TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Hi Dave,

I see that Tiny Tin Lady are supporting FC on the Winter Tour. Over the years there has been a mix of newcomers who have been introduced to the FC audiences through the support slot, one thinks of Anna Ryder for example, along with better known names like Bob Fox or Steve Tilston.

What are the criteria in selecting the support, do Fairport approach an act they have seen on the circuit or do you receive demos from likely acts? And also what does it mean when people like Bob, Vikki Clayton, David Hughes and Anna Ryder then become such important members of the Fairport family with apearences at Cropredy and other guest slots?

Cheers,

Jackdaw

Hi . well this question has proved to be the most difficult to answer as every time I have switched to the F.C. site to check on a tour date i have lost the reply I was sending you. Oh the joy of technology. Not my forte! 3rd. time lucky I hope. The winter tour is a long one and unlike most nationwide tours where a record company will pay to put the opening act on, we choose the acts ourselves 'cos we really like them and hope our audience feel the same way. The acts rely on their cd. sales to fund the tour(expensive nowadays with hotel and petrol costs etc.) so it really helps if you go and say hello in the interval and buy their cds. Some people like Bob Fox have had their careers rejuvenated by doing our winter tours. Some years ago Bob was really thinking about "knocking it on the head" and told me this at a gig we did at sunderland empire. I suggested he did our tour and believing as we did that Bob was a major talent we agreed to do an album with him at my studio. Great success ensued for Bob and we  would hope that all our"openers" have gained ground by playing in front of the Fairport audience.
"Tiny tin Lady" are the youngest and largest(numerically speaking) and certainly the most feminine act that we have presented. We hope that they will go far(they certainly will on March the 4th.when they have to drive from Cardiff to Cromer!!). It's a joy to see new people coming on the scene and how these 3 really talented youngsters haven't got a deal with a major label yet is beyond me. Good question. Cheers, peggy.

Oh dear - they obviously haven't told you there's 4 of them now  ;D ;D

Blimey, news to me!.  ta for the info. peggy.

They have a fiddle player now apparently. Should be great.

Can't wait to see you all in Southport next year. No doubt I'll be chatting to Bernie at some point  ;D

Details below Peggy:

news story http://www.tinytinlady.com/news.htm

pictures http://www.tinytinlady.com/images.htm

Really looking forward to seeing TTL on the winter tour, I think that they are a fantastic talent for such young people.  I just hope that if they do get a record deal that some daft record exec doesn't try to turn them in to some sort of "pop" act.

Now why would you want to limit their income, BD? Let them be "pop" if they want to be.

I don't know, I reckon the dubious yoke of 'integrity' costs a lot of money.

Wouldn't wish to deny a decent income cocker, I reckon that they have enough talent to make a decent living without having to sacrifice their musical direction.

You're absolutely right Cocker but I'd just like to say that The Yukons don't regret for a minute turning down Louie Walsh's offer to be his next big boy band. It wasn't the ghastly material that put us off as we have no integrity whatsoever and our material is alreeady ghastly, it was the extensive plastic surgery and liposuction we would need to look good in Westlife's cast offs.  ;D

Musical direction! Decent living! People don't want a decent living! They want indecent amounts of money. I would anyway.

And what's this? Liposuction! A small price to pay! Think, Andy! Thin and stinking rich! What was the problem?

I think TTL's manager can cope with the record companies.

Good point Cocker!! I'll get the lads round and we'll get cracking with the Stanley knives and Dyson straight away. We'll be looking like that Michael Jackson in no time.

Michael Jackson? Losing your integrity is one thing, acting like a total plonker is something else.

Hm. If he was starting with The Man In The Mirror, with whom would everyone else start?  ::)

Do all FC opening acts have to have cosmetic surgery?  :-\

If they're as lovingly gorgeous as TTL then obviously not but some of the previous opening acts might have benefitted  :-X :-X :-X  ::) :D

You can say that again.