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Off The Screen - a review by Nigel Schofield
Added 2010-01-17 09:39:18


In the depths of winter, when the snow piles high in the fields and the roads are more suited to Torville and Dean than Eddie Stobbart...as you head out for the evening, or head home from work or, let's be specific, spend the worst month of the year driving from town to town to play electric folk-tunes, do you ever find yourself longing for those idyllic halcyon hot three days in August (OK - wet and decidedly chilly sometimes, but in this case, hot indeed) when the Fairport family, friends and fans converge on a little field in Oxfordshire to participate in a tradition that has continued unbroken for over thirty years?


The very earliest Cropredy Festivals were preserved on "official bootleg" cassettes (remember The Boot, The Other Boot and The Third Leg? Remember cassettes, for that matter?). In the spirit of those treasured slices of Fairport history, the chaps now offer a chance to relive the 2009 Festival in an official video bootleg of their set.


A few years back they released Off The Desk, a live CD collection which was exactly what it said on the tin (or jewel case). Off The Screen is a DVD which does the same thing. Here is the footage which appeared on screen behind the band during their set. A lot of it is live performance, but you'll also find some great audience shots - hit pause and play your very own version of Where's Henry? - the Tommy Connolly Dancers highstepping to the strains of Peggy's Pub, musical guests and the specially made videos that accompanied some of the songs. More...

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Bellowhead for Cropredy 2010!!
Added 2010-01-12 16:59:34

We are delighted to announce that the fabulous Bellowhead will be playing this year's Fairport's Cropredy Convention Festival on Friday 13 August.

The rousing, sharp-suited Bellowhead were first unleashed onto an unsuspecting audience at the Oxford Festival in April 2004; a multi-talented gathering of disparate musicians melded into a collective capable of playing a plethora of styles, idioms and textures from around the world - big band to soul; jazz-funk to classical strings - yet retaining, at its heart, an exquisite sensitivity to the essence of English traditional music.

2006 saw the release of their extraordinary, groundbreaking album, 'Burlesque', to universal critical acclaim, garnering worldwide awards and plaudits. Widely heralded as one of the most important folk recordings ever made, "its flowing stream of humour, intelligence, meticulous research, and free-ranging imagination" had fans and reviewers searching for ever-greater superlatives. More...

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BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Winner!!
Added 2009-12-07 10:50:58

Fairport Convention is very proud to be involved with the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. Each year, the winner of the Award is invited to play a set at Fairport's Cropredy Convention. Performing in front of up to 20,000 people must be a daunting prospect for the young performers but they've all risen to the occasion magnificently and we've enjoyed some wonderful music over the years.


The final round of the Young Folk Award 2010 took place at Broadcasting House, London, on December 4 when the six finalists played to an enthusiastic audience which included Fairport's Simon Nicol and Cropredy organiser Gareth Williams.


The winner, selected by a panel of six judges, was 20-year-old James Findlay from Dorset. James is a singer, guitarist and fiddler and he comes from a family steeped in the traditions of English folk ballads. More...

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Cropredy Merchandise Sale!!
Added 2009-11-11 14:16:43

The Festival T-shirt and Programme from this year's Fairport's Cropredy Convention have been reduced in price.

The Festival T-shirt, designed as ever by Banbury artist - Mick Toole, is now only £5 and the 2009 Programme is a mere £1.

Please go to our online store here for further details.


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