The final instalment of our multi-part previews of Fairport’s Cropredy Convention 2024 – we consider what might be in store from the festival organisers; the Cropredy mainstays; the festival opening act and the Saturday night headliners. Ladies and gentlemen – please welcome FAIRPORT CONVENTION!
FAIRPORT’S CROPREDY CONVENTION
We are huge supporters of Fairport’s Cropredy Convention. The annual event is one of the great British festivals. There are many reasons why this is so. To get a flavour of the festival, check out our reasons why it is one of the best, here.
The festival has been taking place for the best part of 50 years and we hope that there are many years of life left in the old feller yet. One thing’s for certain, as long as there is a Cropredy Festival, At The Barrier will be there to absorb, report and – most importantly, enjoy the event. It’s a musical highlight of the year.
However, with the constraints of the world being felt, the UK festival industry is finding life tough. The expenses involved in organising and running a festival are vast and many festivals have sadly folded. Fairport Convention haven’t had to do this, and they won’t – provided that they continue to attract lovers of great music in sufficient numbers.
Fairport co-founder, Simon Nicol, recently shared a message about the potential plight of Fairport’s Cropredy Convention in the future. You can read the full message here. Please take the time to read his vital message.
For the final instalment of preview series, we consider what may in store from the lads themselves – Fairport Convention. To secure your ticket, you can click here.
To read our six part preview of ALL the bands on the bill…click here. One act that we haven’t previewed is Richard Thompson…he has been drafted in as headliner due to Trevor Horn sadly having to pull out for health reasons.
FAIRPORT ACOUSTIC
It’s Thursday! It’s 4PM! And it’s CROPREDY!!
At 4PM. Thursday 8th August. The bells of St Mary’s Church in the centre of Cropredy village will ring out. It has All Come Round Again – Fairport’s Cropredy Convention. The best party of the year, will, at long last, be underway.
Up in the field, Fairport Acoustic will be taking the stage to kick off proceedings, as is the tradition – nay, the LAW – with Chris Leslie’s Festival Bell. That’s when we really know we’ve arrived and everything is well with the world.
It’ll be a short set – four or five songs at the most – but it’s the best way anyone can imagine to get our favourite event airbourne. I always compare the feeling I get from Fairport’s acoustic set to the one I had when I woke up on the first morning of the school holidays – “I feel soooo good, and we’ve got soooo much to look forward to!“
SPECIAL SURPRISE GUEST
Who could it be?!
Cropredy has delivered its fair share of surprises over the years. Robert Plant, Billy Connolly, Jasper Carrott, Cat Stevens, Roy Wood, Steve Harley, Everything But The Girl and many others have all made their unadvertised and (usually) unexpected surprise appearances on the Cropredy stage. This is either to guest with Fairport during their headlining Saturday night set, or to perform in their own right.
This year, we’ve got prior warning that a “Special Surprise Guest” will be appearing during the slot just before Fairport take the stage. The identity of that guest has been kept a closely-guarded secret.
Speculation is, of course, rife. Returns for Robert Plant and Cat Stevens seem to have gathered the most traction amongst the regulars of The Red Lion in Cropredy (some of whom claim to have their particular speculation backed-up by “A very reliable source whose identity I’m not at liberty to divulge…“) – although Plant will be on tour with Alison Krauss in the US….
We at At The Barrier aren’t prepared to speculate. We’re more than happy to wait and see; we know we won’t be disappointed, and neither will you. Just make sure that you’re in the field at around 7:30 PM on Saturday 10th August….
FAIRPORT CONVENTION: SATURDAY EVENING HEADLINE SET
“If you really mean it, it all comes round again.” How many times have you stood in your favourite spot, in THAT field and celebrated an exhilarating weekend; an exhilarating day; and yet another, exhilarating headline performance from Fairport Convention, by singing those lines whilst swaying and draping your arms around the shoulders of your neighbours? For lots of you, I’m sure that the answer to that question is “countless.” Fairport’s Cropredy headline spot is, quite simply, the pinnacle of the year’s greatest event. And, the great thing about it is that this headline spot can take an infinite number of forms. If you have never been, then we implore you to get involved! It is life affirming.
By 8:30-ish on Saturday evening, we’ll all be revelling in the memories of yet another great Cropredy weekend. It’s another fantastic line-up this year. There are acts and music to suit every possible taste. Now, here comes a band with the musicianship, the material and the stage presence to top the lot: Fairport Convention.
WHAT WILL BE IN THE SET?
The choice of material that Fairport have at their disposal is, almost literally, endless.
Did you know that FC have recorded over 300 songs for their official studio albums – starting with the eponymous 1968 debut, and up to and including 2020’s Shuffle And Go? Then, there are the non-album singles, like Sir B Mackenzie, Fiddlestix and Now Be Thankful that feature so regularly in Fairport’s live repertoire. In addition, there are songs and tunes from solo albums and side ventures – Close To The Wind, Rosemary’s Sister and All The Dance Numbers have all had their turns on the Cropredy setlist. You can also include songs from the solo careers of ex-members, particularly Sandy and Richard Thompson.
And what about the special guests that are invited to join Fairport onstage during their headline set? As we’ve already mentioned, there have been countless big names adding their own potions to the special Cropredy magic. As well as sets-within-sets from Robert Plant, Ian Anderson, Roy Wood, Alan Simon and Cat Stevens, who can forget the star turns from Tom Robinson (2-4-6-8 Motorway), Nik Kershaw (I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me), Steve Harley (Come Up and See Me), Gary Brooker (Whiter Shade of Pale – of course) and so very many others.
YOU DON’T TELL THE CHEF HOW TO STIR THE POT!
The point we make is that whatever Fairport have in mind for their headline spot, it is guaranteed to delight. Surprises are inevitable. Whether that’s another special guest or a song that’s recovered from the far reaches of that massive catalogue. You don’t go into the kitchen of a top-class restaurant and tell the chef how to stir the pudding; likewise we can trust Fairport to come up with the goods when they hit the stage this year. We’ve never left the field feeling anything less than delight and total satisfaction at what I’ve just experienced and that’s the sensation we can look forward to at midnight on 10/08/24.
We’ve had some of our finest musical moments in the Home Farm field and most of them have happened during Fairport’s headline set. We wouldn’t miss it for the world, and neither should anyone else.
And do you know? The bit that will REALLY send us home happy, will be Simon saying, as he always does…
“Same time next year?“
Winter isn’t such a bad prospect when you know that they really mean it – it really IS all coming round again.
To get you in the mood, check out our playlist featuring artists on this bill this year.
Fairport Convention: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube
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