Cropredy 2023 - General thoughts

[Sue & Chris]

Would add that I think Anthony John Clarke should be given a rest from compering.

I suggest you ask AJ how he feels, rather than speculating. He's very communicative and honest on FB.

Apologies, I wasn't meaning to speculate about his health or anything.  I just meant I'd rather hear someone else.

[John From Austin]

Plus it can't be much fun for the dog, given the sound levels down at the front.

*LIKE* button.

My only dog complaint (my most recent Cropredy was 2017) was that owners were not picking up after their pups. The field became a minefield after sunset.

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

Plus it can't be much fun for the dog, given the sound levels down at the front.

*LIKE* button.

My only dog complaint (my most recent Cropredy was 2017) was that owners were not picking up after their pups. The field became a minefield after sunset.

Not good for dogs,but even worse if kids get toxiocariosis due to careless poo management. Also, not good for people like myself who are nervous around dogs.

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

Would add that I think Anthony John Clarke should be given a rest from compering.

I suggest you ask AJ how he feels, rather than speculating. He's very communicative and honest on FB.

AJ always says how much he loves compèring Cropredy…  no idea why he ‘should be given a rest’!

[Pam FC]

Generally….

Music was great, though Beans on Toast upset my lad due to profanity- he’s 11 and hates swearing- not the parents fault I’m a potty mouth. Just not in front of him. He probably learnt 3 new words.

Loved the Young Uns, Toyah & Robert and Fishermen’s Friends didn’t disappoint. FP gave us a cracking set (thank you for Matty).

Solstice made me feel uncomfortable - the whole cultish vibe.

Last year I came away Lily White but this year managed to sun burn my bottom lip?!

Food - everything we chose we loved and we didn’t have to queue much at all. We did early lunch and dinner and snacks in the evening - Samosa heaven, Oggie awesomeness, Goan gorgeousness and Hello halloumi fries!!!

The only negatives were the man who decided to sit right behind my son and tell him off when his umbrella (a tiny handbag one) raised by 4 inches as he took it down - YOU CHOSE TO SIT THAT CLOSE TO US!

The poor wee spaniel in front of us who seemed to shiver in fear all day - they shouldn’t be subjected to that.

I would glamp again just for the toilets and showers- very comfy sleep and nice staff.

[StephenB]

General points off the top of my head in no particular order

I loved the whole vibe (always do. ,but it felt really good thisyear - wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.
Whinges:

The canal towpath was a disgrace and anyone trying to be their politest best by standing in off the path to let others pass either got whacked in the face by branchs or stung  by nettles for their good deed. It wouldnt have taken much for the Council to have run a hedge trimmer along it before the start...

And FLAGS, BLOODY FLAGS. i genuinely think the people who leave them up in the front half are the same people who leave their s**t behind them, commandeer acres of unused space with blankets, and park in disabled bays. Or maybe they are just truly thick and need a  Father Ted style lesson in far away and near
 Surely it wouldnt take much for the marsalls to approach them and ask/tell them to take them down. Or, even easier, a very prominent message frequently flashed up (like the carbon monoxide one) saying "if you're flying a flag in front of midfield, take it down now; and if you're sat next to someone with a flag up, ask them to take it down , and keep standing in front of them or accidentally poking them with your umbrella if they don't."

DOGS- yes, I'm a dog lover, and it's quite obvious a lot of them are in uncomfortable situations and maybe shouldn't be there...


Ok, I'm getting carried away now, but Ive got some things off my chest...Just to reiterate, I do love Cropredy...

[davidmjs]

General points off the top of my head in no particular order

I loved the whole vibe (always do. ,but it felt really good thisyear - wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.
Whinges:

The canal towpath was a disgrace and anyone trying to be their politest best by standing in off the path to let others pass either got whacked in the face by branchs or stung  by nettles for their good deed. It wouldnt have taken much for the Council to have run a hedge trimmer along it before the start...

And FLAGS, BLOODY FLAGS. i genuinely think the people who leave them up in the front half are the same people who leave their s**t behind them, commandeer acres of unused space with blankets, and park in disabled bays. Or maybe they are just truly thick and need a  Father Ted style lesson in far away and near
 Surely it wouldnt take much for the marsalls to approach them and ask/tell them to take them down. Or, even easier, a very prominent message frequently flashed up (like the carbon monoxide one) saying "if you're flying a flag in front of midfield, take it down now; and if you're sat next to someone with a flag up, ask them to take it down , and keep standing in front of them or accidentally poking them with your umbrella if they don't."

DOGS- yes, I'm a dog lover, and it's quite obvious a lot of them are in uncomfortable situations and maybe shouldn't be there...


Ok, I'm getting carried away now, but Ive got some things off my chest...Just to reiterate, I do love Cropredy...

I very much doubt the council have any responsibility for the condition of the tow path.  Canals and River Trust probably....?

[Lizzie]

We had an absolutely amazing weekend but I do have one gripe. During the quieter moments in Fairport’s set we could hear quite a lot of sound coming from Cream of the Crop. As this doesn’t form part of the main festival, it may be difficult to control but it might be possible to rearrange their set up so the sound goes in the other direction?

[iandiddams]

I very much doubt the council have any responsibility for the condition of the tow path.  Canals and River Trust probably....?

yup.  Bang on.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/specialist-teams/maintaining-our-waterways/vegetation-management/vegetation-faqs

I can see its a difficult square to circle...  as they also take into conderation the overall ecology of fauna other than humans at the same time.
The stretch of tow path on the K&A east of Devizes gets difficult to traverse this time of year as the vegetation just burgeons.

[iandiddams]

We had an absolutely amazing weekend but I do have one gripe. During the quieter moments in Fairport’s set we could hear quite a lot of sound coming from Cream of the Crop. As this doesn’t form part of the main festival, it may be difficult to control but it might be possible to rearrange their set up so the sound goes in the other direction?

i suspect that may depend on wind direction?  At the Coal Wharf for Sally barker, the music form the Brasenose was very evident - albeit it is only about 150m away of course

[Lizzie]

We had an absolutely amazing weekend but I do have one gripe. During the quieter moments in Fairport’s set we could hear quite a lot of sound coming from Cream of the Crop. As this doesn’t form part of the main festival, it may be difficult to control but it might be possible to rearrange their set up so the sound goes in the other direction?

i suspect that may depend on wind direction?  At the Coal Wharf for Sally barker, the music form the Brasenose was very evident - albeit it is only about 150m away of course

The wind normally comes from that direction so it won’t be the last time if that was the reason.

[iandiddams]

The wind normally comes from that direction so it won’t be the last time if that was the reason.

fair enough !  Then i guess there is little they can do about the wind carry - huge 200 foot screens ?  (I really wouldnt know)

[Tertonmike]

Agree with pretty much everything Pam said above.  Including the glamping - first time for us, not cheap but proximity to the concert field and home comforts made it worth it, so unlikely we'll be going back to the delights of Field 7 next year!

One thing - apart from FC on Saturday evening (where the sound, as always, was perfectly modulated, crystal clear and just at the right level), did anyone else feel that levels were unusually high for a lot of acts, even to the point of distortion?    Maybe it's my ears, but even from our usual spot to the bar side of the McB encampment, some of it sounded distinctly screechy.  Especially during "The Cult"'s set!

[iandiddams]

Solstice from way up the field (aligned with the greek/hotdog stands on the bar side) were horrendously screechy, and loud.  Though 10CC & GO'S seemed very quiet.

[Andy]

Most of the stage lighting was absolutely spot on, but whether due to lack of rehearsal or ...? 10CC's otherwise excellent but marred because the stage lighting was awful. The pit photographers told me they just about gave up because the featured singer or instrument were in shadow whilst random parts of the stage were empty spaces lit really well.

General thoughts are that 2023 was a good year. I really liked many of the bands. Beans On Toast's swearing was not to my taste, also his "take your s**t home" diatribe was wasted as most everyone does, at Cropredy. Field 5 was pristine when we left.

We had real concerns for Morganway's singer's voice. SJ Mortimer was obviously really belting out her tunes and the long term prospects for that kinds of singing are not good. I hope it doesn't sound condescending to suggest she gets some voice training to prolong her career.

Peat & Diesel were an unexpected delight. Fisherman's Friends were superb. The Young 'Uns were on top form. Merry Hell were in reasonable form, Wilson/Wakeman played their usual set.

Fripp & Wilcox were great, if only she'd just shut up and get on with singing, they could have gotten in another song or two. Incidentally if I was picking a Billy Idol song to cover it would be "White Wedding" rather than "Rebel Yell".

Nile Rodgers & Chic were superb, augmented by some backing tapes but who cares?

Josh Burnell's set was enjoyable. He's tiny as Toyah,for a random fact.

Kiki Dee's partnership with Carmelo Luggeri was, frankly, boring. Her last number. "I've got the music in me", accompanied by DM and a guitarist whose name I didn't catch, was great.

Easy Star All Stars were at their brilliant best.

Richie Owens, his cousins and their partners, were mostly hilariously...ok.

Strawbs were ok. It's obvious that Dave's voice is just about gone, but it always sounded shite anyhow. Incidentally the last time I saw DC and Blue Weaver on the same stage was about 1971 at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. DC's farewell was emotional and I'm sure everybody wishes him well.

Missed Mr Digance.

Solstice were over-amplified, self-indulgent and strangely unlikeable.

Missed Mr O'Sullivan.

Fairport & friends' set was enjoyable, but surely Banjo Matty has tottered on long enough?

An 8/10 year for music.

Just a quick word on food: the Tibetan stuff was rubbery and cold when we had it. The crêperie had great crêpes and even better hot chocolate. My Oggie was passable but somehow not as tasty as in previous years, it seemed. The burrito stand portions (of nachos and burritos that we had) were tasty, but also a bit smaller than before.

The bar was well staffed and they were very efficient. Lessons had definitely been learnt from last year.

I didn't begrudge £20 for the Festival t-shirt and was happy to get a 3XL Roger Dean t-shirt for £30.

It was noticeable that the Brasenose's fringe program very closely resembled the official festival programme and some were bought in error.

TRADarrr did a good set on Wednesday at the Brasenose with a half-hour of Rolling Stones numbers at the end. Excellent.

I only got shouted at once, this year, which is a record.

See you in 2024!

[iandiddams]

I dont always agree with Andy's posts, but he is _always_ worth a read and often makes me think.  And usually include something pithy or amusing to make me smile - so thanks Andy :-)

I didn't begrudge £20 for the Festival t-shirt and was happy to get a 3XL Roger Dean t-shirt for £30.

And £20 for a tee shirt is pretty much standard these days i find, indeed.

It was noticeable that the Brasenose's fringe program very closely resembled the official festival programme and some were bought in error.

Now there's a thing...  hmmm...

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

I really enjoyed this year, but I was in a family group of lovely people who also thoroughly enjoyed it and that helps. First year in our VW camper & it was very comfortable  

Fisherman’s Friends, Chic, 10CC, Mr & Mrs Fripp, Morganway & The Young ‘Uns were my stand outs. I enjoyed everything else, no real bad acts, just some I’m not bothered if I never see them again!

The lighting wasn’t good, often the spot was on the wrong person. Same with the camera. Also sound issues which you don’t expect. But these were all minor.

I didn’t buy a t-shirt as I don’t wear them & they just take up space. Far too many jewellery stalls, & stalls selling similar clothes, plus a lot of plastic tat. I did enjoy Roger Dean’s exhibition & would have loved to buy one of the big ones!

I’m on a strict diet so only bought 1 main meal a day. Enjoyed the pizza, goan curry & ostrich burger I had.

Far too many dogs & I don’t get people who sit with them by the sound towers. I love dogs but I’d be happy to see them banned. We had one running loose around field 1 the whole time we were there, running off with stuff & pooing wherever he happened to be at the time  

The showers & loos on field 1 were immaculate, & the coffee from the stall was excellent.

Lots to see in the village. If they want someone to go & cut back the towpath a few days before the festival next year I’d be happy to do this as long as you let me camp from the Tuesday  

Everyone seemed happy to be there. It was all rather special & I’ll cherish the memory until next year!

[blagden]

Did anyone meet Percy Plant?

[Poor Will (Bill)]

Did anyone meet Percy Plant?

No, but I did spot Gordon Giltrap

[PhilipK]

A couple of comments from me that I haven't seen elsewhere:

- Why did the bar refuse to fill tankards, instead filling plastic glasses which we could then pour into our tankards and immediately throw the plastic away? I don't remember ever having that happen before in previous years (and the bar at Cream Of The Crop were willing to fill tankards). Even more galling, the first time that it happened was straight after Merry Hell's tribute to Greta!

- The big screens were often well out of date (e.g. showing the performance times of acts who had already played, but not those who were scheduled next). I can't imagine that it would be a major job to keep them up to date.

- Bucking the trend, I thought that Toyah's set was absolutely dreadful. I've seen a million covers bands who can do the job much better, and without the over-the-top theatrics. By far the low point of the festival (yes, even worse than Solstice).