Venue:
Cropredy
Date: 07/08/2025
8 years, I note, since I last went, saying I would never go, or need to go, again. But fate has a funny old way of turning out, and so, with an opportunity I couldn’t refuse, here I was agin. Rather than a review, more a series of reflections.
Fairport have had to downsize the festival, so as to make a buck and avoid redundancy: a profit can be made from selling out at 6,500 tickets as opposed to selling 18,000 when you have budgeted for 20,000. Despite that, everything appeared much as normal, bar noticeably fewer headliners of consequence. So none of yer Alice Coopers, Chics or similar, who have seemingly featured recently.
The audience seemed younger than last time. I don’t mean young young, but spritely 50-70 year olds, rather than the wagon train of mobility scooters and morbidly obese I recall last time. And quite a few half that age, and not just the children and grandchildren either. The same stalls around the field but easier to accommodate, smaller queues etc.
As a result, the village has expanded what is now a distinct fringe, and advertises as such, especially the Brasenose, which has its own contemporaneous festival, with wristbands, merch and a selection of bands who might easily grace the main stage in the field, and some who have. The Marina, the Red Lion and the enterprising what once was Field 8 Camping all to had bands and stages. (Cream of the Crop, as field 8 is now called, is a lovely little campsite, year round, with a cafe, a bar and baby goats, which also puts on music over the festival period.)
There is little unsaid friction between the festival and the fringe, it is true, but the latter are very aware of trying to not bite the hand that ultimately feeds thhem, and so allow free entry, by and large, to festival wrist band holders.
Musically the festival was OK, if not outstanding. Peatbog Faeries blew the sky upward a little on Thursday, even with Skipinnish then taking the yellow jersey for bagpiping the following day. OK, a somewhat niche accolade, but, believe me, the two pipes, fiddle, accordion, guitar, bass and drums are in full blast, on a scorching Friday afternoon, it is hard not to be elated.
Every year there is hope that Robert Plant wil appear, usually as a guest with the hosting band, for their closing finale set. And, indeed, on the Saturday afternoon, the buzz went round, the great man had been spotted, supping soup backstage. But it wasn’t to be Fairport, it was with the Deborah Bonham Band that he appeared. (Yes, Bonham as in Bonham; she’s John’s little sister) Not really my bag, but very good at what they do, which is a sort of recreation of 70’s rock, all wailing guitars and anguished vocals. Anyhoo, as she finished her set, Dave Pegg and the burly fella who plays banjo in Plant’s Saving Grace came on, followed by a very affable pink-shorted Percy. Cue a delicious Ramble On and, OMG, my favourite LZ song ever, Thank You. Reader, it was fabulous and this teenaged boy in a sexagenarian body was in heaven.
Those my 3 tops of the main field, you may notice I don’t specifically mention the old codgers themselves. In part I missed the first hour of their set and, secondly, whilst it was technically good, it was al a bit mechanical. Having said, there were moments. Sloth had a fabulous outing, Dave Pegg reminding all as to quite how stellar a bassist he is, paired once more with his best drumming partner, Dave Mattacks, back to on his top form, after the slight disappointment of the RT tour, earlier this year.
Why did I miss the first hour? I was over at the Brasenose enjoying Merry Hell do what their name says. I am taking more and more to this band and their amiable mix of folk-rock, music hall and agit-prop social commentary. With Simon Swarbrick, nephew of, of course, on fiddle, they are a whole lot tighter than previous encounters. They had worried about the clash over on the field, but needlessly.
My other highlight of the Brasenose, two nights before, had been The Sandy Denny Project. Yes a covers band, but not just any covers band, being P.J.Wright, Sally Barker and most of the members of one of his other bands, Trad.Arr. (who has played the night before I arrived). P.J., if unfamiliar, is a stonking blues rock guitarist, who was in the Steve Gibbons band in their brief imperial phase, ahead discovering folk music. He then formed Little Johnny England and was a member of the short lived Fotheringay 2, ahead Jerry Donahue’s stroke. Searing slide guitar and folk-rock are a surprisingly good combination, and I commend them to you.
So that was my Croppers. The weather gods were almost too kind, which helped, but, all in all, I could actually easily see it, as they say, all come round again.
The audience:
Appreciative and engaged.
It made me think..
Anyone fancy next year?
Still having to keep the ladies away with a shitty stick …
I recall the Thompson tour with Mattacks was last year though.
Having read accounts it sounds like it was an excellent weekend, and reminds me of the early days i listened to the Fairport set on Radio Oxford they’ve put film up on YouTube so I shall watch Sloth.
Three days though, I last went it 22 only for one day originally I would have done three but the friend I was going with had covid and I spent the whole time on the disabled stage, despite not needing a motorised chair, getting round the site is a bit too much.
I’ll contemplate next year.
Nice write up, and gives the impression of a good time without really making me wish I had gone (for the first time since 2012). Although I went to many Cropredies from 1987 on it would take a very special line up to make me brave 3 nights in a tent these days.
That being the case we stick to one-dayers now, and come to think of it I gave away the tent on Freecycle before we moved last year. Folk by the Oak didn’t appeal either in 2025 so we’re off to Folk in the Park in Sutton on Saturday. Richard Thompson, Thea Gilmore, Eddi Reader and more, all done and dusted by half past nine and a short walk to the Premier Inn. Perfect now I value a comfy bed and en suite over late night carousing.
I’ve never been, so there’s a possibility I may do it next year, if still breathing by then!
Is it fairly straightforward to get a ticket, or do I need to re-mortgage the acres/stay up all night with an army of pals online at the vital moment/bribe someone?
Off to find Sloth on ver Choob for now.
Tickets were still on sale until maybe a month before, when they sold out. I am told not too excessive, by today’s standards, but I was supposedly working, so on accreditation. (Blushes.) No day tickets, which aggrieved some, but all part the downsizing exercise, apparently.
3 day tickets were £220 and camping £60 per vehicle. They go on sale in December. I got ours on the day of release just to be sure, but they didn’t totally sell out until May.
On may back from Sidmouth/Dartmoor, I called on one of my Cropredy mates and received a debrief, which pretty much matches your description. Furthermore, apparently Fairport were really quite good, and that coming from someone who has shared with me tedious prolonged Saturday night closing sets.
Insider information tells me that they are already working on next year’s line-up, so it looks like the revised format has enabled survival. The dates for next year will have slipped a weekend, as they are bound to do every 5/6 years, so there is no clash with Sidmouth, so I will be there.
Do I feel a mingle coming on here? @thecheshirecat , @vulpes-vulpes and, if he has forgiven me, @nigelT ?
Is there something I’ve done wrong @retropath2
@hubert-rawlinson : I thought you had inferred your Cropredy days were fallow.
I said above I’d contemplate it. Never say never.
Sounds like a plan! Forgiven you..?! Not sure what for!
The At the Barrier music ‘curation’ during the festival I imagine.
That’s it; I thought I was toast!
If only I had known you were there too @retropath2 !
We were yer actual paying punters, and have been going every year since 2017, besides the lockdown years of course. 2017 was the 50th Anniversary for Fairport and I had interviewed Simon earlier in the year and he’d hinted it would be a special one, so we did what we’d been promising ourselves for ages and took the plunge – I wish we had gone sooner. As an aside, there is an excellent 2CD of Fairport’s set from that year at just £5 on their website – one of the best live albums I have and features most of the surviving Fairports of the time.
Anyway, this year’s Convention was excellent, and the downsizing certainly had its advantages – a lot more space in the field meant you could avoid the chatterers (yes, even at Croppers…grrr!) and children and dogs…well, mostly….there seem to dogs everywhere. No problems getting served at the excellent Hook Norton bar and all the usual food outlets. Of course the lovely weather helped!
I felt the difference with the acts – besides being less high profile in the main – was that you felt they really appreciated being there and wanted to be part of it, rather than turning up, playing the hits and buggering off. I do blame the band a bit here (I think it is mainly Peggy actually who does this) – they clearly thought in recent years they needed big names to get punters in, but this proves they don’t really need them, and some have been big mistakes – Brian Wilson particularly coming to mind.
We don’t go near the various Fringes – we camped in Field 8 for a few years, and then it became a proper camp site with its own stage and called itself Cream of the Crop 4 years or so ago (?) – it was dreadful being there to be honest, with a Hi Di Hi attitude and pretty average music. I have no idea why anyone would buy a weekend ticket and not go to the main field, but there you go.
Highlights for us…
Albert Lee – always a class act
Plumhall – supported Fairport on tour a couple of years ago and we really took to them then.
King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys – huge jazzy fun and brilliant musicians
Skipinnish – the best of the fiddle, pipe, bagpipe combos which seem to be everywhere these days
El Pony Pisador – blimey, they were hilarious!
Trevor Horn Band – always a cracking set, slightly marred by a preening Steve Hogarth on a couple of songs
Percy Plant’s guest appearance – note perfect ‘Led Zep’ versions of Ramble On and Thank You
Bob Fox and Billy Mitchell – a tough slot just before Fairport, but they pulled it off brilliantly. Great humour, lovely playing and good songs.
Fairport Convention – set list below. Felt quite heavy on the Sandy period this time round, which was no bad thing, and had a bit of a greatest hits feel. Terrific!
Stuff we didn’t care for so much…
Peatbog Faeries – all sounds very samey to us. Clearly very well played, but a bit boring after a while – we bailed.
Rosalie Cunningham – just not for me. Very proggy.
The Salts – again, a bit ho hum, and I was looking forward to them
The Martin Barre Band – not being a huge Tull fan, a lot of this goes over my head rather. Barre is quite obviously a great player, but maybe I just wasn’t in the mood.
That Fairport set in full….
Come All Ye
Rising for the Moon
Claudy Banks
The Rose Hip
Fotheringay
Moondust and Solitude
The Man in the Water
Sloth
Sweet Mystery (Ralph McTell and Peggy)
Tequila Sunset (Ralph McTell and Peggy)
I Know Fire (Danny Bradley)
I’m gone, I’m gone (Danny Bradley)
I’m Already There
Crazy Man Michael
The Riverhead / Gladys’ Leap / The Wise Maid
The Hiring Fair
Steampunkery
Cider Rain
Now Be Thankful
Who Knows Where the Time Goes?
John Gaudie
Matty Groves
Meet on the Ledge
I too wished I had known too, @nigelT, as a pint in the dull bits would have been superb.
My “brief” was the fringe, bar my self selection of main stagers, hence my decisions.
I therefore missed Fairport right up to Sloth, so helpful to see what I have missed. (Some favourites, is the answer!)
My, yes, weren’t El Pony Pisador something? I loather jolly japester type folk music and was all set to be all old curmudgeon about them, but they were blimmin’ superb. Looking forward to catching a whole set at Shrewsbury in 10 days time.
Ah, I see! There has been criticism of the Brasenose in recent years, since a change of management I believe, and their employment of burly security staff virtually frisking people for contraband food and drink and for formalising the events. I think the first year we were there we did some exploring of the village and were able to just wander in.
I’m afraid I don’t share your enthusiasm for Merry Hell at all. We first saw them at Looe when they had a festival there, and I’ve seen them a few times since, but I really don’t get their popularity! I will also take (polite) issue with your assessment of the music at the festival itself – we had the usual great variety, some brilliant turns, and I really didn’t miss the big names.
The music that did disappoint was the stuff between the sets, apparently curated by At The Barrier..! If I heard Toast by Streetband one more time there could have been violence. Have a word, eh..?
Only on Saturday. I only contributed 5, not including Toast, I might add. My issue was that bloody Anthony John Clarke did his Worldwide Family Favourites dedications over all of them.
The Brasenose team I thought lovely, especially Tracey, who was head of security. Decent crowd of mainly young lads.
Once again I wish I’d gone. I went in 97 and loved it but for various reasons haven’t been since. If there’s a gathering on I’ll actually do it next year. See you there!
Key question – is the tanker of Wadsworth’s still present?
It’s been Hook Norton in recent years, and very good it is too!
Nice bit of drum ‘n’ bass here:
https://youtu.be/8bGt7hGfdDg?list=RD8bGt7hGfdDg
The whole weekend appears to be available on the YouTube, for those in need.Uncertain why not embedding.
I’ve grabbed the entire playlist of this year off the Choob. Sunday afternoon sorted.
Simon Swarbrick used to live in Weymouth, as did I. One of several very good musicians in the town, including Marco Rossi, Tim Broad, Chris Lonergan and Ken Watkins. I used to play bass with Ken and ‘Sam’.