Following our in depth coverage of the dates in Manchester and Canterbury of the tour, we catch up with the Fairport Convention Wintour as they return, with Jenn Butterworth in support, to the lovely Lowther Pavillion in Lytham.
FAIRPORT CONVENTION
Our third review of the Fairport 2026 Wintour, which with one careless slip could be forever be known as the winetour. A third pair of eyes and ears and (hopefully) a different perspective, and to avoid repeating any detailed analysis of the tour so far, we use the Lytham gig to pick out five highlights from tonight’s show.
For example – the seismic shifts that have accompanied the change in the opening song have seen the semi-permanent Walk Awhile being rested for Come All Ye in the past couple of years. An opening song that they can (a) warm up with, although the changeover with the support usually serves said purpose and (b) all have a verse to loosen the tonsils. As the Earth continues to shift we get yet another new opening song as Ye Mariners All is dusted off, to join two Johns, Michael and Matty in little tweak as the band shuffle though the repertoire to see what offerings they can surprise us with.
SO – IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
#1 – has to be Ric’s fiddle playing in I’m Already There as the band back him with a pacey tempo. He seems to revel in the instrumental breaks, his dueling and dashing with Dave Mattacks (as they do in Sloth) one of the notable musical dynamics of the Fairport five.
#2 – Flowers Of The Forest, with Simon’s dulcimer drone evoking more memories of Sandy Denny (played at her wedding we believe) is a stunning return to the set. Last heard a few years back at Cropredy, the thought occurs of how it would be a perfect closing song. As would (obvs) Farewell Farewell also gets recalled form the subs bench. Should the ever present closing pair of Matty and Meet On The Ledge ever need a rest (the latter possibly never, but you never know…) the replacements are primed.
#2a – Peggy’s ‘let’s confuse Steeleye Span’ japes. Fellow folk rockers who seem to be following FC and whose audience may well cross over, could be in for a surprise when they reach Lytham…
SERENITY
#3 – the moments of pure serenity that Chris Leslie and his songs bring to the set. Dave Mattacks pays tribute to his all rounder-ness and then there’s his little acoustic vignette that provides a delight of a segue from Flowers into Sloth while the band get prepped. His songwriting offers up the gentle tempos and evocative Spring Song, I’m Already There and tonight, we get his Moondust & Solitude which seems to swap in and out with Banbury Fair.
#3a – The numerous audibly collective gasps from the audience when each next song is announced – most notably at the mention of Fotheringay and John Condon. Even for Matty, even though we really do know it’s coming.
#4 – Talking of Matty Groves, often the only traditional song in the set, a point often raised by Simon when he quantifies the band’s heritage, he now has some companions. The additional trad songs not only come in the form of Mariners right at the start of the set and Flowers Of The Forest as mentioned, but Claudy Banks joins them as FC crank up the early ‘Summer evenings in the month of May’ trope count. With the band accompanying Jenn on Little Sparrow, anothe trad subversion, it’s almost like a folk club.
#5 – the Sanders / Leslie double fiddle partnership. On two very different occasions do we get to witness the (a) skill and finesse and (b) the fire and fury, of two masters at work. The Rose Hip verges on classical – the Handel reference in Ric’s intro may have been a shoe in for the Hinge & Bracket/Doors jokes, while John Gaudie is the rollicking tour de force that should always be one of the first names of the teamsheet.
COUNTING DOWN
Talking of which, as we often remark in how long until Cropredy countdown, let’s see how what gems might be added to embellish this wonderful set as the 2026 convention heads back round. Although, even though Simon kindly reminds us, at ten to midnight on the 15th of August, we know what we’ll all be singing in that North Oxfordshire field.
JENN BUTTERWORTH
‘Tradtitional folk musician’ it says somewhere when you google Jenn Butterworth. Wiki also says she was born in Halifax – which might be news to some, what with all her Alba connections. For such, see Kinnaris Quintet – now known as Kinnaris Q which allows for them to play as a five or four piece without any name change (shades of how Blackadder Goes Forth’s Three Silly Twerps were one short – again), Check out Free One and This Too and picture Jenn at stage left having great fun with her KQ partners.
She also one of , if not THE best of accompanists as her collaborators – Ross & Ali and Will Pound (the duo set for a’26 Cropredy appearance), plus anyone might have seen her working up a soundcheck storm with Chris Leslie on Youtube – would testify.
Her opening snippet is the perfect amuse bouche to open doors to JB in solo guise. The superlatives pouring from ATB HQ about Her By Design solo debut means we’re already on board and the sneak preview of something for the next album, Rosemary Lane, that drives along with a Lakeman-esque verve, suggest that the impossibly high bar is in danger of toppling. Only complaint…another couple of songs would have gone down a treat, but with the “too much of a good thing leaves one wanting less” maxim ringing in the ears, we are duly sated and hope that the outings with FC have opened Jenn’s music to a much wider audience.
Fairport Convention: Website
Jenn Butterworth: Website