"I'm a bit of an old punk"

DEER Shed headliner Richard Hawley is down-to-earth about what festival-goers can expect next month at the Baldersby Park, Thirsk, event.

"We rehearse, like, once every six months or something… until it’s time to do some new songs. There’s always something that happens live that you can’t prepare for. I’m a bit of an old punk-rocker… not knowing what’s going to happen next is what makes it exciting. If everything was mapped out and clear, I wouldn’t see the point," he says.

Asked about what the crowd is likely to see, Hawley says: "It’s not fireworks or anything like that. It’s just five blokes on stage playing rock and roll. If you can connect with just one person in the audience, that’s great. I hope that we’ll connect with at least two or three people at the Deer Shed Festival."

And are there any performers he'll be looking out for himself?

"There’s actually a lot. Ed Harcourt is always good. He's a great songwriter. Then there's Meilyr Jones, the Welsh wizard, him and a band called Dancing Years they were on tour with us last year and that was a real pleasure to hear them. Dancing Years were incredibly emotional artists and I really connected with them. and Meilyr's music is phenomenal; he’s going to have an interesting life. There’s also Buffalo Skinners, who are a young Sheffield band and are worth checking out. They’re good fun," he says.

The festival has invested in more music, more comedy, more arts, and more workshops than ever before and will open up a field dedicated to sport. Despite all this growing, the team confident about preserving the friendly, family vibe that regular Deer Shedders have come to know and love. With plenty for both children and adults to enjoy, the festival is looking to reaffirm its position as the North’s premier family-friendly event.

The line-up also features Everything Everything and Beth Orton taking the top spots while Scottish Legends Steve Mason and C Duncan; mesmerising solo artists Rae Morris, Anna Calvi, and Lone Lady and ever-popular northern bands Field Music, Eagulls and Money are other names to watch out for.

This year’s comedy line-up includes stars of radio, TV, and comedy circuit Mark Watson, Justin Moorhouse, Tom Wrigglesworth¸ and Rob Deering. Theatre shows include Dinosaur Park, The Kagools, and Rayguns Look Real Enough which have all been tried, tested, and loved at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Other highlights are a Q&A with the cast and crew of Dad’s Army, a panel discussion about arts in the region – The North Will Rise Again? starring Andy Burnham MP, Nick Ahad, Kate Fox, Adrian McNally, and Marie Nixon – and more than 100 arts and science workshops including model making with Aardman Animation.

It’s just lucky there’s a new sport’s field, which will play host to a huge host of activities including football sessions run by newly-promoted Middlesbrough FC’s MFC Foundation.

The organisers have decided that it is also going to create and film a movie as well. With a predicted runtime of 30 minutes and a script which tells of Peter Black, the head of an evil corporation intent on using a dangerous type of virtual reality to put a stop to bad behaviour, this film is no small project.

While ten per cent of the footage has been pre-recorded in London, the majority of the film will be shot at the festival in using the event's dedicated Studio Tent and will star many of the festival’s audience.

This year’s festival is movie-themed, so there will be plenty of film-based surprises, activities, and just a touch of red carpet glamour.

• Third tier adult full weekend ticket (16+) £135, Fourth tier adult full weekend ticket (16+) £145 Not released; Child full weekend ticket (six to 15) £45; Child full weekend ticket (three to five) £10; Child full weekend ticket (0 to two) Free.

Sunday night camping per tent/live-in vehicle: £50 (Only valid for holders of full weekend tickets)

Box Office: deershedfestival.com.