Features

Fairport Convention: Who Knows Where the Time Goes?

Chris Leslie is perusing the bookcases in his Banbury, England home, trying to find a volume that tells the story of an 11-year-old orphan.

A discussion of the songs that he has contributed to Fairport Convention’s storied catalog since joining the band 14 years ago has prompted him to hunt down a book detailing the life of a young girl who lived in the coastal area of Lyme Regis in Dorset during the early part of the 19th century. Leslie was so taken by her story that he wrote the song “Fossil Hunter” in tribute.

While searching, he can’t help but talk about Fairport’s past songwriters—among them guitarist Richard Thompson, vocalist Sandy Denny and fiddle player Dave Swarbrick. He says that they are true songwriters but that he is only a player that writes songs.

“My view is that because I have grown up with the band, I am totally aware of all of the great songs that have come from those that have been in Fairport,” says Leslie. “I suppose a little bit of the ways [that they] wrote story songs kind of rubbed off [on me]. Songwriting is a 24-hour a day job and even when songwriters sleep they are mulling things over [and carrying] notebooks in their heads. They are big observers of life.”

Leslie’s recall of the girl’s life is so clear that, when coupled with his personal observations, one can’t help but notice that he is the embodiment of his own definition of a songwriter. After a brief pause, he politely demurs, turning the conversation back to past members of Fairport.

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It’s easy for those who know Fairport’s history to understand Leslie’s reticence to accept the well-deserved praise. If you’re unfamiliar with the ever-bifurcating lineup of England’s most heralded electric folk rock group, then you’re forgiven. Not many are.

But as the group celebrates its 45th anniversary culminating with their annual festival in Oxfordshire, England this August, plenty of fans are celebrating their history—and future. More than 20,000 fans from around the world are expected to converge for the three-day event in the rural village of Cropredy on and around at a 17th century country inn called The Brasnose Arms.

It’s interesting when one considers the festival began in 1979 as a farewell concert when the band members—exhausted by a host of management missteps – decided to go their separate ways. The fan reaction was so strong, though, the band played annual “reunion” concerts from 1980 to 1985 when the group was dormant.

When Fairport reformed in 1985, they continued the festival, which has grown into one of the largest of its kind in Britain. Fans and friends of the band, including Robert Plant, Cat Stevens, Little Feat, UB40, Rick Wakeman and Steve Winwood are among those that have recently played at Cropredy. Richard Thompson, Ashley Hutchings and other Fairport alums are regular guests.

Despite the star power on the bill, a good number of lesser known bands are also routinely invited to play. The only requirement to obtain a coveted performance slot, says bassist Dave Pegg who is the driving force behind the festival and also the band’s independent record label, is that Fairport members have to be fans of your music.

“It’s really a staging area for [veteran] musicians and new groups and Fairport Convention is what brings it all together,” says TJ McGrath, who founded the fanzine Fairport Fanatics, which later morphed into the roots music magazine Dirty Linen. “[Fairport Convention] are such legends, this festival is a great way to celebrate that. It also renews the band’s spirits each year. Here is a band that might lose a member here or there but will really go on forever.”