Cropredy 2025 Reports

[Sue & Chris]

A new thread for reports/reviews from this year's Cropredy.

I thought it was a great year, as other's have said very much like a trip back to the 90s in feel.  The 'right sizing' worked perfectly - plenty of space in the field but it never felt empty or too quiet.  Didn't notice any issues with the infrastructure, it all seemed to work perfectly.

A shame about losing the side screens, but the one at the back of the stage (another throwback!) was fine for the most part, although when it got dark and the light show got going it was often obscured or hard to see.  But no big deal, there was always plenty of space down the front (even for Fairport.)

Musical highlights included:

- El Pony Pisador - I'm sure they won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I thought they were brilliant.  Like a manic Catalan cross between The Albion Band and Bellowhead.  Hugely entertaining, great audience participation, and they're clearly excellent musicians.

- Skippinish - won the battle of the Scottish bands for me.

- Albert Lee - hard to believe he's 81.  Amazing playing and a great band.

- Urban Folk Quartet - full of energy as always.  The tune in 'Super off beat return' is Joe Broughton's gift to music.  His Conservetoire Ensemble weren't half bad either - loved them with Fairport on The Lark in the Morning medley.

- City Folk Orchestra - did double duty at the annual covers band and 'The band with Matt Pegg in it'.  Great singers and perfect for an afternoon in the sun.

As for Fairport, it was a good year, I thought.  A varied, well thought out set, not too many guests, and they all seemed on form.  Great to hear 'The Rose Hip' again, my favourite of Ric's compositions.

[Sue & Chris]

A few more random thoughts:

- Robert Plant showed what a superstar can do - effortlessly elevating what had been a pretty 'meh' set to something exciting and memorable.

- The law of diminishing returns kicked in for The Trevor Horn Band.  Pretty much the same set again, but they all sound tired and the guest vocalists failed to inspire.

- Martin Barre was a bit of a disappointment - tried really hard but there was no light and shade.  The essence of Tull was often lost in the noise.  Aqualung and Cross-Eyed Mary were good, though.  

- I quite enjoyed the Henry Girls - felt for them having to follow Planty and they were clearly knackered having just flown in from the States.  But it was a pleasant set - just right for the slot.

- Digance had a good year - he got plenty of mileage out of playing for free, and the Coldplay-inspired Kiss Cam was hilarious.  Props to the two sharks as well, they must have been roasting!

[John G]

Completely agree about the sizing

if it works for Fairport - i'd be very happy if they stuck at that size with similar programming.

I thought the sequencing was well thought out with contrasting acts following each other (rather than say putting Peatbog faeries next to Skippinish)
sufficiently different that I loved both - although my ears are still compaining about standing to close to the speakers for Skippinish.

We were a group of 15 with diverse tastes.  I'm pretty certain there was no unanimous favourite - one of my mates even didn't like Robert Plant...
There was no act that at least one of the group didn't think were great.  One of the strengths for me has always been the variety, for which I accept the price will be a few acts I don't enjoy so much.

BTW has anyone got the setlist for Churchfitters - or caught the name of the song about getting old?  I have some friends who I think could do an excellent cover at an open mic

[Sue & Chris]

I think the Churchfitters song was called 'Amazing'.

[Poor Will (Bill)]

Fantastic weekend, the reduced size gave it a much more laidback feel than in recent years.
Much easier to navigate round the field and no crush when standing at the front.
Interestingly, on Friday we were talking to a friend who runs one of the stalls (The Library of Flowers) and she told us that at that point they had already taken more than they had for the entire festival last year. With that and the reduced fee, she was one happy girl!
I thought the food was excellent too.
As far as the music was concerned, my highlights included Albert Lee, Peatbogs, Urban Folk Quartet and Fairport themselves, but right at the top were Skipinnish and the wonderful El Pony Pisador ( Already booked to see them at Shoreham in November). The appearance of Robert Plant was the icing on the cake.
The weather also played its part in making this one of the most enjoyable Cropredy Festivals in years.
The only slight criticism I have was with the positioning of the screen.
I fully understand that reducing to a single screen is probably a big saving in the running costs, but having it at back of the stage doesn’t seem the best place. Firstly it can only be fully seen if you are sitting in line with the stage, and secondly, at times it was so bright that it was hard to make out the acts performing in front of it. I would have thought that having it outside at the side of the stage would be better.
Other than that, I can’t think of a single thing I would change.*

* Actually I have thought of one more thing:
Please, please, please can we have a new arrangement for Matty Groves?😂

[Will S]

It was a wonderful weekend - as many people are saying certainly one of, if not the, best Cropredys (that I have attended, at least).  The lineup wasn't one that really set me on fire to start with, but actually there were only a couple that I wasn't that keen on. Things started really well with Joe Broughton's Conservatoire Folk Ensemble - it's great to see so many young people enjoying playing the music, and I admit to having a lump in my throat when he brought his 12 yr old daughter on she joined in too on the fiddle.  Rosalie Cunningham didn't float my boat. I didn't know what to expect from Albert Lee, but he and his band were great, and the Peatbogs were excellent too (though maybe not quite as good as I remember them last time, but no disappointment).

Friday started well with the Primary School Folk group - again it was lovely to see the school embracing the village's musical connections and huge thumbs up to the Oxfordshire County Music Service for supporting it.  From them on, almost everything was great - I enjoyed seeing Plumhall with time to do a full set, and with a band behind them.  I didn't really get the Churchfitters last time, but this time I did really enjoy them. King Pleasure... were a good Friday afternoon band. I had been looking forward to seeing Skipinnish a lot, and they didn't disappoint - I felt they just shaded the Peatbogs in the Scottish band category this year.  The City funk Orchestra I can't really comment on - it isn't generally a genre I'm keen on, and I needed to get back to my tent for a bit, so only heard the first and last tunes.  UFQ were another band I was looking forward to hearing, having picked up their free compilation after a friend raved about them at New Forest, and they were indeed a bit special. Will definitel;y look for another opportunity to see them again.  Not sure what I can say about El Pony Pisador that hasn't been said already, but they were the hit of the festival in many ways - I've never seen anyone get the crowd quite as involved.  Trevor Horn was good, but not as good as in the past.

I skipped most of Digance, as usual, so no comment there (apart from the fact that I do sometimes try and give him another chance, but then he made another rude comment about a photographer, which just confirmed my dislike).  I saw The Salts locally a few months back and wasn't convinced, but I enjoyed them more this time.  Deborah Bonham didn't do it for me, but it was interesting to see how everything changed when Robert Plant came on!  The Henry Girls were good, though maybe a bit tired having just got off a transatlantic flight.  Martin Barre was a bit disappointing to be honest - someone else mentioned that there was little light and shade, and that was true in general.  I loved Bob Fox and Billy Mitchell.  Fairport seemed to me to be on their mettle to pull something special out of the bag, and I felt they did, both in the choice of songs and the performance (I'm listening again on BBC Sounds now, and I'll see if my memory holds up!).

Re the size, like many people have said, I didn't feel the reduced attendance affected anything negatively.  It was easier to get around (though there was still a huge queue to get from Field 7 to the performance field on Friday morning), and easier to find people, so I enjoyed sharing performances at the front with a few Talkawhilers.  The Toast was also a lot easier to manage without the huge crowd around the bar.

Lovely to see many of you again.

[Adam]

I was definitely in the “ho-hum” camp when the lineup was announced, but boy have I changed my mind! For the first time in 37 attendances, I enjoyed every single act. Personal highlights were El Pony Piscador (absolutely stole the festival), and Martin Barre. Maybe it was where I was standing, but Dan Crisp seems to have had an upgrade, and sounded fantastic. Loved all the material, and great to hear some acoustic tracks as well as the rockers. So much better live than the current Tull lineup.

Fairport were great, but did anyone else think that Chris was straining on quite a few notes? It didn’t detract from the set, though.

The field was roomier, but not sparse, and people were lovely. Food was good and not outrageously priced.
It felt very much like the early years, and I didn’t miss a ‘big name’ one jot.

I’ve also decided (much to my wife’s chagrin) that camping isn’t for me. We glamped, and tents either hotter than the surface of the sun or approaching absolute zero. Midnight finishes coupled with 5 am sunrises searing my eyeballs made me pretty shattered (moan over). At least I tried, and couldn’t fault the setup; great showers, clean toilets, and free chargers/tea/coffee.

After feeling a bit meh last year, I’m revitalised and really looking forward to 2026!

[PhilipK]

As a relative newcomer (only my 7th Cropredy), my comments probably echo many of the above.

The reduced numbers felt good - enough people that you knew you were at an "event", but few enough that you could move around, and easily get very close to the stage when required.

The weather definitely played a part - although I'd agree with the comment about the massive temperature differential between daytime and nighttime. We also glamped for the first time, and couldn't fault it. My wife suggested that the glamping tents were single layer (whereas our own tent has separate flysheet and inner) which may have contributed to the arctic overnight experience.

I was also disappointed with the line-up when it was announced; and ended up happily being proven wrong by most of the acts (especially El Pony Pisador, Bob Fox/Billy Mitchell and Deborah Bonham). A few acts didn't quite do it for me (I'm sure you have your own list...) but nobody was terrible.

We made it to the Brasenose on Wednesday evening, and to CotC to see the (excellent) Scott Doonican. One of the downsides of the fringe (which I fully accept is completely outside Fairport's control) is that it has introduced FOMO. One of Cropredy's strengths for me was that it was a one-stage festival (unlike, say, Cambridge Folk Festival, where it could easily take you 20 or 30 minutes to get from the front of one stage to the font of another one). But the distances between the Main stage, CotC, Brasenose and Red Lion mean that it's not possible to pick and choose who you see.

While fully understanding the economic reasons for a single screen, I HATE having it located behind the artist. It's a distraction (at times I was inadvertently watching the screen, rather than the artist - I could do that at home, thanks) and, as a hobby photographer, makes it much more difficult to get shots with a good background.

I also still struggle with the bar only serving beer in their own, very thin, plastic glasses. I either poured the pint into my tankard while at the bar, and then asked them to put the plastic glass in the bin, or I had to get a second plastic glass so that it was rigid enough to carry. I'm no Greta, but it doesn't strike me as very environmentally friendly. And the 4 pint offering was also sold in a single-use plastic bottle. Most/all of the food outlets have moved to better solutions; it would be good if the bar could also find a solution (one of which might be to fill people's own tankards/glasses - it's pretty obvious whether they contain close to a pint or not).

Minor grumbles after a fantastic weekend.

[vince42]

I'm going to echo pretty much all that's already been said.

I found the general feel of the festival really chilled and easy going probably due to the restricted numbers.  Talking to others in the field and the campsite this was probably because the people that were there were the core support who really want the festival for what it is and can be.  If it can survive on this basis long may it continue.

I'm not usually too bothered by lineups as I have a very broad musical interest but I probably saw more of the acts  than I have for a few years and thoroughly enjoyed Friday particularly - most of the acts were getting a good response right up at the top of the field where we were - which was a nice change.  In recent years I think some people up the top wouldn't have noticed if they just put a tape on.

 I was too knackered to really get into Thursday and headed for an early night before the Peatbogs, but I did enjoy the Conservatoire ensemble, I'm a fan of Rosalie Cunningham anyway and Albert Lee was impressive.

Late to the field on Saturday as we spent time in the village but caught everything from Deborah Bonham on - all good for me.

The sound seemed very good this year. Possibly fewer people - less temptation to crank it up full?

Loved the Tibetan food - first time for me this year and Sniks Samosas went down well, burgers were also excellent.

As a bonus I also won the signed Uke in the raffle. Need to find a stand for it now...

Vince

[Field 7 is Heaven (Trev)]

Well where do I start.
Dinosaurs were probably still roaming when I went to my first Cropredy . But 2025 turned out to be an absolutely brilliant Festival and possibly the best ever for me (maybe on a par with 2013 ).

The music was brilliant and so varied. My festival started at the Tuesday warm up gig. Fairport's were on top form I thought. One stand out was that when it came to ,Matty, the band played it as an instrumental with Simon acting choirmaster as the audience belted it out,fun it was.

Next night it was the Traddarr gig at the Brase . It was excellent ,they are a really top class act . Virginia Kettle from Merry Hell opened with her Band “Rolling Folk” . A great start to the festival.

No one was sure what to expect this year as the attendance was reduced from a theoretical capacity of 20,000 to 6,500 three day ticket holders only. But very rarely have there ever been more than 10,000 in the field at any one time, and it looked the same as always. It certainly didn't feel sparse at all, yes, there was extra space on the field , but it looked and felt the same. Somehow, this years crowd seemed to be composed of the real regulars who love it so, and from the start there was this very happy vibe floating in the air which led to a laid back affair. However,  from the start there were more people down at the stage front than I can remember before ,and they cheered and sang along much more enthusiastically for nearly all of the Acts.

Lots of good music on Thursday ; I stayed on Field 8 (CoC) to see my young friend Matt Alan play his set ,”he goes under the name of “Matt's his name”, he's a good song writer and you will see him on Ric Sanders page of the 2025 programme . I then took in 3 Daft Monkeys who went down very well at a busy Brasenose. Then to the field where Fairport opened with Festival Bell, Joe Broughton's Conservatoire Folk Ensemble played with them for the last number and then the 50 of them really blew us all away with a powerhouse set, very up tempo, others were already saying that the feel around the field and the vibe seemed very good, I felt it too. The Rosalie Cunningham Band continued the great start as they put on a very good Goth rock set (listen to the title track of her Album , “To shoot another day”, if you haven't already its very good). Albert Lee came next and for someone of his age his voice held well. Peatbog Faeries took the end of the night . High level folk/techno and possibly the first drum and base on our hallowed stage, boy they went down well with a large and energetic “Pit” dancing throughout.

Friday and probably one of the best days of music for years! Being a lazy git I wasn't in the field to hear Cropredy Primary School ,but I'm told it was really good and surprisingly well supported with a big and appreciative crowd. I stayed on Cream of the Crop to see Scott Doonican deliver a very funny opening set , a lad who has Downs was leading the cheering and mid number Scott jumped off Stage to high five him , lovely moment from a lovely guy. On the main field the Churchfitters had just wrapped up ,i am told they were very good, no surprise they always are. King Pleasure and the biscuit boys were next . On they came in their blue suits and matching ties to play 1950's style Rock and Roll and swing, with Rhythm guitar ,piano and double bass, with a very cool singer whose facial expressions were well worth being there to see. This was living history and for those who think rock and pop style music started in the 60's here's the proof they were wrong. Again they attracted a very large front pit and it featured some people who really knew how to Jive. Wow ,these were good . Next up came Skippinish . I have seen them several times before ,I am a fan and I expected them to be good, and they were. They have great songs such as “December” and “Walking on the Waves”. Most of the field seemed to catch on and join in . I thought that would be the performance of the festival (but I was to be proved wrong ).  I didn't see City Funk or the Urban Folk Quartet as I went back to eat and have a little rest. It turned out I needed it ; as next up came an act who took so much energy out of me .  The band of the festival award goes to Catalonians El Pony Pisador, one of the best crowd-pleasers ever , who got everyone up and dancing , and created a reaction similar to that of the Pierce Brothers a few years ago. They were original and quite wonderful. They were clearly brilliant musicians & entertainers (pretty good gymnasts too), but I've never seen a Cropredy crowd quite so animated ,that conga reached from the Pit to the soundeck and I cant remember if any one has done a wall of Death before, I am certain that they are the only act ever to form a human pyramid whilst playing. The crowd went mad for an encore but the stage remained empty, then behind me I heard music , and they did most of their encore weaving through the crowd . Simply brilliant. Trevor Horn had a lot to follow but with his repertoire he did. Steve Hogarth (Marillion) was the guest singer. What a day of Music, Simon Nichol called it the best day of music in the fields history. He might well be right.

Saturday at Cropredy always has the same beginning for me. I don't know why standing on our field and waving two hankies about amongst a sea of other mock Morris dancers is so very important to my year, but it is. Richard Digance had other funny moments to add in a vintage hour this year. If you haven't seen the kiss cam yet then you will , its already gone viral. Following on from the couple captured enjoying carnal pleasures with someone they shouldn't have at a Coldplay concert he introduced the idea that every couple on the field pretend they were committing the same “sin”. When the camera fastened on you in the crowd you had to feign shock and get off screen , some put hats in front of their faces others fell to the floor. ( I was  crying with laughter). His new song about lockdown was very good and anyone who sings a song about Isambard Kingdom Brunel being our nations greatest hero is ok with me. I stayed to see most of the Salts set and enjoyed them. Then came the Deborah Bonham band ,I'm not a fan ,their OK ,but not really my bag. I was just preparing to go to the Brase to see The Doonicans BUT, this was Cropredy 2025 and so on came her guest vocalist, and it was Robert Plant. I missed the Henry Girls , and most of Martin Barre preparing for another annual tradition. What makes Cropredy better than all the others for me is the atmosphere created by being amongst so many friends and my friends attend the Hancock Memorial toast at 7-30 on the Saturday and gather near the bar . As you know, this involves imbibing the most foul tasting alcoholic beverage we can provide either purchased or home made. The winners this year were my daughter Deanna and her partner Nate with their truly awful Mustard Vodka! Dad Volt produced a sludge of alcoholic prunes that was equally appalling. We do this to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust and ably led by Wendy Leslie this year £468.75 was raised.
Fairport were in great form , I really enjoyed a top draw version of Now be Thankful and, as many have praised  on Social Media, a great sing along version of Matty Groves with the Lego video of a few years back returning on the big screen.

And so ended one of, if not the, best ever Cropredy Festival!

If you weren't there you were very unlucky, get your ticket early for 2026 because nearly everyone will want to come back.

[mickf]

Just a short list from me.
El Pony Pisador (translated as 'The Prancing Pony') were wonderful. Such fun and so much energy.
Skipinnish were great, as were The Urban Folk Quartet.
Plumhall were as good as I remembered from their support slot on the Fairport tour.
Trevor Horn Band were good, but I think it's time they had a rest from Cropredy now.
Rosalie Cunningham (with added Ric Sanders) was enjoyable, too
Joe Broughton's Ensemble were fine.

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

Having been in two minds, we were also pleasantly surprised by a number of bands, especially El Pony Pisador. I actually loved CFO, it isn’t my usual genre but the singers’ voices were so heavenly and it was ideal for that time of day.

It was funny coming from Highland,  to see two local bands, Peatbogs and Skipinnish ..the latter whom we have seen perform in the Inverness Shopping Centre before, promoting their album! I personally prefer Skipinnish.

Had a walk in the village during The Salts and the start of Deborah Bonham, but I returned to my seat and just then…my heart burst with joy to see/hear Robert Plant. He is one person who makes me star struck, despite seeing him a number of times. Led Zeppelin changed my life when I was about 15 and he means the world to me.

Saturday was all good for us. Having acclimatised and the weather being cooler anyway, the Saturday went all too fast and I really loved the Fairport set. Sometimes, I  have found it a bit much if we have seen them in the year and it is late, but we hadn’t seen them since last Cropredy and really appreciated it, plus lovely Ralph McTell….So when Simon said ‘just half an hour to go’ I was sad, especially as this is likely to be our last one for some time.

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

I thought the whole weekend was superb. The music was excellent, the field felt much better spaced out, the food & stalls were good, the weather of course made a huge difference! I vote for 6500 every year  

So nearly all positives for me  

My only gripe is the one screen, not easy to see unless you’re sat directly in front of it, which we weren’t on any day. Also the lack of lighting during the daytime acts made them difficult to pick out, especially as so many of them wear black (they could take a lesson from Stevie Nicks there) but the sound was the best it’s been for years.

A tiny gripe is a personal one: I drank far, far too much. The cider went down like the proverbial!  

I missed FC’s set as we went to see the excellent Ska band Skalectrics at the Cream of the Crop. I’ve heard some of the BBC Oxford output but I find the surfeit of mando hard on the ears. I’ll stick with it!

As long as it runs next year, I’m there  

[quodlibet (Ian)]

Loved the scaled back capacity, hated the bar running out of both Hooky & Old Hooky.

[Field 7 is Heaven (Trev)]

When the Bar runs out of Beer you just know it was a great festival.

[Martin F]

When the Bar runs out of Beer you just know it was a great festival.

If it's running out on the last day, they've pretty much got the order spot on.

[Tasha]

When the Bar runs out of Beer you just know it was a great festival.

or a badly organised bar  

[Sue & Chris]

When the Bar runs out of Beer you just know it was a great festival.

If it's running out on the last day, they've pretty much got the order spot on.

Agreed. They did have Haymaker left as well.