Fairport Convention - Profile
by Nick Dent-Robinson
published: 12 / 8 / 2017
intro
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!”
Band Links:-
http://www.fairportconvention.comhttps://www.facebook.com/Fairportofficial/
https://twitter.com/faircropfest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairport_Convention
Picture Gallery:-
interviews |
Interview (2019) |
Nick Dent-Robinson speaks to Fairport Convention guitarist and vocalist Simon Nicol about this year's 40th Fairport's Cropredy Convention which will take place in the village of Cropredy in North Oxfordshire in August. |
Interview (2018) |
Interview (2017) |
Interview (2016) |
Interview (2015) |
Interview (2012) |
profiles |
On Track...Every Album, Every Track (2020) |
Thirty albums in, Fairport Convention finally get a book dedicated to every song on every album. Tommy Gunnarsson is impressed. |
Profile (2015) |
Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort (2008) |
live reviews |
Cropredy, Oxfordshire, 7/8/2014...9/8/2014 |
Nick Dent-Robinson enjoys this year's Fairport's Cropredy Convention, which as well as Fairport Convention also saw sets from Chas 'n' Dave, Marillion, Steve Hackett's Genesis Extended and remarkable Welsh singer-songwriter Deborah Rose |
favourite album |
Rising for the Moon (2013) |
In our 'Re:View' series, in which our writers look back on classic albums from the past, Andy Cassidy examines Fairport Convention's 1975 album 'Racing to the Moon', which was the last of their albums to feature Sandy Denny and which has just been released in a new double CD edition |
soundcloud
reviews |
What We Did On Our Saturday (2018) |
Enjoyable career-spanning live album from influential folk act Fairport Convention recorded last year during their fiftieth anniversary at their annual Cropredy Convention in North Oxfordshire |
Live 1974 (2016) |
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
previous editions
Microdisney - The Clock Comes Down the StairsWorld Party - Interview
World Party - Interview with Karl Wallinger
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EP
Ain't That Always The Way - Alan Horne After The Sound of Young Scotland 2
Steve Harley - Interview
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Ruts - Life After Death ? : A Profile
Leprous - Photoscapes
most viewed reviews
current edition
Serious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning DewMarika Hackman - Big Sigh
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
related articles |
: Profile (2021 |
Nicky Crewe finds that the eagerly anticipated memoir from Fairport Convention co-founder Richard Thompson is a beautifully written and evocative reminder of a memorable time in his life. |
Dave Swarbrick: Interview (2014) |
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart