One of our favourite festivals makes its long awaited return this year; Fairport’s Cropredy Convention.

Scuppered due to COVID and lockdowns, Fairport’s Cropredy Convention is back, and with a bill that is as expected, varied and plentiful.

Over the next few weeks we will share insights from the band into what makes their Saturday night slot unique.

Traditionally, Fairport Convention close out the festival on the Saturday night of the festival. More recently, they have taken to opening the festival on the Thursday too; usually as an acoustic act.

What usually makes the show so unique is the special guests that augment the set the band play. It has, over the years, seen many different and varying people play with the band.

First up, we welcome Gerry Conway back to the site. He previously wrote in our Why I Love column here. Gerry pens a short but sweet piece about how the guest slots are formed.

It has always been a privilege to play for our special guests especially as I may not have had the chance before.

Rehearsals start the day before the two warmup shows but we have to be flexible because some of the guests have prior commitments. Due to this, we do most of our rehearsing at home so when we get together we’ve already learned our parts. Occasionally, we meet our guests for the first time on stage!

I find my self writing affectionately about Cropredy but two years ago and no one could imagine what was around the corner. The good news is we’re back!

Cropredy is only for three days, and in this currently grim world it is even more important for us, as peace loving people who love music, to meet in that field to send some love into the world.❤️  

Love

Gerry Conway 

Our thanks go to Gerry for his words; words we can all agree ring true of any festival…we need to send some love back into the world.

Fairport’s Cropredy Convention takes place on 11th, 12th and 13th August. You can buy tickets online here.

Take a listen to Fairport opening the show in 2018 with The Brilliancy Medley featuring the sadly departed Maartin Allcock.

Fairport Convention: Official Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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