Day One of Fairport’s Cropredy 2026 is an absolute scorcher both on the stage and off! Temperatures rocket as we achieve lift off for the 2026 event.

FAIRPORT ACOUSTIC

It is, without question, the most eagerly awaited chime of year. When the Cropredy village church signals that it’s 4pm on the second Thursday of August meaning that Fairport’s Cropredy Convention is, once again, open for business. Oh – happy, happy days!

The shortest set of the extended weekend is always one of the most joyous as Fairport Acoustic transform the mood of the still-assembling audience from one of anticipation to one of sheer pleasure. The weather helps too, of course and, this year, it’s a scorcher. The space in front of the stage is rammed for a good hour before Fairport make their appearance. It’s the only shade available in the field!

Compere, AJ Clarke, strides onstage and, after leading the audience in a round of applause for the recently-deceased David Balfour, introduces the show-openers as the church clock strikes four pm.

”You’re looking beautiful and sun-kissed,” says Chris. “That was a good drink, wasn’t it? Sunkist?”

ONE WORD CHORUS

Festival Bell has been the opening song at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention for the past 15 years and, it’s fair to say that most of Fairport’s loyal audience have, by now, got the hang of the song’s one-word chorus. It’s a great song and the pleasure it generates as the realisation dawns – ‘We’re REALLY here’ – is a joy to experience.

”Wonderful song,” says Peggy. “Let’s hope that we hear it for many, many more years.” THAT statement alone raises a cheer. Dedicated to the late, great Dave Swarbrick, Banks of the Sweet Primroses is next. Collected from Rottingdean folklorists the Copper family, it prompts Peggy to remark that “Swarbrick loved the Coppers. And the coppers loved him – especially in Devon…!” Primroses is a favourite, so to hear it played on such a hot, sun-drenched day was a special experience.

“This is the only festival that can boast that every member of its audience has morris danced at least once, thanks to Richard Digance,” quips Chris in his introduction to The Happy Man, renamed for today as ‘The Happy Person.’ It’s another fine, joyful song – one that reflects Chris’s long-term involvement with the local Adderbury Morris side. As already noted, Fairport’s opening salvo is always a short, sweet affair and, this year, it was rounded off by a blast through Huw Williams’ Travelling By Steam, another song with a morris connection.

BANTER

The first spot after Fariport’s traditional welcome is never the easiest but Banter perfectly set up the mood for the weekend . A steady pounding by drummer Tim Walker accompanies the band as they appear one by one. Nina Zella’s twinkling keyboards and the jigging accordion from Simon Care add to the bass fills from Mark Jolleyin the build up for Jake’s Rift which all have a jazzy touch. Trumpet adds to the infectious rhythm they regularly reveal in the set.

So we’re off and running; a wonderful start. Banter stay close to their traditional roots with a new version of Hard Times Of Old England, a new verse promoting unity in these modern times. A song cheekily dedicated to brothers and sisters in the audience on the theme of incest and death follows with Sheath and Knife; a grim story told with swinging accordion and yearning vocals for the Celtic ballad.

Previously played on Mark Radcliffe’s Radio Show showed they had no fear when playing a version of pop classic, Roxanne.Some purists may have queried whether this is folk music but if its about a person. surely it’s folk?! What next…Lola?!

NEVER FAR FROM A SHANTY

A shanty is never far away from a folk set even though today we are far from the coast. The reggae style version of Haul Away Joe has funky keyboards and adds a refreshing twist to shanty songs. Conversely, a song steeped in folk tradition, New York Girls gets an ingenious shanty feel, They stay as close to tradition as they could with Young Man, dedicated to Ashley Hutchings. Another folk legend, John Tams, was honoured with a superb interpretation of Lay Me Low which Tams had already praised himself.

The set came to a close with Miss Thompson’s / The Derry Reel and a rendition of Incredible String Band’s arrangement of Black Jack Davy which shuffled along at a jaunty pace . We couldn’t have had a better start.

SOFT MACHINE

This year’s dose of  memorable Prog Rock adds a little jazzy fusion and a dose of extended improv. All par for the course for a band whose history stretches back to the Sixties and a staggering array of members past and present. The present incarnation is no less worthy of the name. The warmly admired new music of 2026 makes a fair chunk of the set, and that’s before the rush of nostalgia that sweeps in when John Etheridge works up Allan Holdsworth’s brilliant fifty year old  riff from Hazard Profile that forms part of, what else, but a closing medley.

And the current Soft Machine are no slouches. Theo Travis swings between his trademark sax and keys while almost in the wings, new(est) boy Asaf Sirkis provides what’s so much more than just a rhythm section with Fred Theolonius Baker up centre. He’s thrown into the spotlight as Etheridge break a string early doors – “legend!” calls someone in the front row – must be a Prog thing to break a string and carry on – sort of. However, the Floyd Rose bridge system means a ‘change a string while you’re still playing’ trick isn’t possible so what starts as an apologetic doodle to fill the time, develops into an increasingly stirring bass led improv. All very Prog Rock!

ALL PRETTY DAMN COSMIC

The set picks up with Lemon Poem Song and Turmoil spotlit from the new record, the latter doing exactly what it says on the tin. Almost free-form, maybe everyone doing their own thing in their own space as somehow it all comes together. Amidst some pretty serious noodling and not being averse to some dreamy interludes,, there’s the appearance of Fairport’s ex-Soft, Ric Sanders to throw in the sort of thing we occasionally see in the day job. The type we see where he veers off into the psychedelic ether (probably the Pretty Damn Cosmic one according to the logo on his shirt) during Sloth – testing his pedal board to the n^th. The bass drops some depth charges, the sax emits some dangerous snarls  and Mr Etheridge declares “up here it was out there!”

A 2026 reminder of the untired/untested ambitions of the pioneering work of ELP and Crimson. And all from the comfort of your camping chair.

MATT BRAGG

Usually we have to wait to the Saturday midday to get our bundle of laughs. This year with the absence of Mr. Digance the organisers experimented with a short stint from Matt Bragg, who is becoming ever popular on the comedy scene.

Matt has Cropredy connections; his father was long time compere, Bobby Bragg. Having a more modern comedian is an experimental choice. Some of the gags didn’t land as they should have and a few might have struggled with his set. Some of his funnier moments include having a dig at rip off coffee shop owners, spoilt footballers, over-egging musical theatre and a quick exchange with a heckler.

Soon to be on tour with Kevin Bridges, he will be more likely to find a receptive audience to his confident delivery of his observations of life. Maybe next year, the Cropredy management could look at bringing David Eagle back for a comedy turn.

TURIN BRAKES

In 2022, Turin Brakes blew the field away at Cropredy. So, for Cropredy 2026, they’re back and reaching a 25 year milestone of their first album, The Optimist LP. In an interview with BBC Radio Oxford, the band mention that they have a compilation on the horizon for next year, so that is one to look out for.

That being said, how did their 2026 turn stack up? Well, it is clear that the band are absolutely overjoyed to be on the Cropredy stage once again. They are all wide eyed smiles and have a great crowd to play to, who, also enjoy the fact that the sun starts to dip creating a beautiful sunset. The band remark that the conditions remind them of a festival slot they had in Texas. I think that says a lot about the temperature!

When The Optimist LP came out in 2001, it was part of a new indie movement and Turin Brakes were certainly a part of that moment in time. As noted in 2022, drummer Rob Allum is a Cropredy veteran, having attended several iterations of the festival as a punter. He, once again, is very happy to be here. As are his band mates. They deliver another high quality set that takes in many points across their ten album discography.

CRANK UP THE VOLUME

What stands out most about Turin Brakes is that they are far more than an acoustic led band. They really know how to turn the volume up and revel in cranking it up. Eddie Myer is a charismatic presence on bass, and has a great relationship with Rob Allum in the rhythm section. Olly Knight is lead vocalist and plays many of the acoustic/rhythm sections. Like Myer and Allum, he has a great connection with lead guitarist Gale Paridjanian.

Paridjanian peels off plenty of neat solos through the bands set with all band members happy to take on the crowd with a bit of light patter. It is also with their collective voice in harmony where they impress as well. Pain Killer (Summer Rain) is still the bands highest charting single and one that they wheel out at the end. A one hit wonder Turin Brakes are not, though. Give it a few more years and they’ll be back at Cropredy. It is a lovely connection that they have with the crowd, and they ‘get’ the festival.

LE VENT DU NORD

‘The wind of the north’ brings something more akin to a tornado to Cropredy on an overwhelmingly balmy Thursday evening.  It’s been blisteringly hot and a cool breeze, ne’er mind wind or other cooling atmospheric condition, is most welcome.  Perhaps ‘Cinq Hommes Souriants’ might be a more apt name for the gentlemen who’ve been gracing some of the Folk festivals and beyond for some time now. –Do your own Google translate if necessary, suffice to say that Le Vent Du Nord bring nothing but sheer joy and exuberance with their Québécois enthusiasm and energy.

And it literally is a the innate foot-tapping that drives much of what they do with a rattling and rolling percussive propulsion from one or another of the quintet. Their responsibility to urge on their fellow ‘amis’ both on stage and off, coaxing a second, or even third wind from those on the field. Proof too that you can have just as much fun sitting or standing, although standing is usually best.

A TRANSCENDED BARRIER

Indeed, the language barrier is transcended as the theme of ‘neighbours’ and respect for one another – even those on the Southern states of their continent, can rise above. It’s not all about musical  spirit and vivacity though. The five voices combine in some stirring unaccompanied passages, yet the excitement reaches the sort of crescendo reserved for special occasions as fiddle duels with hurdy gurdy and assorted string instruments – the sight of the hurdy gurdy stalking the edge of the stage seemingly the folk equivalent of the Heavy Metal foot on the monitor.

Of course, they can’t get away that easily and another pied- tapping,  encore un fois sees the Thursday headliners nail an audio visual spectacle under the lights, but you know that Le Vent Du Nord would dispense the same rousing and roof raising at any time of day.

Read out Day Two round up here.

All live photography by Mike Ainscoe for At The Barrier.

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