Gig review: FAIRPORT CONVENTION – The Junction, Cambridge, 31 October 2023

November 2nd, 2023 by jason

They started off as a band in 1967 but now, more than ever, Fairport Convention are a family, the sense of community between not just the musicians themselves but the fans too something that’s vital and heart-warming. Eternally set squarely in the Folk Rock category, these titans of their genre have been leading lights on the scene since their inception but what shines through most of all is their soul.

In the comfortable setting of The Junction, the stripped back and acoustic four-piece line-up of Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie may have been shorn of drummer Dave Mattacks for this jaunt but still managed to make a joyfully ebullient sound. Truth be told, given the quality of the quartet’s playing, it’s difficult to know where to look anyway, the musicianship equally dazzling and it’s better just to be wrapped in the glorious sounds they make.

With the band perched on chairs, the venue’s usual barrier removed, and all the audience seated, there was an intimacy and directness that really drew in all those there, a gathering of old friends easy in each other’s company.

Harking back to the true, storytelling roots of folk, this telling of tales and painting of pictures didn’t need elaborate stage sets, fancy lights or high energy dancers to enchant, just the songs themselves. Given the length of their illustrious career, the selection was a cherry-picked confection that threw in classics, fan favourites and a few unexpected cuts that engaged and thrilled in equal measure.

The jaunty ‘Walk Awhile’ opened the set in fine style, it’s upbeat rhythms suitably celebratory and the flashes of fiddle from Sanders making it impossible for feet not to tap. The more introspective ‘Doctor of Physick’ slowed the pace a little, its enticing tendrils and atmosphere an enchanting combination before ‘Banks of the Sweet Primroses’ brought some blue-collar grit tradition hewn from an England decades past.

The moods were many, the kaleidoscopic hues a thing of beauty as autumnal splashes, Summer sun, sharp winters and the hope of Spring were displayed all through the medium of song.

Whilst some may argue, in its purest form folk is a collection of tales, real or imagined, that have spanned the generations as centuries old stories and characters still resonate with us today. Breathing life into all this is a fine art and one that Fairport have mastered with disarming skill, kings of the craft.

As always, the banter and stories between songs were either hilarious or informative, tales of UFO’s to introduce ‘The Year of Fifty-Nine’ and maritime love for ‘Lalla Rookh’ displayed both ends of the spectrum. Sanders is the biggest joker of the pack, his shaggy dog stories and dad jokes pouring forth in a constant stream but Pegg also got an equally big laugh when declaring that Fairport were “more metal than (Black) Sabbath” as he introduced the extraordinary ‘Festival Bell’. With no support act, it was a show of two halves, the first closing on a high with the foot stomping ‘Steampunkery’, Leslie’s mandolin playing quicksilver and breathless.

Another bubbling start in the shape of ‘Royal Selection No. 13’ got everyone nodding heads and moving feet, the party atmosphere returned before Nicol brought a beautiful and melancholy vocal to a shimmering ‘Power and Praise’.

Landlocked as their native Oxford is, this ability of Fairport’s to bring the salty sting of the sea air and the wonders of the coastal village in the mysterious ‘Portmeirion’ took all sitting in the warm confines of the Cambridge venue to the edges of the land and far into the watery waves.

Equally, the keening sound of Sander’s fiddle playing during ‘My Love is in America’ was a perfect accompaniment to the tales of love across the miles of the Atlantic from the Emerald Isles of Ireland.

Paying touching tribute to his fallen friend Sandy Denny, Nicol led the band in a stark but elegant take of her ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’, its fragile beauty sending goosebumps up arms as the four played the well-loved tune.

Driven by Pegg’s ever fluid bass playing adding a percussive edge, ‘Matty Groves’ closed the set with a flourish before an inevitable encore of ‘Meet on the Ledge’ sealed the night with communal singing and a joyful passion.

An evening to salve the soul and provide a welcome break from the troubles of the world, the music united generations and brought the Fairport family together again. Having touched thousands of lives over their five or so decades together, their legacy is assured and continues to grow for this band who can rightly be called National Treasures. Truly life affirming.

Review by Paul Monkhouse

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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024

THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)