Folk-rock pioneers Fairport Convention have a long history with Cropredy, one that stretches back fifty years. Fairport’s Cropredy Convention is a staple in many music fans’ calendars, and as the festival returned for 2026, the capacity may have been smaller, but the factors that make it special haven’t changed one bit.
As they always do, Fairport themselves kicked off proceedings with Festival Bell, a song about the Oxfordshire town’s church, and it was full steam ahead for two-and-a-half days of folk, rock, jazz, country and everything in between.
Next up was Banter, who preceded the jazz-rock sounds of Soft Machine, with longtime guitarist John Etheridge leading a band of virtuoso improvisers, even after a string broke during the first song. With only one stage, the captive audience watches everyone, whether it’s their cup of tea or not. This allows for an eclectic bill, if anything proven by the inclusion of stand-up comedian Matt Bragg, who got a few polite chuckles from those who hadn’t decided to use his 30-minute set as an opportunity for dinner.
Although noughties hitmakers Turin Brakes didn’t bring the Summer Rain with them (in fact, temperatures reached 35 degrees on the festival’s first day), they proved popular, as did headliners Le Vent Du Nord, who travelled from Canada to present the best of traditional Québécois music.
Cropredy is known for its community spirit, and that was demonstrated by none other than the Cropredy Primary School Folk Class, who seemingly chose the dulcimer over the keyboard when it came to extracurricular lessons. A double-Danny run soon followed, where Danny & The Champions of The World brought their London-Americana-fused rock to the field, before familiar face Danny Bradley, who had previously supported Fairport on tour, sang songs from his debut album, which can only be found on physical format.
The Celtic Social Club offered a lively performance from the moment vocalist Taylor Byrne leapt on to stage, while Marshall Gilmour Webbs, a somewhat supergroup of backing vocalists, whose CVs include Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty and Jools Holland, demonstrated the perfect harmonies which have taken them all over the world. A cover of Pink Floyd’s The Great Gig in the Sky ignited a mighty cheer, but maybe because some expected David Gilmour himself, who was standing mere feet from the band, to suddenly jump up on stage.
You can’t have a folk festival without bagpipes, so obviously award-winning Scots Breabach ticked that box, making sure everyone was up on their feet ahead of Spooky Men’s Chorale, who were an unlikely choice to start rounding up the evening, but the sheer popularity from their last appearance at Cropredy meant the crowd had essentially crowned them act of the weekend before they even started.
Cropredy stalwart and founding Fairport Convention member himself, Richard Thompson, headlined the second day, and kicked off with acoustic classics Beeswing and Dimming of the Day, before inviting a full band on to energise similarly recognisable hits for everyone in that field, from Wall of Death to Tear Stained Letter.
Saturday, the unconventional final day of a music festival, began with the Gerry Colvin Big Band, who unofficially stood in for Richard Digence, the entertainer who has become something of a Cropredy tradition himself. Rob Jones & The Restless Dream offered covers of Tom Petty and The Travelling Wilburys (among original songs), while The Haar brought the energy down (in the good sense) with haunting reimaginings of traditional Irish songs, from Whiskey in the Jar to The Wild Rover.
Brighton group Barbara were if Sparks collaborated with The Beach Boys, and they got the crowd singing (and even laughing) in the afternoon sun ahead of Hayseed Dixie, who were certainly crowd-pleasers as they answered the question of ‘what if Guns N’ Roses had a banjo?’ After more than 90 minutes of their self-proclaimed ‘rockgrass,’ the more traditional sense of folk came from virtuosos Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth.
It wouldn’t be Cropredy without Fairport Convention, and as they began with Walk Awhile, an introductory song that’s kicked off so many of their performances, a mighty two-and-a-half-hour show followed, featuring classics (for those in the know) from Fotheringay or Rising for the Moon.
22 songs deep, it was time to close out Cropredy 2026, soon followed by Chris Leslie’s instantly recognisable banjo introduction to Matty Groves, one of the few actual folk songs. Despite almost ten minutes over curfew, Meet on the Ledge, Fairport’s anthem for almost 60 years, brought everyone together for the final six minutes of the festival. “When the time is up, I’m going to see all my friends,” sang a 6000-strong crowd full of those who were brand new to Cropredy, but also some who haven’t missed a single edition.
Either way, everyone will ‘come round again’ in 2027, when Fairport’s Cropredy Convention will return as the band celebrates their Diamond Jubilee.
