TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

OK - eyes down - here we go for the 40th celebration of all things Fairport!

First gig tomorrow night - if I can find an internet cafe on Friday morning, I'll post various things here - if I can't, you'll have to wait for my thoughts until after Southampton!

Go to it chaps!

Received a flyer today from the Spa Centre in Leamington...

"We just love to go out and play music for people......" Ric Sanderson, violinist

Bloody hell that's worse than Saunders...  why can't they get the names right!!!

Ring and tell them so that they can fix their website etc

Surely that's up to the band and their management not me..

Surely its up to anyone who sees it Amy? Turn the tables for a minute and imagine there was a mistake on one of the Farnsfield flyers/posters. Yes I know we're in the land of fantasy here but bear with me  :)

Would you want to leave it to the band to tell you of the mistake or would you want to know about it from any source so it was fixed asap?

You've shamed me into phoning.. just done it.. they will change it on their website...

Phew... I must be feeling a bit better... ::)

A friend tried on Tuesday to book 2 seats for the Tewkesbury show (tonight) - according to the booking website, all tix had been sold...

I look forward to reading reviews & comments here (and maybe a few pix, Chris?)

Shrewsbury has been sold out for  a week or so now. Doesn't always happen round these parts so thats good! :)

Andy F has been up late, posting a review and pictures of the first night at http://www.fairportconvention.com/news998.htm

I like the 'without spoiling the surprise' bit and then including a picture of Steve Ashley with Chris after the gig   ;) ....at least that's what I suppose they mean.  Do they?

Would agree with Andy F's review on Fairport's site. Tiny Tin Lady were indeed nervous - they barely said a word to the audience between songs. But they still made a much greater impression on me than they did at Cropredy - possibly due to the more intimate venue.  

As to Fairport - undeniably a first night of the tour. (In Simon's own words - "Come and see us at Cropredy - we're much better than this!".) But in spite of "glitches and raggedness" the band often pulled together and appeared both poised and relaxed (is that possible?!). The set list was an excellent mix of songs and tunes, spanning the full forty years of their collective history - and for those that are worried, not unduly dominated by material from the new album (in my opinion anyway!). Said new material was still clearly evident though. I have to confess I didn't catch a word of Galileo's Apology - not sure if that was me or them! The Bowman's Return is fun, but not as immediately listenable as the Retreat of ten years earlier. Hawkswood's Army and Edge of the World are both good and rocky, but still with enough folkiness to keep me happy.

Anyway, I enjoyed it and it looked like the chaps did too. And to set a few people's minds at rest, the CD artwork does not appear anywhere other than on the CD itself. So you're safe to buy a t-shirt (Forty Glorious Years logo).

Enjoy them when they get to you. Cheers.

James

Thanks for the review James.  Looking forward to the Brum gig now.

Nearly, Davidmjs, very nearly. There is a hint there, but you picked the wrong photo....!
Steve was in the audience, not on stage. Had a good natter after show with him. He's well.

Can't really add to James' review here & Andy's website write-up - and photos will have to wait until I get home - I'm currently on the hotel owner's laptop......good man!

Set list.....
Widow of Westmoreland
Sir Pat
Keep on Turning the Wheel
Crazy Man Michael
Gallileo
Wait for the Tide to Come In
Polly on the Shore
Bowman's Return
--------------------
Tam Lin
Your Heart & Mine
Untouchable
South Dakota
The Deserter (totally new arrangement!)
Edge of the World
WKWTTG
Hawkwood's Army
Matty / Rutland Reel
---------------
Best Wishes
MOTL

It's not the chap with the teddy bear is it?

No - he's a punter - that's John Bush. With two friends of both of us.

Try again....wrong photo!

Ric?

Gerry I reckon.

Would it spoil it to say which of you is correct? !!

    YES!!!

Hmmmm - thought so.....

Indeed, leave us a surprise!

It's unlikely we'll get as far as St Albans without someone giving the game away though...

Great shot of Steve Ashley & Chris Leslie - two Thoroughly Good Eggs.

was unsure wether or post this in here or in TUT.  Managed to drag my sorry a**e over to Brum o n Saturady to get a ticket for the gig.  managed to bag one a front row seat in the stalls!!!!  ;D ;D [;-)(Smug git? me?.............never! ;D)

Well, there's a pair on ebay currently sitting there at 99p with no bidders...  ;)

Four nights in to the tour and the band are working up a head of steam, after the few inevitable technical problems at the outset in Tewkesbury. The following night in the intimate club-like atmosphere of the Brook in Southampton, there was a great vibe and you could sense the guys were coming to terms with the new songs and the refreshed arrangements of standards.
Then it was on to the Basingstoke Anvil, this venue is always a firm favourite for the band with it's beautiful acoustics. The chaps were still a little tentative but it was clear their confidence in the new material was steadily growing. The audience in excess of six hundred included Tetsu from Tokyo, who had jetted in especially for this show. After the performance long queues formed in the foyer as fans waited patiently to chat with and have shiny new Sense of Occasion Cd's signed by their hero's.
Sunday night's Dorking Halls gig was in my view the best yet, there was an assured air about the chaps as they went about their business. They are now reasonably comfortable with the set and are steadily going up through the gears, not quite in overdrive yet but the smiles on their faces as they walked off stage at the end of proceedings said it all, FC are firmly back in the groove.

The set gets under way in traditional style with two firm favourites Widow of Westmorland & Sir Pat. then the first new tune as CL sings the self penned opening track off the new CD. Keep on Turning the Wheel, a song centered around his fond memories of the iconic VW camper van and the swinging sixties. Mad Mick is followed by PJ Wrights song Galileo's Apology, then Wait for the Tide and Polly on the Shore before the first half is brought to a close with Ric's new tune The Bowman's Return, a celebration of CL's first 10 years in the band.
The second half opens with Tam Lin which has been revisited on the new album with a new arrangement, then Ric gives us his hauntingly beautiful new composition Your Heart and Mine. CL then sings FC's version of Glenn Tilbrook's hit song Untouchable before singing another of his new songs South Dakota to Manchester, GC makes the most of this opportunity to really let fly with some wonderful rhythmic drumming. Then SN sings a tremendous version of the Deserter followed by CL's Edge of the World. SN then slows the tempo right down with Who Knows, before blowing everyones socks off with Pete Scowther's Hawkswood Army
The set closes in time honoured fashion with Matty and Rutland Reel, look out for GC's hilarious antics as the rest of the band wait for the finishing flourish.
For the encore there is a slight change in tradition, firstly there is a fabulous four part harmony, singing the Steve Ashley composition Best Wishes (no I'm not going to tell you who sings the fourth part) wait and see for yourselves. the evening is closed with the obligatory and heartily sung MOTL, it brings a lump to the throat of yours truly every time.

Finally a word or two about Tiny Tin Lady, clearly nervous at the start of the tour but they too are learning quickly and growing in confidence. Their songs are good with some catchy tunes, mixing nice harmonies with some excellent guitar playing. They are quickly winning the audience over who readily warm to them. Oh! incidently they quite cheeky too but great fun to have around. They are certainly keeping the crew and band members alike on their toes.

pics; TTL's Helen, Beth & Danni about to walk on stage last night in Dorking.
       Gareth and Francis are once again managing the merch desk, seen here with Mick Peters the tour bus driver

[attachment deleted by admin]

Superb review Martin. Thank you! ;D

Thanks Martin lovely review.

Which Deserter is it btw?

The 'other' one from recently. Took me half the number to realise what it was, as they've rearranged it completely.

Thank you Martin.. can't wait for the Lincoln gig.. anyone else going??

Nice one Martin - thanks.  I've passed on your comments to TTL ..... as you will no doubt discover later tonight!!!!  :o ;D ;)

The band have a night off tonight, Peggy and Gez are at the folk awards in London. The youngest member of the TTL Beth, had to attend school today.
My pics are not great but in the absence of any other contributers, here is one of the TTL on stage

[attachment deleted by admin]

Hi Mike, The Deserter in question is the Traditional folk song, opening line "As I was a walking"  The version I have is on the Talking Elephant Cd "The Airing Cupboard Tapes 71-74" where it is performed by Swarb.
Not to be confused with the John Richards song on Simon's solo Cd "Before your Time" (Don't Despise the Deserter)

Thanks, Martin for the review.
Watered my mouth - or is it ears in this case  ;D?

Thanks Martin, obviously misunderstand Chris's reply then as it seemed to say it was the more recent one as in the one on Simons Cd. Glad its the other.

Looking forward to March 8th  ;D

Apologies - I've re-read my earlier response.

'The one other than that heard recently' would've been better.

It's also on Liege and Lief, but are there any other FC versions? I can't find another on any of my CDs.

Its on the following

25th Anniversary CD
Rareport Convention (disc 2) from the UnConventional box set
Airing Cupboard Tapes 71-74

The 'other' version as sung by Simon is on his solo album Before Your Time, Old New, Borrowed and Blue as well as XXXV

Faustus (Benji Kirkpatrick, Paul Sartin, Saul Rose) play this song and, confusingly for me at least, introduce it as "The New Deserter"  Does that help to clear things up? :-\

Let me add my thanks, Martin, for the great review.   I can feel the vibes quite strongly way across the water in Brooklyn New York.  I wish I could be in the UK, "Land of the Wintour", RIGHT NOW!   But, real world being what it is, I'll have to be patient until 1 June at Bodles Opera House in Chester New York.  I already know I won't get to see Peggy, because he's got dates scheduled with PJ all through June.  So it will either be the Trio, or maybe Gerry will come along too this time?  But I'll be more than happy to see whoever does come!  Meanwhile, to my UK friends, I'm happy for your good fortune, ENJOY THE WINTOUR!

Cheers ///  Tom***

According to the US agent's website, it's the trio (plus Rob B)

'We were never fashionable folk' (http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/leisure/leisurehighlights/display.var.1176119.0.we_were_never_fashionable_folk.php)

Picked up a couple of tickets for the Brum gig on good ole Ebay last night, front row stalls. Seeyaz there!  :D

Seems to me that several dates into the tour there have been precious few reviews or comments about the gigs themselves. I wonder why this is, have talkawhilers not been to the early gigs, or is it simply that there isn't much to say?

Jackdaw

Good point jackdaw.
Come on folks, how are the numbers off the new CD sounding live?
Are TTL as good as those of us who saw them at Cropredy remember them?
Did anyone buy Ric a new joke book for Christmas (he says hopefully).

Lets hear from you then please.

I'm seeing them next week in Lincoln.. I will let you know...

I went to the Tunbridge Wells at the Assembly Hall gig last night so here are a few thoughts.   I always find that venue so hot ,

Tiny Tin Ladies were pretty amazing for such youngsters - quite cheeky too  – I have seen them before at Cropredy and was always impressed by the ferocity of such little ladies strumming so hard. A highlight for me was when the youngest -Tiny Tin Lady Beth (I think) announced they were going to do a number that she had written for her GCSE music course work! What a great opportunity for a bunch of talented young musicians .

The chaps were in good form – looking pretty relaxed – Ric as always wearing the tour t shirt (brown)  however Peggy had amp problems which generated a sort of interesting drone (strangely in tune with the song)  all through the opening numbers Widow of Westmorland and Sir Patrick .

Not being the biggest fan of some of Chris’s compositions (you can all shoot me now if you want) I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed his  “Keep on Turning the Wheel” which was a upbeat song about VW camper vans.   it also gave an opportunity for a bit of “who here owns a camper van” banter with the audience  while Peggy’s amp probs were fixed.

Ric’s two compositions f the new CD were both beautiful “Your Heart and Mine” and the “The Bowman's Return” - a great fiddle duel with Chris punctuated by some percussive interjections from Gerry.

New song “Untouchable” gave the usual opportunity for Gerry to emerge from behind the drum kit and nervously do some introductory waffling – as always warmly received from the audience.

 All in all a very enjoyable evening with a fabulous encore singing the harmonious Steve Ashley composition “Best Wishes” a big surprise there  finished off with Meet on the Ledge joined by the Tiny Tin Ladies and the tiniest one singing a verse beautifully.

The tour T comes in short & long sleeves. The short-sleeved has the dates on the backm the long-sleeved doesn't. I think the short is £14 & the long £20 (ouch!) they are both t-shirt material, the long is not a sweatshirt.

The long is a dasrker brown than the the short. No other new merch, except the FC album, obviously.

So what do they have on the front then, Chris?!

The 40th Anniversary design, if I remember.....you can tell that I'm not sure whether I want one, can't you.....!

Off to Leamington tonight, I understand that it's snowing again.....

It just says 40 glorious years on the front of the T's with a gig list on back.  I didn't bother getting one but I stocked up on a 3rd 2006 Cropredy shirt for just a fiver!!  WHOOOHOOO!! (sadly for anyone who is a bit skinny only available in XL - who said beer drinking is bad for your wealth?)

BROWN!!!!! :-X :(......s'pose thats to hide the curry stains.....

Hi, I'm new here but certainly not new to Fairport or to Cropredy.

You were looking for tour reviews so I thought I'd chip in. I went to the Worthing gig on Tuesday, the night after the Folk Awards so Simon kindly brought the Who Knows... award to show us. I think there were a couple of sore heads on stage from the night before.

TTL were great and always impress live, though I am less convinced by their album which I have had for about a year. Similarly I am unsure about the new Fairport disc though it certainly has some highlights. Keep On Turning The Wheel doesn't seem to work on record or live but both Edge of the World & Hawkwood's Army fit right in to the repertoire with the former being considerably more powerful live than the studio version. The Glenn Tilbrook song, Untouchable was nice too.

The Worthing audience is always a bit reserved and the show took a while to warm up but the second half got the blood pumping. The new arrangement of Matty is a partial and effective return to the Maart years with Simon on electric guitar. I always like to see that as I sometimes think the rock aspect of Fairport's folk rock has gone missing in recent years but Simon played more electric on Tuesday than I have seen in a long time. I always enjoy any rendition of Polly On The Shore & Sir Patrick Spens, highlights both for me.

Inevitably a lot of favourites were sacrificed to the new material but that is understandable. There are perhaps stronger songs on the album than a couple of the ones chosen but it takes a while to find the audience's favourites. The additional voices of TTL allowed Simon to really flex his vocal chords on Meet On The Ledge.

A good gig then, especially for so early in the tour and after the previous night's celebrations. Anyone picking up the tour later on will I am sure enjoy it but we always do don't we? Even if it is not the set list we might have chosen.

Thanks for the review...and welcome!  The above certainly constitutes good news as far as I am concerned.  I agree with you (and many others) about the need to get a little 'rock' back into that folk-rock equation.  Simon's a much underrated (including by himself) electric guitarist...he should do more more of it...  :)

Here Gareth and Francis are seen modelling the tour Tshirts,  the darker one worn by Francis is long sleeved @ £20 Gareth's short sleeved T is priced @ £15

[attachment deleted by admin]

I'm glad the electric guitar is out again - really looking forward to Sunday in Canterbury now !!

Anyone else going to the Stables at Wavendon on Wednesday???

Don't think "brown", think "chocolate"  :) :)

MMMmmm... Galaxy...  yumyum...  ;D

I always think chocolate, though I try not to wear it! ;) ;D

Oh stop! An image just leapt into my head!

(http://www.australianweddingcompany.com.au/images/bodypaint_480.jpg)

I just wish I could get along to the boys this tour, but I fear Croppers will have to do.

I cant get to any of the dates, they re never near me apart fro a couple of years ago on the acoustic tour when the came to sunny scarb.

The electric guitar might mean great things for croppers, a powerful set?

i think there might just be a couple of blokes who quite like playing electric at cropredy to help simon out

Hi all

Went to Shrewsbury on Weds.  Made following observations:

1) Sold out - that's good.

2) Chris is a great addition IMHO.  I like his higher pitched voice and I think he adds a new dimension - heard it more so this time.

3) Really started to focus on Ric and became 'irritated' (not really the right word) by the predictable phrases.  I have not really taken a great deal of notice of flak that he has had before on this board, but his style got a bit tedious even for me this time.  I feel horrid for saying it, for he is a superb musician but I keep replaying Swarb's parts in my head when I hear the 'oldies'.  Even in the post-Swarbrick stuff I feel the overworked underlining of each piece needs a shake-up.

4) Good to hear Peggy sing a bit more than usual and looking happy and relaxed.

5) Bought new album - growing on me.  17 yo son wearing it out.  He loves the 'new stuff' and I love the old, so we get value for money all round!

6) May go somewhere else later on if I can get tickets!  So must have enjoyed it!

7) The jury's out on TTL - not my cup of tea and can't really see how they fit in a Fairportish thing.  Sure they are clever, but I (and a few others) thought they mucked about too much in MOTL.  OK - Call me a miserable old f**t then!

8) Oh yes, and I like the changing of the key in Tam Lin, it could get a but monotonous at times and for me, this adds a bit of variety.

Thanks for keeping it all going lads - at the end of the day Fairport are still my favourite 'pet' band and always will be!

See you in the front row at Cropper's!

Love Nic x

Yes - forgot one more thing - I really enjoyed Simon's electric guitar making more of an appearance - just saw a comment about it, above.

Sorry , but did you say "Chris is a great addition "
 hes been in the band full time since 1996
 get with the program, eh

Oh I KNOW!  What I mean is...each time I see him I am reminded what a great addition he has become - sorry not making myself clear.  Don't think I am the only one who has that sentiment either.  Mind you, when they said '10' years I was shocked - I'd have said 5 or 6.  How time flies!  Sorry Jim. :-X

i remember his first croppers with fairport,

It sounded mint, and gets better and better,

Chris is a real driving force and his compositions are amazing

That means Ric hurt his hand 10+ years ago!  Cripes.

No... Ric cut his arm in July 1992... that's a lot more than ten tears ago!!

14 and a half to be more pedantic... ;D ;)

Whatever you do Ames, get your facts straight... otherwise, who knows the pain, distress and RSI through terminal Googling that might ensue.  ;)

Once you get to a certain sort of age ....

When you are trying to remember how long ago something happened, it is usually safe to double how long you thought it was.

We normally find that is quite accurate !

For example - WITHOUT GOOGLING - how long ago did Tommy Cooper die ?

(PS slight - but relevant - topic drift.)

Back on topic tomorrow after seeing the chaps in Canterbury tonight.  ;)

Ha I didn't need to Google that one Stu...  I remembered it very well and accurately!  ;D ;D

With the snow - that was doubly good!



You're a miserable old f**t! ;D
Fairport have supported up-and-coming young musicians in the last few years - and this is just another way of letting them experience the serious size of these stages....As you say, they're clever - they're good, shown by the number of the CDs that they're shifting, and ten days into the tour, they're relaxing & enjoying the experience! Even working on various percussion for use in MOTL while Fairport are on stage!

Last night, they were dancing side-of-stage in the second set. Beth, the youngest, is now taking the second verse of MOTL on her own in true Fairport-support tradition! That must be some sort of record at her age....I'm suitably impressed, and hope they go from strength to strength.

As for the rest of the Wycombe gig last night, I thought it was note & word perfect....until Chris mentioned Bill Buffalo, when he really meant Buffalo Bill, in an intro.... ;D No photos from last night - I went as a punter.

Right!  That's it!  I am off to Boots tomorrow to stock up on vitamins that improve the memory in over 40's.   ???  I am humbled, nay emabarrassed!  I can't believe Ric cut his hand in '92.  Seriously guys, we MUST make the most of our lives, eh?

Love Nic.

Heehee...  didn't mean to offend Nic.. but it was just before the 25th anniversry Cropredy..  both Swarb and Chris L stood in for Ric and Ric made tea and played right handed keyboard!

Thank goodness he made a full recovery though  8) 8)

Tommy Cooper : I reckon 1986.

Now let's see how old my brain is.

Close.

Perhaps your brain already doubles your first thought

Topic drift.

Looks as though Chris is keeping an ongoing diary on the Fairport website news pages....I've a pic of the afro that Peggy sported, just getting it off tyhe camera right now!

[attachment deleted by admin]

Just back from Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

A great evening - as always.

Sound a bit muddy at times where we were sitting - almost like they forgot to bring the tweeters ??

A nasty pop/buzz appeared at the start of CMM, but was rapidly fixed. Well done that sound man.

(PS: Tip for Gerry - stay behind the drum kit at announcement time !)

that syrup takes years off peggy, doesnt it O0

Just back from the Marlowe......
                                Oh WOW, oh wow,oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.....

Great night at the Marlowe last night, There was a good size audience and the lads were on top form. SN treated us all to a fab new electric intro to Matty, clearly this version was unrehearsed, the other band members just watched in awe. I for one hope SN keeps this intro in the set, it worked brilliantly.
Met and had a chat with Barry at the gig, also had a pint with Angela,who was there with her sons Dennis and Jack.
Before the gig Dennis received a fiddle masterclass from Ric, then joined by Chris the trio played a couple of tunes together.

[attachment deleted by admin]

Another pic from the Marlowe, oh and why not a pic of the beautiful Marlowe theatre itself.

[attachment deleted by admin]

I hadn't realized that last nights Matty was a different one to that played on this tour, It was awesome...the best matty i have ever heard, and now the boys are trying to persuade me to take them to another gig!
Great photos Martin, showed Dennis but all he can manage is repeated WOWs!!
When jack saw the big head outside the Marlowe last night, he asked when they were going to finish it..

Great photo's of the Marlowe gig and masterclass...I am liking the sound of this Matty quite considerably... ;)

However, as a longtime (12 years or so) resident of Canterbury and surrounds may I be bold enough to challenge the description of the Marlowe as 'beautiful'.  From anything other than that particular view of the front steps and facade, it is a large Orange Box and stupendously ugly.... I've probably seen Fairport there more than anywhere else with the exception of Cropredy and I've never liked it.  [It's also the scene of the officially worst gig by anyone ever...Gil Scott Heron (and before anybody says anything I'm a big big fan) in around about 91ish.  Started full and finished 2 hours later sans 2 of his band and about 3/4 of the audience.  Crack abuse ain't a pretty sight...]

Anyway to get back on track...rumours of a recording do reach Cumbria.....

hopefully this will show a photo of Fairport and Dennis!

[attachment deleted by admin]

Oooh!! it did!! first time I've managed to do that successfully!!

I thought this was a nice one of Ric

[attachment deleted by admin]

The lads have just appeared at the BBC club in central London for an invited audience of media reps.....Played six numbers....WKWTTG, Keeo on Turning the wheel, Galileo's Apology, Your heart & mine, Hawkwood's Army & Best Wishes. Went down extremely well. I'm sure Jude will have something to add when she gets home....Also there were Ashley, Steve Ashley, PJ Wright, assorted family members, Jacqui McShee, Tom Robinson, and many journalists.

Shortly to depart for the FOPP appearance! Sorry for the small size of the Ashley pic, working on a laptop that isn't mine, courtesy of the BBC WiFi network.

[attachment deleted by admin]

It was great fun and not much to add except that Steve Ashley was very touched that 'Best Wishes' sounded so fab!

It's been something like 10 years since I last went to London. I'm shattered :o And I've forgotten how to cross the road there.... :o :o

But you got home safely, Jude...

Off to the Corp Arms with you for a well deserved "back to the provinces" with a dash of lemonade & a little umbrella...

They did have a busy day yesterday didnt they!

That explains the very media-friendly handout at FOPP's then...

Speaking of being shattered Jude, I used to commute daily to Paddington, just up the road from Tottenham Court Road but have gradually moved my job out of the centre of London.  Going there twice yesterday really tired me out!  I'd forgotten (or never knew because I was so young and healthy then) how much brain work is required to ride in that part of the world if you want to get anywhere apart from under a taxi.  I just got home and crashed out, and that's not like me after seeing the Chaps!  Glad you got home safe.

Can't wait to see them at St Albans.  Chris didn't have his new whistles last night (at least, not that I noticed), and I'm looking forward to hearing them.  I might just take along my Overton to St Albans so he can appreciate just what an improvement the Kerry (Chieftain) whistles are over the original...  Oh well, the new CD will keep me going until then - and I'll know all the words at the gig!

Chris's whistles do have a lovely tone and it was great to hear them at a Fairport gig. I was really looking forward to hearing them on the new cd, but they don't appear, which I think is a shame as they added something extra to Polly on the Shore.

They'll be needing a flutist next....  Wonder what Mr Anderson's up to these days!

Or even a flautist! ;D

Beat me to it.

A Pedant !

Sorry, I'm with James Galway on this...  "I don't play a flaut, I have never flauted...  I'm a flutist"  From the top, as they say.

(Yes pedants, I know you're technically right, I just can't bear the word!)

Cor just back from Lincoln. Good strong programme very cleverly put together to blend the new ones into the established and not so long established. And we rocked.

That Best Wishes is a real stop in yer 'eader innit? Came straight home and murdered it on me mando... well you have to try don't you!  ;D ;D

Here are my thoughts on last night's gig....

Tuesday 13th February 2007
Fairport Lincoln Drill Hall

After a mad panic before I found the misplaced tix, we arrived in good time for this much-anticipated 40th anniversary wintour gig.  Would it be as good as every other wintour we’d been to?  Would we enjoy the new songs and tunes? Would there be anyone else there that we knew?  The answers soon came.. in triplicate.. and very much so..  the whole evening was a very memorable one in every way!

We met friends there and chatted and laughed, we met others there who knew us through Farnsfield Acoustic..  I could have sold more tix!  Talking to each of the chaps in the foyer after the gig was a lovely added bonus.. every one of them being on top form, chatty, friendly and obviously thoroughly enjoying the whole process (of gigging.. not talking to me!).  Both Peggy & Ric (separately) will be playing for us later in the year, so we had a few words about these gigs.  Simon’s chat made it very obvious that he is an observant regular on Talkawhile!  With Chris we discussed the Aggies gig at Thoresby and the ‘party’… as well as the fact the he was once a Bad Penny with Jez Lowe.  Gerry seemed pleased when I congratulated him on the new string to his bow…  but you’ll have to get to a gig to see what I mean!

But what of the music?

After the TTLs Fairport opened with Widow of Westmoreland and followed that with Sir Patrick Spens, both very strong, setting the pace for the whole evening.  We had front row seats, which may have meant that we didn’t necessarily hear the music to best advantage.  The rest of the first half was a mixture of older favourites and new songs and tunes from Sense of Occasion.  I didn’t keep a record of the setlist, but It has been posted above in reply 13. In all about eleven of the new tracks were played throughout.  Galileo’s Apology features on both Sense and the new album by Peggy & Peej.. of course we came home with both!  We were treated to a rocking Hawkwood’s Army, a beautiful Your Heart & Mine (one of my faves), a nostalgic Polly on the Shore.. with whistles, and a rousing piratical Edge of the World.  Meet on the Ledge was punctuated with one of the girls taking a verse very well despite the dropping of a triangle behind her. There was a truly magical few minutes though which will stay with me for a long time..  namely the four part harmonies on Steve Ashley’s gorgeous Best Wishes..  that will become a classic.. it is just stunningly beautiful..  The words are about to be printed out and placed on the noticeboard here!

Listening now to Sense of Occasion .. well I love it!  It has really helped to have the background to some of the songs explained last night.. they have become more alive.

Looking forward to the other wintour gigs that we have tix for.. but it will be hard to beat last night’s enjoyment.  Once more THANKS CHAPS..  :-* :-* :-*and here’s to the next forty years!!

Good stuff, dear Amethyst.  Thank you for the full and fulsome review - much appreciated.

Yer very welcome your dear Bobness... shall we be seeing you at any of these fantastic gigs??

Amethyst, we will see you all at the WW. Glad you all had great night! Looking forward to it - 'the Widow of W' is one of Mrs Sparks favourites, she'll be up and away with that one! Have you forgiven us for nipping to the pub on Sat???  ;D

See you there then Shameful... ;D  

Yes you are forgiven.. laydeez turn next!!




Edit: Shameless! not Shameful! There's a world of difference...!

Wow!! the ladies and Ric down the pub!! :o

THere's more from Peggy on the road and a report of Monday's BBC & FOPP gigs on the website....

Thanks for your excellent review Jenny. Hope to see you at the Birmingham Symphony Hall gig

That'll be nice!

Thanks Martin..see you in two days  ;D ;D

Oh and I forgot to say...  Peggy's tee shirt... new batteries..  brilliant!!

After reading this excellent review (thank you very much  :-*) I can´t wait to see the chaps in Birmingham.
and to see some of the lovely Talkawhilers  :-*

Aargh - the performing shirt was introduced at Canterbury - but failed to perform. What a let down.

Ticket refunds, or a second show please  ;)

Sounds like Peggy's t-shirt puts Kraftwerk's little LED ties well in the shade!!

I know that ed.. it was tongue in cheek.. we are friends  ;D

Look out for PJ if you are going along to the Derngate, he has just informed me he'll be at tonights gig. So you lucky people will have the opportunity to get your Galileo's Apology Cd signed by both Peggy AND Pj.

Blimey heck! :-X :-X

But swerving swiftly back OT.....really looking forward to the Brum gig now, having read so much positive feedback. 8)

Hello everyone.  I am new here.  I've been reading for a while but have only just decided to take the plunge and join.

We are going to see Fairport in Birmingham on Saturday and I have a question for all you regular brum concert visitors.

I saw one of the winter tours there two or three years ago - when Mundy Turner and The Dylan Project were supporting.  I was absolutely astounded that they didn't play Matty Groves.  Does anyone know whether that was a one-off or is it usual to cut it from the set at Birmingham as they have two supports. Or was it just because half the band had already played with the Dylan boys?

Must admit I want to hear MG after reading the reviews about it being a rockier version and will be a bit disappointed if it doesn't make it into the set.

And a very warm welcome to you, Kevin.  I'm glad that you've taken the plunge and joined us.

No Matty, you say?  :o :o  Surely some mistake.  :-\

Sir Robert Peel
Global Moderator

He was probably suffering from Kookaburra aftershock.

We haven't written the set for Symphony Hall yet, but yes, you're right, it HAS to be abridged to allow time for both TTL and Steve and Phil to fairly represent themselves. But to prove we're reactive as well as proactive, I have noted your comments!

How's that for excellent customer service?   :)

Good stuff, Simon! Just as well you're not radioactive as well. Although you'd probably get glowing reviews as a result! ;D

Excellent! Do you do requests?!!  ;)

I don't suppose they would consider the whole of Babbacombe Lee?

 ;D

Paul

Can we have a greatest hits set?  ;D

48 different versions of Matty

Ha ha  ;D ;D

Or an extended version (with different people joining the band at various points) of Sloth?

Good call Leahdon! now that would be fun  ;D ;)

Wow!  Never expected one of the Fairporters themselves to reply!  To my first ever post on this forum too!  Thanks Simon.

Can I be really cheeky and ask that whatever does go, you don't drop The Widow of West Moreland (I'm dragging my wife along with me who isn't a Fairport addict like me but she does like that one!) and the new version of Tam Lin (which is just ace!).

Can I also just say many congratulations on your 40th.  I've been listening to Fairport since the day I was born when my Dad was playing Liege and Lief to death. 35 or so years later, I realise that you have in many ways provided the soundtrack to my life.  Whether it's the music I choose to listen to or the songs I bash out on my guitar it's Fairport who have given me more pleasure than any other band.  Thank you so much.

Now that's what I call balance.


It's a great shame I couldn't get along to the tour this year as Essex was off the agenda - Mrs Keith would have loved this for a birthday present. Still, we are getting our legs in training for Cropredy.

What  :o are you going to walk there this year Keith? This man REALLY takes saving the planet seriously  ;)

Now there's an IDEA!

A big thank you to Fairport and crew for making Cambridge 'rock' last night! After spending the day in that beautiful city we enjoyed this concert from beginning to end!

The atmosphere was fun, the evening went so well for them and audience alike.

At least there are 4 young people who know who Fairport Convention are!  :D  (of course I am refering to TTL) Sorry I muddle their names  ::) but the blonde singer has a strong voice, I thought their harmonies had really come on too! I was pleased to see they have got themselves a fiddle player since I last saw them and she looked confident playing with Ric and singing as backing vocals. The tiny tin lady who wears the hat can sure play that guitar too!  They have a good, confident stage presence, and considering their ages some of the songwriting was good.

Now on to Fairport! - I like the new songs, just not sure about Keep on turning the wheel yet. I was hoping for it to sound different than when I first heard it on MH and was trying to work out my feelings towards this song; maybe it is more 'folky' rather than 'folk/rocky' and after hearing Tam Lin, Sir Patrick Spens, Widow of Westmoreland and another new intro into Matty I definitely came away thinking how Fairport do give us a fair mix of style but how much I prefer the loud rocky stuff better! I think Simon's guitar playing on electric guitar amazing and really love it when there is more of this! On the subject of instruments Chris played a whistle (long and short varieties) LOL Sorry about the lack of technical terms here! but both added a great sound!

Chris remarked that they are halfway through now and I felt considering their 40 glorious years they are unfatiguable!

As usual they were all outside promptly after the show to sign and one guy in front of me had a 'Gladys Leap' blue coloured sweatshirt for signing  :o Ric was amazed at this and said that was the year he joined the band and held it high for all to look at! Simon, please pass on thanks for a great night and for being so willing to come out, meet the crowd and sign the merch! Which reminds me, Mr Nicol came rushing through the exiting crowd, pushing his way through to get to the front to hold us back, to prevent us from leaving, saying, "No one is allowed to leave until they have a receipt of a purchase" LOL!  I told him if he ever gives up the day job he should go into market trader instead!  ;D

Ulla if you read this I did speak to Peggy and told him he would see you tonight in Brum! (He shook my hand once he knew I was a talkawhiler!  ;) ) So wish I was going to this one, especially with Show of Hands playing too, what a night, can't wait for reviews!

Last but not least the unaccompanied encore Best Wishes was stunning and joining the band for Meet on the Ledge was Edmund with his trumpet  ;D I do love that sound, what an amazing guy!

A friend in Scotland reports that the Glasgow gig on Saturday has been moved from The Garage to the G2 which presumably is the Garage's smaller sibling... which doesn't sound too positive, does it?

G2? Used to be The Venue?

Big enough for listening, and for dancing, I'd've thought.

Yeah - I mean for the audience that was going anyway it will probably be for the best, but for the band's finances, and a return trip North of the border in the near future, maybe less so...

The Garage is a night club with a DJ. that opens it's doors around midnight.

When there is a live gig at this venue earlier in the evening, it becomes G 2.

After the gig it reverts to the Garage, the same place 490, Sauchihall Street.

Anyone else going to either of the Scottish dates?

I'll be at both...

I'll be at both hopefully, if you see me please come and say hi

Fairport, Winding Wheel, Chesterfield - 22.02.07
Best Winter Tour Show I have seen in years.
Everything had a great rocky vibe to it and there was a really friendly atmosphere coming off stage from everyone, particularly Peggy, which was great to see.
We came with no real expectations in respect of Tiny Tin Lady. Their first two songs seemed to be affected by either nerves or the mixing desk but Beth's GCSE song was brilliant. 'In My Room' was also superb and had an almost All About Eve feel to it- a huge guitar wig-out would be great for this on the next record!
Overall, a very, very impressive set. It would be a great shame if TTL end up in a folk-rock backwater. Let's hope they go out with someone like Scott Matthews next time round.
Fairport then played probably the finest forty minutes I'd heard for yonks. Widow, Sir Patrick and Keep On Turning the Wheel - what a great start. Chris's low whistle on Polly had a very Navajo feel prior to this year's Canny Capers, being The Bowman's Return. The live version of this tune is terrific and seems to be a bit more full-on than the album version. The bar is only free for the first hour, Simon!
Tam Lin was absolutely show-stoppingly awesome. I know it's an old song but to start a set with an eight-minute tune is surely a statement of intent which seemed to connect with most of the packed crowd at the Winding Wheel. The key change for the split vocal is incredibly inspired as is Ric's superb violin. Edge of the World and Hawkwood's Army both showcase the talents of their respective singers before the mad Maart- like electric guitar of Simon brings in a particularly forceful Matty. Best Wishes will leave 20 000 people in tears at Cropredy, as will MOTL, the verse sang by Beth being particularly ace.
See this year's Winter Tour if you can - the band are on fire.
Neil (nearly 40), Nicky (nowhere near 40!) and Lilly (6) x

I have only been going for a few years, but agree. They were great at Birmingham, and I look forward to Chipping Norton.



Looks like they are out quite a bit this summer. From their web site (and they update it themselves, which is hard to do when touring) they are at the Ely, Halifax, Wickerman, Nantwich and Rythm (Bedford) festivals.



Indeed. Go! Go Often!

I agree. There is something of Avril Lavigne about some of their songs (I hope that is not damning them with faint praise). Produced & promoted in the right way they could surely capture some of that market.

So when's the party Neil??
It was good of Simon to invite us all ...  ;D ;)

Are they doing Sk8rboi?

Que??

Do you not know any teenagers?  :)

SKATERBOY...  Avril wotsit...

I too shall be at both.  Tall, red hair, do say Hi.

I will do. Especially as i may well be by myself tomorrow night, which is fine during the performance, not so much fun during the intervals. I'll probably be found at the bar, or talking to the tiny tinny ladies. So if you see me dondering around, just grab me and explain you're from the interwebs! I've got medium brown hair and shall be looking like a scruffy student as always...

Biting lip very, very hard

No I don't.. mine are grown up...

So did Jerry play in Leeds then? (see TTL diary entry)

Or, indeed, Burnley (see TTL diary entry)  ;) ;D

Whoops!  So....did he?

The girls are likely to be sound checking soon, but I'll text and ask later.

Response is in the diary.

Last night's gig (The Garage in Glasgow) was really good. The venue didn't seem ideal at first (did they really need to search everyone and their bags on the door, and flimsy plastic glasses are no fun) but once things got going it became a really nice intimate venue and worked quite well. First time i'd seen TTL play in about three years, and funnily enough they were much improved. It's really good to see them going from strength to strength.

Last night was also the first time i'd ever seen fairport live, and they just blew me away. Starting with good old Sir Patrick Spens kicked the night off well and got people into the swing of things. Other particular highlights for me included the addition of the low whistle to Polly on the Shore (i want that whistle, wish i could afford one!), both the instrumental tracks and Matty Groves. Plus there's nothing greater than seeing a man in a pink checked shirt, playing the electric guitar, and undoing buttons midway through the song!

I'm sure i've forgotten something, but oh well. I'm really looking forward to the Edinburgh gig tonight now.

NURSE, THE MEDICATION!!!!!! :P ::)

Thoroughly enjoyed the G2 gig. The pillars in the middle of the dance floor got in the way a bit, but the band were on form.  TTL were good in a teenage way and should have a bright future.  Gerry playing drums on their last number really gave it a lift and Danni singing on MOTL was fabulous.  It was a bit weird coming out at 9.30pm after a gig.

So, on to Edinburgh and more pillars at the Queens Hall.

It was Beth singing on MOTL, i think.

And the nine thirty thing was weird.

Beth is the younger, fairhaired Tiny.. she sang on the three gigs I went to.. unless they've changed over now...

You're right, Beth it was and she sang at Edinburgh as well and was excellent

G2 is a smaller venue, out the back of The Garage veniue - is was heaving around the time you'd expect the gig to start....but at 7.15, when TTL came on, it was only half full....A club night started at 10.30, so the curfew was 10 sharp, and the lads wanted time to meet 'n greet afterwards, hence the 9.30 finish....but that just gave us longer in the pub afterwards! A big Hi! to the Clan McBastard who turned out in force for the Glasgow gig & were extremely hospitable in said boozer afterwards plying me with drink - and a lift back to the hotel....

Anyway - Berwick was pretty much sold out, G2 in Glasgow was heaving with dancers & the Queens Hall was full downstairs and decent numbers upstairs. All 3 gigs were superb, no probs, well-presented & rocking! Catch another if you can.....

[Anyway - Berwick was pretty much sold out, G2 in Glasgow was heaving with dancers & the Queens Hall was full downstairs and decent numbers upstairs. All 3 gigs were superb, no probs, well-presented & rocking]

Just like to add, belatedly, that the Edinburgh gig on Sunday night was excellent.  The Queens Hall isn't the most comfortable venue (it's a converted church & the pews are a little hard!!) but there's usually a good atmosphere & the sound was terrific.

As an advocate for Fairport to return to Scotland I was pleased to see a good turnout on Sunday but chatting to Peggy after the gig he was a bit disappointed & bemused about the comparatively low turnout in Glasgow on Saturday.  Thinking about it afterwards that may have been down to the different venues & their respective approach to marketing.  The Queens Hall does regular mailings about forthcoming attractions & generally does a good job at banging the drum for events at the hall, whereas a Glaswegian friend I was talking to yesterday had been completely unaware that Fairport had been playing in the city.

Whatever the reason I hope that Scotland is well & truly back on the itinerary for future Fairport tours.

It also followed hard on the tail end of the near-month long Celtic Connections festival, so without some serious advertising (perhaps an ad in the CC programme would have been an idea?), it wasn't surprising that the attendance wasn't up to scratch.

Unfortunately, the promoter will have caught the cold, so to speak, and I sincerely hope they will continue to book Fairport there, and realise that the error was theirs, and not the band or their fans....

There's a review here (http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresartsreview/display.var.1220635.0.0.php) of the Edinburgh gig by someone who apprently wasn't there or maybe was just incredibly disinterested. It's difficult to tell.

Mmm. Reviewer working from home perhaps? (8-(

Looks like it, doesn't it?.....working from home with the new CD in front of him, I reckon.

Gets journalism a bad name.

I agree it is a lazy, **ss poor excuse for journalism, but it's hardly the most negative of reviews overall is it?  If it gets one person to a gig or to buy the album, no harm done...  

It's not a review, which is my major problem with it. Maybe someone who was there (Chris?) could email that paper with a proper review.

If i thought that they'd print it, I would - but papers like that are only likely to print current stuff.

A letter to the editor would stand a better chance of being printed if it came from someone within their readership area too.

I don't think it has to be printed for the Editor to be helped to realise that this 'review' was unprofessional.

Weston Super Mare last night, very enjoyable evening and didn't Beth from TTL do well on a verse of Who Knows Where The Time Goes,  a well deserved round of applause ensued.

Made I laugh as the Playhouse Theatre advertised FC on one mail shot as the band with classics such as Matty Groves and Meet Me On The Corner!

Looking forward to St Albans more and more.  :)  Only a few days to go...

A colleague who went also reported an excellent show.  Hope your evening wasn't dampened too much by "the Gas", Dave...

Anyone going to be at the Fairfield Hall tomorrow night?

Too right. :)

Peterborough on Friday anyone?????

(just got a front row seat ;D)

How I wish!! :(

 Yes I am going - I managed to get front row seats by booking 10 seconds after the Fairfield Hall's advanced programme hit my door mat! We will probably end up with neck ache but should get a good view of Ric's T shirt (no guesses what that will be either)

Beth sang on Who Knows Where the Time Goes? How wonderful. She did a verse of MOTL at Birmingham - is that what you mean: or is she edging her way further into the band? Whatever she sang she does have a lovely voice.

http://www.fairportconvention.com/general_news.php

Or even our own TTL tour diary.

Phew!  As a newbie I have been loath to make any comments about the Yeovil show I attended a couple of weeks ago.  Basically because the show was somewhat……..lacklustre.  But last night’s gig in Croydon was a humdinger.  For a start we had four Tiny Tin Ladies (no Kat down in Yeovil), we got the Tam Lin dance, Beth’s second Who Knows? duet with Simon (and again well-deserved applause), and a full stage for Meet, none of which occurred down in Yeovil.  Fairport seemed fired up all night, the sound was excellent, at least from where I was sitting, and apart from the idiot who shouted “Do the Funky Gibbon then” as Simon stepped up to begin Who Knows? (for which Simon apologised to all), everything went smoothly throughout the evening.  The new songs all seemed far more passionate than before (except South Dakota, which I somehow don’t think is destined to become a classic), and I for one love the fact that Simon is picking up his electric guitar far more this time round than in recent years (I miss the electric edge that Maart brought to the band).  The new arrangements of Polly on the Shore and Tam Lin are just excellent to my ears, and the Deserter is always a treat.  What more can I say?

All in all, a terrific show, and I suspect everyone headed home very happy bunnies.

Yes Beth sang a verse of WKWTTG for the second time at Croydon last night, absolute magic, and another spontaneous round of applause one
of those moments that will stay with you forever. The TTL Elfin dance routine to Tam Lin was quite memorable as well ! There was a small groan
from the audience when Simon announced the encore was not as we might expect but all was well and everyone went home happy with a new
song to learn for August. A great night, thanks to everyone concerned.

A colleague who went also reported an excellent show.  Hope your evening wasn't dampened too much by "the Gas", Dave...
[/quote]

Hmmm...thanks Paul, I resisted finding out the score 'till I got home, somehow it wasn't too great a shock/disappointment,  most likely because I'd just had a great evening watching FC and had a good excuse not to listen to the commentary of the match!  Gas heads at work next day were unbearably smug!
And yes...Beth did sing a verse of WKWTTG at W-S-M, I wasn't getting confused....for a change.

Yes Croydon was well worth the effort: grim place, great music.
The latest  Matty was terrific, great to see/hear Simon on top rocking form!

I saw them at the beginning of the tour at Tunbridge Wells I thought the Croydon gig was better - although I thought Simon was a bit "rockier" on Matty at Tunbridge which I liked .  TTL certainly seemed to be gaining confidence and benefitted from the additional member on violin and Ric did a couple of different "jokes" !  

Isn't this years version of Matty the best ever? Rock and Roll chaps! ;D

Anyone going to Southport next Thursday? I'll be there as will Dad Volt. Bernie are you going?

If anybody is going send me or DV an IM cause the bar at the Arts Centre is **** and if there are others coming we could arrange to meet elsewhere.

cheers

MikeC

Cracking gig at Peterborough. They seem to be getting better and better as the tour goes on. Rocking ;)

as for the dance.................................. ::)

I am Jelous Di. Was it a good gig?

wasnt that a hit for byron ferrari

I'm not.  Hope you enjoy it though!

And this one from someone who seems to have actually been there http://living.scotsman.com/music.cfm?id=303402007

St David's Hall was tonight's venue. Met up with Gower Flower and also saw Katy's Mum and Katy. Any other TAW's there?

Tiny Tin Lady were very good. I thought them a but reedy in Cropredy 2004 but they've matured and sang well.  The Long Suffering Mr Bridgwit enjoyed them especially as they were from up narth, and bought the album. I can't help thinking that they would have a record contract by now if they were male, but they're doing OK to be supporting FC!

FC were considerably better than when we saw them this time last year in The Parr Hall, Warrington. The cameraderie between Chris and Ric is very evident and, IMHO, holds the key to the future continuance and success of the band. Simon was in fine voice, and soon had a good rapport with the audience. Diolch, Simon! Great to see Gerry out front singing and Peggy seemed a lot more relaxed. I loved the new versions and the new songs from SoO sounded great live. Will listen to the album tomorrow.

Peggy gave Gower Flower a mention! She didn't notice the first time (doh!) but certainly did the second time, waving her hands abut so everyone knew where she was sitting.

Too tired to type any more, suffice to say they were very good and I can't wait to see them at Cropredy.  {:-)

I was there, too.
It certainly was the best Fairport gig in years! They rocked, the sound was clear and great.
I loved how the Tiny Tin girls danced on stage  ;D
Beth is doing a really nice performance on WKWTTG and MotL. I can see a candidate for the Cropredy slot for those 2 songs there.

Jen  :D

Hi Jen glad you enjoyed it!

I forgot to say that - they did indeed rock. Much more than I've seen recently. And they looked as tho' they enjoyed themselves. Always a good sign  :)

Am dead jeaalous about this! Can't wait to see Beth do this at Cropredy, which I do believe she will  ;)

Following  a drink and chat with Bridgwit and her husband in the foyer, I made my way to a  great second row stalls seat at St. David’s Hall, in front of Simon.

Was pleasantly surprised to enjoy Tiny Tin Lady’s set –  though sadly, they were minus Tiny Tin Kat on this occasion, but they rocked the place with their opening number “Pretty Eyes” oozing confidence all the way. The girls were accompanied by Ric, Gerry and Chris for “Darling” (I think that’s right. Someone will no doubt correct me if I am wrong). Their set was well received by the Cardiff audience.

FC opened with the foot-stomping “Widow of Westmoreland’s Daughter” which set the tone for a fast-paced set.

Obviously, tracks from SoO were greatly in evidence, as in previous reviews of other gigs, these included Keep on Turning the Wheel, The Bowman’s Return, South Dakota to Manchester, Edge of the World, and a rocking Hawkwood’s Army. Good to hear some “oldies” such as The Deserter, Sir Patrick Spens and Crazy Man Michael.

We were treated to Tam Lin – accompanied by TTL’s “Elfin Dance”. I have to say that the prospect of his had filled me with, um, trepidation…..BUT the girls pranced daintily across the back of the (large) St. David’s stage without distracting from the music in any way. Phew! I think it was from Tam Lin that Faiport seagued into Matty Groves. Wonderful stuff! All were in fine voice and it was great to see Simon playing electric guitar too.

Plenty of humour from the chaps, as at Brum. I won’t repeat the jokes! (You’ve probably heard them all before anyway. Bless.) Ric’s sales pitch for the merch opportunity (aka “the interval”) never fails to make me chuckle, though. ;D

More from SoO – Galileo’s Apology, Untouchable, Polly on the Shore and of course Best Wishes.  On WKWTTG again, young Beth sang the second verse of this song. Taking nothing from Beth’s performance, I think I prefer a more subtle rendition of this song – Beth has a rocky sound and she acquitted herself very well, and of course the girls joined in for MOTL.

All in all, a most enjoyable evening. The chaps were much in evidence during the interval and at the end of the gig. I think they enjoyed it too. 8)

Thanks for the review Shirl.. so pleased you had such a great time in Cardiff  ;D

Lucky You!! I wish they had done that at Cambridge. Two of my fav Fairport songs of all time together!! Fantastic. At Cambridge, they segued from Hawkwood's Army into Matty Groves. Really enjoyed Matty, the Rutand Reel and Sack the Juggler ending is growing on me. Before the gig, I did prefer the Dirty Linen ending, but it absolutely ROCKED!!!!  ;D Brilliant. Simon should play his electric more often, although not as much as Ken Nicol from Steeleye. Sometimes, he plays it a little too often and ruins songs.

It might have been Hawkwoods Army into Matty Groves, Ollie! :-X Either way it was most enjoyable 8) I think at this point in the evening it was all kind of blending together anyway, so much so that you couldn't see the join! 8)

Unless the second set consisted of just Tam Lin & Matty Groves, with the encore....I'd definitely say it was Hawkwood's Army in Matty! Did you sleep through the rest of the set, Shirl? :-))

How very dare you! Course not! 8)

Katy's Dad but I don't know if he counts as a TAW as he has never posted. (Man of few words/strong silent type  :-\)

Nice to meet you Bridgwit, oh, and of course, Gower Flower who had two mentions from Dave Pegg.  ;D

Great gig.  I can't really add anything to what has been said except to say that the album songs and tunes were even better live and we all really enjoyed it. Looking forward to Cropredy.  Tickets already bought!

Just got back from another great gig tonight (or rather last night now), this time the slightly seedy but oddly romantic Victorian seaside town of Cromer on the North Norfolk coast. I did the usual things one does in Cromer- i.e. a walk on the beach and ate some brilliant local fish and chips. A very wet and windy early evening curtailed the walk on the beach, in favour of a visit to a local hostelry where I watched one London football team dramatically beat another London team on a big screen thing. A move to another bar, all fading Victorian grandeur inside, was highlighted by the presence of a Tiny Tin Lady in the corner.
The odd Fairporter could also be seen, huddled against the wind in the little old fishermen's lanes, on his way to the Pier Pavilion Theatre.
The Pavilion Theatre is a great little place, and it was a highly enjoyable night of music. Tiny Tin Lady played a powerful set of original and upbeat songs. Initially seemed nervous but then all three played with a youthful passion.
Fairport's set was a good mix of old and new, and didn't feel too much like an advert for the new album. All looked relaxed and in good humour.
I particularly liked Beth from TTL singing WKWTTG; in my view she puts her own "sound" and "voice" onto this classic song, yet for one uncanny moment she did look just a bit like a young Sandy Denny.
A signed copy of a limited edition of a Fairport EP, only available tonight in aid of the local lifeboat (although I understand unsold copies will shortly be auctioned off on the net, again in aid of the Cromer lifeboat?) rounded off a fine evening on the North Norfolk coast. Tickets already bought for Cropredy and looking forward to it!

It seems I might well have one spare ticket for St Albans tomorrow - anyone interested please IM me...

A friend does have first dibs but it's fairly unlikely she'll actually want to come.

The 2nd one sounds much more like the gig I went to at the Queens Hall last week. The chaps were fab and TTL were better than I expected. A cracking night.

robbo

Who is going to Chipping Norton, and where are we getting drunk socialising?

Here's a pic taken at Cardiff on my mobile, so it's not brilliant, but I'm posting it for the strange aura that seems to be possessing Peggy - has he been eating Readybrek or something?



[attachment deleted by admin]

Oooh I se what you mean ... maybe something to do with the reflection off his head?

It brings a whole new meaning to the annual 'pilgramage' to Cropredy....

We are!

but no idea about the socialising bit. Usually when it's the Theatre we end up around the corner in the bar next door (Chequers?) This time, no idea what's close to the Town Hall. If it's walkable we'll probably end up in Chequers again as it's somewhere we know.

Cheers

Nick

I think I'm right in saying that the Town Hall is actually very near to the theatre - so the Chequers might still be be your venue of choice for a swift half ;D

the Chequers is indeed very near to the Town Hall, so I second, or at least third, the suggestion that we meet there. I will be wearing a light brown overcoat and a red carnation and be carrying a rolled up copy of War and Peace (abridged version) ;D

Chipping Norton: Looks like we meet at The Chequers.

Peggy's glow: Maybe something unfortunate had happened to his volume meter shirt. Wearable electronics might have its down side.

St Albans last night.

TTL were great, Cat's violin adding greatly to the balance of their work. They have come a long way since Cropredy 2 years ago. If anyone should think they are a girlie novelty act, sit up close and watch the guitar and bass fingerwork.

FC looked happy and relaxed and obviously satisfied with their tour and the way the new material has been received. Sitting in the fourth row, for the umpteenth year on the trot, the sound was a bit distorted during the early numbers and maybe we will book a bit further back next year, although it improved mostly as the set went on. Good rocking stuff. Bought the new album and looking forward to playing it. For those in the audience who are not on TaW, Beth's quiet and unannounced arrival on stage to do the 2nd verse on WKWTTG must have been a huge surprise.

Gerry on vocals and Ric singing along on the chorus of MOTL, sharing Cat's mike but still singing!

The chaps and TTL gel so well and the influence of their young (and high) spirits on the tour has added to the upbeat impression the evening conveyed.

Glad to have met Chris Bates at last, Clive and Rebecca and saw Anna in the distance.

Countdown to Cropredy starts now :)

Surely the Countdown to Cropredy starts the second Sunday in August doesn't it?   ;)

Thanks for the review - I'm considering a quick dash down to Preston on Friday night...assuming tickets aren't a problem...

St Albans:

MoF has pretty much summed it up (he and Mrs MoF were sitting right behind us, so it was good to meet them). I'm still unsure about some of the new material, but have now bought SoO, so will be listening to that over the next few days to see if it grows on me. Best Wishes is confirmed in my mind as a lovely song, and is definitely one which R and I will be adding to our repertoire (though with only two voices we won't be able to deliver the whole harmony effect).

The addition of Beth to WKWTTG was just magic - in fact the girls were on good form throughout; this was Kat's "home gig" - as she said, ten years ago she was in the audience here for her first FC gig!

The lads seemed to be in very good spirits throughout, and this was confirmed in conversation with each of them after the performance. Had a good laugh with Peggy, when I pointed out that I was particularly looking forward to his Birthday Bash as I'm only seven weeks younger than him - he took a good look at my luxuriant curly locks and said: "We weren't born in the same year, surely?" - sad but true; I think he got the talent and I got the hair.

DC

I'm allowed to say now, as it's Mrs Keith's birthday, that we are going to the ICA, in London, on Saturday. Standing only - so should be good for tall people.

You're not trying to take the children are you keith.. I've heard that they won't allow children there!!  >:( >:(

A lot of clubs don't, Jen.....

Can't really add to what Malcolm & Clive added above, except to say that Beth's verse in WKWTTG is simply superb for someone so young! Well done to Beth - and she's going to be oh, so bored when she goes back to her GCSEs next week.....

They came on during Tam Lin & did their dance again too. Good to meet Clive, qwho I recognised, and Malcolm, who collared me!

The chilrden in question are not little ones though...  but I suppose they weren't to know that...

Nor was I......

He didn't have it on Adrian - I think he had a Swarbaid t-shirt on but difficult to tell from that distance.

Shame coz I'd have liked to have seen the volume meter one in action - Gower Flower tells me it's fab!

No kids Amyjen, they're having fun with their cousins. We shall be drinking lots of wine.

I had no idea that the Insitute for Contemporary Arts was a club :-\

Just to quickly add my 2p to the St Albans review.

UTTERLY AMAZING!!  We all went home very happy bunnies.

Haven't seen the Chaps visibly enjoying themselves quite this much for a few tours.  Especially Peggy.  I think TTL have certainly lifted the spirits.  And perhaps the whole 40th anniversary thing.

TTL were great, especially that there young Beth - both in their set and WKWTTG.  Spontaneous applause at the beginning and end of her verse.  Truly fab and brought that song to life for me, that's for certain.  Very much enjoyed the Tiny Tam Lin(e) dance too.  A good giggle.

A mention in dispatches for Chris' whistle(s).  The blue anodised one is lovely.  He told me what it was, but I've forgotten.  Not an Overton, the other one that took over from him (not Kerry/Chieftain either).  Lovely blue anodising!!  And a great tone too.  The tin whistle was just a fairly ordinary one, but really added to the end of Polly on the Shore.

Got my tour t-shirt signed by the Chaps, as I had the album signed at the launch.  Will have to not wear it until Cropredy now.

A word of warning for anyone planning to get a t-shirt from now on in - they only have Large ones left, in the short-sleeve variety!!  Demand has seriously outstripped supply this time round!  Be prepared for a scrum at the last few gigs of the tour!  Could become a collectors' item...  Especially a signed one ;)

Anyway, it's a silly time of night to be still sat at my desk, so I'll stop now.

Just one last thing - If you haven't got a seat on this tour, SORT IT OUT!!!  You'll regret missing it, I promise!

That's a Colin Goldie Overton whistle Anna. Colin actually used to live in St Albans, but now is in Germany. Bernard Overton still produces whistles in the UK too.

I thought I'd mention this as there is a lot of confusion regarding this
http://www.chiffandfipple.com/whatamess.html

Aside from this there are fakes being made in India and there's lots of controversy surrounding a very famous whistle/pipe player! The forum at Chiff & Fipple is essential if you're into whistles!

Barry

I don't think it's the fault of the ICA Angela, Roots & Shoots is a music club that just happen to use the  ICA for their events.
Having said that I suppose there are age restrictions on many of the films shown at the ICA too.

Veering off-topic a bit, but I pray indulgence...

Thanks for the info Parkwood.  That tallies with the little snippets of history I've gleaned across a few years.  I ran into Phil Hardy at the St Albans Folk club a couple of times and my, he's a character.  Obviously his version of that history is very slightly differnt to the one on that website, but not in any material way if you know what I mean.  His whistles are good, and some models have the advantage of being tunable.  Wouldn't help my Overton though - it's not even in tune with itself (so much for the advantages of hand-making instruments) and that stretch!!  I just can't get over the stretch on the Overton to the low D hole and while it does make a lovely sound I just don't play it because I can't make it sound good with all the missed notes.  Hey ho.  It's nice to hear a (closely) related instrument being played very nicely.

Saying that, I dug it out earlier this evening and played a couple of slow airs on it; I guess I could work on it.  Better get practicing my hornpipes and jigs & reels, challenge himself to a playoff at Croppers!!  (NOT!)  Think I'll stick to the Concert Flute in C - it's tunable, chromatic and the holes aren't nine miles apart!

OK, back to the topic... (I'm off to find this whistle forum...)

I have a short stretch, tuneable model from Colin! The intonation is spot on and you can chose the tonal qualities/breath requirements when you order. The low F I have is even nicer (check out my Myspace).

It's interesting that Chris is playing more whistles. Does anybody remember the guy who played low whistle with Vikki Clayton?

Might that be Chris Conway?

Huddersfield-7th March 2007. Just got back from tonight's show at the super,many-balconied Lawrence Batley Theatre with Tracey Thorn's excellent new record for company.Another great show-even better,if anything,than The Winding Wheel a fortnight ago.TTL are getting better and better.Nice to see and hear Kat for the first time.In My Room was great as were Requiem and the closing Darling.I'm really hoping they go out on their own soon-It'd be great to see a full-length set.Other than Simon's washed and slippery fingers at the very start of Widow,Fairport didn't put a foot,or finger,wrong all night.Rather than run through the whole set again,I'll detail a few personal highlights-Ric's solo riffs on Wait for the Tide to Come In were,well,dirty.It seems he's fallen back in love with some of his weirder fx pedals and good luck to him.Whilst Chris' Low Whistle intro to Polly was great,it was his Tin Whistle counterpoint to the closing section that really stood out.Maybe it was something to do with being sat next to the stage left PA speakers! His singing throughout was great,too-particularly on Wait for the Tide and South Dakota-no mean feat after such a long tour.Beth's singing on WKWTTG was beautiful,too-glad I got to hear this.Let's hope there's a TTL presence on the Sat night at Cropredy.With a brief burst of Stairway To Heaven(in Am!) Simon led the band into a great guitar heavy-Hawkswood's Army and then a superb Matty with devil-horn sighs from Helen and Peggy givin' it some Gene Simmons at the end! What an ace show! Have Fairport considered making some soundboard Cd's or downloads available from this tour? I know we've just had Off The Desk but,as a lot of bands are starting to do,it'd be great to get hold of a decent version of this whole set.Rob? I guess they'll be a few tears and a lot of hugs on Sunday when the tour winds up.At least Beth has the Easter hols to look forward to! The rest of us can look ahead five months to Cropredy.Hoping to hear the album's unsung hero-Chris' Spring Song and maybe Farmboy's Wages there along with the others.Hope you all enjoy the last few shows!

Almost certainly.  He frequently plays two at once :o

We were gong to give the Wintour a miss and hold out until Crop but,as a result of the reviews on the board, gave in and went to Huddersfield last night and aren't we glad we did. Missed most of TTL due to disastrous navigaton (mine) so can't really comment but Fairport were great. As usual the new tracks sounded much better live. Loved 'Untouchable', Edge of the World' and 'Hawkswood's Army' in particular. My youngest came out buzzing and saying that the only thing wrong was that you couldn't dance sat down! She was particularly impressed with Simon on the electric, compared a riff to Metallica :o but said Simon's was much better ;D Who says kids these days have no taste. All in all a great night. Good to see Amy and Puggs there, Good seats Amy? ::)

rachel

Some details of the electronic shirt: http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/8a5b/ Aparently made in Europe somewhere. It works, but was somewhat overwhelmed by the stage lighting at times.

Who says kids these days have no taste. All in all a great night. Good to see Amy and Puggs there, Good seats Amy?

rachel

A last minute booking gave us little choice of seats..  so we found ourselves with knees touching the stage, the speakers less than an arms length away, the stage was about four feet high so we were forced to look up Chris' nose.. never seen him from that angle before!

No rachel.. not the best seats.. ooouch my left ear!!  Were your seats as good?

Great gig though.. and Beth's Who Knows was lovely.

'Twas a first time visit to the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield for us last night, but it won't be the last as it's a cracking venue - As Kat from TTL said "Well done Huddersfield".  8)

Managed to arrive in time for TTL's set despite having to negotiate my way around an accident in a town I don't know - I just followed the car in front as they seemed to know the way ::).  TTL were on top form, I just wish they'd hurry up and get the new material out on CD as it sounds excellent.

As already mentioned, Fairport were in fine fettle last night.  The highlights for me were 'South Dakota to Manchester', which had a bit more kick than the CD version, 'Untouchable', 'Hawkswood's Army', and all of Ric's tunes.  Beth's singing on WKWTTG was fabulous and she deserved the rapturous applause, both during and after the song.  It was also nice to see Simon thrashing away on the electric guitar during 'Matty', I thought I'd never hear the song done 'heavy metal style' again, and Peggy doing his best Gene Simmons at the end was hilarious.  ;D

So, how long is it to Cropredy?

Which is a year old now!.....and they'll need a merch item next year, as the DVD is likely to around well before Christmas. Seeing as this has, certainly in my opinion, been their best tour in at least 5 years, I with you on this suggestion & will be following it up!

DVD as in Cropredy 07 DVD?

Dvd as in Fairport's 40th year DVD.....

Oooohhhhhhh!  ??  Tell us more, Chris

And YES PLEASE to any recordings of this tour - but especially anything on "film" :)

Mike Rowbottom - ex-Central TV producer - has been filming snippets of the Fairport life since the start of this year. He'll be with them on & off until after (and during, obviously) Cropredy - whence he has a big job editing it all down for a Fairport's 40th Year DVD, which should be available for Xmas (does that get through the censor?) & quite possibly earlier.

The Chippy gig is next on his calendar, I believe. I spoke with Mike at the Birmingham gig & he was happy for me to give a head's up & raise the interest levels.

OOhh I hope the Hancock presentation will be in this too then!!

Looking forward to the Chipping Norton show now ;)

Just returned from a very pleasant evening out in downtown Southport had time for a chat & a pint with MikeC and a quick hello to Bernie  :) FC & TTL both were excellent, that's all for now maybe more in the morning.  [;-)

Thursday 8th so it must be Southport. Minor domestic crisis meant the pre concert drink with Dad Volt was on, then off then on again! So thanks to a recommendation we found ourselves in Barons Bar in Southport (inside the Scarisbrick hotel) directly opposite the gig. Tetley Mild made DV's eyes light up and added to the leather chairs it was a nice little bar. Had a couple of words with one Simon Nicol who was drinking rosie and looking relaxed. According to Simon the chaps were really enjoying the tour even if it was 6 weeks long and the TTL girls were wonderful be on tour with. Their view on things was (understandably) different to 'us old timers' but refreshing and a breath of fresh air at times. He did say they went all giggly on meeting Robert Plant but according to Peggy later not as bad as their mum who 'came over all of a quiver' I didn't press for any more details  ::)

Into the gig, met Bernie in the foyer who was as usual complete with pressies for the chaps and then tried to find my seat. Folks sitting in it I found but no worries I sat at the end of the row. OK until the owner of my new seat turned up. Long story short it transpired that the folks in my proper seat were in the wrong theatre!!. They should have been in the smaller studio (in the same building). OK, they were probably misdirected by an usher but I did wonder what type of presentation of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men they expected to see when they were sitting looking at an array of guitars, fiddles, mandolins and drums  ???

And so duly introduced by Ric, TTL appeared. (isn't the tour t-shirt an awful colour!) They've come quite a way since I last saw them at Cropredy in 04 and Beth has developed into a fine singer. Danni's voice was showing the strain a little of 6 weeks on the road but overall they were very good, infectious, having fun and obviously so pleased to be there. Ric, Chris and Gerry joined them for the last number (sorry don't do set lists but think it was same as previously listed) and then we were into Widow of Westmoreland. Again I think the set list was similar, if not exactly the same as previously listed. Several numbers from SoO which as expected sounder much better live than on the CD. Even Keep on Turning the Wheel was punchier and rockier. Liked Chris's blue whistle intro and the line dancing by TTL to Tam Lin was superb. Again everyone on stage was having fun and laughing. Nice to see Peggy so relaxed with everyone.  :)

We also got Beth's solo on WKWTTG which was stunning. For one so young she wasn't over awed at all and really brought a new version of the song to the party.  The spontaneous applause at the end of her verse was definitely deserved. Simons intro to Matty was electric, heavy, rocky, new (to me anyway) and excellent. And then to the encores the first of which again sounded much better live than on the CD and MOTL with Ric again apparently miming. Well that’s what he said afterwards.  :-X He did also say he wasn't at all confident in his singing which is why he didn't do it. Naturally joined by TTL for the last number and all too soon we were in the foyer.

This was one of the best Wintour concerts I've seen in many a while. The lads seriously rocked and all of the numbers from the new CD were much much better live. Sound was good, even from the 5th row and they all looked happy and enjoying themselves. Its difficult to pick a highlight of the evening from such a great gig but probably WKWTTG. I *do* hope Beth joins them on stage in August for this one.

Had a brief chat with Danni afterwards who said the girls would be coming on TaW once the tour was over and giving us more info on the tour and what they thought of it. Basically they've had a blast.

So did I last night.  ;D [;-)

Blimey. We didn't get that in Birmingham.  ;)

They started doing this in Scotland - first at the side of the stage, then a few days later, across the back of the stage, behind Gerry.

Ever inventive, those girls!

Totally agree. Sorry I couldn't have stayed later but had had an early start and had one today as well.

Off beat highlight for me was Peg-leg Pegg the Pirate! The light caught his plectrum and shone directly in my eyes giving him a menacing presence. Certainly a lot more menacing than when he jumped off the amp!

A little bit upset that they didn't have any man-sized 40 Glorious Years T-Shirts left. Being of a 1967 vintage myself I wanted one to wear on my birthday in July. Best laid plans...

Roll on Cropredy and hopefully a t-shirt with a reference to 40 glorious years!

Great news about the DVD Chris, the first real documentary since In Real Time. Hope it has lots of background info.

Hmmm - I'll enquire on Sunday - but I think it's just a history of this 40th year.

I for one hope it is just that.  A retrospective of the last 40 years wouldn't fit on one DVD.  ::)

But a retrospective DVD box set, now there is a thought ;D

P.S. Sorry to miss you last night WW. It was a bit good though wasn't it  8) ;D

They were dancing a lot - off stage right. Probably only visible to a small wedge at the front of the audience. I thought then it was a pity they were not on stage.

On our way to London. If anyone is going, I'm wearing a Green Seniors badge and too much stubble, Mrs Keith is in bunchies and a secret Fairport t-shirt. All ready to jump about.

Yeah me too.

Didn't really get going until they sorted the sound but when it did it was pretty good.

Hope you both have a brilliant time.  We would have been going but the venue won't allow children in  :(.  I then tried to get tickets for the Chippy gig but they are sold out.  :'(   Shall just have to hope that we can see them at a FAC gig.

Bad news Angela...  :(

I wish they would tell us all the UK acoustic dates....

Fun so far. TTL were excellent and full of life - really surprised us with their harmonies. Fairport a little tired, I think, but it's only the first half, and Polly was as good as the Nine version so we look forward to good things in part two...

Ummm, why aren't you just getting yourselves a drink, like other people do during intervals ???

Enjoy the gig Keith.. tell us about it afterwards!

Not everyone's an alcofrolic, you know Gower!!!   ::)  ;)

Yeah but, no but.....posting a mini review HALF WAY THROUGH!  :P ::)

OK ok ok - you're right - maybe Keith's just REALLY excited!!!  ;D

Mrs K was getting drinks in, anyway I had filled up on sake and soya beans earlier. I was also giving a present to the boys via Danni, and unsticking myself from the floor (that sounds wrong on so many levels - it was beer). An exciting interval, one of the best I've ever been to.

Anyhow, part two was, in Mrs Keith's words "better". We like South Dakota to Manchester, and the new encore - Gerry going back to his roots with a cupped ear. WKWTTG was beautiful, especially when Beth sang. The combination of Hawkwood's Army and Matty was fierce with Simon's segue from the super new song leading to a Matty that seemed to dribble from the boiling pits of hell. Cool!

Anyway, enough. We will now listen to the new CD and learn the easy bits for the summer.

That's still not right. I was stuck to the floor with beer; the present was something else. (I think I got away with that).

Yes, I can vouch for the sticky floor! Euuch! And it had nothing whatsoever to do with Keith & Mrs Keith! Good to see you last night - see you at your next gig!

Beth reduced most of us to tears last night with her verse on WKWTTG. Simply utterly breathtaking. Emotions high at the end as the end of the tour approached - a lifetime experience I reckon for these four lasses, one I doubt they'll forget....a major success for the lads too - every gig top class!

Off to Chippy later for more emotional releases....this tour has been the best for at least 5 years, probably longer. Shamew I can't get to the next gig.....Banff in Scotland, March 31st.

Banff?

Reply 64 in the Fairport Chatter thread....

Well, what a wrap!

In a heaving Chipping Norton Town Hall, Fairport (And the Tiny Tins) celebrated until the licence expired - so no interval tonight.
The girls got a ukelele each from the chaps, and the lads got a fine bottle each from the girls - and the biggest birthday cake you ever did see - yum!
The Talkawhile award got presented in where the interval would have been.

I'm useless at reviews, so I'll leave it to the other Talkawhilers present to sum up far better than I. With only six lamps, the lighting could have been easier to work with, but here's a couple to be going on with.

[attachment deleted by admin]

So why the purple feather boa?  Or is that one of those really silly questions?

It belonged to Tiny Tin Helen, but for the final song Mr. Pegg decided it would keep him warm

Jude (who had a great deal of fun......)

Here is a pic of the cake Chris mentioned, it was the largest cake I have ever seen. So big in fact it took two burly chaps to lift it.
Each member of the audience was offered a slice of the cake as they departed Chippy Town Hall last night and I can report, it tasted delicious.
 

[attachment deleted by admin]

Here's a little bit of a review

Because of various difficulties with the timing and licensing, there was no interval, so it was one whole long performance, first from Tiny Tin Ladies who were getting a bit tearful because it was the last night. They were each given a bunch of flowers and they had given the most enormous cake to Fairport. (Which was very delicious. I know because I ate a bit! ;D)

I thought TTL were excellent and the addition of Kat and her fiddle made for a lovely rounded sound especially with the extra harmonies. The segue (is that the right word?) into Fairport's set was seamless with Ric and Chris joining in on TTL's last number. The stage was very crowded and there was hardly any room to move with all them instruments a bits of wiring. So mainly the band stayed where they were and Ric bounced on the spot!
Simon had to give Shirley and I a thinly veiled clue as to when we should present the award and neither of us tripped over anything or broke anything while clambering about. Lots of hugs and kisses and then back to the show.
I have to say that at this point I retired to the back of the hall as the speakers were right in front of me and my ears were boinging a bit, but TTL performed their dance in front of the stage and jolly fine it was too. I think the whole of the show was pretty similar to the rest of the tour, but they did play Matty Groves which I think had not been a usual thing on the tour. So it must have been in honour of the award.
Somebody'll tell me if I got that wrong!!
Anyway it was a splendid show with a very emotional MOTL, naturally.
I am sure there is a lot I missed out so please add to this.

Anyway I had a jolly good time   ;D

OOhh thanks for that Jude... so pleased it went well but why the early finish??

Matty was played when I saw the tour.

I guess that's the "timing and licensing issues" Jude spoke of.

That was it exactly.....

What I meant was.. what time did the chaps have to finish?

They played Matty at Southport as well, complete with an excellent electric intro from SN

10.00pm on the nail, or we all turned into yobs and trashed Chippy central, apparently ;D ;D

Blimey that's very early!!  ;D ;D

If the shoe fits.... or is that another topic!

That's another topic.

I only mentioned it because Simon did, several times ;D ;D

However, there were still people milling around after 11.00pm, which was about when we left. Eating cake, mostly.

Mmmm .......I wonder if there will be cake at Cropredy.........perhaps there will be a giant one and the chaps will burst out of it and give us all a surprise! ;D

The last I saw of the cake was a not very big pile of crumbs (double fist if that) being oggled by a young girl (about 7). They probably didn't last much longer.

Others have spoken about the gig itself. I'm pretty bad at reviews, so I'll just say "wonderful" - for both groups and their combinations.

I was amazed by how quiet the town centre was at night. I was staying at The Bell, and reduced to a fast food kebab. I heard / saw very little traffic after 23;00. Perhaps the curfew is enforced by shoot on sight patrols.

Thanks Mart!

I've never been called "burly" before. Usually it's chickenlegs or foureyes.

Burly Bernie

I don't know if anyone has seen this yet but here is a video of Beth singing WKWTTG at Croydon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tcYesLREcI The sound quality isn't very good, but it shows what talent that girl has

Nice one....thanks   :)

Nice review of fairport from the Cambridge gig @
http://tinyurl.com/27qdpf
;D ;D

It might be nice, but I'm afraid I didn't get beyond this line "Even in the early 80s when - let's not split what's left of hairs here - they were rubbish" which is about the most inaccurate and misinformed distortion of the (well, my!) truth there is.  They were magnificent in the early 80's...

yeah i know but nothings perfect! ;D ;D ;D

Surely Fairport didn't really exist in the early 80's. Split in 1979, reformed with Gladys' Leap in 1984/5.

Jackdaw

I think that's the oblique point the reviewer is making....

Fairport existed in the early 80's.   And very good they were too.  I can prove both points.   :)

ONly as a Cropredy band, though....

I'm sure I saw the Pegg Nicol Rowlands Swarbrick line up in the early 80s, after the "farewell" tour.

Paul

What nonsense, Chris! They did Christmas tours, occasional dates in the rest of the year...hell they even did a couple of US tours before Gladys Leap....  Happy to provide documentary and audio evidence if you need it  ;)

I'm glad to agree with the reviewer that "Meet On The Ledge" is better than "All Around My Hat".

Whether MOTL is the best folk song ever written is up for debate, however.

the Fairport home movie was indeed recorded on tour, long after, the 79 split and before the official reconvention in 85.
  for a band that didnt exist they were pretty busy

Quite so.  Just listen to Swarb's comments about that time on "It All Comes Round Again".

I certainly did, including one set at Sheffield Uni when they overran by 40minutes plus doing the best Fairport gig I ever went to...

Okay, a bit late I know, but I would like to say my piece about the Chippy gig last Sunday.

It was lovely to be there at the tail end of the tour. Chippy Town Hall is not the "smartest" of venues.....following on from Brum Symphony Hall and St David's Hall, Cardiff. The tickets were more expensive too! :o Probably because fewer people could be accommodated.....

Anyhoo.....a very enthusiastic audience was present.... a very enthusiastic performance was presented....the TTL's "suffering" somewhat from feeling understandably tearful on the last night of their tour - and poor Danni's voice somewhat strained after the rigours of the previous six weeks.

It was an exciting and somewhat nerve-wracking evening for me personally, having been given the opportunity to present, in the company of our very own Jude, a Hancock award for Best Folk Track Ever (Matty Groves). Mercifully, I managed NOT to trip over any cables or do anything TOO silly. Phew! Chris Bates managed to capture the moment beautifully. Bless him!

The chaps were clearly enjoying themselves in an "end of term" kind of way - much laughter and lots of "mucking about" by Peggy, in particular. It seems that this tour has been one of great celebration for all concerned. Sense of Occasion? I think so. Roll on, August. {:-)

Nice post, Shirl.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Spotted this in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph "Seven" supplement.

"Fairport Convention at the ICA are two groups in one. There is an acclaimed, honoured group called Fairport Convention who in the late 1960s helped to invent folk rock and are now celebrating their 40th anniversary. There's little sign of their existence.

There is also a group called Fairport Convention containing only one of the original members, who are some kind of home-baked tribute to the idea of a Fairport Convention that helped invent folk rock and released legendary albums.

Mostly they tend to muck around like a bunch of assiduous, cheerful blokes who act as if they are in some kind of comedy group. This Fairport Convention are not as such honouring the original pioneering Fairport, give or take the occasional sentimental rendition of an early classic, as creating a kind of dog-eared caricature. The original innovative Fairport is overwhelmed by this deteriorating, corny Fairport, who gamely keep the name alive and have a lot of fun but who should now perhaps be called Fairport Nonvention."

Harsh words. >:(  Okay, of course things have changed - it has been 40 years for a start! I know plenty of us have views about the different Fairport eras, and fair enough, but I thought this reviewer (one Paul Morley) was pretty hard on the Chaps. :(

Hard, but fairly accurate
the current band are totally different to the original set up.
thats not meant as a criticism, just an observation.
I noticed a couple of years ago when RT was in the line up at Croperdy
that the band had an edge to the sound, perhaps more electric guitar would not hurt.
times change so do band members, I love the current line up both as musicians and personalities
but time also mellows how and why we do things, the brash thrust of youth sounds different to the mellow sounds of wisdom and experience.
I am looking forward to the Liege and leaf set this august.

OOOOO I'm gonna get hammered for this

I agree with these sentiments fB. I love the band as they are now, but I miss Maart's guitar and keyboards (I was introduced to them in 1989 so the Maart and DM lineup was the first I knew) and, IMHO, there's far too much mando now. I like a bit of mando, but you can have too much of it. I'm looking forward to L&L as I've never seen RT live and I can't wait!

 {:-) [;-)

I thought so too.  I cannot relate to this reporter's viewpoint at all.  Christie Moore's Scallcrows springs to mind.  

Actually, I much preferred the article about Daniel Levitin and the meaning of music.  I think it gives more of a clue as to why Fairport continues to be so popular after forty years.

I didn't notice Paul Morley in the crowd.

But I have to agree to a certain extent that the music now is far lighter than the Fairport of even 10 years ago, and could be seen as larking about by a real stalwart of serious music (as I know Paul Morley to be). They had a lot of fun, but it didn't really rub off on the audience - so is it an "old boys club" now?

Well, the music is certainly not cutting edge, and I'm struggling to enjoy SOO - whereas the roots that have been set down by earlier, more earthy songs seem to give more scope for improvisation and character (cf. Matty Groves). I can't see a heavy improv taking place with Edge Of The World, or Keep On Turning The Wheel  :P

 I too have to agree on the current sound of the band and the preponderence of mandolin etc :( In the words of John Cleese during Monty Python's Cheese Shop sketch, 'Shut that bloody bouzouki up  ;)

Cheers Nigel

Am I the only one that likes the mandolin in the current FC then??

I haven't been inside the ICA for some years when I had business dealings with them. The ambience of the place then was very highbrow. Sounds a funny place for FC to perform. Reminds me of a mid 80's concert they did at the Barbican. Peggy said "Funny place - hope you've enjoyed yourselves'.

Difficult to get gigs in London, I suppose.

No...but it's a question of balance.  It's (and certainly on record) a too one-dimensional 'light' sound at present...I've always thought of Fairport as having all sorts of textures to them and a lot of those textures have been missing for a while....although the latest tour appears to have been a good step in the right direction on the live front.  I'd love to see them mix it up in the studio and get out of the safety zone they currently operate in there...

Personally (and this doesn't just go for London) I wish they'd play 'rock' venues...and especially after the smoking ban comes in....places like the Astoria or even smaller venues like the Borderline or whatever...

No  ;) [;-)

I like it too, especially that bass model!

I like the mando (s) in the current line-up. Shame Peggy doesn't play it more with FC, after all he's been doing it for a while now.

But, I'm with Davidmjs about the balance. Well put David, ta.

Well, I saw them in 1970, when they were an "acclaimed, honoured group who helped to invent folk-rock" and I'm happy to report that they never mucked around in those days, but were serious students of the art of re-interpreting traditional music for the second half of the 20th century. And they wore tweed jackets and brogues, and smoked pipes on stage. And my nephew is a primate.

I reckon Mr Morley would be even quicker to criticise if they looked and sound as they did in the late 1960s. ie had they not changed. I'd even say that if they'd failed to change, no-one would be going to see them at all, let alone tens of thousands.

Did they not 'lark about' in the old days, then?  I wasn't there of course, but that video clip on Youtube - you know, the one with the helicopters - was very funny.  I've read plenty of stuff which indicates that Fairport certainly did their fair share of 'larking about' - on and off stage! Don't get me wrong, I love the early stuff.  It reminds me of my long lost youth.  I also love what they do now.

I just thought Paul Morley was a bit mean and to resort to name calling detracted from a supposedly serious article.

At the end of the day, they are five guys trying to make a living (which I reckon is quite modest) by doing something they're good at and which they enjoy doing.  Not much different to most of us, I suspect.  I'm not cutting edge at what I do but I do a good job for the most part and there are plenty of people who appreciate it.  If I read an article like that about me, I would be hurt.

I think the article was meant to be hurtful...

Oops!  Sorry PLW.  I seem to have repeated some of what you said.  (Maybe I should take notice of the red warning in future ::))

I wouldn't bother worrying about Paul Morley's opinions. The guy (like so many of his contemporaries at the NME in the late '70s) mistakes his role in the world of music. He seems to imagine that commentating on the aftermath of the punk generation makes him a creative force of some merit.

In reality he is a pretentious p***k, as anyone who has read any of his inane scribblings in the last 20 years will testify to.

Exactly - which is why Christie Moore's Scallcrows springs to mind.

for what its worth I love the mandolin and bazouki sound - too many heavy guitars and you have a band sounding like all the other run of the mill bands around - keep fairport unique I say  

???
That went sailing over my head. Google is of no help. Could you please explain?

Don't worry, Bob.  Lots of things go sailing over my head round here. ;D  

Christie Moore wrote a song about newspaper reporters, castigating them for their hunger to wound innocent people.

 ... your pointed beaks as sharp as knives, as you tear strips from people's lives...

I think the song is really aimed at reporters who are much worse than Mr Morley, so I may have overreacted a bit, but you get the idea.

PS  My misspelling of Christy may have hindered your google search. :-[

Well I love the mandolin, it gives a distinctive Fairport sound, but I also love that 'duelling fiddles' sound that was more prominent several years back, but best of all I love it when those 'old fellas' let rip and enjoy themselves and rock like they did 40 years ago (and last month!)  ;)

Why doesn't Chris get his electric guitar out more, I'd much rather have two electrics on Tam Lin than mando and one electric (this is coming from a mando player) :)

What's all this stuff about the mandolin being recent additions to Fairport? They were there in 1969 on Unhalfbricking (Million Dollar Bash, anyone?). Flatback Caper on Full House - well nigh seven minutes of duelling mandos and not an electric guitar in sight. Angel Delight? All over it. Nowadays you have the luxury of fiddle and mandolin at the same time! And electric guitar. Never satisfied some people  ;)

Chris needs to resurrect the batocaster

J

Who said the mandolin was recent? My problem is it being so dominant in the mix and being the focal instrument of too many songs making Fairport on record sound...well, lovely.

I can only take so much lovely.

Spot on.  'Lovely' is almost as bad as 'nice'.  Which is horrid   ;)

Don't you come in here using abusive language like that!

Nice!

You ought to be ashamed, David.

I don't think you can ever have tooooo much 'lovely'...  as opposed to 'unlovely'!

So there!

Ah I love a really good discussion.  :)

Just to put the record straight, as it was my comment on the mando that started this, I like mandolin and I think it's right and correct that FC feature it in a few of their repertoire. Recently, however, they, or rather Chris, has used it a little too much and this in my opinion has led to a twee sound on occasion. I prefer a rockier sound. It hasn't stopped me from enjoying the new album but I do feel it would have benefited from a little more electric guitar. Folk-rock rather than electric-folk.

That's all! BTW I love the two-fiddle sound.  ;)

Chris - Electric guitar?  Now, there's a thought...

Would totally blow out of the window my theory about fiddle/mando players not playing guitar and vice versa...

AND would give a whole new scope for arrangements!  Goo-oorn Chris, you know you want to!!  (Don't forget the whistles though - there's still room for a pukka flautist)

Chris doesn't play electric guitar, it is a stratocaster type body, with a bouzouki neck fitted.

I too have felt recently the sound is too folky, and not enough electric, but that is only a personal opinion. I did really enjoy the Maart era, with the heavier electric guitar sound. I also like the earlier Richard era guitar sound.

Paul

I don't think they sound too folky, but then I like trad folk.......and I liked the Maart/rock version of the band too; Fairport's current incarnation does little for me I'm afraid -  its too MOR and sounds more like Val Doonican's particular 1970s version of Folk than anything else. Its all too.......(struggling for the right word).................nice.

Ah yes, Val Doonican: the true founder of folk rock. Lifetime achievement award at the next BBC Folk Awards I reckon.

It's a little known fact that Joe Boyd produced the sought-after demo of Paddy McGinty's Goat, and Richard Thompson played the legendary, much-imitated guitar solo in Rafferty's Motor Car. And that bass line on Walk Tall. . .if that's not Ashley Hutchings I'll eat my hat. And of course Shane McGowan has been described as "Val Doonican without the rocking chair. . .or the teeth".

Val Doonican did a very respectable "Stone Fox Chase"!

I'm glad someone agrees with me!  :) As Mark says it's all very "nice" at the moment, which is OK for a while, but then I have to go and play some Motorhead or Metallica to counterbalance it  ;)

BTW I was brought up on Lav Nacinood and The Spinners. Val was also a superb harmonica player.

I'm pretty sure Chris played a simple red strat on his first tour - then had the batocaster made afterwards.

Jackdaw

Naci Noodlav in our house!

What .. he's in your house right now??

Get the rocking chair ready!!

That was the problem - it was respectable.

Doesn't Chris play electric guitar on WKWTTG on Spanish Main??? That's what it says on Expletive Delighted anyway

I always thought he played the bouzoki/strat (batocaster) on that track - happy to be proved wrong though.

J

Well on Expletive Delighted it says this...

Chris Leslie    Vocals, Violin, Mandolin, Electric Guitar, Bazouki-Stratocaster

for WKWTTG

and on Beyond the Ledge (Cropredy 98 vid) it says

Chris Leslie    Violin (Tracks 1, 6, 12-14, 16), Mandolin (Tracks 2, 3, 5, 9, 18), Bouzouki (Tracks 4, 7, 8, 10, 17), Electric Guitar (Track 15), Vocals (Tracks 2, 7, 16), Backing Vocals (Tracks 8, 10, 14, 18)

Track 15 being Spanish Main

Not sure if this counts as the Wintour, but went last night to The Rant at Duff House gig at Banff. This was their most northerly gig so far this year and it was good to see them in my patch, as I normally have to travel a long way to see them.The support was a young Scots band, Breabach, (pronounce it how you wish!)a young foursome comprising scottish pipes, whistles, fiddle and guitar who gave us an excellent set of about half an hour of jigs, reels, strathspeys and one song - "The rolling hills of the border." Simon commented how good they were and I wouldn't be surprised if they were invited to a future Cropredy.
In front of a sold-out and enthusiastic audience of just short of 600, FC gave as good a performance as I have seen. The gig was in a marquee in the grounds of Duff House and the sound was surprisingly good in such a setting. I was at the opening gig of the tour at Tewkesbury and it was good but suffered a bit from being the first night. However, last night was a buzz from start to finish. The set was virtually the same - sorry, I didn't keep a set list - but the second half started with the Brilliancy medley and did include Untouchable, both of which they didn't feature at Tewkesbury.
The lads were on top form and seemed to be enjoying themselves in front of an appreciative audience. Roll on Cropredy!

Thanks for your review Mike, sounds as though it was a great night.

Peggy enjoyed himself on that tour.....

[attachment deleted by admin]