Cropredy 2023 Saturday Review

[Will S]

Digance was... Digance
Morganway were good, but I preferred Joshua Burnell the day before.
BoT - I'm on the too sweary, too much promoting of drugs (more than just the one song) wing.  There were some good songs in there, but he spoiled it for me with the rest of it. Someone on Fairporters said the management had asked him to tone it down, but he obviously ignored that - unless he's usually much worse!  Hope he doesn't get asked back.
Solstice were good - I had been looking forward to them as the token 'prog' band. They do what they do really well, and with lots of energy, but I have never quite managed to warm to them as much as I'd like to.
The Young'Uns were brilliant - wonderful songwriting and harmonies. Don't know if they managed to carry the field, but from the front they were excellent.
G O'S - I was wandering the field for most of his set, so just caught bits, and he seemed OK, but I didn't really know his songs apart from a few.  The friends I was sitting with who were more familiar really enjoyed him.
FC were... FC.  Not the greatest Cropredy performance, and quite similar to the WinTour set, but DM does definitely add something.  Vikki Clayton and Ashley Hutchings' contributions (with Becky Mills) were welcome, as were Ben & Hannah.  Sounds as if the Ashley performance was a rather last minute addition, but I'm glad they went for it.  Seemed to me that he is maybe starting to show his age a bit (but I was a way back, so those closer to the front may be able to contradict me).

[Yorkshire Chris]

For the 3rd year running we just came along for the Saturday as our 5 year old lad isn't quite ready for the full 3 dayer just yet! We only saw Digance, Morganway, Beans on Toast and Solstice but generally enjoyed what we heard and saw. I expect that Beans on Toast will be the polarising act of the Saturday line-up with his occasional drug references and fruity language but I found him engaging, entertaining and he came across as a genuine guy who lives for his family. He's in the 'good at a festival but wouldn't sit and listen to the CD' category for me and I did think for one minute that I was going to have the, "Daddy, what's a 'motherf**ker?" conversation with my little lad but thankfully he was too distracted by his donuts...phew...swerved that one...!  

[Pam FC]

Re BoT….

He is kind of polarising but not in a divisive way for me. If I wasn’t with my son I’d have liked it though some of his ‘points’ I found juvenile. But being in a ‘family friendly’ festival having “motherf@)£!?” shouted across a field and my boy getting increasingly upset was a bit s**t.

I had no knowledge of his schtick or I would have made for the village sooner.


The Young Uns made the day for me.

[StephenB]

So now I'm sitting on a boat back to ireland I'll catch up with.my Saturday...
Caught the last half hour of Morganway, wish I'd see it all. A big highlight for me. Loved the Young uns and really loved Beans on Toast. At least he was giving out some different messages from the usual, such as TakeYour s**t With You - should he the motto for the festival. Really wanted to.love Gilbert but I think maybe the big crowd didn't suit him. Still, i felt thrilled to hear him sing a couple of his truly great and timeless songs among the sea of cheesy pop (that said, its very well-crafted cheesy pop...)
Fairport did a great set IMO. Loved Sloth and the greater involvement of Simon. Niggles? Yes, the setlist is getting repetitive when they've such a vast back catalogue to dip into, and some of it drags  (Moses Waits for the Song to End...). But the niggles are melted away by the sheer force of nature that is a band of top class musicians and even topper class gents,and to be honest, i feel privileged everytime I see them perform.

[iandiddams]

the setlist is getting repetitive when they've such a vast back catalogue to dip into

I did think the same during the set Stephen...  appreciating it was a 50+2 year anniversary last year when they played "Full House" but I did wonder if they _could_ pick an album a year and play that as a "first half".  Push comes to shove its a 2.5 hour set - they could play TWO albums plus the traditional openers and closers!  :-)

and FTR - I did really enjoy the set this year. But Stephen's point above is well made and reasonably valid - Matty Groves started just after 2330 this year so in some ways its just a 2 hour set (less "Walkawhile" at the start!)

A chum that comes with us every year and who we would not be without, doesnt do FC at all  (he LOVED Level 42 the other year ;-) ) was overheard this year saying "I knew they'd start with "Walk the line"

didds