Fairport @ the Barbican, 18th July

[Andy]

.... should have let husband go with his directional instincts!]

Uh-oh!

[Simon Withers]

Thanks TomA for letting us see some of your images...I can not really add to what has been written...it was a great evening and a real joy to have been in attendance...My wife and I had a great day at the Barbican and it was the first time that we didn't get lost wandering around the place...As well as the concert the day provided a great opportunity to see a really great exhibition too...'Radical Nature' did anyone go and have a look at it?

I certainly hope there is a CD to be made available of the concert as has been suggested.

Great to see Jude on stage and I really enjoyed all the guest performers.

[PaulT]

Well, there is absolutely nothing I can add to all the positive reviews - probably the best Fairport "event" I have attended, and that goes right back to 1971.

Still grinning stupidly, looking forward to seeing Chris' pics & a CD release (please!)  

When Jude, Simon, Ashley & Richard started playing, the years rolled away, the smiles started and there was a palpable feeling of love (yes, love) passing between stage & audience.  

Thank you, all of you, for a wonderful evening that I shall never forget.

[steve-n]

Fabulous evening - Sailor's Life was worth the price of admission alone.

As has been said (many times!!) everyone on stage was on top form, but special mentions for Chris who, whilst by no means imitating Swarb, really picked up on the 70's style of fiddle, and DM - who was simply awesome.

And whilst MOTL was always going to be emotional, it was also possibly the most musical we've heard from an extended lineup.......

S&J

[davidmjs]

Fabulous evening - Sailor's Life was worth the price of admission alone.

As has been said (many times!!) everyone on stage was on top form, but special mentions for Chris who, whilst by no means imitating Swarb, really picked up on the 70's style of fiddle, and DM - who was simply awesome.

And whilst MOTL was always going to be emotional, it was also possibly the most musical we've heard from an extended lineup.......

S&J

Agree with all this.  I'm just counting my pennies at the moment.  I think I can afford £3.47 for the recorder (me want).  That can feed a greyhound for a we..., er, day...can't it?  

[steve-n]

It's certainly a peculiar place though, the whole Barbican complex, I can't tell you how many times I got lost, trying to find the way either from or to backstage. In fact I still haven't got the hang of where any of that area is in relation to anywhere else....

You're not alone.  Wonderful venue(and the layout is probably very logical),  but having parked, it took almost as long for us to find a way in as it did to navigate from the end of the A40. And trying to refund a prepaid car park ticket was ......interesting.

Judging by the number of confused people we passed several different times, we're sure they're still trying to find a way out from previous concerts.

S&J

[jude]

Agree with all this.  I'm just counting my pennies at the moment.  I think I can afford £3.47 for the recorder (me want).  That can feed a greyhound for a we..., er, day...can't it?  

Coo that's over a week's worth of food David... try and get up to a month's worth. Look down the back of the sofa. and try the pockets of that jacket you haven't worn for years....

[davidmjs]

It's certainly a peculiar place though, the whole Barbican complex, I can't tell you how many times I got lost, trying to find the way either from or to backstage. In fact I still haven't got the hang of where any of that area is in relation to anywhere else....

You're not alone.  Wonderful venue(and the layout is probably very logical),  but having parked, it took almost as long for us to find a way in as it did to navigate from the end of the A40. And trying to refund a prepaid car park ticket was ......interesting.

Judging by the number of confused people we passed several different times, we're sure they're still trying to find a way out from previous concerts.

S&J

We just followed the yellow brick road (yellow line) from the underground straight to the Centre.  If that hadn't been there I'd never ever have found it!  Not been since the Pentangle reunion there in '82.  

Incidentally, great Italian right by the station.  Preposterously empty considering the decent food and welcome we got there!

[davidmjs]

Agree with all this.  I'm just counting my pennies at the moment.  I think I can afford £3.47 for the recorder (me want).  That can feed a greyhound for a we..., er, day...can't it?  

Coo that's over a week's worth of food David... try and get up to a month's worth. Look down the back of the sofa. and try the pockets of that jacket you haven't worn for years....

Not that jacket Jude?  Oh, God, you haven't seen that jacket, have you?  I'm not going in there.  You never know what I might find....

[PaulT]

I too stayed at Sundial Court - approx 300 yds from the Silk Street entrance.  Basic, but clean, and I'd definitely stay there again. Very cosy little pub just round the corner.  Went out for a run early Sunday morning, managed not to get lost in the City (not part of London I know at all well), saw most of the tourist-y sights before they were obscured by, er, tourists, and got a wave from the lady doing her hour on the fourth plinth...

[DaviD J (was geriatrix)]

Wholeheartedly agree with all the positive comments. Concert of the year/decade, and the participants looked to be enjoying themselves as well. And I picked up Talking With Strangers number 97...

But, does anyone know how the Sunday night ISB evening went?

[AngieH]

Not me, Im afraid.

I've always said I'd go to see RT doing anything, anywhere.  But there are limits, after all.

[DaviD J (was geriatrix)]

Aah, you saw them at Cropredy in 2000 then, I guess.

I still treasure the look of complete non comprehension on the faces of the All About Eve fans waiting for AAE to follow on. The ISB are forever known as "the band whose name must not be mentioned" in AAE circles.

Having said that, the first three ISB albums are wonderful, and that's what they were meant to be celebrating at the Barbican gig.

[Sandra]

I saw then in the late sixties and they were a wonderful if slightly eccentric band.

I missed them at Cropredy and so had nothing to dent that image.

We did have tickets for Sunday at the Barbican but had to miss it due to work commitments. I too would be interested to know how it went.

[AngieH]

Saw them in the sixties too.  Hmmm.

Back to Saturday night...perhaps I could just add a little to my almost 'words fail me' post immediately afterwards.  (We got back to my son's flat and his flatmate was just about to turn off the PC, so I couldn't resist being the first to give a reaction!)

It was so good, that I am almost deterred from ever seeing Fairport again, on the grounds that anything else will now be an anticlimax.

And to close the first set with A Sailor's Life was genius on someone's part.  It gave us a chance to spend several minutes blinking in disbelief and wonder.

[jude]

There's a bit about the ISB concert on the ISB message board here

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/ISB/message/58495

 

[davidmjs]

There's a bit about the ISB concert on the ISB message board here

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/ISB/message/58495

 

Robyn H and Richard T doing Williamson was like Buddha and Jesus doing God then....I'm really glad us folk-rock fans avoid hyberbole at all times  

Looks great...I hope there was a decent crowd there (don't like the comments about Rose in the review, mind - although they did make me laugh out loud: Rose did join in the chorus, albeit a long way from the mike, which was probably wise)

[Simon Withers]

I too stayed at Sundial Court - approx 300 yds from the Silk Street entrance.  Basic, but clean, and I'd definitely stay there again. Very cosy little pub just round the corner.  Went out for a run early Sunday morning, managed not to get lost in the City (not part of London I know at all well), saw most of the tourist-y sights before they were obscured by, er, tourists, and got a wave from the lady doing her hour on the fourth plinth...

During the Cropredy weekend my wife will be doing her one hour on the forth plinth...a 6am-7am slot

[PaulT]

I saw the Robin/Mike/Rose/Likky ISB at Liverpool Philharmonic in about 1969-70 (I think); a schoolfriend wanted to go, so I went as well.  The only seats left on sale were orchestra seats - i.e. on the stage behind the band - and a jolly good evening it was too.

Come to think of it - as I've been on stage with Mike Heron (singing, albeit quietly), as has RT, does that get me a Pegg number? and would it be 3 or 4, as I can't remember the formula, only that it's less complicated than the Duckworth-Lewis method.  

[Goaty]

3!