Review: Deer Shed Festival in North Yorkshire proves it's still out of this world after 13 brilliant years

Now in its 13th year, its audience of middle class families, diehard music fans in band T-shirts and the occasional bohemian oddball has come to expect the best in everything – activities, facilities, food, drink and location – and this ultra high quality independent festival never disappoints.

Despite the era’s financial challenges. Deer Shed’s embrace of the creative and alternative – with a smattering of big names such as Supergrass’s Gaz Coombes – continues to produce incredible moments which could only thrive in such a civilised and relaxed atmosphere.

All three days boast a memorable line-up of music, comedy and literary names in the beautiful grassland of Baldersby Park near Thirsk.

But, in terms of unexpected and brilliant moments, it’s hard to beat the opening night.

Former world snooker champion Steve Davis twiddling a mass of wires on the Lodge Stage as part of the electronically cosmic sound of experimental three-piece The Utopia Strong while through the open-sided desert-style stretch tent it’s possible to see people kayaking in the rippling waters of the lake just 20 yards away.

Children in orange hard hats learning to climb trees outside In The Dock stage while inside the lead singer of uncompromising Brighton-based proto-punk band Ditz, Cal Francis, bravely clambers up the marquee’s towering stanchion looking like artist Grayson Perry.

The audience going crazy for politically-charged Bristol-based Grove as this non-binary artist sticks it to landlords everywhere to militant dancehall beats.

The silent disco turning anything but as Knaresborough DJ Rory Hoy’s special mix of Blur’s Parklife leads to a mass singalong.

Best of all are the main stage’s opening night headliners The Comet Is Coming whose Afrofuturistic themes are matched by spectacular virtuoso inter-play which is simply out of this world.

The genre-shredding London-based electro-jazz trio’s full throttle mix of everything under the sun may not seem like a natural fit for leafy North Yorkshire on paper but, then, Deer Shed is the perfect festival.

So perfect, in fact, if Wes Anderson ever made a film about an outdoor music event, it would probably look like Deer Shed.