Day three sees the heavier rockers weighing in and playing some trump cards to earn a coveted place on the ATB rostrum.
RICHARD DIGANCE
We know the score for Saturday lunchtime. One of the traditions that’s remained, Richard does his bit by waiving his fee; while talking ‘waving’, his souvenir ‘I Am Searching’ hankie required for the time honoured fashion finale, flies off the merch stands.
The song does very much remain the same with a set that mixes humour, sentiment and poignancy. He gets in his usual topical jibes about the line up; chiding Trevor Horn for the size (and need) of his band and reveals how, for decades, Albert Lee has gotten away with his note bending trick. he mixes Osama Bin Laden with Cat Stevens to comedic effect and one of our hapless pit photographer colleagues gets tongue lashed with “How many photos do you need? Just take one and p*ss off.“
The cheeky little rhyming couplet to the tune of the Grand Old Duke Of York (remember ‘him’? – the real one?) is prime fodder for raising a chuckle. Even the Cropredy Primary School Folk Class aren’t exempt – “Best act of the weekend? Bollocks!” The whole set is enhanced, almost trumped, by the appearance of the pair of sharks (one pink one blue). Even Richard has to admit that in twenty years of playing Cropredy, he’s never seen two sharks dancing to his songs…adding “get a life!“
ALL THESE WORDS AND I’M SECONDARY MODERN
Of course, there’s the tribute to Richard’s own greatest Briton, Isambard Kingdom Brunel with a gently sung chorus drifting around the field. By contrast a song he calls “one for US,” sees the chorus / key line / call & response of “we were rebels” sung with gusto at the top of everyone’s lungs (“or lung if you’ve only got one” – a brush with dark humour is never too far away). The traditional finale with much of the field on its feet waving for all they were worth gives that sense of the Cropredy community, although RD himself admits “I wouldn’t do it,” yet for all the pretense of bluster, you know he probably would.
THE SALTS
After the previous nights El Pony Picador folky exploits it would be tough for any folk band to follow but The Salts opened the musical afternoon for the final day with a brand of traditional music with their own twist. Re-worked harmonies to what they call nautical rock.
A funky Alabama John Cherokee being an interesting example of their shanty touch as was Poor Old Man. Accomplished banjo, guitar and mandolin playing adorned the set . The Salts represent many of the contemporary folk groups evolving the folk scene much like our hosts did back in the 70’s. After Richard Digance had uplifted everyone’s mood as usual with his jocular set so did The Salts in what would turn out to be a final day full of tremendous surprises and exceptional music of different styles.
DEBORAH BONHAM BAND
Prior to the festival, Deborah Bonham hooked up with us for a Cropredy Q & A where she spoke of finding the soul of the music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. She obviously speaks with authority, displaying a practice what you preach mentality with a set packed with energy and presence as she appears suitably attired in the sort of colourful velvet flares that would have Rosalie Cunningham green-eyed with envy.
Kicking into some hard rocking blues led by some particularly dirty guitar from Peter Bullick and Ian Rowley’s thick basslines, Deborah is spinning around the stage and forcing the pit photographers to chase from left to right to anticipate her moves. Setlist free (for a brief moment), not that she’s bothered, she promises to mix in some new songs, but there are certainly chills and thrills as she belts out “yeaahh, yeahh, yeahhhhh, I feel so alive!” in the opening flurry. It’s a moment that captures the spirit of a new Cropredy era.
LASHINGS OF ORGAN
Lashings of organ embellish the palette as Deborah prowls the stage, interacting with all her band and open encouraging them to take a step into the spotlight. You can see the links with the music of the bluesy rocking greats and as she sings “sounds like thunder!“we head into a breakdown that sounds like they’re about to launch into Don’t Fear The Reaper, while Take Me Down heads into territory that’s more relaxed and chilled. The mandolin and easy Country vibe takes a turn off the heavier roads they’ve explored.
The new songs see her taking on an almost Springsteen-esque stance, speaking about the troubles of our world and how what really matters is in your heart. As she introduces Right To Breathe, she emphasises how it’s a song of love and tolerance yet a determination to stand up to bullies. The reflective stance sees a great guitar solo wrung out over the extended play out. There’s also Set The Night On Fire (a pharse possibly hear before…) that’s much more radio friendly yet with keyboards lashing out again against the Bullick axework.
As the set nears closure, Deborah mentions we have a couple of guests. She introduces Dave Pegg who appears again with the trusty mandolin, and as she mentions Saving Grace, we all get excited. It’s Matt Worley from said band and we all relax as Chains gets a lovely string band arrangement with the two guests delicate decoration. And then, as mic stands get shifted another guest ambles onstage. He’s often on site but rarely steps onstage, but maybe with his old drummer’s sister and some of his Black Country mates on stage, the muse is stirring.
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER (LAUGHTER)?
Fuelled by the soup de jour (leek & potato) from the catering tent and doing the impossible by making a smart black shirt and salmon pink shorts look cool, Robert Plant – ROBERT PLANT! – appears with no great fanfare. There’s a sudden rush towards the stage from the outliers. Robert is looking very chippy, playful even. And in remarkably good voice as witnessed at recent Saving Grace gigs. Deborah teams up with Suzi Dian from Saving Grace on bvs and makes up quite some band who delve into Led Zep II for a pairing of songs that sees everyone on stage (and off) grooving and having fun.
Ramble On finds the band mastering the famous light and shade dynamics and as RP delivers the “years ago, in days of old, when magic filled the air,” line, he grins and adds a “remember?” He’s jovial and jocular, smiling and gurning while pulling a couple of reined in rockstar poses – the very same ones that so many copied all those years ago. “No sleep till bedtime,” he quips before they head into an emotional and totally apt Thank You.
It adds a special twelve minute sparkle, nay a buzz, as that’s exactly what fills the air in what’s already become a special Cropredy.
THE HENRY GIRLS
The calm after the storm. The three Henry sisters arrive as the field is still buzzing, and saying what we were all thinking, not for the first time this weekend, about how to follow that. What with being straight off the plane from Boston, losing a day and having to follow a guest appearance from Robert Plant, they took on the challenge and lulled and charmed the hordes. What could be much better than being lulled by Karen, Lorna and Joleen after being shaken (and stirred) by a genuine rock god.
Their talk of Cropredy as a “chilled out festival” is an appropriate backdrop to their soundtrack that sees the harp feature heavily alongside piano and fiddle and like Deborah Bonham before them, they have songs which speak of resilience and hope. In the key moment of their set, they sing of the challenges faced by those suffering injustice for the sake of greed and power and gain a ripple of approval before they launch into Breathe. The lyric “the power of healing bu holding someone’s hand” is simple yet striking. Maybe an extension f spiritual healing.
VARIETY POURS FORTH
From the sublime and the ethereal, the variety pours forth and influenced by the Boswell sisters and the 30s, there’s a bit of jazz. Playing musical chairs, the sisters swap and highlight both their versatility and the sort of harmonies that seem to come naturally to blood relatives.
Amidst the delicacy and fragility the trio aren’t averse to launching into some whistle and fiddle inspired folk jigs and when they sing the title line “in the garden where the praties grow” they’re nudging the boundaries of doo-wop and Americana. The Henry Girls might have had a hard act to follow, but the mood and tone they set was spot on.
MARTIN BARRE BAND
Having already wallowed in the sublime ear – nectar guitar skills of Albert Lee, Martin Barre gives us a masterful display of a different hue but equally astounding.
The dynamic vocals of Dan Crisp, the stunning bass licks of Alan Thomson, even admired by Sir David and Terl Bryant’s driving percussion supported him to give us an hour of Tull favourites and a smattering of his solo work. A complete re-working of Steel Monkey opens the set; soon to be followed by a powerful rendition of A New Day Yesterday. Dan Crisp’s vocal interpretations of both are astonishing. sandwiched in between is Back To Steel from his solo projects.
How nerves could get the better of an experienced artist who has played massive venues is mysterious, but Barre confides with the much reduced in size ‘Cropredarians’ that adrenaline was pushing him on. He promises us a Beatles song and to his word, a Tull style Eleanor Rigby is nothing other than FAB!
He also shows he is as adept on the flute when playing Roland Kirk’s Serenade To A Cuckoo from a time even predating himself in Tull history. But this was no impersonation, and he even manages to stay on two legs whilst playing as tempting as it must be to try one!
A CHEEKY SENSE OF HUMOUR
Robert Johnson would never have envisaged his raw blues songs played using a mandolin, but Barre gives Crossroads a folky era Tull sound. Delving into this era he follows an audience request by launching into Acres Wild from Heavy Horses; Dave Pegg returns and improvises on mandolin.
Martin Barre’s cheeky sense of humour was hardly, if ever revealed, in his time with Tull. However, owning up to pinching riffs from Led Zeppelin whilst recording Aqualung is delivered with a smirk. This prepares us for a musical revision of the whole album. Cleverly segueing the three acoustic tracks Slipstream, Wondering Aloud and Cheap Day return after a raucous Cross Eyed Mary.
Barre drops a neat bass and lead guitar combo leading into My God which includes extended instrumentals. When played live, the Aqualung tracks are always more powerful but Martin’s versions raise the bar even higher. The traditional keyboard opening to Locomotive Breath is dropped in favour of an interesting trombone duet and guitar introduction. It works beautifully.
A premature end to the set due to time limitations left the field screaming for more but even the most ardent of traditional Tull worshipers should have been completely satiated.
BOB FOX & BILLY MITCHELL
They’re a pair of Cropredy perennials – of that, there’s no doubt, Bob Fox’s Cropredy history dates right back to 1978 – the days when Cropredy Festival wasn’t even a ‘festival’ – and he’s since appeared in every possible guise – as solo artist, part of a duo (with erstwhile partner Stu Luckley), as a band frontman, a band member. Even as compère on several occasions.
And Billy Mitchell’s Cropredy pedigree is almost as impressive as Bob’s. He first graced the stage in 1983 as the ‘Mitch’ part of folk/comedy duo Maxine & Mitch and he’s made numerous appearances since, most prominently as a member of Lindisfarne. It’s no surprise, but a very happy outcome, nonetheless, that these two titans of the north-east should team up to share their songs, stories and Geordie bonhomie. This is a pairing that was MADE for Cropredy,
Billy is the first of the pair to step forward, with an engaging tribute to his grandad, before Bob took the mic to relive the glory days of his Stu Luckley partnership with a storming rendition of The Bonnie Gateshead Lass, an enduring favourite from that duo’s 1978 debut album, the excellent Nowt So Good’ll Pass.
CHILDHOOD YEARS
Billy took us back to his childhood years in the colliery village of West Wylam in the Tyne Valley with the charming, bittersweet, Shiftin’ to the Toon – a song with lyrics that balance the insecurities felt by the loss of a guaranteed income with the prospects for a better life – all sung to the tune of a rousing march,
Humour plays a huge part in any venture that involves either Bob Fox or Billy Mitchell and Billy’s quip: “ W’ came here usin’ wir bus passes – it took us three weeks “ drew the first of many bursts of laughter from the entranced crowd. But the quip was followed by a lesson in life’s realities as he sang of the perils that face colliers in the stark The Devil’s in the Ground.
I can think of many songs for which a claim to be the Geordie ‘National Anthem’ could be made, but it’s perhaps When The Boat Comes that places the strongest such claim. Bob did the song full justice and raised the expectations of the song’s dancing ‘little laddie’ by promising haddock, mackerel, cod, bloater and, ultimately, salmon to grace his little dishy, rather than the same old herring! Bob’s guitar and Billy’s mandolin chimed together beautifully as the crowd swayed and sang along.
“He’s canny good for an old feller, isn’t he?” Asked Billy as Bob launched into Ramblin’ Rover, a favourite song from hisY2k album, Dreams Never Leave You. It’s a song that Bob always sings with great sincerity, and Billy’s miming of the symptoms of ‘galloping bollockitis’ were hilarious.
IF I HAD MY TIME AGAIN…
Billy’s Collier Laddie’s Wife is a lovely song that recounts the unending labours of a working-class homemaker – labours often undertaken whilst the family’s breadwinner squanders his leisure time – and money – down at the local boozer. And the song’s payoff line – “If I had my time again, I’d be born a man,” packs a mighty punch.
The same can be said of Billy’s lyrics to to the excellent Born at the Right Time – and they’re lyrics that apply to a significant portion of the Cropredy crowd. We’ve been lucky, and we should never forget that. But our ‘cosseted’ lives have clearly turned us into good singers, and we demonstrated that as we sang along – lustily and harmoniously – to The Galway Shawl, another favourite from Bob’s Dreams Never Leave You album.
Fairport Hour was approaching, but there was time for a glorious send-off, first with Billy’s That Old Peculier Feeling, an enthusiastic ode to Masham’s finest product and, finally, a sublime reworking of John Phillips’ anthem, Monday Monday. “Fairport wanted a bit of youth on before they appeared,” quipped Billy. We’ll – everything’s relative, isn’t it?
Welcome back, Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox!
FAIRPORT CONVENTION
Well – WHAT as weekend we’d had. And it wasn’t finished yet – there was still a small question of Fairport Convention, the reason why we gather together in this very field, year after year, to deal with. Could they follow and successfully conclude the gourmet feast of music that we’d enjoyed over the past three days. You bet your grandmother’s hat box they could!
Fairport have been on top form lately. For their 2025 Winter Tour, they gave their setlist a deep-reaching makeover and their shows sound so very very fresh as a result. The band have also got an anniversary to celebrate – Gladys’ Leap, the album that marked the reconvention of the Convention, in 1985, turns 40 this year, and the new setlist features a celebration of that anniversary. And, of course, we have magic ingredient number 3 – the presence of the mighty Dave Mattacks in the engine room. With ingredients like that, the Fairport broth can’t be anything but hearty and tasty!
COME ALL YE
Regular set opener, Walk Awhile, is currently taking a sabbatical (it’ll be back, don’t fear) but its replacement has all the credentials necessary for getting the good ship Fairport seabound. Come All Ye, the calling-on song that opens Fairport’s seminal Liege and Lief album has been overhauled for the 2020s and it’s a grand song to start with. Chris’s reference to Ric’s mission statement in the line “Our fiddler is so PDC, on his groovy maple wood violin” and the song went down a storm. We really were ‘rousing the spirit of the Earth and moving the rolling sky!’
“Good evening Cropredy!” hailed Peggy, “What a great weekend of music we’ve had… and now, it’s us…” It surely had been the kind of weekend in which it would be impossible to accumulate any cobwebs but, if we had done, they would certainly have been blown away as Fairport surged into Rising For The Moon, and, as the song’s lyrics predicted, the chorus of the dusk regaled the evening lark.
Rising For The Moon is, of course, one of Sandy’s finest and Simon reminded us that, when Sandy briefly rejoined Fairport during the mid-1970s, he was, in his words, “…enjoying a period of day release, engrossed in ‘Albion things.’” Claudy Banks was just one of the fruits of that productive period. The song is now an established favourite in the Fairport repertoire, but it was new to Simon when the great Shirley Collins brought it to the studio for the No Roses recording sessions. Tonight, the song is dedicated to Shirley – 90 years young and still going strong!
WHERE IS THE LOVE?
Before introducing his instrumental tune, the Rose Hip, Ric took time out to explain the “Where is the love” motif on his tee shirt. It’s a question that doesn’t really need to be asked at Cropredy, because the ‘love’ was all around us, as it always is during this special weekend.
The moon had started to rise during Fairport’s beautiful rendition of Sandy’s Fotheringay and it had drifted into position just in time for the start of Moondust and Solitude, Chris’s tour-de-force from the band’s 2022 Shuffle & Go album. Moondust and Solitude is one of Chris’s finest songs; it’s one of those that seems to work particularly well at Cropredy. The presence of the shining, almost-full moon was an added bonus. We’re not the only ones to be continually astounded by Chris’s song writing talents; those talents are also acknowledged by DM as he steps forward to introduce Man In The Water, and to welcome the song’s writer, Rob Beattie, to the stage to sing it.
SLOTH
And, speaking of DM, I’d (John) already had the privilege, at this year’s Cropredy warm-up shows, of seeing what he had in store for us in the current arrangement of Sloth. It’s a pared-back working that’s far more digestible than some of the 20-minute marathons that we’ve had over the years and it’s wonderful to see how DM applies his less-is-more philosophy to stunning effect as Simon, Peggy and Ric take their turns in stretching out.
Simon went first and managed to squeeze a brief reference to Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven into his solo. Peggy was next and, as usual, he provided an object lesson to bass players everywhere as he showcased exactly what he’s capable of, before he handed the baton to Ric for a burst of audio-pyrotechnics that concluded with him howling into his violin. But, throughout the whole thing, it was impossible to keep eyes away from DM. Just fantastic!
Peggy was struggling to find the lead socket on his bass ukulele, but after he’d managed it, he sent shivers of delight down the spines of 7,000 people when he welcomed Ralph McTell to the stage. Peggy and Ralph have just completed a UK tour and they reprised a couple of highlights – Sweet Mystery and Tequila Sunset – from that tour. “This wonderful festival isn’t just about music; it’s about making friends,” said Ralph, and he was so right. As always, I left Cropredy with many more friends than I’d arrived with!
DANNY BRADLEY
And, speaking of friends, Danny Bradley made a lot of them when he toured with Fairport earlier this year. He’s a guitarist extraordinaire, with a voice that’s soothing and packed with passion. He announced himself with a wonderful flurry of notes from his guitar before digging into the gutsy blues of Fire & Muse, a standout track from his recent album, Small Talk Songs. Fairport re-join him for I’m Gone I’m Gone; then – Danny is gone. We’re confidently expecting that he’ll be back on the Cropredy stage before too long… Watch this space.
Chris seems to specialise in providing songs that take on a special glow when they’re performed at Cropredy. I’m Already There, his story of the Franklin voyages to try to find a northwest passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is another example of those songs. It’s not unusual, at Cropredy to experience an “Aren’t Fairport a great band?” moment. And we enjoyed such a moment at this point.
As Simon pointed out, Crazy Man Michael is now an established traditional song, and it’s always a highlight of any Fairport performance. Simon has made the song his own, that’s for sure.
GLADYS’ LEAP
As already noted, 2025 marks the golden jubilee of Fairport’s Gladys’ Leap album. The album’s anniversary celebrations are kicked off with a majestic version of Instrumental Medley ’85. Peggy and DM brought thunderclouds into the clear Cropredy sky in the tune’s opening bars, and I have to give full credit to the lady in front of me who involved everyone around her in a crazed reel as the tune picked up pace.
We stick with Gladys’ Leap as the tinkles from DM’s piano announced THAT the song. You know the one I mean – the one about the hired farm labourers who get it on together as the harvest is gathered. The Hiring Fair is a special Cropredy anthem and, with the August moon sitting high above the arena, it’s always even more special. We were truly mesmerised, and the only remedy was a shot of Steampunking, which Ric duly supplied.
Peggy’s introduction to Cider Rain, another highlight of the Shuffle & Go album might not have enticed too many additional potential tourists to visit Brittany but, to those of us in the know, it evoked tremendous memories of a beautiful area and made us long to return to the rolling countryside that sits beneath those toffee apple skies.
NOW BE THANKFUL
Swarb is toasted (do we look up, or down?) before Chris delivers a marvellous Now Be Thankful and the song is dedicated to the multitude of workers, helpers and contributors who made this year’s festival possible. And, believe me, we really are TRULY thankful for that!
Simon spoke for everyone present when he described Who Knows Where the Time Goes as “A song for all of you, all of us – and the whole world.” It’s impossible not to melt under the sheer beauty of Ric’s and Chris’s twin fiddles and, as the years pass, it’s impossible to ignore the song’s advice: Have no fear of time.
FIDDLES:PEOPLE
Shetland has the highest ratio of fiddles to people anywhere in the world and John Gaudie, Chris homage to those remote islands and the sometimes bizarre goings-on that occur there is song that, perhaps more than any other, gets the whole Cropredy field up on its gfeet and dancing – it’s always a riotous experience, and so it was tonight.
Midnight was approaching, and that means that it’s time for a 19-verse, 2-chord folk song. Matty Groves is a Cropredy essential and, tonight, it was enlivened by a hilarious Lego animation of the song’s tragic story. I have to admit to taking quite a fancy to Lord Arnold’s sumptuous wife although, unlike Matty, I wouldn’t have risked taking my affections to the lady’s boudoir. Things like that never end well, and he’s a brutal-looking bloke, too.
It’s THAT time folks… All good things come to an end and this fantastic festival was concluded in the time-honoured way, as we linked arms with our friends, swayed and sang and pledged that It will all come round again. Meet on the Ledge. Same time next year?
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