In our first Cropredy 2026 preview we take a look at what to expect from Thursday’s line up.

FAIRPORT ACOUSTIC

4pm on the 13th August – the bell in the local church will toll and five guys (not those burger-five-guys) will saunteronto the Cropredy stage and open this year’s proceedings. We’ll be checking out what T shirts Simon, Ric and Chris will be sporting and keeping fingers crossed that Peggy hasn’t befallen the sort of accident that last year caused him to sport a smart little hat all weekend. however, with an ATB Cropredy ’25 badge pinned on, it was a great marketing opportunity. The only way to kick start Cropredy.

BANTER

Simon Care is no stranger to Cropredy with his Fairport connections. The melodeon & concertina maestro is joined by  Nina Zella on keyboards & vocals, Tim Walker on drums, percussion, brass, guitar, bass & vocals and Mark Jolley on bass, fiddle, guitar & vocals. Should be a seamless transition from acoustic Fairport to a mix of modern and trad. arr. with possibly a bit of ceilidh thrown in. New album due on 13th August too – nice planning for retail opportunities.

TURIN BRAKES

A return for the band who graced the Cropredy stage back in 2022. Their Spacehopper album is just about a year old, so some new tunes and maybe even a top twenty hit or two that you might recognise if you;re wondering ‘who is Turin Barkes?’ and were awol in ’22. They too have had their acoustic moments with some to come in Europe in October, but expect fully plugged in Indie styled nonsense.

SOFT MACHINE

With their new Thirteen album appearing and on the end of much acclaim, the band that Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness call ‘The Softs’ on their The Album Years podcast, Soft Machine fit the expectations of the Cropredy classic prog box. Guitarist John Etheridge is the latest six stringer to grace the band, along with the much travelled Theo Travis (a member of the Steven Wilson band at one recent point) plus what seems insufficient to call a rhythm section in Asaf Sirkis and Fred Theolonius Baker, they’re the latest incarnation. Maybe one time Soft Ric Sanders may do a turn. Expect a large helping of Thirteen and see why it’s been called “a stunning return to fusion.“

MATT BRAGG

American R&B, soul, funk and jazz bassist, guitarist, composer and arranger, or Midlands based stand up comedian, compere and warm up act? The uninitiated might find Google of no help with some placing their money on the former, yet having had a pre-Fairport ‘special guest’ in comedian Jasper Carrot in 2024, those putting their wagers on the latter will get a return. The son of the late Bobby Bragg, former Crop MC, will be popping down from Banbury for a set, he’ll hopefully have us in the mood for what’s to come (see below)

LE VENT DU NORD

Remember El Pony Pisador’s up-and-at-em set last year? Expect something equally sensational from the Quebecois outfit who’ve been round and about the festival circuit and arts centres for some time now. Last featured on our pages at their 2023 Stoller Hall gig, they’re sure to provide some  folk progressif, some of which might see them sat down, most of which will see them prowling the boundaries of the Cropredy stage before sending us off to the bar (or bed) full of beans.

OUR THURSDAY ‘ONE TO WATCH’

Tricky one as it’s a toss up between The Softs and Le Vent. Although there’s always some Proggy goodness to be appreciated at Cropredy, we’d suggest Le Vent Du Nord is not to be missed, especially when they wind up those instruments and set the foot tapping off – it’s gonna be one heck of a Quebecois racket!

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