FAIRPORT Convention kick off their latest UK tour at Leamington’s All Saints Church on Tuesday May 7.
The legendary folk rock pioneers played their first concert in a church hall in May 1967 and are still going strong over 50 years later, albeit with a few line up changes along the way.
Their influence saw them win the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, while their seminal 1969 album Liege And Lief was voted ‘Best Folk Album Ever’ by Radio 2 listeners. The band’s fourth album established British folk rock as a distinct and influential genre.
Radio DJ John Peel was a staunch champion of Fairport’s music. He played the band’s albums on his influential shows, and also recorded a number of BBC sessions which were later released later as the album Heyday.
The Spring Tour will feature a mix of long-established Fairport favourites alongside material from their most recent 2017 studio album 50:50@50 which celebrated the band’s golden anniversary.
The band’s annual Cropredy Festival celebration takes place every summer near Banbury. This August they will be joined Frank Turner, Gogol Bordello, Wilson & Wakeman, The Four Of Us and former bandmate Richard Thompson.
Visit www.fairportconvention.com for tickets and further details.