Fairport Convention

Formed in London in 1967, Fairport Convention first established itself in the wake of American folk rock before quickly shifting its focus toward British traditional music. Surrounded by musicians who passed through the group at different times—Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Sandy Denny, Dave Swarbrick, or Dave Pegg—Fairport Convention developed a writing style and an ensemble approach in which traditional ballads, electric guitars, fiddles and vocal harmonies coexist without erasing its folk anchor. The albums What We Did on Our Holidays (1968), Unhalfbricking (1969) and especially Liege & Lief (1969) mark this switch to an English form of folk rock, later extended by Full House (1970). The band's trajectory is also shaped by many personnel changes, an initial split in 1979 followed by a reformation in 1985, with regular activity since then. Fairport Convention remains closely tied to the Cropredy festival, born from its farewell concert and having become a lasting fixture of the British folk scene. In its more recent lineup, the group brings together notably Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie, with the return of Dave Mattacks on some tours. Its later discography includes, among others, Over the Next Hill (2004), Festival Bell (2011), Myths and Heroes (2015), 50:50@50 (2017) and Shuffle and Go (2020).