘ is another classic, and the band will make an excellent addition to the festival line-up.
Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and activist Allison Russel, is another 2022 Grammy-nominated artist playing Black Deer. The singer has been part of several other bands, including Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters, but it was her 2021 debut LP ‘Outside Child‘ that got her the attention she deserved.
The rest of the first wave of artists announced for Black Deer Festival 2023 includes smoky-voiced Americana Award winner Elles Bailey, Amythyst Kiah who was described by staff writer Andrew Frolish as “too much musician to be pigeonholed into one small genre sub-section“, Liverpool’s “Scouse Springsteen” Robert Vincent, hotly-tipped Canadian bluegrass star Bella White and Arkansas’ Dylan Earl – a Black Deer favourite who wowed crowds at this year’s event during the inaugural Ozark Holler Hootenanny.
Founders of the Black Deer Festival, Gill Tee and Debs Shilling add: “We are thrilled to reveal the first names for Black Deer Festival 2023. Bonnie Raitt, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lucinda Williams, Allison Russell… it reads like a who’s who of Americana“.
Early bird tickets are on sale now and you can purchase them here. Day tickets cost £74 for adults or £165 for the weekend, with junior, child and group rates available. Camping, glamping, and live-in passes are also purchasable on the Black Deer website.
