I went through a phase of being smitten by Oysterband but their limited repertoire and heavy reliance on call and response turned me off by the time they disbanded.

If any defunct bands/acts were to appear for '27, I'd suggest Bellowhead, Plant & Page, David Gilmour and touring band, King Crimson, Caravan, Camel, Fish...

I'd welcome the return of Australian Pink Floyd, actually, since I missed them in 2014 due to being in hospital. We have seen them since, indoors, they were excellent.

Alice Cooper, Mike & The Mechanics & Steve Hackett would be welcomed back, but... £££

It all boils down to who would make Cropredy a financial success without overrunning the village. So Gilmour & Plant/Page are probably out. Although Gilmour could probably do 3 hours on Thursday evening and I, for one, would be there for every second.

I'd be very happy if that was to happen!

I saw that advertised yesterday. Interesting. Oddly no Fairporters are mentioned amongst the performers?

In response to a question on Facebook, Ian Telfer has revealed that when Oysterband quit touring, they agreed that if a promoter or festival ever made them an "offer [they] couldn't refuse", they'd be up for it.

So...

From Georgia:

THANK YOU EVERYONE – It’s been a wonderful journey these last two weeks having so many people join in Sandy music posts – a great reminder of how much my mum is loved.
So….I am thrilled to announce a whole day of wonderful music and conversation to mark the anniversary of my mum’s 80th birthday, in her home-town of London on Saturday 16 January 2027. Tickets on sale today! For everyone that can make it to London, I hope you can join me - it’s going to be a very, very special day. PLEASE SHARE!
Sandy Denny: 80th Birthday Celebration
Presented by Georgia Rose Lucas
Cadogan Hall, London 2pm - 9.45pm.

Tickets on sale 10am Monday 28 September 2026 UK time :  https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/sandy-denny/

Featuring: Gordon Giltrap, Eliza Carthy, Nick Harper, The Sandy Denny Project, Chris & Kellie While, Simon Swarbrick, Vikki Clayton, Sally Barker, Marion Fleetwood, Thea Gilmore, Josienne Clarke, Jon Wilks, Sam Carter, AJ Clarke, Ada Francis, Mick Houghton, Philip Ward, Diana Matheou + more guests TBA
My heartfelt thanks to all the artists and people behind the scenes who have made this possible – it means the world to me, thank you.
And more exciting news to come soon…
Love Georgia xx

Hopefully see you there, Paul (front row, Circle)

The Hu in Bristol on Thursday. Mongolian metal...

And in COMPLETE contrast, this morning, I booked my (third row, central stalls) seat for the Sandy's 80th celebration at Cadogan Hall (London) on Saturday 16th January 2027.  Hopefully, this link will work for anyone else interested...

https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/sandy-denny/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUnCxhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMHd4bEEzbmdoVzRUV1pXanhzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe5pqR8j2D5gubo886Blarc1SeO5QujN7J8-EfquipB0HGxcN1HVLHzbu6f-k_aem_6cJkWlHGTnOf4HYDUZoV0g#details

This one had passed me by and had never heard of it, so decided to search it out. So glad I did as it is indeed really good.

Also a shout out for the RT compilation with this month’s Uncut. It is excellent. Some of it I had not heard before and it prompted me to download the Live in London CD. Fine acoustic collection of RT’s own material and several of his Fairport songs.

Finally, just listening to the new Martin Simpson collection, Some Kind of Jubilee. If you like him (and I do), it is wonderful.

The great Alun Parry and his band last weekend at Bolton Socialist Club.  Liverpool's Woody Guthrie on great form with a set featuring some top notch rabble rousers and a few of his more introspective pieces.  His new album looks really promising.
The night finished off with a fists in the air sing The Internationale, the traditional end to one of Alun's gigs.

Two very different gigs in the last few days, but both excellent.  First of all, Nic Carter at Exeter Phoenix, doing his Nic Jones set. It really was very lovely - he is an excellent guitarist, and his voice suits Nic's songs too.  Highly recommended.
Then last night it was Big Big Train at Bath Komedia. We were treated to two sets of music - first of all a dive into their back catalogue, including three tracks from Folklore - one of my favourite of their albums - and then the whole of their new album, Woodcut, complete with projected films for all the songs.  Completely stunning!