Fairport @ the Barbican, 18th July

[Tim Fletcher]

They also played I'll Keep It With Mine

Ooops - yes they did. KW singing if I am reading my notes correctly and it came after Some Sweet Day

Thanks also for the title of the first song.

[billy]

I only knew it because it's on the Bob Dylan album "Saved"

[Bob Barrows]

Early song - don't know the title (SN, AH, RT, JD)

A Satisfied Mind

Is that the one on The Byrds' Turn, Turn Turn album?

How many times
Have you heard someone say
If I had his money
I'd do things my way
But little they know
that it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten
with a satisfied mind

etc.

[Dan O.]

Wonderful evening @ The Barbican, nice to see many TAWers there ! Blair Dunlop played a very proficient set (one to watch), Linde Nijland was pretty good and Iain Matthews was excellent. The cockle-warming Judy Dyble started the main show, I'll just mention some highlights : Fairport '67 were superb, Judy sang beautifully, Teddy & Kamila Thompsons' harmonies on WKWTTG, Kellie & Chris While were  fabulous all round, Kellie singing "A Sailor's Life" in the absence of Martin Carthy (due to Norma's illness), the Liege & Lief section brilliant, the Full House part great (with 4/5 members present), great to see Chris Leslie cut loose on the fiddle tonight (tonight he was THE Fiddler of Fairport - no Swarb or Ric dominating the proceedings), RT was great and played within the context of the band (again, didn't take over), Ashley was solid and showed great authority on Danelectro bass, Peggy was as good as ever, Simon seemed to be having a whale of a time (very importantly emphasising that FC are a current working band, and that CL is one of the backbones of the current lineup), and DM was "inch-perfect," revealing that he had bought a copy of Unhalfbricking prior to joining the band in order to learn "Autopsy," thanking FC for saving his life before he ended up in a really bad prog band ! Si Du Tois Partir and MOTL  (IM & RT singing the verses with SN) finished a great night...roll on Croppers !!!

[Shane (Skirky)]

Absolutely storming. Dame Judy on superb form, Thompson famille all imperious, Mr. Hutchings fabulous, the Whiles stupendous. A real shame if you missed it on purpose.

[Greg]

'twas fabulous!  Sailor's Life was fantastic, a real jaw-dropping moment for me.  Jack O' Diamonds was great too.  But it was all  brilliant!  Best night I've had in ages.

[Ian W.]

It would be great if most of that company were available for Cropredy, although I'm not expecting a lot of people as surprise guests as it isn't a big anniversary year, or is it ?

I've been listening to Cropredy Capers this evening and had forgotten how good Ian Matthew's version of WKWTTG was.

[BPTNT]

A definite well done to everyone involved. That was everything I could have hoped for... Particularly great to see DM again. Absolutely magic . Thought the multi vocalists thing worked out fine too. Props in particular to Teddy Thompson for Genesis Hall (moody as hell) and Kellie While on I'll Keep It With Mine and A Sailor's Life. But hell it was all good. Swarb's absence was obviously a downer in the build-up but can't help thinking that Chris Leslie played it spot-on- in the freewheeling, winging-it, spirit of the Fairport of old.

Any thoughts of the rest of the weekend being an anti-climax should be kicked into touch with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds tonight . Life is sometimes so sweet    

[warrenbyrds]

Yes indeed - the very same Satisfied Mind. A great version too. I wonder if they first heard it on Turn Turn?

[Adam]

Absolutely stunning night - all the songs sounded fresh and vibrant  - too many highlights to mention, but Sailor's life, Time will show the wiser and Doctor of Physik blew me away.

One of the best gigs I have been to, and a real testiment to the skill (and durability) of Fairport (in all their guises)

Adam

[Malcolm]

was it being filmed or recorded?

Hopefully, Simon will read this thread and set us right.

[hmulley]

Well, I had no preconceptions; and a jolly good time all round, although I much preferred the first half.

Jude - you were radiant. Truly.

[Jan_]

           

Brilliant! Marvellous! Fantastic! - the gig of the year.  (Steady on, Mother, says daughter, it's only July!)   My 'feel good' indicator was on the ceiling all evening.

Thank you to everyone concerned who put themselves out and made the effort to bring us that little enormous gem.  It is much appreciated.


PS  Jude, you were fab and I really liked your outfit.

I introduced myself to Chris Bates - what a lovely, friendly chap.

[ThomA]

I spent nearly all of the first half of the gig with absolute goosebumps, but even the second half was just wonderful too.  I don't think I've ever grinned so hard in all my life; from the moment it began until the final notes of Meet On The Ledge, I was in absoute heaven.  I'm trying to think of highlights or individual accolades, but every time I try to conjure up some magnificent memory, another one comes along and pushes it out of the way because it was all so. bloody. good.  I want to single out nearly everyone (in particular DM and Iain Matthews - surely the best drummer and best male vocalist the band have ever had), but can't.  All I can say is that this wasn't nostalgia for me (since I only discovered the world of Fairport about seven years ago), but was seeing a band who may have put out their debut four decades ago, but whose passion and abilities have been undimmed by time.  The vocals were amazing - props to Jude and to Iain Matthews for Time Will Show The Wiser and Jack O'Diamonds! - and the guests were extremely well chosen for the most part.  I'm still reeling from Kellie While doing I'll Keep It With Mine and Linde Nijland doing Fotheringay.  Even as a Cropredy 'casual' (only three festivals to my name), I've seen enough Fairport to think I'd never in a million years see them perform these, much less with most of the band who recorded the original versions.  Just thinking about Iain and Simon's haunting, graceful backing vocals for Fotheringay is sending a shiver down my spine.

The second half was almost as much a delight, but having been spoiled by seeing the performance of Liege & Lief at Cropredy 07 and the marathon set they did that Saturday, this didn't quite match it, although I'm always happy to hear those songs, especially Doctor Of Physick.  On the plus side, I'm glad that the absence of Swarb was dealt with in a sensible way, rather than let it become some enormous white elephant that no one wants to mention.  Chris Leslie did a fine job in filling his shoes. 

Even after the delights of Fairport@Forty Cropredy, I'm still feeling extremely privileged to have been at this gig; the worst case sceanrio is that it's convinced my Mum to come to Cropredy next year.  

Minuses?  Well there has to be some, but they're pretty arbitrary and amounts to 'Less Joe Boyd interrupting the flow of things, and a bit more RT, who sang what amounted to two verses on his own'.  But I guess, given the nature of the program, both were understandable.  Still, with a bit less chat we could've had Sloth.

But still, that's in the top ten of gigs I've ever been to.  Thank you so much to everyone involved.

I should also give enormous thanks to quodlibet, who was kind enough to answer my call for tickets, and not only that, front row tickets.  We were sat right at the feet of Messrs Nicol and Matthews (and later Leslie), and I'm still reeling that I went from not knowing about this gig one month ago, to having what were possbily the best seats in the house; I saw genuinely damp eyes from a lot of the participants at the end of Meet On The Ledge, and felt the same way too.  We took quite a few sneaky photos, which I'll try and share with you all later today.

[Tim Fletcher]

It was a great evening, and as others have said there were so many highlights or little moments to treasure that it seems very difficult to pick any out for special mention, but I will add one and that was Ashley walking round to the back of the stage to stand behind Dave Mattacks during MotL. He was leaning on the monitor singing away and looking around the hall, but I suspect also to make sure that DM wasn't alone at the back.

One other thing is that I don't think anyone has mentioned is that the opening words of the evening were spoken by Judy who was fab.

Everyone seemed to enjoy it and the Nicol, Thompson, Pegg, Mattacks, Leslie line-up can turn and play for me any time they like! (But no offence to the current team intended)

[GubGub (Al)]

Great night, kicked off splendidly with a few pints in the charming Three Kings pub in Clerkenwell. Then on to the show, about which it has all been said reall. It was fantastic and if Jude was at all nervous, it didn't show.

They played much of my fantasy set and finally found a way to make me love A Sailor's Life, never a personal favourite but absolutely storming on the night, probably the highlight of the show.

No sign of it being filmed. I hope it was recorded but I suspect their may be contractual difficulties in releasing it for some of the performers. Incidentally, I thought both Linde Nijland and Kerri While were outstanding. Bring them to Cropredy please. Nice to see Linda Thompson too and she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Just one TDT issue and nothing to do with the gig. I'd just like to say thank you to Transport For London and First Capital connect for closing the Victoria Line, the Bank station interchange and the main line through London all at the same time and making my journey to and from the Barbican nearly impossible!  

[Jan_]

They played much of my fantasy set and finally found a way to make me love A Sailor's Life, never a personal favourite but absolutely storming on the night, probably the highlight of the show.

I agree.

[Anne T]

 All I can say is that this wasn't nostalgia for me (since I only discovered the world of Fairport about seven years ago), but was seeing a band who may have put out their debut four decades ago, but whose passion and abilities have been undimmed by time.  

This is true for me also, though five years rather than seven.

I've always liked A Sailor's Life, which a few people were converted to last night by the sound of their posts - for me, the conversion moment last night was to "Autopsy", which I've never really appreciated before. I will be listening to "Unhalfbricking" with renewed interest later in the day.

The Barbican may be hideous on the outside, but the acoustics were fabulous.

Can't really add anything to what has been said - it was a great evening and I feel privileged to have been there. But I would like to know if they ever recorded the Satisfied Mind song that the show kicked off with. It was the only song that I hadn't ever heard before and I loved it!

[Joss]

Just too amazing - it can't get much better than that. Emotional too. Thank you so much to ALL involved.

[Sandra]

I can only really echo what everyone else has said.

From the TAW meet up in the delightful Fox and Anchor where we almost took the place over, to the last dying notes and beyond, what a great day. I laughed a lot, and cried some. Most of the time I was just beaming from ear to ear.

What made it for me was that the whole concert was played as a group - no 'stars', no egos, no nothing except damn fine, tight music that took me right back some 40 years. This was the Fairport I grew up with and loved. I can only thank them for making me twenty again, even if it was just for one all too short night. I hope it took them back there as well.

Well done and thanks to all concerned.

ps to all who we met - we still didn't get to use the dishwasher!