CROPREDY VILLAGE, OXFORDSHIRE
With a slew of other big events cancelling and the continuous message of ‘use it or lose it’ from the Fairport camp, there were worries whether Cropredy would go the same way following the dark Covid times. To everyone’s delight, we got the announcement we wanted to hear, ‘It’s on’, albeit at a much reduced capacity of 6,000. Would it work, would it feel the same? Well, we would find out over the weekend.
On the face of it you wouldn’t have noticed much change in the scale of the festival, the main arena was pretty much the same minus the stage-side video screens. Some of the camping fields were not being used and Im sure the bar was smaller but apart from that it was all systems go.
Musically the lineup was strong and a good mix, a few welcome returns and enough to satisfy most people although Im sure a few still had a whinge!. It’s a mixing pot of genres from traditional folk through folk fusion to 70’s psychedelic rock and prog rock with a few elements of sheer madness added in.
I didn’t get to see every band, but here are some thoughts on the ones I did. Of course, everyone else will have their own take, which will probably be different from mine!
Fairport kicked things off with a lovely acoustic set, the sound of the village festival bell ringing in the background, before Joe Broughton’s Folk Ensemble took the stage, how many musicians can you fit on one stage? It was fantastic to see this ever-changing lineup of young, enthusiastic musicians having such a blast.
Up next and Rosie Cunningham brought a 70’s psychedelic feel to the event, even Rik Sanders got in on the act and joined them onstage for a song. Peatbog Faeries thrilled us with their high-energy Celtic fusion, so easy to lose yourself in the beat for an hour or so. The saying ‘saved the best till last’ is fitting as Albert Lee played an outstanding set that held and got crowd dancing the night away.
Friday saw a welcome return for Churchfitters, an afternoon of Jazz and Funk from King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys and City Funk Orchestra and sheer madness from El Pony Pistador who were an injection of energy and entertainment which included a wall of folk, highly entertaining. After pulling out of last year’s festival we finally got to see The Trevor Horn band, a nostalgic trip through your younger years with all the hits you heard on the radio, pure class.
Saturday brought the return of Richard Digance, everyone’s favourite folking comedian, guaranteed to get your hanky waving. This year he played blinder with his Coldplay style ‘Kiss Cam’ the sharks won the day. Deborah Bonham pure 70’s rock and another great set, she had a few friends join her on stage, Dave Pegg and Robert Plant, many have waited so long to see Robert onstage again and he gave us the magic of Ramble On and Thank You.
Martin Barre captivated Tull fans with a full performance of ‘Aqualung’. Fairport Convention whose party this was played an outstanding set. Joined by a few special guest that included Ralph McTell, we danced, we smiled, we had tears but mainly we had fun in a field in August.
Sometimes festivals get a bit oversaturated and a reset like this could really do them a world of good! It would help them reconnect with what makes it feel so great. The buzz around and after the festival was all positive, and everyone seemed to be on board with the new smaller capacity and overall vibe.
Let’s see what happens next and hope we all get chance to do it all again.
Words & Photo Credit: Simon Dunkerley
