Gig review: FAIRPORT CONVENTION – The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, Tuesday 13 February 2024

“We became big fish in a very small pond” Simon Nicol says with usual modesty about Fairport Convention’s leap from the nascent folk band to suddenly becoming the poster children of the flourishing folk rock movement, brought about by a string of earth tilting albums that truly caught the public imagination. Nicol isn’t alone in his humility, as Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks, Chris Leslie and Ric Sanders often poke fun of themselves, their self-effacing patter heartwarming but nothing can diminish their stature as genuine legends. For those who witnessed the band’s acoustic tour in the autumn last year, once more all there were embraced and brought into this most welcoming and loving family, as much a community gathering as a show.

First up though, Plumhall, consisting of Yorkshire married couple Michelle Plum and Nick Hall provided some sterling support, warming up the crowd nicely. Two guitars, two voices and some great songs, their short set entwining wistful beauty with an expressive storytelling that runs the whole gamut of emotions. With some wonderful harmonies and the quicksilver picking of Hall, this was a quietly dazzling display and with truly moving songs like the shimmering ‘Closing Down’ and the happy/sad ‘That Further Shore’ the duo found themselves a whole new set of admirers in the packed hall. There was also a surprise at the end of their set as Fairport joined them for a run through of ‘One Star Away’, the seven musicians making a beautiful noise together.

With Fairport being a part of our lives for almost six decades, there’s a warm familiarity in what they do and with such a wealth and breadth of material, there’s bound to be something for everyone. Master craftsmen, they can shift gears with ease and the bouncy romps of numbers like ‘Walk Awhile’ sit perfectly happily next to the elegiac and gorgeous ‘Genesis Hall’. Never unnecessarily flashy, the arrangements of the songs allow unfolding layers to beguile, the textures and rhythms breathtaking, the warmth of Nicol’s voice, the fluidity of Pegg’s basslines, Leslie’s subtle fretwork, Mattacks groove and the whirling dervish of Sanders violin an utterly heady mix.

The highlights are many with the tonal shifts in ‘Sloth’ breathtaking, the epic favourite from ‘Full House’ going from the languid pace of a stream to a raging torrent in its nine-minute run time and ‘I’m Already There’, featuring a wonderful vocal from Leslie, has an irresistible other-worldly wonder that brings to mind the enchantment that Kate Bush conjures. No matter what’s happening in the world outside, sat there listening to a stunning ‘The Hiring Fair’ or the ‘we’re all in this together’ anthem of ‘Meet on the Ledge’, the band joined once more by Plumhall, the power of music to not just entertain but to unite and touch souls was something felt by all there.

Fairport Convention may have started out as a group of like-minded souls wanting to play the music they created and loved and still have that very ethos but what they’ve actually achieved is so much deeper and life changing. To see them play live is to see one of the greatest living bands on tour in this, or any other, country. They may still feel like big fish in a very small pond but to the countless thousands whose lives they’ve touched with their music and camaraderie, they’re a rare and wonderful thing that continues to fill worlds. Magnificent.

Review by Paul Monkhouse

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)