General Cropredy Chatter

[Suzanne]

On a more pleasant note, can I say a huge THANK YOU to everybody who came and chatted to/hugged Robert over the course of the weekend.  He told me that it made him feel "extra special".  

Robert is struggling to walk right now owing to really awful and rapidly-progressing osteoarthritis in both knees (plus scoliosis which renders a wheelchair totally unsuitable).  As a result, he was very upset that he couldn't get round the field very well/go into the Village on Thursday/go to the front of the field to watch the bands/frequently have little trips to the bar to see friends such as the TAW bunch.  You were all so kind and willing to come to him instead - I really appreciate that so much.  

[blagden]

That's lovely ... let's focus on the positive things in life.

[StephenB]

Talking of which, and especially as I feel partly responsible for starting the downward miserable trend of this thread with my comments about flags, I've posted my annual entirely positive and feelgood "Your top three Cropredy moments" thread.

http://www.talkawhile.co.uk/yabbse/index.php?topic=45899.new#new

Feel free to contribute, because I'm pretty sure there's a hell of a lot more positive than negative stuff going on.

[Adam]

Colin, I trust you will be setting up the top turns vote again?

[hendo (Dave)]

Chatting to a friend tonight, who has done many Cropredies and this one and genuinely believes that the Brase line ups will start to outdo that of the main festival.
He said Merry Hell and Clarion were excellent and the Zal Cleminson band were his band of the fest beating Afro Celts and Vent Du Nord.
He is a huge Fairport afficianado but he did feel their set list was really weak until Maart came on.

[blagden]

Page 4 advert in the Review Section of yesterday's Daily Telegraph for last week's festival?

[Sue & Chris]

Chatting to a friend tonight, who has done many Cropredies and this one and genuinely believes that the Brase line ups will start to outdo that of the main festival.

With all due respect to your friend, if he spent so much time at the Brasenose, how can he make that judgement? How does he know there wasn't something better on in the field whilst he was at the pub?

[hendo (Dave)]

Chatting to a friend tonight, who has done many Cropredies and this one and genuinely believes that the Brase line ups will start to outdo that of the main festival.

With all due respect to your friend, if he spent so much time at the Brasenose, how can he make that judgement? How does he know there wasn't something better on in the field whilst he was at the pub?

He was effectively saying that the Brase has become a second stage. It is no further away than some stages at big fests,. He looked at what was on the main field and the Brase and made some choices, shuttling between stages , as people do at multi stage events.
I have always loved the one stage set up at Cropredy . His point was that there is now real competion to the main stage.
It is of course his opinion .....and he's a fiddle player.......so of course his opinions are suspect!

[Sue & Chris]

Chatting to a friend tonight, who has done many Cropredies and this one and genuinely believes that the Brase line ups will start to outdo that of the main festival.

With all due respect to your friend, if he spent so much time at the Brasenose, how can he make that judgement? How does he know there wasn't something better on in the field whilst he was at the pub?

He was effectively saying that the Brase has become a second stage. It is no further away than some stages at big fests,. He looked at what was on the main field and the Brase and made some choices, shuttling between stages , as people do at multi stage events.
I have always loved the one stage set up at Cropredy . His point was that there is now real competion to the main stage.
It is of course his opinion .....and he's a fiddle player.......so of course his opinions are suspect!

Fair enough, although that is a bit different to saying they will outdo the main festival!

I also like the single (official) stage at Cropredy, because it often leads to nice surprises and discoveries. The temptation at multiple stage events is to seek out bands that you already know you like, so you don't get so many of those moments. It also means that judgements about the relative merits of each 'stage' get skewed.

It's a few years since I've been to the Brasenose or the Red Lion, but I never particularly rated their musical offerings because the sound quality was so bad. Overly bassy and distorted by being turned up way louder than the PA can handle. It doesn't matter how good the band is if all you can hear is a sludgy mess! I'm guessing by these positive comments that the situation has radically improved?

[hendo (Dave)]

Chatting to a friend tonight, who has done many Cropredies and this one and genuinely believes that the Brase line ups will start to outdo that of the main festival.

With all due respect to your friend, if he spent so much time at the Brasenose, how can he make that judgement? How does he know there wasn't something better on in the field whilst he was at the pub?

He was effectively saying that the Brase has become a second stage. It is no further away than some stages at big fests,. He looked at what was on the main field and the Brase and made some choices, shuttling between stages , as people do at multi stage events.
I have always loved the one stage set up at Cropredy . His point was that there is now real competion to the main stage.
It is of course his opinion .....and he's a fiddle player.......so of course his opinions are suspect!

Fair enough, although that is a bit different to saying they will outdo the main festival!

I also like the single (official) stage at Cropredy, because it often leads to nice surprises and discoveries. The temptation at multiple stage events is to seek out bands that you already know you like, so you don't get so many of those moments. It also means that judgements about the relative merits of each 'stage' get skewed.

It's a few years since I've been to the Brasenose or the Red Lion, but I never particularly rated their musical offerings because the sound quality was so bad. Overly bassy and distorted by being turned up way louder than the PA can handle. It doesn't matter how good the band is if all you can hear is a sludgy mess! I'm guessing by these positive comments that the situation has radically improved?

 I agree about the one stage . I have 'discovered' some cracking bands over the years.
His point was that Merry Hell, Clarion, Zal Cleminson.......even Vkki Clayton on Weds evening , were stronger pulls than what was on the main stage.

[Nick Reg]

If Merry Hell aren't on the main stage next year then we at least need to be told why. They would love to play.

[Sue & Chris]

Chatting to a friend tonight, who has done many Cropredies and this one and genuinely believes that the Brase line ups will start to outdo that of the main festival.

With all due respect to your friend, if he spent so much time at the Brasenose, how can he make that judgement? How does he know there wasn't something better on in the field whilst he was at the pub?

He was effectively saying that the Brase has become a second stage. It is no further away than some stages at big fests,. He looked at what was on the main field and the Brase and made some choices, shuttling between stages , as people do at multi stage events.
I have always loved the one stage set up at Cropredy . His point was that there is now real competion to the main stage.
It is of course his opinion .....and he's a fiddle player.......so of course his opinions are suspect!

Fair enough, although that is a bit different to saying they will outdo the main festival!

I also like the single (official) stage at Cropredy, because it often leads to nice surprises and discoveries. The temptation at multiple stage events is to seek out bands that you already know you like, so you don't get so many of those moments. It also means that judgements about the relative merits of each 'stage' get skewed.

It's a few years since I've been to the Brasenose or the Red Lion, but I never particularly rated their musical offerings because the sound quality was so bad. Overly bassy and distorted by being turned up way louder than the PA can handle. It doesn't matter how good the band is if all you can hear is a sludgy mess! I'm guessing by these positive comments that the situation has radically improved?

 I agree about the one stage . I have 'discovered' some cracking bands over the years.
His point was that Merry Hell, Clarion, Zal Cleminson.......even Vkki Clayton on Weds evening , were stronger pulls than what was on the main stage.

Fair enough - although Vikki Clayton had a bit of an open goal - not a lot of main stage competition on the Wednesday! I've never heard of Zal Cleminson - will check him out.

Personally there was no-one playing at any of the fringe venues that tempted me away from what was on offer in the main field.

[Andy]

If Merry Hell aren't on the main stage next year then we at least need to be told why. They would love to play.

One great song does not a great set make. Yes, "Bury Me Naked" is terrific, but their enthusiasm and likability needs to be supplemented by a set of great tunes.

I really like them, they have a step more to take. When they do, welcome to the stage...

[GubGub (Al)]

It's a few years since I've been to the Brasenose or the Red Lion, but I never particularly rated their musical offerings because the sound quality was so bad. Overly bassy and distorted by being turned up way louder than the PA can handle. It doesn't matter how good the band is if all you can hear is a sludgy mess! I'm guessing by these positive comments that the situation has radically improved?

The sound at the Brasenose was the best outdoor sound I have ever heard this year. I appreciate that it is a small arena but every instrument and voice was clear as a bell and perfectly balanced for the two bands I saw, though I understand that some of the villagers felt it was too loud. It was indeed louder than I can recall from previous visits.

[Sue & Chris]

If Merry Hell aren't on the main stage next year then we at least need to be told why. They would love to play.

Why? There must be dozens - hundreds - of bands who would love to play Cropredy, but that doesn't make their inclusion imperative. (I do like them, by the way!)

[GubGub (Al)]

If Merry Hell aren't on the main stage next year then we at least need to be told why. They would love to play.

One great song does not a great set make. Yes, "Bury Me Naked" is terrific, but their enthusiasm and likability needs to be supplemented by a set of great tunes.

I really like them, they have a step more to take. When they do, welcome to the stage...

Well, in my view, they certainly have that, whatever perceived shortcomings some people may feel they have.

I first saw them at their first appearance at the GBFF in Skegness and was instantly won over precisely because so many of their songs are so catchy and instantly memorable

Drunken Serenade
Blink & You Miss It
The War Between Ourselves
Let The Music Speak
The Baker's Daughter
Rage Like Thunder
We Need Each Other Now
Stand Down

to name but a few, all had immediate sticking power for me and that is a rare thing these days when very little lodges in my memory on first listen.

[hendo (Dave)]

It would just be nice to have a folk rock band at what used to be a folk rock inspired festival....
Gets coat.......

[jude]

It would just be nice to have a folk rock band at what used to be a folk rock inspired festival....
Gets coat.......

The main problem I think, is that no two people can agree on what 'folk-rock' is, like all genres, people's perception of what's what has changed...
I would say that for many people there have been many excellent folk rock bands at the festival, over the last many years, just not to everyone's idea of what a 'folk-rock band' actually is..

[StephenB]

IMHO, it's what TradArrr do in Banbury the night before. Time for them to be asked back, I think...

[PeterJ]

If Merry Hell aren't on the main stage next year then we at least need to be told why. They would love to play.

Weird notion. Does any festival organiser explain why they haven't selected any particular act? If so I would like to know why Steve Winwood hasn't been back, despite being the best thing at Cropredy since I restarted going in 2007.