I will be performing at Fairport's Cropredy Convention with my lovely Band of Perfect Strangers, as well as joining the Fairport Convention Early Years (Toddlers) set next year 2017 to help celebrate 50 years of Fairport :-) Hooray!!
http://fairportconvention.com/cropredynews
First Acts Announced for Cropredy 2017!
Updated: 09-12-2016
We are thrilled to announce the first artists booked for Fairport's Cropredy Convention 10-12 August 2017.
Don't forget, 3 day festival tickets and camping stickers go on sale from our online Box Office at Midnight, 11 December.
Are you ready....?
We are delighted to announce that one of the finest and most intriguing bands around - and a HUGE favourite of ours – THE DIVINE COMEDY, will be headlining our 50th Anniversary festival!
After a six year wait, The Divine Comedy recently released their 11th studio album, the excellent ‘Foreverland’, which features 11 flamboyantly melodic, lyrically audacious, sumptuously arranged, fantastically over-blown and quietly moving songs of everyday relationships. In fact, everything you’d expect from Neil Hannon.
“The Divine Comedy is me at my purest” says Neil. “It’s like pocheen, completely unadulterated 100 per cent proof Hannon brain. “
We’ll have some of that!
Founder member of Fairport Convention and firm favourite with you, the Cropredy audience, Richard Thompson OBE returns to Oxfordshire for our 50th anniversary festival. We know we don’t need to tell you that Richard has received Lifetime Achievement Awards on both sides of the Atlantic, a prestigious Ivor Novello Award and in 2011, was presented with an OBE at Buckingham Palace – but it’s nice to be reminded.
Spellbinding songs coupled with Richard’s mesmerising guitar work will undoubtedly make for yet another memorable Cropredy evening.
Richard will also be joining us on Saturday night for our 50th Anniversary celebrations.
What, another OBE? Yes, we welcome for the first time at Cropredy, Dougie MacLean, Scotland’s finest singer-songwriter, internationally renowned for his song ‘Caledonia’, music for ‘Last of The Mohicans’ and inspired performances, including his ending of the Closing Ceremnoy of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow which was viewed by over a billion people worldwide!
Dougie has received two prestigious Tartan Clef Awards, a place in the Scottish Music Hall of Fame, a Lifetime Achievement Award from BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and of course, an OBE!
Returning by popular demand, we welcome back prog-rock giants, Marillion.
The band with perhaps the most loyal following on the planet (don’t forget that in 2001 Marillion fans funded their Anoraknophobia album by pre-ordering an astonishing 12,000 copies, thus inventing ‘crowdfunding’) just don’t stop touring and are currently on the road promoting their 18th studio album, 'F.E.A.R.'.
It has been 10 years since Show of Hands last graced the Cropredy stage – and that is far too long a wait for Devon’s finest musical duo. SOH released their latest album, ‘The Long Way Home’, to great critical review earlier this year and will be playing the Royal Albert Hall for a FIFTH time on 16 April 2017. Steve and Phil will be joined once again by bassist and vocalist, Miranda Sykes.
It is unusual for us to invite a band to play at Cropredy two years running but such was your reaction to Aussie twins Pat & Jack Pierce last August that we’ve been left with no choice. Never have we had so many requests for a band to return – and who are we to argue? Those of you who were there in August will remember that afternoon well. Those who weren’t are in for a real treat.
NB – On arrival last August they asked which stage they would be playing. When informed that there was only one, they were on it and they would be playing to roughly 18,000 people, their reaction was delightfully antipodean – “Bl**dy hell mate!”
CATS IN SPACE landed on Earth in 2015, with their debut album ‘Too Many Gods’. With its distinctive brand of 70s infused rock, the album received widespread acclaim from all quarters and the band is steadily building a loyal following through their stellar live shows.
Each band member brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, earned writing and touring with the likes of Bad Company, Ian Gillan, Asia, The Sweet and 10cc.
Once he has completed his duties with FEAST OF FIDDLES, Peter Knight will join his own band, GIGSPANNER for the first time at Cropredy. As a trio, Gigspanner has built a massive reputation for dismantling traditional music and song and reassembling it into "music of intelligently crafted brilliance" (Songlines).
BBC Folk Award winners (Best Duo) Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin are described by The Guardian as being "Subtle, bravely original...a combination of virtuosity, intensity and charisma" Their appearances together as the Gigspanner Big Band are a rare but highly sought after affair, thanks to performances of dazzling musicianship and arresting chemistry.
Stratford’s own troubadour, GERRY COLVIN, makes the short trip to join in the celebrations at Cropredy once again. Gerry will be signing copies of his new album, ‘Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other’ next to the CD marquee.
FORMER FAIRPORTS!
In addition to Richard Thompson, this being our 50th Anniversary, we have invited many ex-Fairporters to join in the celebrations. Not only will they be joining us for the mammoth Saturday night set but they will also be presenting the following projects over the course of the weekend. A Fairport Bonanza!
IAIN MATTHEWS will be here with Andy Roberts & Mark Griffiths, better known as PLAINSONG.
JUDY DYBLE will be presenting JUDY DYBLE AND THE BAND OF PERFECT STRANGERS.
ASHLEY HUTCHINGS MBE brings MORRIS ON featuring the Moulton Morris to the Cropredy stage.
And finally, DAVE MATTACKS and CHRIS LESLIE join the rest of the gang - including Show of Hands' PHIL BEER and Gigspanner Big Band's PETER KNIGHT - for a FEAST OF FIDDLES.
That's all for now folks. We'll have more news for you in January. See you there!
