TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

   [;-)  Don't know if this has been raised before, but here goes:

    Wouldn't it be better if Fairports annual Festival moved to somewhere different? Somewhere well-outside the North Oxfordshire folk-rock belt, I mean.

  As several people have pointed out before, it's now become an established local event and consequently attracts many people who are only interested in 'event culture', rather than the music or the friendship, along with the sundry parasites, thieves and troublemakers who coalesce at the fringes of any major gathering for want of anything better to do.

  By relocating the festival somewhere wholly different, Fairport could be assured of bringing with them the large and established body of fans and, by doing so, recreate something of the happier atmosphere that clung to the Festival in the eighties and early nineties.

    What say you?

                                         Ian  [;-)  :)

and what part of our little sceptered isle is **** free?

sellafield perchance?

No-one suggested that any of it was, Jim.

I just wondered where you would take it, to be assured of no neds

btw sellafield would do nicely for me, i was born not 4 miles away
i suppose that could explain quite a lot

what are the local wasps like?

 I wasn't suggesting that you could eliminate trouble by moving the Festival, merely that you might reduce it at the same time as improving the integrity of the event. Sorry if that sounds a bit precious, but I hope you understand what I mean.

                                                               Ian  :)

big buggers,they can smell fear

can't see quite what could be achieved by moving by moving croppers. i also have a feeling of deja vu on this one. did someone once suggest the west indies?
nothing wrong with the security at cropredy. it just needs to be enforced.
thames valley police were conpicuous by their absence last year. when the cats away, the mice will play.

Near Sellafield?

Two heads and a metre wingspan.

Paul

What was the atmosphere like then in the 80's and 90's?????????

pretty much as it is today, except that the local 'yoof' hadn't caught onto it.
2 years ago they stopped the bikers and backpackers camping on the cricket field as a result of which the banbury under-age drinking club dispersed themselves around the entire site.

The Other Place and the Funfair, the main sources of night-time trouble last year (I have no doubt) are not around this year. I reckon if there are still big problems then it may be worth looking at, but you have to make a real effort to get to those fields for just a bit of mischief - much more likely near or in a town and/or where there are bloodsucking events on the back of what I believe is a fundamentally peaceful event.

Having some difficulty with the logic of the proposition.............

For those of us who travel from a considerable distance, part of the charm - a large part- is the location. Cropredy & banbury are as much a part of the whole experience as the music and the people. I guess it's up to those of us who go for the music and the vibe to ensure that it's not hijacked by a rogue element. OK, we need more high profile policing, and perhaps more responsible enforcement of sensible drinking ( and I like my pints as much as anyone else), but I can't see that there's any benefit in moving to a different location.

Not sure, there's something deeply comforting about seeing the sights and sites around Cropredy in August. The anticipation builds as soon as something familiar comes into view.
I used to work in Daventry and occasionally drove past Cropredy. Even 'out of season' I would get a Pavlovian kind of reaction near that part of the A361

 Thankyou all for your thoughts; I'm not trying to start the 'festival must be moved' campaign, particularly as it's so convenient for me where it is  ;D

   My suggestion was mainly in response to two fairly well-known and well-established controversies which were doing the rounds in 2005:

   Firstly, when it looked as though the Festival might cease altogether after 2004, quite a few people here made their feelings clear that they thought the Festival had become too big - in several senses of the phrase - and that a fresh start in scaled-down form might help the event regain the intimacy and integrity of earlier years.

   Secondly, that the trouble and antagonism experienced by some Festivalgoers in 2005 was not just the result of inadequate security, but also because, as a well-established event attracting tens of thousands of people, it was a juicy target for opportunist thieves and chancers looking to make a bit of money on the side - not to mention local yoof out to create noise and hassle to alleviate their own boredom. It seemed to me that a smaller event in a different location might refresh the whole experience and bring some new vitality to the Festival and to the Fairport career.

    Only a thought, but I'd love to hear if anyone out there DOES agree with me - even just a little bit!  ;D

                                          Thanks again, Ian  [;-)

I don't honestly think you could move the festival anywhere else.

It wouldn't be the same festival, and wherever it moved to the same people who are only interested in 'event culture', rather than the music or the friendship, along with the sundry parasites, thieves and troublemakers who coalesce at the fringes of any major gathering for want of anything better to do. would go with it.

And the goodwill of the village and it's residents has been built up over many many years and is part of the inherent 'vibe' of this festival.

You couldn't take that goodwill with it and without it, it wouldn't be Fairport's Cropredy Convention would it?

This is only in my opinion obviously,

And anyway I'd have to travel further ;D :o

Jude :D

When you see the reaction of locals to some other events then I think we are very lucky to be able use the current location with the massive vote of goodwill from the residents. And now that the village is slightly dependent on the festival, what would it do if we left?  We've got something unique and very precious, let's not destroy it.

Is it too big? I've never really thought so but I've only been going since mid 90's.
I think it's about right, even when it sold out.

Back in the mid/late 80s Jonah would always announce from the stage - "if you've enjoyed the weekend please don't tell your friends"  :)

It is a shame that the audience has altered, I think especially over the last ten years, but you can never really go back. It is sad that a lot of the punters aren't really serious Fairport fans - I'm always amazed at people asking questions like who Swarb is, "who's that doddery old granny on the piano?" (it was poor Beryl Marriott).

The local youth never really bothers me to be honest. They're the most middle-class yobs you could wish for and I find if you let them know you're around, you can get a nice quiet night.

In some cases, yes, I had a go at a couple of 'em buggering about near our tent and ended up having a polite chat, mostly about the lack of local amenities and entertainment.
Can't speak for the rest of them.

My thought exactly Jim... Though maybe not with those choice words...lol ;D 8)

Concise

.Paul.

Cropredy is definitely the highlight of my musical year, but to be totally honest it does seem to have lost a little of the intimacy of earlier years.I agree with Alex,that the audience has altered quite a bit.I'm always amazed and dismayed at how some punters will happilly chat loudly throughout a performers act,completely oblivious of the wonderful music,and hard work thats going on in front of their eyes.Still...every man to his own I guess!At the end of the day,it's their loss!!....... Cropredy is still the most friendly festival,in a lovely location with the very best music.Far too good to be spoilt by a few negatives!.........

.... and the Oxford Canal goes right through the village too... 

and The Bridge Stores is the BEST general shop in the world.. what would THEY do without us???

Why does this matter? Seriously I don't understand. When I first went to Crops I didn't have an extensive knowledge of all things Fairport. It didn't stop me loving it and returning the next year and the next and the next...Surely people shouldn't have to pass some sort of test before they are allowed to buy a ticket

rachel

When I there in '99, I saw only three police officers - and they seemed to actually be there to HELP people instead of presenting an aura of intimidation to keep the audience in line.  Anytime you have 15000+ people congregating each year, your going to have some degree of unfortunate behavior, but as long as the style of music we all love is off the mainstream radar, I think Cropredy is in no more danger of bad conduct than dealing with some misfit cousins at a family reunion.

It seemed to be generally agreed that the increase in trouble last year, was due to the other place, which isn't happening this year. There will always be some elements that go out to spoil things, for their own selfish aims, but I think I'm right in thinking that last year was 'unusual' in this respect.

If Fairport took their Festival elsewhere, then like most I'd go wherever it was held... it wouldn't be quite the same for me though, Cropredy has a magic all of it's own. The warm welcome and friendliness of the local villagers is a very big part of the overall feel I think.
Having said that it worries me a little that   "   Firstly, when it looked as though the Festival might cease altogether after 2004, quite a few people here made their feelings clear that they thought the Festival had become too big - in several senses of the phrase - and that a fresh start in scaled-down form might help the event regain the intimacy and integrity of earlier years.".   If the villagers are starting to feel unhappy with the Festival, then some of the magic would go.

mic

Agreed 100%.  The first time I went to Cropredy (80's) I'd heard of Fairport, but that was about all, I was strictly rock & metal back then.  It is almost entirely down to Fairport and that first Cropredy that I now enjoy such a broad range of different styles of music.  It is also Cropredy that first introduced me to a festival scene considerably more hospitable and laid back than the likes of Donnington and Reading at the time.  As virtually all of my annual leave is now devoted to small / medium sized festivals, Cropredy is a very special place for me.  Would I go if the festival were elsewhere ?  Most likely (depending on line up - there's so many more quality festivals to choose from these days), but it just wouldn't be 'Cropredy'.

I'm not so much referring to those going to their first Cropredy, just getting into Fairport etc - who I doubt would make some of the disrespectful comments you hear - but there does seem to be quite a few there who don't really have any interest in getting into Fairport. You've only got to look at the discprepancy between Cropredy attendance vs winter tour/album sales. That is a bit of a shame for what was/is "Fairport's Annual Reunion" and I don't think it helps the atmosphere, which I think is largely due to the warmth the fans feel towards the band and vice versa.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Do I sniff the unmistakable smell of a ladder being pulled up here? It's not like it used to be? We don't want new people who don't know their fiddler from their elbow? Come on guys, it's fantastic to see old friends there, sure, but it's also wonderful to see new people every year. We took five newbies last year who didn't have a clue who any of the Fairports were and god help us didn't know the words of "Meet on the Ledge". But did they have a good time? Of course they did. Did they detract from the atmosphere? Of course not. They thought it was the best thing they'd ever been to. And they are even younger than me.

I first went to Cropredy in 1979 aged 24. I got disgustingly drunk and would now be considered to be an anti-social yoof, no doubt. I'm still going aged 51. It's changed a lot since then. Thank God. Everything changes. We all get older. The beauty of Cropredy is that it's always the same and always different.

Glastonbury has an effing great barrier round it and security guards all over the effing place, but there's a hell of a lot more petty crime there than you'll ever get at Cropredy.

It is your solemn responsibility to ensure that Virgins are suitably broken in before arrrival, by pre-festival training in beer consumption and verse recognition. ;D ;D

No, no, no! A great part of the attraction for me of Cropredy is that rural, village setting- something very traditional, middle-earth "English" about it all, that is very secure and comforting- and I write as a person of Welsh birth but Polish descent- nothing English about me. It's the setting, the village atmosphere, the rowing club/village hall breakfasts, the unique atmosphere of the two village pubs, the camping in fields with views of the Eastern Cotswolds in the distance, and as well as that, the ease of travel from virtually anywhere in the country. How could that be re-created anywhere else?   Seems to me the arguments for moving it are about what would be happening anyway, wherever the festival was moved- in fact, it could attract more of the thieves/rip-off merchants if it was moved, because it would inevitably move to greater commercialization, and publicity to attract the opportunist undesirables. The problem is how to get shot of the Banbury "chav" types from coming to Cropredy, and the organized robbers- who are more of a problem at other festivals anyway. Hopefully, the absence of the "fairground" and increased security as well as tighter restrictions on who exactly is camping where with what festival tickets, may eliminate or at least decrease the problem this year.

I last visited  cropredy 2 years ago , you remember the lousy sound system, Wadworths running out of beer. Well that was it for me , surrounded by loud bores, no view [bloody umbrellas, beach tents] and too many people camping out on fast groundsheets causing all sorts of problems.
My local rag gives the festival 2 pages each year, come and bring the kids etc. My heart sinks.
I know that it's a welcome payday for peggy and the boys but does it have to be so crowded.
Sorry to appear so negative but after 30 years of following fairport around the country I do feel strongly about Croppers and the fact that it's going so mainsteam.

And to this end I'll be supplying my brother-in-law with a version of all the songs from Fairport's Cropredy 2005 set list before he goes to Cropredy this year so he can practice - he already knows how to drink. ;)

Back on topic - I have to say that for me seeing the stage for the first time as you drop into Cropredy does get the old heart going, there really is something special about the place so I wouldn't like to see it moved.  I'm not even sure that the event has got too big, after all it's the headliners that determine the crowd size, I just think the last couple of years had been unusual.

In 2004 we had the increased 'security' which changed the atmosphere somewhat - for the first time ever I didn't really feel welcome at Cropredy, and then last year we had 'The Other Place' and all the associated trouble that went with it.  Both of these problems now seemed to have been addressed so hopefully this years event will have a "feel" to it that we regulars are more accustomed to.

Now if only we could stop the land grab in the arena…………………………………  >:(

Dunc

This is probably a more pertinent issue than moving the venue!!

I raised this issue quite some time ago, when but a newbie...............and was roundly, and soundly, lambasted.

It's hard to make the event financially viable if numbers were greatly restricted; that we understand. On that basis, as it grows, it's hard to keep the intimacy and the feeling of "belonging" that Cropredy is so wonderful for. I helped swell numbers by bringing  some people  with me last year who hadn't been before.

However, I have felt over the last couple of years, that it's becoming more about going to be seen, than to enjoy the music and what's happening on stage. If there's someting I'm not keen on, or friends I want to chat with, I'll go to the bar or back to the tent; but as I did say before, we were finding it hard to hear at all last year for the sheer number of people talking loudly / singing etc - and from not that far up the hill  ! I knew it was "Hiring Fair" 'cos they said so, but I didn't hear a bl**dy note of it..............

So i guess what i'm saying is that I'd be totally opposed to a move to another location, and it's not necessarily the increased attendance - or the "mainstreaming" - but the attitude of those attending that perhaps needs a little review...........................

So if I read  some of the above posts correctly.  People attending Croppers should

1/.. Be fans of FC
2/.  Not bring more than say 2 people
3/ Only talk at the bar or back at tent
4/  Stand up for 3 days

 :-[

Well as a Cropredy "newbie" (last year was my first) I can't really debate any of the above arguments cos I have no other Cropfests to compare it with ::)

All I know is that I had a great time, enjoyed the music, enjoyed the "craic" and met some super people ::)

And guess what folks, in 100 days from pretty much RIGHT NOW, it's all going to happen again. Huzzah! {:-)

YIPPEEEE!!!! {:-) {:-)

1. You don't need to be a fan of FC but at least have some respect for those who want to listen to the chaps.  BTW I hadn't got a clue who Fairport were the first time I went to Cropredy.

2. I fail miserably on point 2 - Three Cropredy virgins in our party (so far) this year.

3. Again people should show a little respect for everyone around them, and also the artist on the stage when it comes down to it.  I hate the loud conversations down at the front.  >:(

4. If you can stand up for 3 days at Cropredy you are doing something wrong - Hic.  ;D

I dunno. Is this some other Cropredy you're all moaning about? It doesn't anything like the one I've been going to all these years.

Here's an idea for those of you who obviously can't stand the rest of us being there. Set some speakers up in your back garden. Lie down on the grass, close your eyes and IMAGINE you are there.

It's a festival for goodness sake. People talk, laugh, drink and play. You'll be asking us to pay due respect and not clap between the songs next.

And whatever you do do not dance.

We were asked to sit still during Fairports set a couple of years ago by a couple who had 'come to watch the music'  ??? ??? ???.

We were way up the hill. We were not blocking their view. We were not making a noise. We were just jiggling about to the music.

Sadly we had not realised it was a seated concert venue.

Sandra

Sandy. How very dare you!!!!!!!!!!!!

And make sure you don't burn insence sticks.... oh no... 

We were once 'told' off by a couple sitting in front of us.. 

...even though they were blowing their smoke all over us and the young children that were with us... >:(

Few nerves touched there eh??????????????????

Nobody wants to take the fun out of Cropredy - otherwise you're right, we may as well all stay at home. Think we're just suggesting a little consideration for others. Everybody has to live together for three days.

Terminal moaners should be identified by a large red inflatable finger floating just above them..............................but also no reason why stewards shouldn't be told if someone is creating a nuisance and spoiling the enjoyment of others.

So - can we dance with you this year, Sandy ??

There is a point there though, I don't think it's out of order to suggest that people perhaps have some consideration for others. Of course that also applies to not being petty and moaning at someone for very little - as Sandy and Amy mention. But I would say that there some fair complaints though, things like:

Talking noisily down the front when people are there to listen - especially during the quieter/acoustic acts
Laying out vast blankets/groundsheets and then glaring when someone inadvertently steps on the corner
Putting up tall chairs down the front so anyone without a chair has the option of standing up or sitting on the grass and not seeing a thing

Most of it's just common sense to be honest, and people shouldn't really have to moan, people should just know better.

Ah!  A like minded soul!

i have been following this thread and resisted the urge to antagonise people with my opinions until now.
as for moving the location, well i love the village of cropredy and the canal etc, but i dont go to the festival BECAUSE its at cropredy, i go to cropredy BECAUSE the festival is there.
i would go regardless of location.

and as for just about all the other 'negative' comments, i think cropredy is the safest most civilised outdoor camping festie i've ever been to, with or without 'the other site' and with or without 'increased' security.
i wouldnt let my kids run free at any of the other big music festies for people to give them drugs and rob them (cos if you've ever been to glasto or reading, for example, you'll know that that does happen there as a matter of course)

and as for keeping still and keeping quiet - not a hope in hell.
i buy my ticket like everybody else and i want to enjoy myself.
until i see behavioural guidelines in the small print on the ticket, i'll dance and sing and sit or stand as i feel the need.
it's not the royal albert hall, its a field in the countryside.
thats the essence of a festival, its a whole.weekend, outdoor experience totally removed from seated indoor performances, where even i observe the required etiquette.

compared to a lot of other festivals, crop takes top prize in most categories, and it would be easy to lose sight of this if one has nothing else to compare it to........

 {:-)

maybe somthing could be set up so as the people who want to sit in silence could have the footage sent directly to their living rooms, where they can close the curtains and ignore the door for three days, only pausing their mausoleum respect to whisper grumpilly at their friends about the lack of atmosphere.. :-\

Well - yes, but...............let's just say that you want to see / listen to Ashley H., and I don't. Just'cos I have a ticket it doesn't give me the absolute right to stand in front of you, shout, dance or otherwise unreasonably interfere with your view / ability to hear the band.

Those sort of absolutes don't help anybody - as I've said, it's just a questoin of behaving reasonably and responsibly - and I'm gonna drink a lot of beer, and sing, and dance, and stay up late, but not to the detriment of anyone else's enjoyment hopefully - and I will move if asked nicely. ( I'm really too good to be true...............)'Nuff said

so it was you, i thought as much >:(

having respect for people is, IMO, something that all human beings should practice, wherever they are, and i'm not on about jumping up and down on other people's toes just to p*ss them off...........
i rarely go to indoor 'sit down' do's because i prefer the freer atmosphere of a festy; thats my choice, and i dont condemn those who prefer the more regimented atmosphere of an indoor do, i think we should all recognise the difference between the two tho, and make our choices according to what we know will be, instead of what we'd like it to be....

and now i think i'm seriously off topic........

what is the capacity for the cropredy convention anyway?

Somewhere around 20k if I remember correctly...

thaks goaty.
thats quite big really innit?

i mean for just one stage?

Yeah, don't think it's ever actually max'd out though.

And just to add my on topic tuppence worth, if I want to experience a performance in all it's sonic glory, I'll go see an indoor tour show.  Case in point, Nick Harper, blew me away at Cropredy, also blows me away in places like the Muso, where you could frequently hear a pin drop during quieter moments.

There is a sure fire way of sorting out the talking down the front thing while FC are playing though, just make it so loud that conversation is simply not viable  ;D

I think it did in 2002 the 35th Anniversary year.

Or so I heard anyway................... 8)

Jude

97 as well, Jude....23,000 that year (officially)

Well I knew it was one of them.......... ::) :D

Jude

OMG does that mean I've got to get drunk again and end up singin MOTL with you Shirl  ;D [;-) {:-)

MikeC

P.S. Hope so  8) :-*

I have to say that the Cropredy crowd does seem to get ever more intolerant and inconsiderate. Which isn't a happy combination.
You do seem to have to keep moving ever further forward to avoid the crowd being loader than the music.

Bl**dy H*ll Sandra, next thing you know they'll be telling us not to dance down the front when groups like the Mahones are on  :o

Ok - I'll compromise

No problem with the singing - or the dancing - but if you're gonna eat those vegetarien curries, can you stay well downwind........................watch the flags for wind direction............

Ok greglin, we'll agree to compromise. Let anyone who wants eat a veg curry eat it in Field 2  ;D

Agreed - subject to wind direction, of course..............

And will that stop us  ;D ;D

Greglin - The Talkawhile dance is a set feature at Cropredy. All members welcome to join in. You will have to wait until MikeC and I have had our salsa though (I am not doing it with that Nuthouse again - he dropped me at Eliza Carthy's feet at Oxford during a particularly exuberant throw back!)

To me Cropredy would not be Cropredy without a bit of a dance. We do not harm anyone (intentionally) and have actually earned the odd round of applause (or at least the crowd around us have found it vaguely amusing). There are photos somewhere.

However, I do find loud talkers, shouters and faller overers very annoying, especially for the quieter acts.

Don't start me off on chairs at the front!!!!!!! Chairs have their place. Its beyond the sound tower.

Sandra

[/quote]



Greglin - The Talkawhile dance is a set feature at Cropredy. All members welcome to join in. You will have to wait until MikeC and I have had our salsa though (I am not doing it with that Nuthouse again - he dropped me at Eliza Carthy's feet at Oxford during a particularly exuberant throw back!)




[/quote]


Sorry Sandra - Nuthouse sounds like my perfect partner. Provided he can guarantee to drop me right at Eliza Carthy's feet that is..............................

(My dancing is a perfect mongrel of Riverdance & the Ministry of Silly Walks......)

I'll tell you what greglin, I'll hold Nutts bottle of malt while you dance with him.  ;D

spekin of nutts where is he these days?

I don't mind what people do down the front, provided it is inaudible. But some loudmouths seem able to overwhelm the PA system.

I assume that the further back and closer to the edges people are, the more prepared they are for aural intrusions.


I'm fairly new to this (started in 2004), and I don't think I was aware of the sound tower convention when I first went. Should it be a rule? Would it be enforceable? By whom, and would they survive?

Perhaps a poll is in order, with TPTBs' attention drawn to the result?

hi adrian,
i think this was discussed a while ago, re chairs/dancing/soundtower, and the result was inconclusive.

from a respect point of view, i think anything behind the sound tower, so as not to purposefuly distort anyone's vision, would be acceptable.

i also think that, front 2 or 3 rows, should be out of bounds to chairs, so the die hards can dance with their heads in a speaker.

anything else is pot luck, free for all, take yer chances................

Ah, peer pressure. Put a chair "down front" and be danced on.

"Front-row Eddie" excepted of course.

of course darling! ;D

ps
try enforcing these rules introducing these guidelines at a motorhead gig.............HAHALOL

'sit down keep still be quiet dont swear................'
'keeep yer clothes on love............'

 ;)

Isn't this exactly what Cropredy is about? Dancing enjoying yourself ::) Last year we danced all through the rain and all through Fairports set- in fact we got everyone around us dancing too! ;)  They kind of had to really though as they'd come late on and plonked themselves right on top of us ;D ;D

Ok - so now we've established why it rains..............................no more dancing, look what happened to the Sioux. I thought the totem pole in front of the stage last year was a bit odd............

No.. it only rains when RT comes... allegedly ;D

What do you mean "allegedly"?  ;)  I reckon some of the wettest Cropredys I've been to have involved RT with a band - However, we seem to be okay if he's solo, with Danny, or guesting with Fairport.

In fact, to get back on topic (sort of), whenever the festival features RT & band it should be moved a drought stricken country - Or the SE of England at least.  ;D ;)

What happened on the Saturday of last year Penguin.. It poured.. but I can't remember if RT was there...

There was one very hot year when Peggy/Simon joked that RT was being held prisoner under a bridge in London (or something) and would only be let out after the festival.. can anyone remind us of the proper story here.. I'm a bit hazy...

CRAFT  ;D ;D

The rain coincided with RT's signing appearance at the music stall...

Make of that what you will.

Cheers

Nick

I think it coincided with some bozo celebrity or other hanging in a glass box off Tower Bridge for a month. Not being a TV watcher I can't remember his name.

David Blaine I think, I watched the live broadcast for all of about five minutes before realising absolutely nowt was happening - just some bloke sitting in a glass box staring into space.

Aha.. so THAT's what they wre referring to...  duh :-[

Thank you... ;D

Ah!  I'd forgotten about that.  Mind you I was hidden under a large German army poncho drinking beer & wine at the time so that could account for the memory loss.  ;) :D

Cheers
Dunc

Yes I think I saw the photo.. or was that Mark??

Have read thread with great interest. Despite being a fan of some 17 years, for various reasons I have only been to one Cropredy (2004) but thought it one of the most amazing experiences of my life - and no I haven't led a particularly sheltered existence - far from it! OK there's lots of people there, and some of them moaned about stuff, and I couldn't see parts of the stage due to the careful positioning of a large St George's flag, and it bucketed down (on the Friday, anyway) and some of the stalls played ridiculously loud and inappropriate thrash metal when Tiny Tin Lady were doing their melodic but delicate best, and some idiot "played" a flute ALL weekend  >:( >:(   and the pancakes were awful, and they ran out of t-shirts etc etc

BUT - the music was brilliant, the CD tent well-stocked, the roads & camping fields well-organised, the music was brilliant, the kids all seemed so happy, I bought a rain-stick, the music was brilliant, I met FC and got their autographs, and impressed Ric with my black nail varnish, there was a tremendous selection of reasonably-priced food, the music was brilliant, the beer was cold (I don't remember it running out - and I would remember a tragedy like that), the location was superb, I felt amongst like-minded people (see, I'm not the only one), the weather was superb on Saturday, the village shop was well stocked (that freshly baked bread - ah!), the Morris Dancers - and the crowd dancers - were great - and did I mention the music was brilliant?  :) :) :)

No, IMHO Cropredy shouldn't be moved. We all have to adapt to changing environments  (don't leave valuables unsecured, be tolerant of others etc) but that's modern life and Cropredy without the Cropredy just doesn't seem right somehow. The goodwill of the locals, the layout of the fields, the views around Cropredy and the sun setting behind the stage - this couldn't be replicated anywhere else.

Long live Croppers and roll on August!! ..... although on second thoughts Fairport's Cardiff Convention has quite a ring to it .... and we have got the stadium .... with real toilets .... and a roof ... and big screens .... and huge fields to camp just across the road .... and

Maybe not.

Well said Bridgwit.  2000 I stood in THAT field for the first time and the sun set behind the stage it was Saturday night about 8.00 ish the atmosphere was buzzy.  I'd had a fabulous weekend, marvelled at the numerous stalls and food, spoken to loads of people who speak to you just because, had a laugh in field 7, been totally entranced by the village of Cropredy, been well fed by the breakfasts provided by the local church.  Enjoyed some superb music all weekend, danced, laughed, cried.  Cropredy!  On came Fairport Convention.  Nuff Said.

I have mentioned ( moaned loudly ) about this before.....

I'm not a violent man , and not into blood sports, but if Catweazle and his bl**dy flute are on that bridge at 06.00 any morning of this year's Cropredy, than he had better know how to swim !!! At the very least, he could take lessons.................he was quite without exception the most talentless "musician" I have ever heard.................... >:( >:(

WE, the audience, are a large part of what keeps Croppers going and make it what it is.

At the age of 59 (oh God) I still have an idiot dance or two at the front. I meet loads of old and new friends. I don't really mind the hooray henries, the noisies, the drunks - or the chairs I suppose  ::).  Other people even put up with me!!

I and several of our extended party of elderly voluntary patients have been turning up since 1979 and we can remember the early years when there was a line of comatose bodies in front of the stage at midnight on Saturday, surrounded by 4 gallon scrumpy flagons. No doubt some of these lovely people are now pillars of the community, complaining that Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be - or maybe they're dead.

After all these years I, like a lot of other posters apparently, get a tremendous buzz when I walk into that field on Thursday  - must be my hearing aid. It wouldn't be the same anywhere else.

Anyway I believe Croppers gets a much bigger audience than C*mbr*dge F*lk F*stival.

Cheers - Ed (PS if it rains again this year, me mate Roy has an LWB Land Rover with, I believe, a winch, so don't worry about the car getting stuck)     

been going since '84 on a motorbike. never got stuck once. Can't work it out myself. unless i had a shovel

Thanks Ed, I'll bare the offer in mind if it rains. How many tons can a landrover pull?

Paul

Am prepared to be hooted at on this one  :-[ , but.............I could only do the Saturday last year - and had a few bevvies - and was too vain to wear my glasses - but I didn't see the wonderful English Sausage Company's stall . Were they there?

man cannot live on goat's cheese pasties alone.............................I need my sausage levels frequently topped up

Do you mean the Real Sausage Company? They were definitely there as we lined up our pitch by them, so the kids could find their way "home".

Sorry - that's the one !! glad to hear they are still functioning - i can taste those saussies as I write.................wonder if they do online shopping ?

"I need my sausage levels frequently topped up."  Oh, I know, I KNOW ::)

BEHAVE YERSELF SHIRL!!!

Well................................... :-[ :-[ :-[

i had been going to add a comment to my earlier post regarding the respective merits of beef or pork - am I glad I didn't...................




Edit: TOPIC DRIFT ALERT

Given the heading on this thread it seems bloody amazing that I haven't placed the Jacques two drachma in the pot... So 'ere goes:

Move from Cropredy and it would simply be an annual few days in the country somewhere else. The longevity of the whole thing has been one of its main attractions through thick and thin. I mean one year I recall Tull fans attending en masse - that was boring because the collective IQ level appeared to have fallen markedly... Too many quasi Goths (god I detest fecking Goths) etc.

I liked the very early reunion days... You could walk into the other field and know by sight at least almost everyone there. Still wanted to avoid most of 'em (he he he) but it was a coterie...

Now? Its success is down to its appeal to all and sundry... A day in the country. An increasingly smaller percentage attend who have the faintest idea who or what Fairport is or are. And in all honesty the band have played to that LCD... ever-more anodyne pap acceptable to a wider and wider, less and less critically astute or focused catchment.

No point in changing the venue, the scum and detritus in this increasingly Third World Country will traipse to wherever there are open car doors, booze, innocent civilians etc etc. But FC will have to sort out bad press stuff like the yobs last year. I am sure the tactics of reasoning with them will be suggested.

Me? I prefer the idea of steaming into the slags and re-enacting the battle of Cropredy Bridge.

Yours, placatory as ever

Chere Jaques!! -So where've you been hiding then? We've missed your incisive comments lately. ;)
I disagree of course (well, mostly, -to a degree...) but it's still the event I plan my year around, and the number of familiar faces is ever-growing: it even includes a few of those Goths now. Perhaps you should swallow your cer-mudgeonly instincts and give it another try?

I have been "away" Polly! Not too bloody well rather than in the proverbial nick.... you know what they say: "Sickness & Diseases Pull You Down, Pull You Down...". One of my favourite "late early" period FC songs... love that lyric:

      "My friend Willie well he looks so ill,
       His face as white as milk...
       Everybody runs for miles when he's in town!
       He's got every known disease -
       And some without a name"

I may make it to Cropredy this year (so many of my mates go etc etc) but will definitely be there for the Hutchings-Thompson-Mattacks-Pegg-Nicol-Swarbrick-Dyble-Matthew sessh in 2007... all things being equal.

Now... back to curmudgeon.com

Hey Jack,

Did we see you at an Eighteenth Day of May concert at Oxford Zodiac recently?

I think that's the character that actually comes from the same small Welsh town that I was born near.He is there most years I think. Whatever, he was "playing" the church yard outside the Red Lion last year, and even believing people should give him money! By far the worst busker I have ever heard.

Ah now, if we can identify from whence he comes, can we do owt to make sure he stays there, and doesn't come within a witches gowl of Cropredy. Nothing outrageous - nailing one foot to the floor would make me happy. Or perhaps hiding his flute - where he can't reach around for it.....................................

Naaah... none too bloody well... getting better now. The EDOM's album is an absolute delight. I'll catch up with Ben and the chaps soon j'espere.

maybe one solution to the pain in ass ers would be no satarday tickets,only weekend ones??

That would rule out a lot of non pain-in-the-ass type people, and I can't see how it would be financially viable. In any case, the general concensus is that most of the trouble is caused by people who don't have any type of ticket and are getting onto campsites through lack of security. The trouble is always oustide the main field, never in it.

It seems clear that any trouble - or thieving - or any other anti social actions will come from a very small number of people, some of whom will have come for that purpose. It will be well nigh impossible to screen them out before or when they arrive in the village.

I think the issue is how to identify any possible trouble makers / tea leaves and direct stewards / police to the appropriate location. The practical difficulty is that they can't be everywhere at once.

Given that the vast majority of us are law abiding etc , would it be possible to provide - along with wristbands, or indeed ON the wristbands -  a "hotline" telephone number on site where a report could be made, giving exact location & circumstances. Stewards / police could go immediately to the scene. I know that there are contact numbers - it would help to have them readily accessible.It seems to work in city centres when known troublemakers or shoplifters appear.

they nailed one of ian anderson's feet to the floor but it never stopped him playing the flute!!!!

I M H O,

Everyone at the Festival will have an arm band on.   

If we change the way the tickets are exchanged for armbands - eg do this offsite at a stall in say Williamscott, then no one can be in the Festival area without having an armband.

With more active security people, those WITHOUT armbands should be easy to spot.

Assuming that only those without arm bandsi are up to no good of course !!!

Trouble is Colin, it's public land with footpaths and other rights of way across it. They can close the arena area to non-payers but they can't close the campsites off.

And as you note, who's to say that troublemakers won't have tickets?

Cheers

Nick

A major problem here would be the same problem that those on the end of dialling '999' face....it'd be used as a public enquiry line.

I know I've already added my ha'p'orth (remember them old half pennies - now you really felt you had money with a few of those in your sweaty palm!) but I feel I must add some more as the thread seems to have moved from "should we move the festival" to more of a security issue. I see the solution as:
1).  Don't take anything really valuable.
2).  If you have to bring stuff (credit cards/mobile/iPod etc) carry it with you at all times. Don't ever leave anything unattended outside the main field.You might think "whoever would nick an old sleeping bag ...." some people nick anything.
3).  When you stake out your "viewing plot" speak nicely to the people sat around you - they'll be more than happy to keep an eye on your chairs/coldbox/wet weather gear as you of course will reciprocate - but carry your valuables with you when you go for a pee/drink/chow. As far as I'm aware there's never been any muggings! if you can see your valuables they're a lot less likely to be pinched.
4).  Take a decent padlock for your tent and don't leave anything outside it, even (especially) when you're in it asleep. Most thefts are caused by opportunists - make it difficult for them.
5).  Keep your bike panniers, caravan, car etc locked. Chain bicycles together.
6).  Remember that the overwhelmingly vast majority of your Cropredy Companions are lovely, honest people but it's worth taking these few measures to thwart the few bad pennies. Make it difficult for them and they'll soon move on to where it's easier.
Remember - even in the Good Old Days when we all left our front doors unlocked, there was still robbery & theft - the thing is to make it as hard as possible for them.
Oh, and if you catch anyone at it, I like the previously-mentioned idea about re-enacting the battle of Cropredy! :) :)

Sensible advice, although personally I wouldn't bother with padlocking a tent. Experience elsewhere suggests that there are, in fact, organised gangs who are perfectly capable of opening a tent with a Stanley knife with the occupants peacefully asleep inside. I've also seen the smaller 2-3 person tents with crossover poles being lifted as one and carried to a quiet part of a campsite out of surveillance range of the watchtowers.

The message is don't leave unattended anything you wouldn't be prepared to lose.

Just as important though is to remember that the vast majority of people are there for the same purpose as you - to enjoy the music and the atmosphere. Be sensible but not obsessive.

Steve

Totally agree SteveN. The padlock is really to stop opportunists, but as you say the majority of concert goers are law-abiding music lovers who are there to have a great time and enjoy themselves. And so we will!  :) :)

I STILL  prefer the idea of steaming into the slags and re-enacting the battle of Cropredy Bridge...  Maybe public hangings for thieving toerags and associated nee'er do wells and perpetrators over by the Sausage stalls?  ;D Or public flogging (and I don't mean a stall selling off old Swarb records)?

yeh i remember that is that why he played one one leg?? :o but your to young to remember that surely?(dont call me sherly)

May I say /advise you to listen to the "From Croperdy to Portmerrion " cd /record  from  track 6 to finish and tell me that that is NOT utterly ,and I mean  UTTERLY  brilliant stuff [;-).
Just leave me on the floor I`m listening to it again  [;-)