TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

FIELD 8 (cream of the crop)

Gerry has just posted this on facebook...

Hi all

The Cream of the Crop ( aka field 8 )(aka the field of dreams )is awaking from its slumber. Anyone with tickets, they will be valid this year, you will be contacted soon with the what nots. Anyone who wants hook ups. It will be a first come first served thingy. This will also be on said email.

Anyone looking for a place to stay… the good news is we were massively cautious with our sales, what with covid and what not… there will be more tickets made available. We will answer all email requests and then post on here. Please act fast when we do, we tend to be in the fortuitous position of selling out quite quickly.

We hope you are all well and ready to join us come summer. Oh yeah… and we’re also a campsite all year round 😉

Much love and happiness
Gerry and Keon and all the other peops from the funny farm!
Danque 😘

Very interested in this! A weekend in the camper at Cropredy would be wonderful :)

Does anyone know if this is happening and if so, are there any spaces available?

If anyone knows anyone who might like a Saturday only ticket, please let me know. I bought one 2 years ago, but I'm now thinking of doing the whole 3 days.

Whoops! Looking for £50 for it.

Sorry for multiple postings, but circumstances now mean I'll be reverting to Plan A - i.e. attending Saturday only!  ;D

Do you mean Cropredy, or Field 8?

In either case the answer is yes & best to check direct via the website.

Sorry, meant Field 8. Ticket still in drawer ready from 2020 but wondered if F8 was happening/worth considering.

Can only refer you to the original post:

The Red Lion have announced their fringe line up, looks ok but not the same without Spank The Monkey at some time over the weekend.

It's official Talking Elephant are coming back to Cropredy 2022. In the same place as usual, but this time we are also bringing along Kaprekar's Constant to play the Fringe and The Slambovians for the field with both their new albums on the wonderful  TE.

Looking forward to a fantastic Croppers 2022 and hope to see you all there.

Really looking forward to Kaprekar's Constant - I hadn't discovered them when they played the last time, but have bought all their albums since and really enjoy them.

A great band, or should I say Collective. Have you heard the new one The Murder Wall?

I have indeed. Very good!

From the Marillion Newsletter: H will be guest vocalist with The Trevor Horn Band headlining Cropredy festival Thursday 11th August

I thought H was in Steps... tbh, I'd prefer him to Hogarth.  I was unimpressed by him at Cropredy.

Steve Hogarth has apologised (within about 48 hours of the event) for being over-refreshed during Marillion's 2017 appearance :

"First of all, I apologise for the language. I did wake up in the middle of the night on Saturday in a cold sweat over some of the things I’d said from the stage. You’re right - I could have done without resorting to the f word quite so much.

I live fairly local to the village of Cropredy and quite a few of my friends are farmers, so those comments were meant in fun and in their direction. I received texts later from one or two of them and they took my jibes in the spirit I had meant them"

 ;D

It wasn't the language. It was the whole set. Safe to say I have never been a fan of Marillion, but I wanted to give them a fair hearing. Just a case of "meh" to me.

Being drunk is a great excuse, I used it once or twice myself when I did stupid things drunk, but his mean attitude, his nastiness and his continual insults directed toward Fairport and indeed Cropredy were beyond apology. IMHO.

You have to ask why he is appearing

Andy, I will admit to being disappointed at Mr Hogarth's drunken demeanour in 2017. I don't really enjoy seeing musicians, whoever they are, teetering on the edge of capability. Each to their own - some artists are well-oiled drinking machines, but don't show it or appear that way in front their audience. Basic professionalism.

As for why Hogarth is appearing, I'm not sure Cropredy powers that be have any authority over who the guest vocalists are in Trevor Horn's band. I'm sure Mr Horn will keep him on a reasonably tight leash, he's not one to suffer fools...

Or it would seem to me that someone in Fairport has an obsession with Marillion - they can't seem to keep them away.
Which is ok for fans of Marillion, but....

As Dan rightly points out, who Trevor wants singing in his band is no concern of the management...

More likely to do with who is available than anything else. Artists are on catch-up for all those missed gigs - Marillion don't go on tour until September so he's free. I doubt Fairport specifically asked for him but let's not write him off before the field has even been cleared of cows. At least try and enjoy yourselves - it's been two years!

Well said!

three actually  ;) ;D

Even more reason to enjoy ourselves! We've got some catching up to do too  :D

Well if the last performance by the Trevor Horn Band is anything to go by, the guest vocalist will only be on for three or four songs, so I wouldn't get too worried about it.

As for being drunk onstage, Hogarth has nothing on John Martyn, or even Peggy (who, I'll grant you, hides it well).

Or Shane?? I once saw him fall over and get stuck between an amp and the drum riser.

Or Rory Gallagher.

Only time I saw Rory he was in an appalling state, poor bloke (Folkestone, 80s).  I also saw an absolutely awful Gil Scott Heron gig (Canterbury, 90s), when he too was very ill.  Disappointing.

Official Cropredy 2022 playlist is up on Spotify; some great stuff on there which has really whetted my appetite. I really like the Trevor Horn version of It’s different for Girls, featuring Steve Hogarth on vocals (ducks and runs away!)

I must have been lucky, then. I saw him three times in the 70s - on top form every time.

Did anyone see John Martyn in any other state ...not sure I would have wanted to see him 100% sober , wouldn't you feel let down , same with The Faces I imagine

I saw him in Edinburgh in '86 but as I'd been in the pub between leaving work and the start of the gig I don't think I would have been in any position to pass judgement on his sobriety or otherwise.

Must have a look on setlist.fm and see what he played on that tour.

When I saw him supporting Sandy in the early 70's , he walked on stage with his guitar, a crate of Guiness and a spliff.

I saw Rory loads of times and he was never the worse for drink as far as I could tell

Saw Ian McCulloch of Echo & the Bunnymen fame a few years back, totally off his trolley. He forgot his words,  swore at the audience & at a bemused Ian Brodie who was meant to be accompanying him on the guitar but gave up half way through with a shrug. He was appalling.

We walked out.

Saw Frankie Miller some years back who kept complaining how bright the lights were, Brian Robertson accompanying on guitar could barely stand up but still managed to play...

We bought John Martyn a pint after his gig about a year before he passed - just keeping him topped up while he held court.  Great gig in a little 50 seater venue.

Vince

This could be a new topic. I've walked out of a couple of gigs and was at one Ian McNabb gig where it seemed like he was deliberately trying to wind up the Edinburgh crowd by saying how much better Glasgow audiences were. How not to win friends and influence people! I stopped going to see him after that for quite a few years. Moody bugger.

 

Petulant Ians?  :D

I've walked out of very few gigs . The worst was probably Counting Crows , they were playing an arena gig , had a full band set up on stage, walked on and decided to play acoustic. The singer spent half the time sitting on the edge of the stage showing off . It was appalling. Pity because I've always liked their records. Festivals are of course a different kettle of fish.

I resemble that remark!  >:(  ;D

I'm still hoping that Nick Mson's Saucerful of Secrets will be booked for next year, once the Covid backlog has cleared....

 ...speaking of which, have you heard about the new Pink Floyd tribute album?

OMG I wasn't that (or those) to appear on my PC!!!!

Nick Mason at Cropredy would be my idea of absolute heaven! If he could just arrange a quick "guest guitarist"  ;) too my life would be complete!  {:-)

Not sure if this is the right place but in 2019
someone clever did a Cropredy Clashfinder for
all 5 “stages” - was very helpful. Clashfinders are
great for all festivals apart from Glastonbury! where
the app is always better. Anyway I would like it if someone
put one together?  Cheers.

It was on the Fairporters Facebook page I think. John Basevi wasnt it?

Do we have all 5 line-ups? Need to know when the Ska band is on :)

I caught one of Ian's show's in a similar condition too. This was in Portsmouth. He claimed to be nervous playing in the south but was in fact roaring drunk and getting more so as he swigged from a bottle of wine as the show continued. Unable to elicit requests from a somewhat dismayed audience, he decided to sing a bunch of cover versions, whilst wandering or more accurately stumbling into the audience. The gig was in a pub and I had recently injured my knee and was in significant pain. Reliant on a walking stick and unable to find a seat, I had positioned myself by the side wall on which I was leaning for support. Ian was staggering increasingly close to me and then, mid song, spotted that I was wearing an Ian Hunter T shirt. He sidled up to me, singing right in my face and then started prodding me repeatedly in the chest. I think it was approval but I can't be sure. It was extraordinarily intimidating but hysterically funny at the same time. I have never seen him in that condition since. In fact every other one of the many gigs that I have attended have been superb. And he has played in Worthing and Lewes in the last few years so has obviously got over his fear of the south.  ;D

What an experience!  :o

It was me! I'm just waiting for Field 8 (Cream of the Crop) line up. No Edge this year so only four stages this time.

Didn't realise until now that no Edge bar this year.
Their Facebook page says they have taken the decision to bow out gracefully due to the hit taken with the pandemic.
A real shame as I felt they were getting better with each year I went there.
Good,reasonably priced beers,shelter from the sun/rain,tables and seats ,good facilities.
I wish them well.

I don't remembering him being drunk at that Edinburgh gig - he was just in a weird mood. Fortunately there had been two support bands including Dawn of the Replicants who were pretty good. Ian was probably only on stage for about 30 minutes and then disappeared.

I saw him at T in the Park one year when he played to a near-empty marquee I think partly because the Manics were on the main stage. He did a cover of Magic Bus and at one point sat down at the front of the stage while his backing band carried on. But I think he might have had a couple of shandies before that gig.

Having said that I have good memories of the Icicle Works gigs I went to including one at the Astoria in London with the short-lived line-up that included Zak Starkey.

I like the first record but every time I see any footage of theirs I cringe.  Their cover of MotL is loathsome.

It's only 37 days to go - has anyone started packing yet?  {:-)

Should we have a new Topic started somewhere?

Not yet packed, but a new topic would be good.

Wonder who will volunteer to do the toast this time?

I've taken the fez out of the loft!

Give it a good beating.

Nobody wants a dusty fez  [;-) :o ;D

I noticed this on the Fairport website

From Iain Matthews -
"Folks - So much has happened in the last 30 months since this date was booked. One of them being that we've all had to improvise to stay afloat. Consequently the members of Matthews Southern Comfort have gone their separate ways. Eric Devries has made a solo album and Bart de Win is focusing on teaching and playing with his duo, Tip Jar. Which leaves BJ Baartmans and myself to fly the flag until such times as the four of us can once again make music together. He and I are enthusiastically anticipating playing Cropredy 2022 and I sincerely hope you will welcome The Matthews Baartmans Experience into your hearts for this years festival."

Will they be singing this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc8foK41qmo You need to watch it all...  ;D  8)

The Matthews Baartmans Experience were one of my highlights of last year's Great British Folk Festival so hopefully MSC fans will still find a lot to enjoy.

Some Warm-ups tickets available.  ;D

https://www.fairportconvention.com/

The link (in the link above) doesn't work.  Hmmm.  Anyway, worth stating that these are tickets for the Tuesday gig...you know the Full House lineup one...

If you select "The Festival" sign on the front page it takes you to the appropriate section.  :)

Tent retrieved from loft. All OK. Desiccated remains of slug removed from underside. 4 weeks & 1.5 days until I hit Field 7.............

It is true that the link in the festival news section does not work.
However if you go to the band part of the website and select Shop at the top, the ticket links are there.

Warmly received and very welcome it is too John. Can’t wait for this years.

Cream of the Crop ( Field 8 ) have announced their line up now
on the Facebook page.

Could anyone kindly post it here for the sadly dying breed who have managed to avoid signing up to that Basefooky thing?

Here you go!

The poster is the 2021 one. Have they just put everything back a year?

Posted on FB by Gerry yesterday:

The Cream Of The Crop aka Field 8 line up (at last…
We will be serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, booze. Loads of marquee cover for hiding from the sun (or rain)
Fully licensed bar
And of course our super stage!!
Open to all…
Saturday
9.15-11 The Skalectrics
7 - 8.45 - Till Dawn
5.30-6.30 - Dr Smutglove
4-5 - Famous Last Words
2.30-3.30 - SixNationState
1.15-2 - Whiter Than
11.30 - 1 Dylan Rhythm Band
10-11 Haze / Tree Beard Acoustic
Friday
11.15 -12 - Martha Makes Mistakes
9.15 -11 - The Dirt Road Band
7-8.45 - Reivers Gallows
4.45-6.30 - Dandelion Charm
2.30-4.15 - Park Ridge
1.15- 2 - White Knuckle
12-1 - Carys
11-11.45 - John & Tony
10.30-11 - Gerry del Guercio
Thursday
9.15-11 - The Legoheads
7- 8.45 - Jimmy Moore
6- 6.45 - Martha Makes Mistakes
4.45 - 5.45 - Alchemy Acoustic
3 -4.30 - Avon Fayre
1.15 - 2.30 - Broadoak
12.30- 1 - John & Tony
11.30-12.25 - Roaming Spirits
10.30-11.25 Rob Duhig
Wednesday
11.15-12 - TBC
9.15-11 The Blues Machine
7-8.45 White Knuckle
5.30-6.30 Across The Sea
4.30- 5.15 Gerry del Guercio
3.45-4.15 TBC
2.30 - 3.30 Rob Duhig
Compared by the brilliant Rob Duhig

So is now a standalone festival off the back of Fairport's Cropredy Convention - like the fringe only you have to pay for it? Can you go to CotC without a main festival ticket for example?

DW

All the entertainment is open to everybody.
It's just the camping you pay for.

Which is more than you can say for the Brasenose this year, who will charge you admission if you don't have a festival wrist band!

Do we know how much?

It varies by days.

Weekend = £32.56
Thursday only = £11.20
Friday only = £16.54
Saturday only = £21.88

My Clashfinder is now public. It can be found at

https://clashfinder.com/s/cropredy2022

Let me know if if I have made mistakes and I'll correct them.

Keith

 :o

Its got to be 15 years since I last heard them! Are they still going?

Here's a film I took of SixNationState back in the before-child era, when Truck Festival's second stage was a big, smelly, echoey cow shed.

https://youtu.be/IbaXK_af9UQ

Phew!

Nick

I wonder if they still have that energy?  :o  Enjoyed that, thanks!

Why do the Skalectrics have to be on when FC are on?  ???    :(

Didn't the fringe gigs finish earlier so as not to clash with main field headliners?

DW

Not this year, I can't remember previous years tho tbh

Kaprekar's Constant clashing with Home Service. That's annoying.  As is Iain Matthews and While & Matthews.  Otherwise I'm largely a main field guy.  

I'd like to see Merry Hell again, but no competition given the option is my chance to see Clannad for the only time (this is their farewell tour).  Might go to see Haze for old-times' sake (last saw them in Sheffield as a student in the 1980s).

Thanks for putting that together Keith!

The members of Haze currently also play as Treebeard.

Last year on Field 8 at "Notpredy"( the festival fringe without a festival ), they did separate sessions as both.

This year I think its a hybrid. They are still pretty dam good though.

I imagine as field 8 is a stand alone festival it likes to put on a decent Saturday night headline act as is their right.
Maybe fairport could finish by nine on the main field to avoid clashing  ;)

Agreed. Love Haze but the folk-rock sound of Treebeard is also a blast.

For anyone who might still be wondering about their tickets which they have carried over from 2020 and/or 2021. I emailed the ticket factory to check the position and this is what they said.

The tickets remain valid for the new date, as long as the barcode is still readable these will be ok.

Kind regards,
Sam
Customer Services

P.S. if it isn’t readable then contact then for a replacement.

Been a Haze fan since 1984,great band!

I’ll get onto them immediately!

I’ll get onto them immediately!

 :D

My Clashfinder is now public. It can be found at

https://clashfinder.com/s/cropredy2022

Let me know if if I have made mistakes and I'll correct them.

Keith
[/quote]


Cheers Keith

Any chance of a new board (or whatever you call it) for Cropredy so we can have separate posts on different subjects please?  {:-)



Edit: no

It's only 16 days - 16 days!!! - away  :o

Has anyone else got a faded ticket? I contacted the ticket factory by email over two weeks ago and again about 10days ago and haven't heard anything from them.

Third time’s the charm!

We’ve booked (and then canceled twice)airfare and hotels 3 times but it actually feels like this trip will happen.
We leave in a week because we couldn’t be sure that there wouldn’t a quarantine period required for those of us coming from overseas. So we are looking into some day trips from Oxford or many hours in the Pitt-Rivers museum and botanical garden……if Covid situation allows. I’m traveling with my sister who wanted to celebrate her 70th on the field.
She’ll turn 72 now as the last notes of MOTL fade.

There’s just a few short haul trips to still arrange for our visit to Scotland after the festival. Hooray! I’m fulfilling a childhood dream of seeing Skara Brea!

Thanks to Swamp Donkey for the fringe schedules. Why are all the bands I want to see conflicting with favs at the main festival?  Does anyone know the schedules for Wednesday?

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you again!
xox K

It’ll be good to see you again Kathryn.

The website says to ring them 0344 581 1396

I emailed a couple of weeks ago, and they came over the weekend.

Paul

Me too.

I followed the link in their email initially and followed it up with an email a week or so later.
I'll try phoning next. Third time's the charm?

Looks like neither message got through! Spoke to a human being and it is, hopefully, sorted. I will now be watching the letterbox very keenly!

Don't know about anyone else, but, as much as I'm looking forward to the festival I'm sick of looking at the same flyer and names that I've been looking at for three years now, roll on 2023 and something different.

Arrived by return of post. Thanks.

For anyone who has booked tickets for TradArr at the Brasenose on Wednesday, Ticketsource have just sent the following email out.

TicketSource
The following important information about your booking for "TRADarrr and Friends- Pre-Cropredy gig" on Wed 10 Aug 2022 at 7:00PM has been announced by TRADarrr.


Hi everyone!
Just to let you know that there will be a full list of ticket sales on the door on the evening of the 10th August so don't worry if you can't find a confirmation email in your email inboxes from three years ago! We know it has been a complicated time and want to reassure you that your booking is still in place! All you'll need is some proof of name (but we know most of you so you probably won't even need that!)
We can't wait to see you all at The Brasenose. It's heading for a sell out and we are all so excited to be playing for you.
It's been a long time - there will be hugs, smiles and laughter a-plenty.

Much love
Marion and all at TRADarrr and The Sandy Denny Project
xxx



If you need to respond to this message or have any questions about the event, you can email the event organiser, TRADarrr directly using our contact form.

Thank you,

The TicketSource team
On behalf of TRADarrr

Just a reminder for the old 'uns and info for the new 'uns.

(Maps courtesy of #FairCropFest)

stupid question time....What time do the fields officially open? Asking for a friend!

Sometime after 7 depending on queues.

Just a heads up for narrowboat arrivals.

As has been reported before …
Despite the current restrictions…
The levels on the cut are very low and many boats are grounded between slat mill lock and the shop bridge.
I walked from cropredy to great bourbon lock this morning and whilst it is still navigable down the middle channel, a couple of boats did ground but managed to continue on their way.

I spoke to a crt worker who was monitoring the situation and he said that the only solution would be a good dose of rain but there’s only the odd shower due for the next fortnight.

If you’re planning on venturing down it would be worth monitoring the situation.
What with limited lock times I can see it being very busy so long as it remains navigable.

Are the McBarstards in yet ?

They already have set up their ghetto in field 2 and playpen in front of the sound tower.

Dug out my packing list this morning...

Started writing mine last night. Next, get the roof box down.....  :)

Anybody else seen something about next week that's making them smile? Plus the super full moon rising on the Thursday. Can't wait!!

Found The Cropredy Box today, sorted it out… mostly ponchos, hats, wellies, with the Pugwash flag and lots and lots of shot glasses… in case we are having a toast!
Also lots of little pink tags for our bags etc, now all filled in with name and phone numbers.

Eight days folks…. EIGHT DAYS!!!

Have you checked your tickets Bridgwit ??? They were in your knicker drawer under the French light blue (last time I saw them) they have been there a while (Unlike the French light blue)

CRT have announced limited opening of Claydon and Marston Doles locks. 9:00 to 4:30.

We abandoned attempts to get from Cropredy to Banbury last weekend as a boat was totally stuck at Slatt Mill Bridge. Managed to reverse from Slatt Mill to the Cropredy winding hole.

Paul

Tickets?

Left the house without them 6 years ago.

Fortunately the good lady remembered less than 20 miles from home.

That'll never happen again...

probably.

It’s still touch and go around slat mill lock.
Boats are moving but many are moored on the bottom from slat mill to the bridge stores.
I was told by a boater yesterday that the canal was unnavigable just past Banbury but I can’t confirm that.
There are certainly fewer narrow boats about for this time in the lead up to the festival but I guess that’s to be expected with lots of the system hard to traverse.
Plenty of people were walking up to the bridge (doing multiple journeys) in order to get water as they are unable to move what with being grounded…..
They’re the lucky ones….
At least they’re here.

They’re already packed Dave. They’ve been cosseted since Dec 2019!!

There is a young lady from Germany, who would like to come to the festival for the first time. She is looking for somebody who could give her a lift from Germany (southern part) to Cropredy.

Re. Cream of the Crop.. can those from other campsites gain entry to the old Field 8 for the music, food etc?  We will be in Broad Meadow (Glamping) from Weds lunchtime and thought of popping over there in the evening.  Oh, and is there much catering in there?  If not we will probably bring our own tucker for Weds.  Thanks.

They do food, which is pretty good. Although there has been a wait in the past   ;). The pizzas are very nice.

Their beer is really well priced; the best at the festival!

Do not email or message them though! It normally takes at least 3 weeks for a reply and that will be after the festival  ;)

There will be a catering tent in the Glamping field, plus a bar. Plus both pubs will be doing food and some of the vans will already be around the village, and Field 8  has a number of food outlets.

We're also going to Field 8 Weds evening to see Plainsong  :D  may see you there!

If you have a festival wristband you will get into Field 8

Just went to check after I heard news about Clannad - they've cancelled the North American branch of their final tour citing excessive overheads. I went onto their own website (which is very sparse) and the only two live dates listed are a final farewell gig in Dublin in December and... Cropredy!! So unless there's something else not on the website, then it looks like we'll be witnessing their penultimate ever gig ... an honour indeed. Fingers crossed they make it and all goes well...

Another good reason to prioritise them over Merry Hell on the fringe this year.

I'm planning putting on the running shoes to try and catch at least the last few minutes of MH. (Merry Hell for Cropredy  anyone? )

We've been here before but fwiw I think the reason MH haven't been booked on the main stage before is that "it might be felt" their strident politics would be divisive.

Peggy told me that Merry Hell were not booked because they have too similar a following to Fairport's and would not therefore put many on the gate.

I don't accept that as true , but its what he believed at the time. If Gareth wants to see how popular they are then he needs to be what will be one of the hundreds unable to get into the Brasenose Garden next Thursday

As for stridently expressing politics....Jewel in the Crown anyone?

I'm well aware, and I've trumpeted the cause several times over the last few years. Any of the given reasons seem bizarre and easily refuted to me. It looks like it may never come to pass...

Merry Hell are what they are - they wear their hearts on the sleeves and their lyrics are explicitly 'of the Left'.  I'm not suggesting this is related to the bands/organisers politics, but, well, eh, know (some of) your audience, I suppose...(sadly).

They should put them on after Digance then everyone gets a chance  to be happy or annoyed in equal measure
...

I don't know the work of Merry Hell but  would suggest that Show of Hands, Levellers and Oysterband all wear their political hearts squarely on their sleeves and are happily accepted on the Cropredy stage,

DW

Lol.  That's a good idea  ;D

Not a hope in "hell"

We made it from the bottom of the M25, to the first junction along the M40 once before we realised that /neither/ of us had picked up the bag of essentials by the door …. ;-)

As others have pointed out…….many wear their political hearts on their sleeves. Try listening to Martyn Joseph as well….

Folk music has ALWAYS had a ‘Leftist’ leaning.

Ok everyone…..LISTEN UP (please). Amethyst has posted in the relevant thread, but I thought I’d highlight it here.

THE TOAST. It’s an important part of Cropredy for many…including fundraising for TCT…..and we’ve our Adrian to remember this year too.

Have people been making their own drain cleaner to bring? What’s the vote on the time - 8.00pm clashes with RT

Who is going to make the toast?

Collective ideas please……

Thanks for boosting this Diane…. It seems to me that it’s only you and me interested in toasting Adrian Wontroba and other friends lost since 2019…

If we don’t toast it would be a real shame… 😥😥😥😥

I'll be there Jenny.

See you there then Tony!

Just dug the tickets out to put on the packing pile.  I assume the 2020 camping sticker will be honoured  ;D  I was early enough buying in 2019 to get a car sticker too, which is also dated 2020.  Not sure if I'll bother putting that one in the window though.

I wouldn't miss the toast for anything. Its an important part of the pre Cropredy ritual for me to concoct a safe but weird beverage. Each year I try for a distinctive taste. Only the year it was based on Carvonia and Camp Coffee mixed with rum was it truly repulsive.

C U @ 7-30 on the Saturday

We are in for a hot festival
Until
Saturday evening…..
It really is uncanny…..

I've trawled all the available weather forecasts.

All agree it will be 27 and mostly sunny on Saturday , one (accuweather) is alone in forecasting a 40% chance of an isolated light afternoon shower.

Its OK.  

You are underestimating the Thompson effect.
How many forecasts have factored in that very important element??

Hi Diane, (and Amethyst) as long as DV doesn’t insist on me testing his concoction before we all congregate, I’ll be there, sadly no Josh as he is elsewhere this august.
How about 7:30 straight after Matthews Bateman experience?

Edit just seen in the toast thread that time and toaster have been sorted. See you all at 7:30 then  [;-) [;-) [;-)

Perfect 🥂🍷🍻🥃

Now?

As I shall be driving to and from the Tuesday warmup and thus unable to have a few pints, I thought I'd have my own warmup for the warmup...

Will there be a sanctioned radio broadcast of this year's festival?  If so, will the broadcast be accessible (live and/or in an archive) via the Internet?

Radio Oxford are broadcasting Cropredy from 6pm to 1am and I believe it's accessible worldwide on BBC Sounds.

In reply to an earlier post re faded tickets: Mine have been cosseted too but I've just noticed one is part-faded (the bottom one of a stack of 6, in the original envelope, in a hanging file, in a filing cabinet for 2 years - go figure!).  
A bit late for an exchange and I reckon the barcode is still readable but I'm bringing my ticket purchase confirmation email just in case!

Thanks for that Andy. I'll have some ale ready, Fairport T shirt on and be listening!

Timings

Are peeps taking their own chairs to the Brasenose on Wednesday for TradArr?

Good point. I've got my "croucher" but 2 hours on it may be a bit much...

I just ignore "leftist" drivel and utter "rightist" drivel!!!

We’ve bought a couple of folding camp chairs for the field but we don’t intend to lug them through our 12 days of Scottish travels after the festival. If anyone would like a pair of “only used 4 days” chairs let me know and we can meet up Sunday…..

Also we are coming into Banbury by train mid-morning  to early afternoon on Wednesday if anyone else is going through Banbury around then and would like to share taxi costs into Cropredy let me know.

It’s hard to believe it’s only a few days away….we’ve booked airfare and hotel accommodations three times now for this festival. I haven’t let myself get too excited thinking everything could be canceled again at the last minute. But we are definitely on the other side of the pond now and so looking forward to being back on the field!

It’ll be worth waiting for….
It’s proper hot here at the moment.
Good things come to those that wait….
I have a feeling that this will be a cropredy festival that lives long in the memory

Slightly worried by the weather forecast. It was almost that hot in 2003, but then we were nearly 20 years younger.
Anything official announced yet?

Yes

Tea I am taking chairs there.

As for the weather forecast on Countryfile this evening it forecast very SCORCHIO!

Stay safe everyone… we will have learned a few things from the last couple of weeks heatwave, so will be more prepared.

Flying back from a very hot and humid NYC on Tuesday, excited by trying the glamping option on Wednesday for the first time.  I’ll be drinking loads of water and wearing a nice shady hat. Could be a very sweaty festival, but bring it on!

There's Glamping at Cropredy?

On field 8 and the main site!

We’re clamping too. This was originally planned as a 70th birthday celebration so we splurged. Now our fellow travelers have had other things crop up so it’s just 2 of us….. but since it’s been paid for since November 2019 it doesn’t feel that it’s cramping our budget.

Certainly is! We're Glamping too  :D

With the weather forecast this week ,is it time we had "clothing optional " area at Cropredy?


Asking for many friends!

Might see you on the glamping site then Bridgwit, we hope to be arriving approx 12.30 Wednesday.  Meeting chums from Bristol and London (we live near York) in the spirit of 'Gonna meet all our friends'.  Our plan is to spend the early afternoon sipping glasses of Pimms in the sun while nibbling on canapés and other tasty treats from our Fortnum and Mason hamper.  Splendid, just the ticket, good show, tally ho etc.

By way of contrast at my debut Cropredy (1983) I had no tent so spent my first Cropredy nights sleeping in the back of a Triumph Dolomite. :-[

Will be more like 2-3pm for us, but our plan is very similar involving a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, deliberately kept for this specific occasion! We're hoping to try the Glamping food tent then a wander into the village.  After the horrendous weather back in 2019 I can hardly believe we're being blessed with sun!  :D

Are you going to the Brase for TradArr on Wednesday?

I see it is now £5 per day to park in the Williamscott Rd car park. This is a a very late decision and , in my opinion, not a good one.
Over the years I've got a few people into attending the festival by saying "Come over for the day, sample the atmosphere, for free" meaning park at the top and get the vibe around the fringe and they have then bought tickets for the following years, cant do that this year !
   Are ticket sales down ? Otherwise surely this should have been announced more than 3 days before the start of the festival ?

£5 per day doesn't seem too much to ask though, given that it'll probably cost at least that for a single drink in any of the pubs!

I know but it's another £5 on top of everything else, how will they charge you if you arrive on Thursday and don't go back to your car until Sunday ?

What's the worst case scenario?  You pay £20 on Sunday and say "thanks very much"?

   This. And a small fortune to drive there at current fuel prices.



maybe they let all your tyres down?

didds

We hadn’t planned to. We’re going to play it by ear though and soak up the atmos  {:-) will just be amazing to be there! This feels like a big, thick line being drawn under the last 2.5 years!

It certainly does!

RT has put this up on Facebook...

I have just been listening to Popmaster.  Anyway, the winner said he was off to Cropredy tomorrow - just thought I'd let you know that there will be a Popmaster winner and loser at the festiva ;D

 I just wanted to wish everyone well who is attending the Festival. Please stay safe, keep hydrated and remember the sun cream, hats etc. Obvious, I know, but another reminder does no harm. I'll be there on Friday and Saturday, although I'm sure nobody will know or remember me. Hope it's memorable for you all, for all the right reasons   :)

Off soon to overnight with youngest son in Abingdon, and hope to see a bunch of you at the Cricket Club at lunchtime tomorrow!

Come over to the bar for the toast (just before Richard Thompson plays) I'm sure you'll be welcomed by the assembled crew.

Thank you Mick  :)

7.30 pm

I remember you Ian!  {:-)  See you at the bar if not before!

 Thank you Issy  :)

Happy 75th Birthday to Ian Anderson today!!

Prompted by the "ladies packing..." thread (and a vague memory of a TAWer suffering a nasty sting to the upper legs), can I just remind people of all genders to take action to minimise the threat of insect bites/stings on bare skin by liberal application of your preferred deterrent.

Someone is soundchecking to Are Y
ou Gonna Go My Way!!

On BBC Radio Oxford's Twitter page -

@BBCOxford
On Saturday night from 6 we're at @faircropfest
with live performances, backstage interviews & Fairport Convention's set in full! 🎸

🔊 Listen live: 6pm - 1am on 95.2fm, DAB Digital Radio, Freeview Ch. 722, BBC Sounds and online 👇 https://bbc.in/3SoWfDT

Folks on Fairporters Facebook page reporting 30 minute queue for the bar!!

Thanks for that. YaBB & 'Daughter of' will have it on in a slightly less hot Southern Spain.

Robert Fripp!
I wasn’t expecting that!

I came on to post the same.

Fripp!   :D :D

Oh, that sounds exciting...what did he do (don't say play guitar)?  :)

Let’s put it this way, we now know who was soundchecking “Are You Gonna Go My Way”!
Mrs Fripp was on vocal duties.

Excellent!  I look forward to footage of this surfacing.  This was their sole contribution?  Also, important question - was he sitting or standing?

It was, shame there wasn’t more!

Screenshot from Cropredy Village Community Facebook page. Hook Norton have put a call out for bar staff this very morning. You'd think they'd have sorted this before the festival - oh well, better late than never !

Sitting, or rather perched on a stool. Watching his wife with pride  ;D and sporting a splendid Mohican  :D

On Facebook there are posts from the brewery & also FC saying they employed plenty of staff but  some haven’t turned up due to covid & other reasons. So they did try to sort it, but casual staff aren’t always the most dependable! Hopefully it’ll be better today  {:-)

I've seen a few pics now - excellent  :)

Since sharing this, I've seen the post on the official page - they've had no shows due to Covid, so they're doing their best.
Anyway, having shared the ad, someone who fancies picking up a couple of bar shifts might see it and get in touch, so all good...

Can't escape from Hack
ett. Make it go away PLEASE

Looked like a mass exit from where I was stood!

Why? I want to watch it!

Easier if those that don’t want to see go away, surely?  ;D

He was brilliant. Anyone who wanted to escape could do - their loss though. Did you like anyone?
Team Ireland did good this year 🙂

Rather a lovely tweet from Maddie Morris and there's a photo she took from the stage if you go on to her Twitter page. Must admit I haven't heard of her but I will have to give her music a listen.

What has happened to the reviews? It was always a great pleasure of TAW at Cropredy, lots of reviews of all the acts. Come on, folks - those of us who couldn’t get there are depending on you!

It's hot.  Robert Fripp and Toyah did a Lenny Kravitz cover and Steve Hackett 'divided opinion'.  Oh and the queue for the bar is quite long.  I think that covers it...no?   ;)

And did we mention its hot. I mean, seriously too hot to do anything. I'm sure the reviews and opinions will follow in spades once the thunderstorms take over...

From the safety of Kirk Towers (quite the round trip yesterday) I can tell you that The Fairport Convention were on absolutely blistering form yesterday. I’ve not been to Cropredy, or caught the Wintour for some years now, but seeing the band in their natural constituency was an absolute treat and a privilege.
A very decent set selection led into the main reason for me being there - the Full House compendium (purists might argue about the inclusion of ‘Poor Will’ and ‘Flowers of the Forest’ but luckily there’s no-one like that around here, eh?). The field was absolutely full for the entire evening - perhaps because the signature ‘beat the queue’ anthem Matty Groves didn't appear, presumably due to time constraints. There was an onstage board meeting at one point where some toys nearly got thrown off the stage, but one might argue that fewer rambling stories about (say) getting a tattoo as part of your bucket list might have left room for more songs. Having said that, I wouldn’t have missed the ‘Flatback Caper’ intro for the world.
Sir Norm in fine, fine voice, DM reliably magnificent, Thompy on fire, and speaking of whom, what an opening set! Managing to transform ‘Genesis Hall’ into an audience call and response singalong, and hitting us with a triple whammy of the one about the motorbike, ‘Beeswing’ and ‘From Galway to Graceland’ (feat. Iain Matthews) meant that it was probably incipient hay fever making my eyes water like that.
As for the rest of the day, I wandered easily up to the bar throughout the day, and where there was a fine, old-school selection of TAWers ready to toast on the dot of half seven, but I was sorry to miss a couple of familiar faces through what I now know to be extenuating circumstances. Sympathies and best wishes, friends. Holy Moly and The Crackers were my highlight of the supporting cast, and my very best wishes to the (at my count) three successful proposals engineered over the course of the weekend.
And yes, it was hot.

I thought the first two thirds of Fairport's set was good - nice, varied song selection (always good to hear some Maart era stuff) and well played.  Full House was a bit chaotic - let's be generous and say it was a little under-rehearsed.  The closing double whammy of WKWTTG and Meet on Ledge was a very emotional moment for us (I suspect for a lot of people), having lost a good friend and regular Cropredy attender since the last event in 2019.  No Matty Groves (and even then they overran by 10 minutes), but that didn't really matter.  

I saw at least one video camera and mic set up in the field, so I'm sure it will all surface on YouTube soon.

Some thoughts about this years festival.  

Good things:

1)  We didn't burn the place down.
2)  The weather - yes it was very hot, but I'd take that over pelting down with rain any day.  And from about 7pm onwards it was very pleasant.
3)  The performances.  Some of the acts were not to my taste, but everyone put a shift in.  Turin Brakes veered closest to patronising 'isn't this quaint' territory, but were rescued by their drummer - apparently a Fairport fan and long time festival attendee.  Personal favourites were The Trevor Horn Band (brilliant entertainment, they overran by nearly 20 minutes but could have carried on all night as far as I was concerned), Home Service (pretty much the same set as last time, but great to see John Tams waving his walking stick about as he raged against the state we're in), Grand Slambovians (wasn't sure what to expect, but they were excellent), and Seth Lakeman (bossed the Digance slot, congratulations to whoever persuaded him to do it.)
4)  The bar - prefer the Hook Norton beers to Wadworths (especially since 6X disappeared), and props to them for apologising and sorting things out after making a complete mess of it on the Thursday.  
5)  The organisers and volunteers - massive well done to them all.

Room for improvement:

1)  Split screen effects on the big screen.  It seems that someone spotted the 'split screen' button on Saturday, and then got carried away.  If the purpose of the big screens is to enable those further back the field to see what's going on, what's the point of splitting the screen so that the images are not much bigger than the people on the stage?  Stop it.
2)  Garden parasols.  I know it was hot, and sunny, and that some people need shade, but some of these things were massive and being used quite near the front - they completely hid the stage for those behind.  I understand the reasons for it, but I don't have to like it.  
3)  Endless personal announcements from the stage.  It's lovely that some people were at their first Cropredy, or brought their baby, or got engaged, but I don't want to hear about it for five minutes between each band.  I felt sorry for Anthony John Clarke, it was clear he was fed up of it by Saturday as well.
4)  It was sad to see that it was necessary to put messages on the big screen asking people to be nice to the workers and volunteers.  I know it was hot, but what's happened to a bit of patience and understanding?  Having said that, thankfully it was largely all bonhomie and good will in our spot.

All in all, another great festival.  Looking forward to next year already!

I'm a bit surprised by this, although I do have my own reservations about the material I've already seen online and here myself.  I wonder if there were monitor issues...didn't get these sort of comments from the Tuesday warm-up?  Personally, having seen them do it all a few times, I've never known Fairport not get the old FH stuff bang on

Maybe, Simon was certainly having technical problems early on.  Perhaps they were a bit tired - they'd been onstage for well over an hour and a half by the time Full House started, and Peggy was sitting down for some of the time.  I also wonder if they were conscious of running over time (although they did anyway)?  It wasn't terrible or anything - obviously they know the material well and I enjoyed it, but just not quite on point as far as I'm concerned (others may of course disagree!)

The Full House section was going along nicely, but it kind of fell apart a bit during Sir Patrick Spens and didn’t seem to fully recover.
There were obviously discussions of some sort going on on the stage, but from half way up the field it was impossible to see what was going on.
I assume that Marty Groves was dropped due to time restraints. (Either that or they saw the blisteringly good version by The Sandy Denny Project at the Brasenose on Wednesday and simply threw the towel in!🤣🤣🤣)

It looked to me as if Peggy had spotted that they were running late, and tried twice to move things along by skipping the last two tracks (I'm sure he knows that Flatback Caper isn't the last track on the album!), only to be overruled by Simon (cue minor dummy spit).  I'm sure you're right about Matty Groves being cut for time.  I've never seen Fairport overrun at Cropredy before, and was beginning to worry that they wouldn't do MOTL.  Happily, despite having already overrun the supposed hard curfew, they clearly thought 'sod it' and played it anyway.

A great set from FC last night (apart from Flowers of the Forest, on which the harmonies just didn't seem to "gel" - just as per the Tuesday warmup).

I noticed that Gerry was already in place behind his kit at the start of the set, and that he seemed to have some difficulty getting down off the drum riser before the Full House section.  He appeared to be limping on Tuesday - hope it's nothing serious...  Didn't affect his drumming/percussion performance though!

The running order is up at setlist fm for those completists among us. Having not heard it, I was surprised at the quality of the Shuffle and Go material. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/fairport-convention/2022/cropredy-festival-field-cropredy-england-53b3e3d5.html

At the end of yesterday I was left wondering if midnight is just too late to be finishing. I was about 3/4 of the way back in the field and it seemed as though an awful lot of people were filing away from about 10.30 onwards. I don't think this was in any way a reflection on Fairport, but just the length of the day and the lateness of the hour. A similar exodus happened on Friday, and I know some people (!) will attribute that to the on-stage performance, but having seen it replicated on Saturday with the Festival headliners I can't help thinking that the lateness of the show mitigates against a certain proportion of the audience gaining full enjoyment of it  :-\

It seems to be a ‘thing’. It has always been so when I’ve been there ( only missed five years apart from the C years). Some people cite wanting to miss the traffic etc.  I used to stay in a B&B about 8-10 years ago, and the b&b owner asked me if I wanted a lift home with the other attendees. She generally picked them up at about 10.30/45 because it ‘ended then’. I gaped and said ‘no thank you’.  Some people don’t ‘need’ the end. It happens at Cambridge FF too. I chose to go, knowing the length of the day - and see what I need to - tending to arrive later if I’m tired.

Double drummer goodness.

I also think, unpalatable as it may be to some (including myself) that there are people at Cropredy who are, at best, ambivalent about Fairport. I think this first became clear to me in the immediate post-divorce years when it relaunched as something a little different to what it had been before.  I'm fairly certain that in the late 80's and 90s the vast majority of the crowd were there for Fairport and the field (there are obviously exceptions - people with kids etc) was largely present to the end.

Two of the friends we spend most of the time with were exactly as you describe. But over the years, since 1997, they have come to love the band and now come down as early as possible, this year Sunday.

This year,I think, the heat played a huge part in people leaving early . Though it cools off later, the exhaustion of not having slept, of dealing with the heat itself, certainly  meant we left early on Friday, as well as that particular performance not engaging us at the time.

There is no way we would miss Meet on the Ledge with the people we only meet there once a year.

Funnily enough, we were saying we didn’t notice as many of the ‘here coz it’s a festival’ brigade this year.

There seemed fewer of the gangway blocking crew this year (you're going to have to pole vault to get to the bar pal)

There were definitely exceptions to this.

The heat was a huge factor.  I drank more water than beer - it's not natural, I tells ya! Not being a huge prog fan I took the opportunity to leave early on Friday - Steve Hackett and band are obviously talented musicians, but not my cup of tea, sorry. Seth Lakeman was brilliant, an excellent way to start the Saturday, Loved Turin Brakes and also the Slambovians (whom I hadn't seen before). Trevor Horne was good and the Fripps were good value too. However, I feel he was stretching it a tad when they played Rubber Bullets, which came out 1973 and was produced, if memory serves, by Jonathan King. Then straight after he said he first met Lol Creme in 1983! I enjoyed Home Service but I can't have been the only one who noticed that John Tams' voice was decidedly croaky. The Doonicans were brilliant and were just what was needed. Fairport were excellent, in my opinion, and I think the absence of Matty can be forgiven, given the occasion. Apart from meeting the Talkawhilers for the toast, which was lovely, my non musical highlight was seeing my brother's name on a plaque at Jonah's Oak. It must be more than two and a half years since I ordered it.

I may have to opt for Glamping next time, as I think my camping days are behind me - even in a campervan. Anyway, so nice to see it all again after the dreaded lockdowns.

Rubber Bullets was on their first album, 10CC. Whilst it was released on King's UK records (as was Sheet Music), production was credited to 10CC, as were all their albums. King had no input whatever.

Having heard Graham Gouldman's 10CC doing Rubber Bullets at Wickham last week, I thought that it was vastly better than Lol's version.

At the risk of being burnt as a heretic, I thought that Fairport's set was poor - as if they were just going through the motions - and lacked some of the passion of previous times that I have seen them. And I hated SN's version of WKWTTG.

On the positive side, Sharon Shannon was the set of the weekend for me. Even better than the one she did last week at Wickham.

I think this year due to the heat a lot of people's plans went awry, and i suspect some of the early leavers were just too exhausted at the end of the day. I did half the walking around that i normally do and i had to stop in the afternoon and have a sleep in the (hard to find) shade- it was just so draining. Still better than p**ing rain and tent-breaking winds though... all in all, despite some obvious flaws it was a blistering and ultimately emotional set, and so good to have them back again where they belong (and I'm sure they felt that too)

"On the positive side, Sharon Shannon was the set of the weekend for me. Even better than the one she did last week at Wickham."
I agree, I've seen her several times before but this blew the roof off for me - her Tune for a Lost Harmonium has gone up there into my top 3 non-Fairport Cropredy musical moments.
And was there ever a happier looking act? She just exudes the.joy of life IMO.

I see that Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp joined the Trevor Horn band for one number.

Toyah also featured on Sunday evenings Radio 4 "The Archers", as a celeb buying organic juice at a Midlands music festival !

I wouldnt have said i hated it...  but I did find it odd, so generally concur

didds

Was it different to the version he's been singing for decades, then?

Nope

Ive been eating cabbage for 70 years but i dont like it

Back to "normal" now and it's raining in Barry! I'm not sure I could have coped with another hot day so even though it's muggy it's OK

Highs and Lows for me:

Highs
Turin Brakes - on top form and my favourite of the festival.
Hackett - good but I have seen him better
Clannad, Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Martyn Joseph, Doonicans, Seth Lakeman and Trevor Horn (especially Fripp!!!) were excellent and I enjoyed all the others too. I wouldn't have removed a single act, all excellent artists.
Glamping - yes it was expensive and we won't do it again but I'm so glad we did! Comfortable bed, excellent showers and toilets and the little extras (eg free tea/coffee) made it special.
Great to catch up with TAWs and friends! The last 3 years shrank as we chatted  :)
Beer/cider from the bar - very tasty. Hic!  ;D

Lows
Was a bit underwhelmed with the food offerings. Not everyone wants a bacon sandwich/full English for breakfast every day. I was desperate for a simple bowl of muesli with fruit!
Weather - nothing anyone could do about it and so much better than the gales and driving rain of 2019, but it was just so debilitating and some of the umbrellas people were using in the field as shelters were enormous.
Moaning on social media - no open fires allowed and everything about the Brasenose seemed to be the main issues. People can't see outside their own little worlds. Things change. Get over it.

I see the 2023 dates are confirmed so already planning for that!  {:-)

the timing was all over the shop...  long drawn out notes leading into speeded up next lines ...  just sounded odd.  You couldnt work out when the enxt line was due to start often.

OMMV!

didds

I thought the first day was one of the best days (musically) I've known at Cropredy.  FC acoustic were great, and after missing the last two years it just felt so good to be back there, with them.  And I always did like Travelling By Steam.  Didn't know the Thumping Tommys, but they weer a good festival band. Edward II were great, Clannad were sublime, and Trevor Horn Band just rounded off things really well with a feel-good singalong.
I missed the first three bands on the Field on Friday, as I was at The Brasenose for Haze (last seen at Uni in the mid-eighties) and Kaprekar's Constant, who were wonderful, especially as they were missing their guitarist and songwriter.  Just caught the strains of Babylon  as I got back to the field - sorry to have missed Home Service.  Martyn Joseph was good, the Slambovians were better than I expected, but didn't really float my boat, Sharon Shannon and her band were really good, Turin Brakes I didn't know before, but enjoyed them, and Steve Hackett was great (though not to my view as good as I have seen him before - I think playing a few more of the more accesible tracks from Seconds Out - Afterglow, Carpet Crawlers, I Know What I Like - migght have helped?).
Seth Lakeman was brilliant starting things off on Saturday, Holy Moly were very good too - high energy and fun - the Doonicans were what you expect (not my cup of tea, I'm afraid. I tried listening to see if I'd missed something last time, but no...), Rosalie Cunningham was good if you like Blues/Rock, Ian Matthews and BJ Baartmans were good, RT excellent and Fairport very good too. It looked like Peggy was going to throw his toys out of the pram at one point, but it was smoothed over. I did feel Simon's voice was a little strained by the time WKWTTG came and was worried by the way Gerry was struggling to get onto the drum riser. Hope he's OK.  But Full House was really good, and I'm glad they did do Flowers of the Forest - one I think I have never heard in all my 35+ years of FC gig-going.
It was good to meet up with a number of reprobates at the Cricket Club on Thursday morning, and at the toast. Otherwise I kept meself to meself, and just soaked it all in.

Definitely played it at my first Croppers ('84) and I'm fairly certain since but I might be misremembering.

I wonder what the split is amongst festival goers in relation to the centrality of Fairport to the festival?  I suspect the audience is split right down the middle now in terms of people who see Fairport as utterly crucial to Cropredy and those that are fairly uninterested in them and their heritage. 30 years ago I suspect only a tiny percentage of people went to the festival who weren't big Fairport fans (there was the odd exception: All About Eve/Tull brought a few newbies to the ball although even those had their clear FC connection if you were bothered to investigate).  Maybe I'm wrong but for quite a few now Fairport appear to be fairly well down the list (or not even on it at all)....

For me they are absolutely essential even though i dont agree with a lot of their choice of acts!! If they ceased to be involved I would stick to the slightly smaller events like Beardy, NFFF etc. Particularly as the more expensive headliners are often less enjoyable.

I think fairport are the festival and I’d hope that as inevitably the members slide off the plate so to speak they are replaced by equally talented musicians to keep the band going.
The band and the music and the festival should always be bigger than the sum of its parts imo.
I guess many would have thought fairport without swarb would have been unimaginable but the show rolled on.
If in say ten years time (knowing the current lot nearer twenty) there was no one in the current line up playing I’d still like to think I’d be listening to the next evolution of the band playing old fairport and new (yet to be written)and belting out MOTL at midnight.

That to me is what has always happened despite departures and what should always happen.
That’s the thread running through the festival imo.

TBH I find it harder now to see the band carrying on as a kind of 'Trigger's broom'.  20 years ago, yes, I'd have said that could happen, as Steeleye have kept on. But now that this line-up has been together so long, who would feel able to step in and take over from one of them?  Seeing Gerry struggling on Sat evening brought that to mind.  Simon and Peggy (with Gareth) are, I believe the directors of FC Ltd, and I think when one or both of them get to the point of not wanting to/being able to carry on, the band may just have to fold.  Maybe the festival could continue on for a few years as an 'annual reunion' again, and that would be the point at which it became apparent if it had a future without FC as the driving force?

It's a sad thought, but one that gets closer every year...

Just going by the numbers of folk i meet and chat to, I'd agree that the numbers are decreasing but I'd guess that at least 60-70% have the Fairport connection (whether they took to them earlier or later years/incarnations). They're the kind of band who'll want to keep going for as long as physically possible and might have a good few years in them yet.
Edit...my post crossed with Wiil's above.

So what was Peggy's problem - something to do with them running late?

DW

I sit on the grass just below the chair line . When the headliners come on the number of people who come down from further up the field becomes almost a press. I think it must be easy to assume that people getting up and moving off from up there are leaving. Some are , like my Daughter who has a tired 3 year old to get back to her tent. It might seem as if its dislike of the act but I'm sure its not. And year on year Fairport's come near the top of the poll of best acts.

Who would be the new parts of the broom? Interesting question. I think young Chris Leslie could replace Ric and the other 4 could be replaced from within Trad Arrr.

Ashley kind of tried that with the Albion Band, handing it on to his son and some mates. But it didn't last long.  I'm not longing for the end of the band - I'll be as gutted as anyone if/when it happens. I'm just having trouble envisioning a 'young Fairport' at this point, and will be happy to be proved wrong if it works out.

Have to say that from towards the back of the field..I felt very much the same about the set... Timing seemed to out for many songs and singing dare i say out of tune? I stuck it out to the end but people in my group, disappointed, wandered off back to camp...leaving me alone till Pastie came and found me!  [;-)

My idea of young was Chris Leslie , PJ and Guy, not quite the same as Kat and Blair!! ;D All in fun.

I'm genuinely not sure what happened there as the small number of releases that band put out were some of the most exciting folk-rock (and certainly better than anything the mothership had put out for decades) I'd heard in a long while.

I saw them at the Burton gig a few months back, and Gerry didnt look well then, sadly.

I wondered if David Mattacks was over "just in case" ...

didds

Wonder no more: he was over to play the Full House set - which had been advertised everywhere since early 2020.

I think what happened was a combination of it not being financially viable with Blair wanting to step out from Ashley's shadow and do his own thing and Kat Gilmore's career with Jamie Roberts also starting to take off so she wanted to focus on that.

During one of Kat & Jamie's lockdown shows I asked if they would ever consider rehabilitating Kat's Albion Band material into their own repertoire and they kindly played Coalville for me, which is one of my favourite songs and was a real treat.

Very good song from a very good album.

I am sure FC were just as tired by the heat as the rest of us. I for one could not have stood and played at that time of night after so much heat.

Yeah, Shuffle & Go is excellent. I'm glad so many of the songs are still getting a live airing.

Is there going to be a Poll of best of Cropredy 2022, or has this forum died such a death that it cant manage to follow that tradition.

If I knew how to put one up I would do it.

I wondered that as well. There are usually threads on each act too, but some of the mods have been poorly and otherwise engaged so maybe they haven't had time yet.

I am not on any other social media but, as TAW is quiet, I enjoyed looking at some of the Cropredy hashtag stuff yesterday.  Will do a review when the leccy's back on.

I was looking back over the weekend at the TAW activity from last time there was an actual Cropredy (2019), including from those of us who were enjoying it remotely via the radio coverage. It was already slowing then compared to previous years but there was a great deal more activity than this year. That surprised me because I thought everyone would be celebrating its return. The heat may be a factor but TAW is definitely, slowly walking towards the sunset I think. I have stayed fairly active on here whilst others have departed because I prefer the way that topics for discussion can be organised here to other social media but even I have found myself visiting less frequently in recent months and having less to say when I do. All good things, as they say....

That will be a sad day. I had noticed that, too, as it was always great to get home and relive the festival through the TAW posts.

I was on an education forum once, which was suddenly pulled without warning so it wasn't possible to keep in touch with friends made. I hope THAT never happens.

The heat was certainly a factor for us, meaning we missed a few acts whilst finding shade whereas we'd normally be on the field most of the time. Quite relieved to return to mist and 18 degrees.

We missed a few sets out of sheer necessity and so our voting may be a little lobsided, particularly as the sets I enjoyed most were Trad Arrr and Merry Hell. Not that there werent a lot of fine sets on the main field - Turin Brakes, Martyn Joseph, Slambovians, E2, RT, IM, Holy Moly etc

I was hoping we’d get at least a child board for Cropredy 2022, we can add our own topics then.

If it’s left too late we’ll forget what happened!  ::)

Yes Simon & Peggy are indeed the directors of FC Ltd according to Companies House.

What happened where?

Interesting discussion about Fairport being replaced by a "young Fairport" and "triggers broom" .... hasn't Fairport always been a moveable feast/institution over the years? Why would the band suddenly change wholesale over night.   Of course some current members might consider stopping, but im guessing they wouldn't all stop at once.  The beauty of evolution is that it happens without us noticing.

Exactly!  :D

He's not wrong  ;)

DOH!!  I knew that of course! LOL!

Regarding the new parking charges at Williamscott Rd., we were quite taken aback by the lack of environmentally-friendly consideration. The tickets were A5 size plasticised paper printed with thick lettering in coloured ink. They were dated 2022 so could not be collected back in on exit and reused which could have happened with a colour-coding and a rolling programme of years.

It may have been better to just give a small, stick-on ticket for each day.

There is obviously only the one entrance, so those who purchased all three in advance had to queue up waiting for those paying daily, which I imagine caused some delays later, though a filter lane had been set up further on with cones ( we were early so it wasn’t too bad).

Also, anyone not on the mailing list or social media would not necessarily have found out about it until they arrived. I don’t begrudge paying if it goes to a good cause such as the scouts(?) but there could be improved execution.

Possibly part of the reason for the lower activity from those of us on the field was that I, at least, found it very hard to get a data connection during the day.  It was a little easier late at night or early in the morning, but I couldn't have posted from the field.

But yes, there seem to be a decreasing number of people posting, and fewer people joining and starting to post.  Even at the 'Talkawhile' meet-ups (Cricket Club and Toast) there were fewer people around than often, and many of those who were there aren't regular posters these days, I think.  I shall be sad if this forum does fade away, as I think it has something that the Fairporters FB group doesn't.

And regarding Fairport's revolving membership over the years, that was the case, but this line-up has been stable for 24 years now, when Gerry joined, and Chris has been there 26 years.  I'm not a musician, and have never been in a band, but it seems like it might be a bit daunting for anyone to join a band that has been together that long and replace someone who has such history.  But as I said, I'll be very happy to be proved wrong.

Just to answer this question, my perception was that, after Flatback Caper, Peggy had realised that they were running late, and decided (unilaterally) to skip ahead to WKWTTG. When that didn't happen, he tried to skip ahead to the tunes set, and Simon stopped him. There followed the onstage board meeting with Simon, RT and Peggy, in which you could hear Peggy saying 'but we'll run out of time' (or words to that effect), followed by a testy 'oh, you just take over then, Simon!' Finally, you could hear a very firm 'Poor Will' from Simon, and they played that, followed by Flowers of the Forest, tunes, WKWTTG and MoTL, missing out Matty Groves.

Peggy didn't seem too upset (maybe he reflected on the fact that he'd just spent three minutes telling an at best mildly humorous story that had been printed in the programme anyway, so he bore at least some of the responsibility for the late running!)

It should be remembered that those five elderly gentlemen had also spent four or five days in absolutely  energy-sapping temperatures and can be forgiven for getting slightly testy towards the end of it, Add to that they were in a lose-lose situation in having to drop at least one thing from the set. We can all wish they'd dropped something earlier on (for me, "Moses Waits for the End of the Song"...) but they weren't running out of time earlier on, and hindsight is a smug b******d.

I missed Matty of course, but I also thought WKWTTG was sublime, and they could hardly drop that given that they had Georgia lined up to introduce it. As for Poor Will, they were doing a 50th (+2) anniversary airing so it would have been harsh to leave out a track on a technicality. So, circumstances took over and they made the most of it, and I'm sure they all hugged and made up after it. And we all (most anyway ) went home from it buzzing.

...and Matty and his fling were probably relieved they got to live another year.

Struggling to do a review as I realise I missed quite a lot, or semi-engaged with most of the middle sets due to coping with the weather. I realised I had the days totally mixed up when I started a review which shows the effects!

My favourites were ( in no particular order):
Trevor Horn Band
Clannad
Sharon Shannon
Martyn Joseph, especially the song about taking his daughter back to London (cried).
Maddie Morris ( despite referring to us a ‘field of seniors’ if I rightly heard...tee hee)
Matthews Baartmann, RT and the Fairport Full House set.

Normally would love Edward II but ( despite many measures) was very ill at that point after starting to be ill during Thumping Tommys..eek! But sought shade earlier on the next two days which helped a lot. Missed Emily Barker and Home Service, Bar-stewards, Holy Moly and Rosalie and doing just that, so maybe a poll wouldn’t be fair.

Seth Lakeman is a great musician and singer, but I haven’t listened to enough to be able to distinguish songs from each other.

Completely agree. I wasn't intending to criticise, just reporting what happened.

Good point re the poll - everyone probably missed a few things they didn't want to due to the heat.

So, my pleasant surprises/finds... Martyn Joseph, Rosalie Cunningham, Slambovians.
Had to miss due to heat... Edwards, Lakeman, RT
Top acts (excl FC)...Doonicans, Hackett, Shannon, Clannad.
(I was delighted for Clannad as I thought they might be too "soft" for the occasion but i think they stormed it (on, according to their website, their penultimate ever gig)
And finally, top musical moments, Hackett's Supper's Ready and Shannon's tune for a Found Harmonium (which goes into my top 3 ever)

As regards charging for car parking it must be remembered that probably 80% of people bought their tickets for the 2020 festival with the price of the ticket being aligned to the overheads at that time. Now in 2022  the cost of everything costs much more particularly diesel which is probably 40% more expensive than 2 years ago. Think how many generators are at the festival for stage lighting, the sound and all the lighting in the walkways to the camping fields, plus anything else that needs to run on 240 volt power. Therefore I suggest that that charge was being made to cover those extra costs. If the festival ever ran at a loss I’d imagine that that would be the last one. Not that I’ve read anyone actually having a go but I wouldn’t mind betting that I’m not far off the mark.

I didn't see Martyn Simpson... saw Martyn Joseph though :)
 

He's a lovely bloke but we can't distinguish his songs from each other, either. And we've been listening to him for years.

Anyone know how Gerry C is / was - various mates who were there and comments elsewhere suggest he was struggling a bit.

DW

And I thought it was just me ...

(Martyn Joseph now fixed, thanks.)

Good point. Didn’t begrudge paying,at all,  but felt that if it is to become a regular thing it could be set up for less waste and fewer potential delays.

Ha ha, looks like I am the Seth equivalent to that little child in ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ story. Ideal Cropredy afternoon music, though.

There was a lot of heavy-duty whingeing on Facebook about it. My immediate reaction when I saw the email about charging for parking was exactly the same as yours - costs have gone up and this is a fair way of recouping some of it, but the moaners weren't having it!  ::)

Some artists have asked for donations if tickets were carried over from 2020, Dean Friedman for one, he reckoned his costs (car hire, hotels, fuel, food) had gone up by around 40%, but he would still only be paid what was agreed in 2019/2020 when the bookings were made.

WRT TAW brecoming slower...  my perception is that the likes of FB just take over in effect wrt reaching to the masses.  Im on a couple of other "web based chat groups" like this one 9a rugby referees one and a finiancial based but also general groups) one, and on reflection most if not all of the correspobndents are of an older demographic...  so maybe its this medium that is falling out of fashion/is less encompassed?

I do agree though that the likes of an FB group doent have the ambience of here - and the Fairporters FB group was basically a week of people whinging about just about everything imaginable 9and a couple things that arent!).  which TBH was amusing really but it lacks the hisorical perspective that many of you bring here (thankyou!).

As for the acts - like many here I spent quite a while away form the field - saturday was a write off until about 7pm, though Friday was pretty mkuch all day on the field but I was wiped out by Turin brakes and went back to the van.  Emily Barker was wonderful, and we're off to see her in Trowbridge on BH weekend which is a cheeky bonus :-) , (she starts recording a new album today i see), Martyn Joseph was excellent. id spent most of home service queing at the bar so didnt really "hear them"...  Slobovians were manically wonderful.  trevor Horn was really good - Id not expected much as i seem to recall i want enamoured last time he played (2017?) but it was a stonking set this year ;-).  Clannad doesnt do it for me generally so on a persoanl perspective it is what it is, but Lots of others clearly loved their set, and I suppose i can say ive ticked that box in seeing them live now :-)

didds

That’s interesting, Didds, as I was just looking at the set list from 2017 and thinking it was pretty much the same ( not necessarily in order) but I haven’t seen an official one from this hear...this was posted by Andy in 2017:

Two Tribes
Video Killed the Radio Star
All the Things She Said
Rubber Bullets
Cry
Since You Been Gone
God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You
Slave to the Rhythm
Living in the Plastic Age
I'm Not in Love
Kiss from a Rose
The Power of Love
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Relax

On another subject....Any photos, anyone? That’s usually a closed thread for members.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/trevor-horn/2022/cropredy-festival-field-cropredy-england-6bb3f61e.html  (somebody needs to tell them about Mr and Mrs Fripp though)

This year we also got Life on Mars, Different for Girls, Downtown Train (all with Steve Hogarth, on best behaviour!), plus Are You Gonna Go My Way (with Fripp and Toyah), Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and encores Money for Nothing and Master Blaster. Delete Since You Been Gone and God Gave Rock and Roll, and you've pretty much got the set.

Link to the setlist above

Done! The guests are also listed in the Note, at the bottom of the setlist.

There's quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing on setlist.fm as individuals update things, and some of the ancillary info does tend to fall by the wayside, sometimes. A particular problem is that the format only allows for one formally-recognised "with" per song, and "formally recognised" means an artist listed on another website!

So - Simon - setlist.fm etc is a bitt like a wiki where anybody can add/edit stuff ?

I wondered how this stuff got posted on there!

Too bloody hot to post reviews David, sorry as I know they are great fully received by those who can’t make it but is was really hot. I managed a post when it all kicked off on Thursday and then hardly looked at my phone until I got home on Sunday other than to take a pic or too.

One exception, I may have posted about Mr Fripp and his missus.  ;D ;D  
Well, it was that there Robert Fripp, on that there Cropredy stage wasn’t it.

I heard today whilst at the red lion that unfortunately two festival goers passed away over the weekend.
One through drowning and another who passed away on the field.

My sincere condolences to all concerned and please forgive me if the above is incorrect as I have no verification other than what was passed on to me.

It was however relayed to me by one of the security workers.

A sad end to a great festival if correct.

Indeed it is - sign up for a (free) account and start editing-away...
https://www.setlist.fm/faq

Terrible news. My friends on a narrowboat.(and their neighbours) were questioned by the police, but heard nothing after that. RIP.

I thoroughly enjoyed this year, though to be fair I'd probably have enjoyed the opening of a recycling centre after the last couple of years...

Didn't venture out till later afternoons due to heat but in no particular order my hits were the Slambovians, Rosalie Cunningham, Edward II, RT and Steve Hackett.  My better half also highly rated Maddie Morris.

Even on Thursday with the queues at the bar I found everyone in good humour as well despite (because of ?) the temperatures and I do like the Hook Norton ales.

Our new hound also seemed to enjoy herself at her first festival which bodes well for coming back again.

Vince

There’s the scrapy one on the fiddle, and the strummy one on the guitar.

Awful!!

Did anyone see Mitchell, Mattacks and Pegg at The Brasenose on Sunday?
Sounds intriguing.

No, I went home after Ric, Vo Fletcher, Peggy, Tom Leary and Anna Ryder

Yes I did and it was an excellent set. Bit of everything, Blues, Country and good old Rock n Roll.

That’s one of the reasons I’m not on Facebook. It’s amazing how some people hide behind their keyboard and become negative and frequently nasty.

I won two prizes in the Cropredy Primary School (online) raffle - a copy of Off The Desk 2020 + signed tour programme, and a soprano ukulele signed by Joe Brown.

Caroline, the organiser, told me that entries were not numerous, but that they'd not been able to organise a physical raffle this year; she hopes to do so next year with tickets on sale in the concert field and/or around the village.

As said, the current lineup has been stable for pretty much a quarter of a century, over twice the length of any previous lineup, and it's an unavoidable reality that the age of the band members now makes it more likely that health issues alone could cause wholesale change in a much shorter period than one would normally expect.

I'm similar to Will S in that I feel that the idea of FC continuing indefinitely with an ever-changing lineup (as the likes of Simon and Peggy have suggested in the past) now seems less and less likely. If there had been lineup changes over the last 25 years, in line with the *previous* 25-or-so years of the band, then it would seem more plausible, but now... I'm really not sure.

On a less ambiguous note it seems far more likely that Cropredy will continue even if there's no FC to anchor it.

Proper order...after all, Cropredy is the Ledge.

That is dreadful news.
Speaking to one of the St Johns crew they said that they had had some 200 calls for attention resulting in 4 hospitalisations by Friday evening.

Desperate end to what was a wonderful festival.

Slightly awkward comment from Steve Hackett's site:

It was great to see several pals there, including Dave Pegg and his wife Christine. They have been organising the Cropredy festival for many years and it's always a great success.

DW

Whoops!

Oh deary me! 🤣

Surprised he wasnt at the bar with Brian Epstein.

... having a Pimms with Peter Grant

Jamming with Jimi…

It was pretty clear from his interview on Radio Oxford on Saturday that Steve Hackett didn't know anything about Cropredy, it's history or what sort of festival it is. He was fretting that his band might be too loud for a "folk festival" until it was pointed out to him that Cropredy has previously hosted the likes of Alice Cooper and Status Quo.

Course, he probably picked up that we are all still traumatised by Zal Cleminson’s Sin Dogs, us old Arran Sweater brigade  ;D.

Other than he played there in 2014, which I accept is 6 years ago and he's probably played a few hundred gigs since then, but he must remember he's been there before, surely? And the comment about Chris Pegg is bizarre.

72 year old bloke has memory issues.  Hmmm.  

ps you've lost 2 years somewhere ;)

Perhaps she meant 6 Cropredys ago...

Hell, I was trying to forget that!

Most of us feel like we've lost 2 years recently!

Yes, I've lost 2 years!  :-\ which means I'm not 60 yet...   ;D

I can't believe it was 8 years ago. Tempus Fugit and all that

And I'm criticising Hackett for forgetting things!  ::)

Let's face it,  Hackett is always going to be loved most by those who were there at the time. The ones who can sing along to every word of Supper's Ready (myself unashamedly included). And his 2014 Firth of Fifth remains my favourite ever non-Fairport Cropredy moment.
But, judging by his audience interaction he's obviously a  bit socially awkward IMO (though not in a Van the Man way...) Maybe he doesn't get into the "social networking" side of it- maybe he pays someone to do it for him even. Either way, he's a genius to me. Though obviously not to everyone on here..

I dont know what to say!! I will settle with the fact that you are very very wrong.

Come on Nick...it's not hard is it - some people love something, some people don't.  You certainly bear your Cropredy grudges to the death!  Me?  I'm off to to listen to the Incredible String Band... ;)

I do not wish to offend anyone but believe I was quite restrained after the way I was brought down to earth after being on such a high.

Ok - come round to my house and I'll  sing all the words to you, and you'll see that I'm right there. As for the rest, you don'thave to say anything...it's an annoying thing I have called an opinion, and I know what it is, because I formed it myself. It's not right or wrong,  especially not very wrong. It's just my opinion. And like my shirt last Friday,  Im sticking to it, thanks all the same.

I share your opinion. I sing along to everything, shout out "A FLOWER?" and "Paper late". I even try to bop along awkwardly to the faster bits...  :o
I've been a Genesis fan since I was twelve. Twelve!! My contemporaries were listening to the Bay City Rollers (I sang along to them at Cropredy too - the bloke next to Mike thought it was the Everley Brothers!!  ::) ) but I was working out time signatures to Firth of Fifth and discussing with school friends whether Steve Hackett was a good replacement for Anthony Phillips (he was!)

Opinions on music will always vary, that's a Good Thing. There was at least 3 acts at Cropredy that I never want to see again, but I can at least appreciate their musicianship and calibre.  :)

No doubt the set was well-executed and appreciated by fans, but we thought  it was a bit ‘niche’ for that slot...not as universally enjoyable,as a crowd, as some headliners. As seen in these posts, it seemed to split the crowd rather than bring them together.

LOL - I shouted out A FLOWER?- and the bemused couple in front of me jumped!

A friend and I took two coachloads from Blackpool to Liverpool to see the Foxtrot tour,  second row tickets. All done in cash.
 The headmaster let us out to go to the bank to sort out the cash. And not a computer in sight... (or even existence?)

Not going to apologise, but they didn’t float my boat at all.

Polarising crowds? How very 2022!  ;D

Saturday evening's set is now available online here (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0ctzjtw)

I thought Fairports set was magnificent. There was something for everyone. With the new album being in the latest tour, we were not left with unknown tunes!! I really enjoyed myself rocking in my chair!! It was great to be back after 3 years. Hats off to the organisation...superb security and friendly faces ... but hey....toilets were brill, tho portacabins drifted sometimes!  But hey ho...things happen. I was so pleased to be back in that field with Fairport... I cried at the end. It didn't matter that Matty wasn't played, to me it was more poignant as to where has the time gone since we were all together in that field together. Loved every minute me!! The heat was too much for me..but managed a sun tan under the shade!, one thing I have to add...is those fans of our favourite band!! 2019 torrential rain...queuing up to get first row seats...2022 still queuing up in a heatwave to get front row seats!! This band have got the best fans ever!!  As I always said...Fairport is not just a band..its a way of life.. be kind to each other and look after each other !! Xx

Cropredy gets a mention from Toyah - she’s a busy lass!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-np0JdcUZY

I don't know whether it's permissible to mention it here (so I won't name it), but there is a web site where audience-recorded versions of many of the sets from this year's Cropredy (including Fairport, Clannad, Emily Barker, Maddie Morris, Sharon Shannon, Turin Brakes, Edward II, Trevor Horn, Martyn Joseph, Rosalie Cunningham, Holy Moly, Richard Thompson, Iain Matthews, Thumping Tommys, Bar Stewards, Seth Lakeman, Slambovians, Steve Hackett, Home Service) are available.

Quality can vary, but some of the sets are available as multiple recordings. The couple that I've listened to so far (Richard T, Slambovians) have been excellent.

They make dozens of bars too...  ::) ;) ;D

Probably because I'm an old Deadhead, but I often prefer the sound of a decent audience recording to a sound desk one.  The sets I've enjoyed most are Iain's and Richard's.  I'm going to be a bit controversial and say that (and this is arguably one of my favourite albums we're talking about here) I thought the Full House set sounded a bit 'off'.

I don’t know where she gets the energy, she is amazing! Heard her on Gary Davies (Radio Two Breakfast Show) and her cameo role in The Archers, this week.

Loved her performance at Cropredy this time and the last time.

I love Toyah but I can’t stand her singing voice  :-\ I was over-the-moon she’d brought her old man along though!!  ;D

As the RT set from Saturday is available from Radio Oxford "off the desk", that would seem the best to pick up.

All of them.

I just listened to FOTF on Radio Oxford. It's true the harmonies were a miss, but what a fabulous addition to the Full House set. I have always found that tune mesmerizing. The recording inspired me to buy a dulcimer; now I need to electrify it.

So I take it we're not getting a child board for Cropredy 2022?  ???

Could you start one Bridget?

I fear that the community is now too thin and also too much time has elapsed for it to flourish.

I think you have to be a Mod, and I’m a Rocker….  ;)

I dream of being too thin…
I get your gist tho  :(

I'm clueless.

Jules

you could start new chats with the names of bands?

I'll set one up with the names of all bands so people can use it as a template. I suspect Al is right tho - it's probably to long after the event now :(

Thank you Bridget - that's a very generous act to those of us still here!  ;D

The "Chosen Few"  ;D  8)

I'd just like to say something in appreciation of the stallholders: I visited one stall, selling coffee and crepes and close to the top of the field, on at least six occasions over the two days and found the staff to be always friendly, polite and helpful. Bear in mind they were working all day over three of the hottest days any recent summer has produced, in fairly stifling environments. I know they were doing their jobs and earning money but I couldn't help admiring their spirit  :)

Totally agree, I don’t know how they did it.

Just listening to Sloth again from this year's festival. I love the little quote from Stairway To Heaven that Simon inserts into his guitar solo.

I wonder if there is any significance? I could hazard a guess but may be way off.

Listening to

Just finished listening to the Fairport set on the Radio Oxford broadcast. I almost had to skip FOTF it was that bad. I've listened to a recording of the warmup on the 9th that sounded better harmony-wise - although still a little ropey. I can't really fault them that much, given the difficulty of the song and the closeness of the harmonies.

Do we know, how many tickets were actually sold for this year including the carry-overs? We thought the walkways by the stalls remained fairly quiet and there was never that massive squash between acts which usually happens up the sides, especially on Saturdays.

Seeing a couple of photos we took of each other, the side walkways are empty on those, too.

The weather could have meant people came in and out more between getting shelter, but I wondered if numbers were lower anyway.

We were sheltering by the side of a crew tent on Friday afternoon and the crewman we chatted to said he was in charge of site wristbands and tickets. I asked him how many tickets had been sold and he replied 18000 to 19000 with a lot of people coming for the Saturday, very happy with the attendance for this year's festival.

That’s good, maybe they were just round and about in different patterns due to the heat.

Only recovering from the trauma now, so more than a bit belated, but many thanks to the kind folk on Field 7B, who tried to get the idiots in the motionless red Alfa started on Sunday morning.  People provided jump leads, WD40, toolboxes and advice.  Unfortunately, despite the car having been recently serviced, a tiny, unregarded but vital part (the crankshaft motion sensor, which NEVER fails - the AA man who eventually fixed it said he hadn't had to fit a new one in 15 years in the job)........failed!   No parts available on a Sunday so we had to stay over and re-book our ferry home.   BUT all got sorted Monday morning, no further trouble and only 24 hours late arriving back at base.   Didn't spoil a great - if slightly sweaty - weekend, and reinforced what we all know about the sense of community and support we are all used to from fellow Cropheads.   Thanks again to everyone who helped.  

Hi Mike, great to see yous got there and back ok. It reminds me to give a big shout out to Tyre Pros in Banbury. Saturday morning i noticed one of my brand new tyres was half flat. Knowing that if i didn't get it fixed on Saturday I'd be stuck for an extra day, I  googled, found Pro Tyres and called them. They told me to come straight in, so I  did (pumped up the tyre enough to drive). I was dreading what kind of money I'd  be charged that might have seriously dented my Cropredy budget.
Anyway, they identified a small fault in the valve and quickly fixed it. While they were at it they read and reset the annoying orange engine light I'd had for 2 days.

And the price for their time and service was...nothing! Of course i gratefully contributed to their weekend beer fund, happy in the knowledge that the spirit of Cropredy is alive in Banbury...

Hi Stephen, kept an eye out for you but missed you on the field this year!  We were in our usual position midway between mixing tent and bar.  No mechanical problems can keep any of us from our goal!

Hi Mike, glad to know we all got there and back safe. Team Ireland did good this year, on and off the stage...

Ps, its Tyre Pros, not Pro Tyres

They (Fairports) 'headlined' Wickham in 2021. Timely question as to whether Cropredy Festval survives or dies because of, or despite them. WKWTTG's indeed ! Gutted to read that this year's set may have been noticeably tetchy towards the end, but their touring set as a 5 piece has been going off the boil for some years now, imho; SN has commonly stated that the audience would not let them off the stage unless they do 'Matty', but even his baritone is failing, and the one advantage of the Festival sets was that they invited related female voices to cover the 'unloved' back catalogue. 'Festival Bells' has become a shameless self-promotion of their generosity towards the Village, and it has all become rather dire and somber......As an institution, however, I don't see how their songs, their heritage, and their Festival could ever just fade away; their contribution is far too important, having brought 'Folk' music out of smokey clubs and into the main stream nearly 60 years ago !!! Most musicians owe a debt of gratitude, and Vaughn Williams and Cecil Sharp would be proud that they got their ear. It must continue, surely ?

Ouch.

That’s exactly what I thought…. Wonder if we will see him after Oct 1st!

Gordon's message is actually a tale of two halves and whilst there is an 'ouch' in one, there are definitely some elements of truth in it all.  I do hope one doesn't need to sign a "Fairport are at the very peak of their powers in 2022" pledge in blood in order to stay on board at TAW Towers.  Be a little bit boring (not to mention truth defying) if that was the case, wouldn't it?

Gutted to read that this year's set may have been noticeably tetchy towards the end, but their touring set as a 5 piece has been going off the boil for some years now,

And yet 20,000 people travelled to a field in Oxford at their invitation. They were voted top act in the poll I conducted by a huge majority. The tours often sell out and they continue to write some great songs .The Michael Collins one and "My love is in America" for example. Of course they are getting older (and only Al Jardine seems to have a voice unaffected by aging), but they are a National Institution and continue to be loved . Not too bad eh?

Gotta say, for me. the last few Wintours have been some of the best Fairport shows I've attended. The band have been on tip-top form. But even apart from them, the last time they've seemed off the boil to me is when Maart had obviously had enough so we're going back a long time.

No one saluted years ago when I suggested Fairport were at the very peak of their powers in early 1969.  :)

Hmmm...I remember the last tour (1996?) Maart did as being one of my faves so, hey...opinions, opinions.  Then again I really enjoyed the first time I saw the Chris Leslie lineup (Swansea 1997 or was it 1998 - still with DM anyway) and I simply can't listen to them at all now.

When I last saw them on tour, which was pre pandemic, it was a sat down semi acoustic evening which I really enjoyed but felt more like a "Chris Leslie Band" with special guest Simon Nicol rather than a full on Fairport gig.

DW