Deepdale Music Festival. Burham Deepdale.

Just as you thought that the fun and frolics of the Rock n Roll circus music festival that took place in Norwich last month had all but packed up and gone home for the summer, so we get an extra added bonus of another music festival in our county thrown in for very good measure and this time the setting is in the gorgeous, Burnham Deepdale in North Norfolk.

This is day three (Saturday) of the four and there really is something for everyone throughout the various day’s including, yoga, pilates, laughter workshops, a Morris dancing workshop, pop up shops and of course all of the many artists and respective headliners that are performing including Blackbeard’s Tea Party, Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, Hope & Social and Noble Jacks.

There is a great atmosphere around the site throughout the day with plenty of music going on across five areas, with some great food and drink choices thrown in for good measure at non-festival prices.

The first band up for me this afternoon are Rabbits in the Orchard tent, and they put on a delightful set, with their captivating harmonies and beautiful lyrics, it’s a lovely sound and a perfect way to start my festival day.

Next up, I head over to the Courtyard to see Alton Wahlberg. He is a Deepdale regular, that has played his music to audiences all over the planet and it’s not too difficult to see why. He’s a thoroughly charming and engaging young man, a true grit performer with some amazing stories to tell in between songs and also in his lyrics too, none more so than during Jailhouse Confessions, a song that’s all about his time spent working in the prison service. It’s heart wrenching stuff and I was so pleased that I had wandered over to see him perform his set.

It’s a bit weird to see Norwich band Floral Image playing at 4pm this afternoon, but due to a previous commitment the night before, (they played the 100 Club in London), this is the slot that has worked out the best for all concerned. Despite the early start they still pull it off, as their distinctive wall of sound reverberates around the barns thick red brick walls.

Festival organiser Chris Haycock introduced them as probably the best ever band to come out of Norwich and I don’t think that anyone can argue with that.

They are full of energy, bravado, confidence and swagger and looking as damn right cool as ever as they deliver a quite epic set and judging by the response from the crowd, they have gained many new followers today.

Following on from the success of their debut album Gone Down Meadowland, Norfolk’s psychedelic sons are busy recording new music with an album planned for next year, while still playing live on a regular basis. They have great momentum and consistency right now and the new material that is showcased is as much a blast as their older material as it fits into the set list very comfortably.

The good news is that we will see them back in the fine City before Christmas on Friday the 6th of November at the Norwich Arts Centre. So, get your bangers and sparklers at the ready.

Next up on the main stage in the barn is the thoroughly charming and very talented Glasgow born, London based singer songwriter Neev. I was told that she is a very special talent and an act not to be missed this afternoon and my source was most certainly not wrong.

She reminds me very much of Amy Macdonald with her indie / pop / folk / rock style, she’s sounding and looking great too. Backed by a band that you can tell are totally wired into her sound. It’s a stylish and impressive set. A class act for sure.

Next up for me is the critically acclaimed, The Shackleton Trio. It’s back to the Orchard stage area and the place is soon rammed. One of the most enjoyable parts of the day has been watching or listening to the artists do a live sound check before their set’s start. Such is the attention to detail that goes into the preparation to get everything sounding exactly right and this act is no different, far from it, making sure that everything is perfect before they start their slot. As the saying goes, fail to prepare, be prepared to fail. The good news is that they go down a storm much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.

I first came across this band when they were in their previous guise (Four Day Hombre) supporting Embrace on their Out Of Nothing Tour at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in 2004. I bought the cd on the way out of the door as you sometimes do and the rest is history!

Not long after that, they rebranded as Hope & Social and I have been rather addicted to them ever since their debut album (Architect Of This Church) was released, telling anyone that will listen to me about this wonderful band on my travels!

Thankfully, the organisers have also had the bug for a good while now and at the umpteenth time of trying to get them to play the festival they are now here (the 2020 lockdown and illness have previously put the occasion on hold). I for one am extremely grateful that they have at last secured their services to play this year, it’s certainly been quite a while since they last graced us with their presence this far East and so tonight is a very special occasion and it turns out to be as magical as ever.

The new album, The World’s Alright is an uplifting, fuck you to bad shit happening as good things start to come to the fore. It’s a joyous affair that fits together just perfectly as the follow up to the deep emotional intensity of its predecessor, The Ride that was released in 2024. It’s an uplifting listening experience, an absolute celebration of coming out of darkness and landing on the other side of it.

Their setlist is as delightful as ever with some absolute classic tracks played out, such as Dig Hard and Buzzer Goes. The quiet crowd (normal for Norfolk) come to singer Simon Wainwright’s attention early doors, and he gives out some friendly banter as a result until they liven up.

The performance progresses further through their fabulous back catalogue of bangers with each and every track an absolute joy to hear. The place is soon buzzing, as they get their mainly new audience onboard and into the spirit of things, singing along to the likes of Pitching Far Too High and One Way Home.

Audience participation and having fun are key when Hope & Social are in the room, both are in fact essential ingredients.

So, some twenty plus years on now, Yorkshires finest (mainly adopted) sons remain positive, joyous, uplifting, and celebratory. There wasn’t a band out there like them back then and there is still nothing out there like them right now, it’s what makes them so damn right unique and loved by those fortunate to be in the know.

It tuns out that the world really is all right after all, isn’t it? Well, it most certainly is right now after witnessing that performance, this is a band that always leaves you feeling on top of the world on something of a natural high.

Something incredibly special is in the seaside air tonight and it’s got nothing to do with Phil Collins!

There are good vibes, lots of love and fun emanating from the stage, much to our delight and everyone in here agrees after witnessing the last seventy-five minutes, confirmation that this is one incredibly special band. Here’s hoping that the new followers also start to spread the Hope & Social word both far and wide.

Some things really are worth waiting for.

All aboard….

As we depart under the start studded full moon autumn sky, it’s time to reflect on what has been a quite brilliant day and with the organisers already plotting in some of next year’s acts for 2027, it promises to be yet another amazing event.