Line-up change at
Fairport's Cropredy Convention

Fairports Cropredy Convention today announced a change to the line-up of acts appearing at the festival on 13 August 2010.  Up-and-coming alt-country band Ahab will replace BBC Young Folk Award winner James Findlay.

James was to appear on the festivals main stage on the Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, he has had to cancel his live appearances this year and will not therefore be able to play at Cropredy.

Luckily, Ahab has been able to fill the spot. The London-based five-piece was already booked to perform at The Brasenose Arms as part of the Cropredy Fringe and can now look forward to a main stage appearance as well. The band, which cites Fairport Convention and Richard Thompson among their influences, combines instrumental prowess, powerful vocals and an indie edginess.

Its a shame James cant make it, says Fairports singer Simon Nicol, and we are grateful to Ahab for stepping up to the plate at short notice. Their music is fresh, energetic and very accomplished and were sure the Cropredy crowd will love their set.

Stellar line-up for Fairport's
Cropredy Convention

CROPREDY TICKET PRICES

Tickets for Fairport's Cropredy Convention go on sale Monday 1 March 2010. There are substantial discounts for early purchase.

As in previous years, the festival offers three-day (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) tickets, two-day (Friday and Saturday) tickets, and Saturday-only tickets.

Prices for tickets purchased before
1 June 2010 are:
Three-day tickets  £85
Two-day tickets  £75
Saturday-only  £55

Prices for tickets purchased between
1 June and 31 July 2010 are:
Three-day tickets  £90
Two-day tickets  £80
Saturday-only  £60

Prices for tickets purchased after
31 July 2010 (including at the gate) are:
Three-day tickets  £95
Two-day tickets  £85
Saturday-only  £65

Children under 12 years old are admitted free provided they are accompanied by an adult ticket holder.

Camping is charged per vehicle (up to five occupants). For added convenience and security, tents are erected next to the camping party's vehicle. Note there is no price increase for camping for the second year running.

Three-day camping costs £30 per vehicle, two-day camping costs £25 per vehicle. Camping on Saturday night is free for people with a festival ticket. Motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians can camp free of charge.

Tickets can be ordered online from http://www.fairportconvention.com
Postal ticket purchase from PO Box 8413, Bilsthorpe, Notts NG22 8WY

International flavour in festivals thirtieth year

Fairport Convention has announced the line-up for its annual music festival, Fairports Cropredy Convention. The festival organisers have also announced that tickets will go on sale on Monday 1 March.

The event is celebrating its thirtieth year and will take place on Thursday 12, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 August 2010. The festival will be held at its usual site in countryside north of Banbury, Oxfordshire, three miles from Junction 11 of the M40 motorway.

Headliners include rockers Status Quo, 2 Tone ska star Pauline Black of Selecter, folk orchestra Bellowhead, keyboard maestro Rick Wakeman and Jazz guitar maestro Martin Taylor (whose CV includes a long stint with Stephane Grappelli).

America is represented by country rock legends Little Feat and alt-bluegrass band Dixie Bee-Liners. Local acts include Thea Gilmore and Little Johnny England. Wales is represented by singer-songwriter Martin Joseph and fiery Celtic folkrockers Mabon. Footstomping reelers Breabach fly the flag for Scotland and high octane Cornish trio Three Daft Monkeys return to the festival by popular demand.

As usual, Cropredy will warmly welcome the winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award; this year the lucky youngster is Dorset-based singer-guitarist James Findlay.

"It's a real coup to get the mighty Status Quo at last," says Simon Nicol, Fairport's lead singer and festival co-organiser. "Lots of our festival-goers have asked for the band down the years. We're equally delighted with the rest of the line-up: it's one of our most eclectic mixes ever and has really broad appeal across genres and generations. We've pulled out all the stops for Cropredy's thirtieth year and we've got a strong international flavour with something for every musical taste. When tickets go on sale at the beginning of March, we expect demand to be heavy so we advise people to get their orders in quickly.

CROPREDY 2010 LINE-UP
(Note: all acts subject to contract)

Thursday 12 August 2010

Keith Donnelly & Flossie Malavialle
Keith is well-known for his songwriting skills and top notch guitar playing and French chanteuse Flossie has a wonderful voice. As a duo, they supported Fairport Conventions winter tour and were a big hit with audiences.
www.flossie-malavialle.co.uk
www.keithdonnelly.com

Leatherat
Banbury-based, five-piece Leatherat plays fast and furious folk-based original material.
www.leatherat.com

Thea Gilmore
Local lass Thea has a long association with Fairport Convention. Admired for her beautiful voice, Thea will appear at Cropredy with her backing band.
www.theagilmore.net

Pauline Black (Selecter)
Coventrys 2 Tone record label was in the vanguard of the ska revival and The Selecter enjoyed huge chart success. The members have remained hugely influential ever since and original singer Pauline Black is a stunning performer.
www.paulineblack.co.uk

Status Quo
Absolute legends! After 40 years, Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi still front one of the best live rock acts in the world.
www.statusquo.co.uk

Friday 13 August 2010

The Tindalls
This midlands-based musical family combine great playing with close harmonies to perform new and classic folk songs.
www.paula-and-stuart-tindall.co.uk

BBC Young Folk Award Winner: James Findlay Replaced by Ahab
Fairport is very proud of its close association with the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. Each year, Cropredy offers a festival slot to the winners. For 2010, we present James Findlay, a Dorset-based traditional singer and guitarist whose music captivated the Award judges.
www.bbc.co.uk/folk

Little Johnny England
Local five-piece folkrock outfit making their third appearance on the Cropredy stage.
www.littlejohnnyengland.co.uk

Mabon
Six-piece Welsh band Mabon puts on a spectacular show with fiery original Celtic material. A classic get you on your feet act.
www.mabon.org

3 Daft Monkeys
Back by popular demand is a hackneyed phrase but it's true of this Cornwall-based trio. Their fastnfunky feel-good set will get the crowd dancing.
www.3daftmonkeys.co.uk

Dixie Bee-Liners
Hailing from the USA, this energetic young band has a unique and contemporary take on bluegrass and country music.
www.dixiebeeliners.com

Bellowhead
Hailed as the first folk orchestra, Bellowheads dozen or so musicians present a riot of wonderful music and the band won Best Live Act at the 2010 BBC Folk Awards.
www.bellowhead.co.uk

Little Feat
Immensely influential on a whole generation, Little Feat is a truly legendary band. After many changes down the years, the current line-up is as fresh and bold as any of its illustrious forebears.
www.littlefeat.net

Saturday 14 August

Richard Digance
Richard is the customary Saturday opener.
www.richarddigance.com

Breabach
Young and enthusiastic quartet playing songs and tunes from their native Scotland
www.breabach.com

Martin Taylor Quartet
Django Reinhardt influenced veteran sidesman to Stephane Grappelli, Martin Taylor is a true guitar virtuoso.
www.martintaylor.com

Martyn Joseph
Another legend, singer-songwriter Martin performs his first set at Cropredy. His rich voice  and unique songs are spellbinding.
www.martynjoseph.com

Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble
Arguably rock musics finest keyboard player, classically-trained Rick has a wide musical pedigree and was a pioneer of electronic music. This will be his first visit to Cropredy and he will be backed by The English Rock Ensemble.
www.rwcc.com

Fairport Convention and special guests
As always, the festival will end with a spectacular three-hour set by Fairport Convention and a galaxy of musical guests. Fairport's Cropredy set gives the band a chance to really stretch its wings and roam far and wide through a repertoire stretching back over forty years.
www.fairportconvention.com

Plus more bands to be announced