TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Bought our tickets, looked at lineup. Reasonably happy so far.

Didn't there used to be a way to know what number ticket we got?

Edit: 888 & 889

Lineup announced so far

Baskery (https://baskeryband.com/)
Big Big Train (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/)
Black Water Country (https://blackwatercounty.co.uk/)
De Wolff (https://www.dewolff.nu/)
Eddi Reader (https://eddireader.co.uk/)
Elles Bailey (https://www.ellesbailey.com/)
Fairport and Friends (http://www.fairportconvention.com/)
Feast Of Fiddles (https://feastoffiddles.co.uk/)
Focus (https://focustheband.co.uk/)
Kathryn Tickell (https://www.kathryntickell.com/)
Ranagri (http://www.ranagri.com/)
Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble (https://www.rwcc.com/)
Silver Blues (https://silverblues.co.uk/)
Spooky Men's Chorale (https://spookymen.com/)
The Trevor Horn Band (https://www.facebook.com/trevorhornofficial/)

Oh dear

Yes, Dear?

Plenty of Prog to fall asleep to

It's in the confirmation email under the ticket details below the festival dates - it took a bit of looking. We got 1147 & 1148 in the ticket bingo.

Ah yes, 888-889 for us.

Have the Trevor Horn band bought shares in the festival?

You will get the Christmas card from them then.

77 to 84  for us.

Our Lowest number ever.

Great line up if you love prog.

We got 40 and 41, so must have been very early getting ours booked.

Sadly there's nothing much in the line-up which rings my bell, but we don't go to Cropredy just for the music (!) and I understand that there are further acts to be announced.

I think I have moved on, the memories are great and I want to hold on to them.

Have fun.

DW

Hi David. I won’t say too much as I will get criticised for being negative….
Cropredy was always very important to me . 3 decades of attendance. Special years 1995 to 2012 when we went in a convoy of 18 people and field 2 was our special,place. A 2 day fest but camped on the Thurs  and all day in the village….pint on the gravestones and a quiz from canoe club.
I sprinkled my best male mates ashes ( one of the convoy) on the field in 2012 . My wife lost interest in the fest, I attended a few times more…
I always thought it would be an unmissable part of my life ……….
But…other things have taken it’s place……much to my surprise. Warwick fest is now a regular for example.
For me it was always about the lineup.
This year I have seen most before .
So, very sadly I weaned myself of Cropredy. Smaller fests have popped up , particularly Magpie Fest .
 Bromyard etc.
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be , I can’t be an old f**t saying do you remember………
So moving on from Cropredy is a weird thing , hope you find your fix somewhere else……

Is there something about people called David who've stopped going to Cropredy?  I think there might be... ;) :) ;D

Should I change my name? It being very difficult (but not impossible) for me to go in 2024 I have taken time to reflect.
Why has Trevor Horn been booked for the third time when so many other deserving acts have been overlooked, for some it is too late by far.

We have missed out on
Runrig
Teenage Fanclub
Martin Stephenson
Ian Hunter
Christy Moore
Chumbawamba
Billy Bragg
Whiskey Priests
HoneyRider
Headsticks
Imelda May
Bennett Wilson Poole
Nick Lowe
Andy Fairweather Lowe
Elvis Costello
Terry Reid
Del Amitri
And many more not to mention American Acts

Steve Earle
Cracker
Bright Eyes
Boygenius
Ryan Adams
Love
Cowboy Junkies
Gillian Welch

Del Amitri are touring next year.
Not missed out at all (yet).

This is a slightly ludicrous concept...because in reality we have missed out on everyone on the planet who isn't on the bill.

This is just a list of people you like who aren't playing there.  Which is kind of pointless isn't it?

True....

but we never got Twisted Sister..or WASP.

We nearly got Spinal Tap but didn't.

We didn't get the real Pink Floyd. Imagine a wall stretching from Leon's to the Goan Fish stand.

Crowded House.

Macc Lads.

Macca.

AccaDacca....not the hillbilly ones.

etc etc.

But I get the original point.

10 CC - or 2.5 CC - 'Yay !' The first time.
 'Oh-they/he were/was good last time'.
 'What again ?

Same with Trev, but there was another 2.5 CC last time.

In the end, it is what it is.

David, the point I am making is that the festival is moving away from what I like , obviously with a few exceptions . I have a family wedding next year but I doubt whether I could justify paying nearly £200 each for one or two bands I like.

And for all we know, Fairport may have tried very hard to get some of the people on that list, but they weren't available at the time, or not in the country, or cost too much, or..., or...

The interest on those ISAs has to be spent somehow, man...  ;D

Yes on a wedding in France!!!

I treasure a photo , from many years ago , of a hippy looking character , smoking a huge joint chatting away to 2 smiling coppers , on the Cropredy field , completely ignoring the joint.
In 2012 , my wife, retired oncolgy nurse and not known for extreme views , scanned the seried rows of chairs and expressed the view that it had become a primary school teachers day out!
Yes of course I’m being contentious  but I would like a serious conversation re festivals.
Going to a festival is an expensive process and attracting a particular clientele.
Some festivals , New Forest for example, often by nature of the line up, are aimed at an older demographic and there is a recycling of acts.
This would also apply to river cruises , with Fairports, Rt, Show of Hands and the Costa Festivals.
I went to Magpies Fest this year , lovely little fest , a younger audience but it was still that , white , relatively well off ,middle class .
At Cropredy , Cambridge , Warwick, the sea of tents has turned into a forest of motor homes ( and yes I own a motor home, which I’m selling if anyone’s interested) .
I probably should have started a seperate thread for this, I have been enjoying a nasty cold , so finding myself awake and struggling to breathe I just started rambling,
For those of you, some friends of mine, who go to Cropredy to renew friendships, that’s wonderful. Because for years , I went with the same people , I was very much in a bubble, when we lost some of those people, the bubble burst.
So enjoy Cropredy everyone, I will do Warwick, Magpies, Beardy, Bromyard , possibly Folk in a Field, this year and a musicians weekend in the Lakes and I am still searching for that unknown gem of a fest where I discover someone new.
Loved the 4 piece Honey and the Bear at Magpies this year, They would have been great for Cropredy.
I am fascinated by the rise of the alternative fest at the Brase. I ve played it, 3 times I think but it’s now effectively  a fest in its own right . I did consider it this year, interesting line up and friends were playing it but where do you park for a day in Cropredy , mid fest, to go to the Brase.?
I’m sure you’ve heard this all before. Please spell any abuse accurately…..

I don't think anything you've said should attract any abuse! I personally think your posts usually strike just the right chord and I enjoy reading them.

I think the thing is, we've all felt the magic of Cropredy at some point in our life which is why we're still here discussing it and, in some cases, are struggling with the decision of whether to go or not. My wife and I first attended in 2006 and have been every year since albeit for the Saturday only from 2018 when my little lad was born. We still feel the magic (and a sense of nostalgia too) but when the magic fades or stops then we will stop going too.

Some love it some hate it…. We all have our own reasons…

I love Cropredy and only Covid cancellations have kept me away since 1990

All the vast elements of that annual weekend there are so diverse , sometimes not as positive… thunderstorms or intense heat… sometimes just perfect…

Some years I am enthralled by many of the acts, some years I ‘switch off’ when not so keen, but I don’t judge and I aim not to moan, I am there each year for the craic, the atmosphere, the love.

Enjoy the weekend if you are there xxx

Thanks,  Chris. I tend not to post on here often, not attending Cropredy it felt a bit hypocritical and it should be left to afficianados…..
I never know whether scattering my mates ashes in 2012 was a turning point.
2013; 2014 , I used the camping and caravan club site opposite the stores , one year not attending main fest at all, met some great people who became friends .

Interestingly, Eddi Reader et al have announced they're reforming Fairground Attraction for a tour of Japan in June 2024.

I wonder if this bodes well for guests at Croppers?

HOT FROM THE WEBSITE...
I
"Hello Fairporters,

We hope you all had a great festive season and – like us – are looking forward to the forthcoming Wintour 2024. The dates are on our website.

In our previous newsletter, we listed most of the artists booked for Fairport’s Cropredy Convention 2024. Now we are pleased to announce the final three acts that complete this summer’s great line-up.

 

First up is the legendary Tony Christie.

Best-known for smash hits including ‘Avenues and Alleyways’ and ‘(Is This the Way To) Amarillo’ Tony is one of the UK’s most memorable singers. His 50+ years career has been characterised by great songs and incredible showmanship.

Peggy says: “When Ric, Chris and I saw Tony perform at the Costa Festival we were immensely impressed. His classy show earned him a well-deserved standing ovation.”

At Cropredy Tony will perform a mix of classic tracks as well as songs from his new album ‘We Still Shine’

 

Americana/folk duo Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage supported Fairport on the 2023 Winter Tour.

Those of you who came to one of the gigs last year will be no strangers to their fine musicianship, exquisite songs and intimate duets. As well as their own set, they will also join Fairport on stage on Saturday evening.

 

Our third addition is the hardest working trio in Kent.

If you are a fan of electrifying guitar-based rock and blues, The Zac Schulze Gang is the band for you. Fast, fun and a real force to be reckoned with.

 

Lastly, don’t forget our Special Surprise Guest who will take the stage on Saturday evening immediately before Fairport Convention’s marathon closing set. Who can it be?

So the complete line-up for Cropredy 2024 looks like this..."
Hmmm...

Is WHO can it be, a clue?

Ha.  I like your style.