Fairport Convention - Profile

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 12 / 8 / 2017

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Nick Dent-Robinson profiles Fairport's Cropredy Convention, the annual three day festival staged by folk rock legends Fairport Convention, which this year celebrates the band's golden anniversary with an on-stage reunion of both past and present members

Fairport's Cropredy Convention, the annual three day festival staged in Oxfordshire by folk rock legends Fairport Convention, will celebrate the band's golden anniversary with an on-stage reunion of Fairport's current line-up with virtually all the ex-members still living. The festival - one of the most family-friendly events on the UK's musical calendar - will take place on the usual site just outside Cropredy village, North Oxfordshire from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 August. As is customary, the band (Simon Nicol, lead vocal and guitar, Dave Pegg, bass and vocals, Ric Sanders, violin, Gerry Conway, percussion plus drums and Chris Leslie, vocals, fiddle, mandolin and bouzouki) will conclude the festival with an extended performance. This will feature a host of musical guests playing a repertoire from Fairport's massive back catalogue...the best from half a century of music-making. Ashley Hutchings, co-founder of Fairport, will present Morris On, an interpretation of traditional music and dance during Saturday while Judy Syble, Fairport's original female singer will perform that day with Band of Perfect Strangers. Iain Matthews, Fairport's first male lead vocalist, will also be joined that day by Andy Roberts and Mark Griffiths who perform as Plainsong, blending English folk-rock with American all-country. Guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter Richard Thompson (another famous former Fairport member) will feature twice - with his own set (plus drummer Dave Mattocks) on Friday evening and again during Saturday's finale. Maartin Allcock, a member of Fairport in the 1980's, will join Fairport on keyboards and guitar while former members Tom Farnell, Bob Brady and Roger Burridge will also feature. Fairport's bassist Dave Pegg commented, “Tickets for Cropredy have never sold faster than they did this year - which is wonderful! Our Saturday night set this year will undoubtedly feature the most Fairport members ever performing in the same show. Which is very exciting! This will definitely be a vintage Cropredy not to be missed!”

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