Cropredy 2024

[John From Austin]

Obviously, it's sad for Trevor Horn being unable to play & we all wish him well.

However, RT is a very welcome replacement. If only there were some decent muscians on hand to form a scratch band to help him out.

My thoughts too, but they seemed very keen to stress the solo-ness (with the missus) of the performance...

I predict they'll morph into the Hand of Kindness Band at some point.

[GubGub (Al)]

Big plug for the festival on Kermode and Mayo's Take today.

[andrew c]

I know they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band but........ surely the band could still rip through their repertoire with a competent stand-in bass player? I know people who bought tickets looking forward to this Friday headliner will be disappointed with the replacement. Not me, I'm really chuffed that RT is performing.

[Adam]

From RT on Facebook (for those who don’t use it):

“I'm playing basically acoustic at Cropredy on August 9th (with some help from Zara) but we will be joined by a few chums for an electric 'segment'!”

[Will S]

I know they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band but........ surely the band could still rip through their repertoire with a competent stand-in bass player? I know people who bought tickets looking forward to this Friday headliner will be disappointed with the replacement. Not me, I'm really chuffed that RT is performing.

Probably yes, but the key to the whole show is Trevor Horn's anecdotes about the different people/albums he was involved in, before they play the different songs, so it really wouldn't be the same thing.

[davidmjs]

I know they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band but........ surely the band could still rip through their repertoire with a competent stand-in bass player? I know people who bought tickets looking forward to this Friday headliner will be disappointed with the replacement. Not me, I'm really chuffed that RT is performing.

And if one wants to know how and why Cropredy has ceased to be what it once was, then this sentence explains that more than adequately.  Sad times...

[Wandering Steve]

I know they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band but........ surely the band could still rip through their repertoire with a competent stand-in bass player? I know people who bought tickets looking forward to this Friday headliner will be disappointed with the replacement. Not me, I'm really chuffed that RT is performing.

And if one wants to know how and why Cropredy has ceased to be what it once was, then this sentence explains that more than adequately.  Sad times...

The only way of comparing which line ups have had universal appeal or not is by comparing the attendances each year.

Despite different people’s individual opinions regards acts and line ups it is still a fact that the customer is always right and they vote by their feet.

If the bigger crowds were in attendance for the likes of Alice cooper or madness as opposed to other years then that is a fact that cannot be denied.

The be all and end all is the cash generated each year.

Perhaps a look at the last twenty years attendances could shed light on what the paying customer is more likely to attend.

My personal opinion of the last 17 festivals would be that the Alice cooper year had the biggest attendance but I may be wrong.

[GubGub (Al)]

I know they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band but........ surely the band could still rip through their repertoire with a competent stand-in bass player? I know people who bought tickets looking forward to this Friday headliner will be disappointed with the replacement. Not me, I'm really chuffed that RT is performing.

And if one wants to know how and why Cropredy has ceased to be what it once was, then this sentence explains that more than adequately.  Sad times...

The only way of comparing which line ups have had universal appeal or not is by comparing the attendances each year.

Despite different people’s individual opinions regards acts and line ups it is still a fact that the customer is always right and they vote by their feet.

If the bigger crowds were in attendance for the likes of Alice cooper or madness as opposed to other years then that is a fact that cannot be denied.

The be all and end all is the cash generated each year.

Perhaps a look at the last twenty years attendances could shed light on what the paying customer is more likely to attend.

My personal opinion of the last 17 festivals would be that the Alice cooper year had the biggest attendance but I may be wrong.

That is slightly missing the point that Cropredy used to be a smaller festival which did not require that level of footfall to survive. As such it had a very specific identity.

I understand that the economics of festivals have changed, the reasons for that and how it have unavoidably impacted Cropredy but that has also irreversibly changed its character. For every individual who might look forward to Trevor Horn or Alice Cooper or whoever else the Friday headliner might be in the festival's 21st century iteration, there is another mourning what has been lost and for whom Cropredy no longer holds the appeal that it once did.

David's observation remains true that the sentence he quotes encapsulates all of the above, the loss of identity, the changing audience and the commercial realities that have brought it all about.

[davidmjs]

I'll just add this:  My recollection is that 1987 was the first 20k (give or take) attendance.  So it could definitely still attract the crowds without Alice Cooper and Trevor Horn...

[hendo (Dave)]

I do genuinely hesitate to post here.
There is a lot I could say but a lot of its being said and things ain’t going to change.The  festival has changed . Fairports have changed.
But let’s revel in Nostalgia for a bit…..
My early Cropredies , irregular in the  80’s and then regularly in a convoy with friends from 95, were about Fairports. Saturday night was the high point , the focus of the fest. A 2 day fest.
3 day fest changed things.
Peggy and Christine getting divorced changed things. Security changed. H and S changed , no longer a small (ish) folk rock driven , vaguely alternative fest.
I understand the economics.
Chris replaced Maart and Metal Matty became a more twee experience….
So people started going for the Thurs night headliner and though it’s a generalisation a large portion of the field had little interest in the Saturday night headliner.
I watched some great Fairport headline sets , with guests including Vikki Clayton , Chris While, Jerry Donahue, Robert Plant , Swarb etc etc. but those days are gone.
They were wonderful times with friends ……..
Things change.
The Brasenose Fringe lineup looks like an old Cropredy line up. Old faces, new faces but with some real quality in there.
Steve Knightlys new band, the wonderful Jon Palmer Acoustic Band ( if you want folk rock…..) Tukay and Ryan, While and Matthews .
I would go but I have no idea where you would park for the day.
Any way I write this as I am about to leave for Warwick fest , to say goodbye to Oysterband and discover new stuff.
Enjoy Cropredy everybody …..and good to see Peggy,Simon and  DM will be playing with RT ….for those people on the field who know and care, who RT is……that could be special but I understand others would rather be watching the Buggles greatest hits

[iandiddams]

The only way of comparing which line ups have had universal appeal or not is by comparing the attendances each year.
Despite different people’s individual opinions regards acts and line ups it is still a fact that the customer is always right and they vote by their feet.
If the bigger crowds were in attendance for the likes of Alice cooper or madness as opposed to other years then that is a fact that cannot be denied.
The be all and end all is the cash generated each year.
Perhaps a look at the last twenty years attendances could shed light on what the paying customer is more likely to attend.
My personal opinion of the last 17 festivals would be that the Alice cooper year had the biggest attendance but I may be wrong.

I like that approach and agree, but for the comparisons to be meaningful you'd also have to facter in such areas as

* when the tickets actually got bought - first release, a week before the festival, etc etc
* weather forecasts
* other events happening at the same time, or even year ie alternative attractions/spending focusses eg olympics, world cups, brit doing well in wimbledon, royal occassions etc etc
* possibility of seeing Act X on a tour elsewhere
* etc etc etc


didds (B.Sc. (Hons) Comp. Sci & Statistics)

[iandiddams]

That is slightly missing the point that Cropredy used to be a smaller festival which did not require that level of footfall to survive. As such it had a very specific identity.
I understand that the economics of festivals have changed, the reasons for that and how it have unavoidably impacted Cropredy but that has also irreversibly changed its character. For every individual who might look forward to Trevor Horn or Alice Cooper or whoever else the Friday headliner might be in the festival's 21st century iteration, there is another mourning what has been lost and for whom Cropredy no longer holds the appeal that it once did.
David's observation remains true that the sentence he quotes encapsulates all of the above, the loss of identity, the changing audience and the commercial realities that have brought it all about.

I'll throw another iron in the fire or whatever the metaphor should be...

There are I perceive far more smaller, "local" festivals these days as well, that are far cheaper than large festivals (and at 20K we would have to accept that Cropredy is a "large" festival"). Its not beyond the wit of man to see that attending one "large" festival financially equates to 2 or 3 smaller festivals.

CF Two people+camper van
Bearded Theory : £544 (3rd ticket release, first two were sold out before I even breathed!)
Cropredy : £386

Here For The Music : £171
My Dad's Bigger Than Your Dad (1-day + transport return which represents ~40% of that cost!) : £74
Trowbridge :  £220
Tangled Roots/Tangled Up in Blues/Somerset Jazz : £150

Those smaller festivals may not see as "large" acts (and not FC obvs :-) but the quality of music is high - and H4TM this year had Black Water County (Cropredy 2024), Skinny Lister (BT 2023), Trowbridge 2023 had Holy Moly and the Crackers (Cropredy 2022 ), Gigspanner (Cropredy 2017), Merry Hell (2023), Three Daft Monkeys (Cropredy 2008) - Gaz Brookfield has played the top three smaller festivals listed and he is in the same ballpark as Beans on Toast (Cropredy 2023) in terms of following and style etc (not so much swearing ;-) ) so the stretch isn't really that great at all.


TL;DR - festival attendance costs go further at smaller festivals without necessarily losing the standard of music. And if one is in the "its about the music and vibe and not specific acts" then they all fit the bill.

Oh - ale at H4TM was £4 a pint, brewed on site!


didds

[davidmjs]

I think we should get away from thinking about Cropredy in the past as a 'small' festival.  In '79-'86 it was (I think) for 8-15k attendees and ever since it has been 20k (or as close as it can get to it).  So it was never a boutique thing.  But what was different (imho) was a firm rationale and coherence.  It was focussed on Fairport, their offshoots and (effectively) their mates.  I doubt anybody went to my first festival in 1984 that wasn't a massive Fairport fan.  That coherence was probably (to some extent) being lost already, but it was absolutely lost with the divorce and the organisational changes for the festival that followed.

[iandiddams]

I think we should get away from thinking about Cropredy in the past as a 'small' festival.  In '79-'86 it was (I think) for 8-15k attendees and ever since it has been 20k (or as close as it can get to it).  So it was never a boutique thing.  But what was different (imho) was a firm rationale and coherence.  It was focussed on Fairport, their offshoots and (effectively) their mates.  I doubt anybody went to my first festival in 1984 that wasn't a massive Fairport fan.  That coherence was probably (to some extent) being lost already, but it was absolutely lost with the divorce and the organisational changes for the festival that followed.

And I think that's a very very well made post.

8K isn't "small" - because if it is then BT at 10k is also "small" with four stages, dance tents/areas etc etc.  Or if it is "small" then what are the likes of the other festivals i listed which are < 1K ...  "microscopic" ?  :-)

[Sue & Chris]

I know they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band but........ surely the band could still rip through their repertoire with a competent stand-in bass player? I know people who bought tickets looking forward to this Friday headliner will be disappointed with the replacement. Not me, I'm really chuffed that RT is performing.

And if one wants to know how and why Cropredy has ceased to be what it once was, then this sentence explains that more than adequately.  Sad times...

The only way of comparing which line ups have had universal appeal or not is by comparing the attendances each year.

Despite different people’s individual opinions regards acts and line ups it is still a fact that the customer is always right and they vote by their feet.

If the bigger crowds were in attendance for the likes of Alice cooper or madness as opposed to other years then that is a fact that cannot be denied.

The be all and end all is the cash generated each year.

Perhaps a look at the last twenty years attendances could shed light on what the paying customer is more likely to attend.

My personal opinion of the last 17 festivals would be that the Alice cooper year had the biggest attendance but I may be wrong.

You are wrong, I'm afraid. At least one of the anniversary years was sold out.

[Wandering Steve]

I know they are billed as The Trevor Horn Band but........ surely the band could still rip through their repertoire with a competent stand-in bass player? I know people who bought tickets looking forward to this Friday headliner will be disappointed with the replacement. Not me, I'm really chuffed that RT is performing.

And if one wants to know how and why Cropredy has ceased to be what it once was, then this sentence explains that more than adequately.  Sad times...

The only way of comparing which line ups have had universal appeal or not is by comparing the attendances each year.

Despite different people’s individual opinions regards acts and line ups it is still a fact that the customer is always right and they vote by their feet.

If the bigger crowds were in attendance for the likes of Alice cooper or madness as opposed to other years then that is a fact that cannot be denied.

The be all and end all is the cash generated each year.

Perhaps a look at the last twenty years attendances could shed light on what the paying customer is more likely to attend.

My personal opinion of the last 17 festivals would be that the Alice cooper year had the biggest attendance but I may be wrong.

You are wrong, I'm afraid. At least one of the anniversary years was sold out.

In fairness I do remember that being a decent crowd , let’s hope this years festival is well attended but I stand by my conviction that as people age the headliners have to be relevant to a younger audience.
I’m 52 and I can’t remember Rick wakeman.
He’s not really my cup of tea but I respect his musicianship.
It’s also worth mentioning to non fairport fans that this year the other two headline acts will in essence be the same personal performing different songs over two different nights which isn’t ideal (and I really enjoy RT and FC)
If you were looking forward to headline acts that were different genres so to speak then you are out of luck.
I think that is the point others have been making and imo with justification

Not everyone is drawn to the festival because of FC these days however hard it is for others to accept and a two headline act fairport year will not be to their taste.
Nowadays the festival needs to adapt to encourage footfall , the guaranteed footfall of the past is no more due to the aging process,.
The festival will adapt and thrive I’ve no doubt and im sure there are many elederly people who only go to the wintour now to get their yearly FC fix.

I’m looking forward to the festival and I’m only trying to add balance for those that are unable to accept that time moves on.

[bassline (Mike)]

I don't think anybody is unable to accept that time moves on.
Many have accepted already, and no longer attend, because it's different, or we are.
None of us want it to disappear completely, if only because it fuels the band for another year.
I was in my mid twenties when I started going, I'm now near enough 'elderly' - seven years older than you - don't blink, you'll be one of us soon enough   - those five year anniversaries seem to come every other year, now.
A couple of us have almost kicked the bucket there, including me. That year, I saw the first three acts on Thursday then retreated to the tent.
Luckily, nobody had to investigate the single tent left in field 4 on Sunday.
I think we don't really want to say goodbye to one of the loves of our lives just yet.  

[davidmjs]

The festival will adapt and thrive I’ve no doubt

I'd love to hear how.  It's a half and half thing now - it's neither wholly a Fairport Reunion for Fairport fans OR a highly desirable non attached festival in its own right. constrained as it is by it's one stage set up (and other relics from its past).  As a result, I'd contend, nobody is fully satisfied...  In the current marketplace I'm unconvinced.

[iandiddams]

I'd love to hear how.  It's a half and half thing now - it's neither wholly a Fairport Reunion for Fairport fans OR a highly desirable non attached festival in its own right. constrained as it is by it's one stage set up (and other relics from its past).  As a result, I'd contend, nobody is fully satisfied...  In the current marketplace I'm unconvinced.

"LIKE"

[RobertD]

I have been following this thread, despite having only attended Cropredy once. A lot of good points were made, but there truly is no resolution for both the band and fans of the festival either currently or historically.  Fwiw, these are a few random points of my own because what I see is a festival that has always been unique, and unique just no longer seems to cut it in 2024 sadly.

Recently I watched a video someone copied for me of a mini-documentary of the 1996 Cropredy (forget what it was called). I also forget what amount Peggy mentioned as the fuel costs required for the festival...but it was staggering in 1996, and one can only imagine what they are now. Along with all the usual festival logistics. Bearing that in mind, the budget for booking acts is surely derived from how much is needed to cover everything else at the festival, and to cover things such as fuel spikes. And when you think about everything that is needed for a festival, even a one-stage event, I'm sure we would all faint at how much is actually required  no doubt fret about every little thing.

As to booking those acts, the thought came to me that for any festival, Cropredy included, it is rather like an established band making a set list. Think about that-

Too many new songs- 'play the classics!'
Too many old songs-' its all old folks music!'
 Too much experimentation-'what is this, a jazz festival?'
 Too much of one style of music-'not enough variety!'.

 Replace the word songs with bands/acts and you see the problem for any festival organizer, Fairport included. I have been to niche festivals before-be it blues, bluegrass, Irish music. I went to them all with a level of excitement initially and then about halfway through them all was wishing there was something different to hear. The Fairport-centric festival is indeed the origins of Cropredy but obviously the switch happened both organically (FC members and friends passing away) and out of necessity to compete with the plethora of festivals out there.

We can all play the woulda/coulda/shoulda game about what Fairport should have done 10/20/30 years ago as the festival grew. We could all play the game of what Fairport could or should do now. If I were budgeting for any festival this year I would have to make hard decisions about economics first, music second. Which is what I think all organizers are left with in what and how they present a festival to the public. And from where I stand, that is a complete change for everyone-organizers and punters alike.  Gone are the days of roughing it. Gone are the days of a tarpaulin covering a stage in the rain. Gone are the days of a chipper van being the only food on site. Now a festival has to have video screens, charging stations, social media worthy moments, and food bordering on cuisine.

So what I think IMHO is that none of this is a reflection on Fairport or festival organizers in general. It is what we as a society have become. I recently told a friend that a problem I have with things here in NY now in general is nothing can ever just be a 'thing'. It has to be a 'special thing'. A park can't just be a place with benches, grass and trees anymore, it instead has to have an event space, have its own social media site, and amenities no one ever dreamed of before. This is effectively what we as humans have become. To me it isn't just about the dollar signs and is instead about what we 'think' our needs are, and what expectations should be. It is harder to enjoy for the sake of enjoyment. Not impossible, but harder.