Opening for Fairport Convention this time around was Scottish singer-songwriter Jenn Butterworth who released her debut album Her By Design in 2025. Fairport always make sure the opening act is immersed in the show; Ric Sanders ambled on stage to introduce her, and the whole band took the stage and joined in on closing number ‘Little Sparrow’. This was an entertaining performance from Jenn, who has a terrific voice and is evidently a songwriter of considerable talent. She opened with a simply stunning version of Sandy Denny’s ‘All Her Days’ and followed on with Robin Dransfield’s ‘Fair Maids of February’ that proved to be equally as impressive. We look forward to seeing her again in the not too distant future. Head over to https://www.jennbutterworth.co.uk/ for more information.
For this tour, the core quartet of Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie and Ric were accompanied once again by drummer Dave Mattacks. This allowed for a number of changes to the set list since the last time Fairport toured at the back end of last year, and provided added impetus to tonight’s show. This was nowhere more evident than during ‘Sloth’, the ground breaking electric folk workout from 1970’s Full House that was simply awe inspiring as the five musicians unleashed their individual abilities to the maximum. Dave remains an incredibly powerful drummer, and watching him in full flow it is hard to believe he has just turned 78. Other highlights of the first half included the evergreen ‘Crazy Man Michael’, as always sung to perfection by Simon, Peggy’s whimsical ‘Bankruptured’, and ‘I’m Already There’, one of several songs written by Chris that have been so important in keeping Fairport’s repertoire fresh and forward-moving over the past twenty-something years.
The second half continued in a similar fashion, Ric dedicated his wonderful ‘The Rose Hip’ from 1988’s Red & Gold to his brother, who was somewhere amongst the sold out crowd. And even if Ric’s jokes seem to get more familiar with each passing year, his fiddle playing remains a joy to witness. Simon led the band through an upbeat ‘Claudy Banks’, and gave a moving introduction to ‘John Condon’, a much more sombre affair written about the youngest soldier in World War I who was only 14 when he died in the trenches. ‘John Gaudie’ and all two chords and nineteen verses of the wonderful ‘Matty Groves’ ensured the set ended on a high, with Chris making the most of his opportunity to shine on the banjo.
There was still time for us all to ‘Meet on the Ledge’ once again, with Jenn Butterworth invited back on stage to join in on the song that ended the evening in a glow of warm nostalgia. 2027 will mark 60 years since Fairport’s formation, when hopefully we can look forward to more nights like this one to celebrate a remarkable achievement from this most enduring of bands.
Set Lists:-
Jenn Butterworth:-
All Our Days
Fair Maids of February
One in Ten
Rosemary Lane
Little Sparrow (with Fairport Convention)
Fairport Convention:-
Ye Mariners All
Crazy Man Michael
Rising for the Moon
I’m Already There
Bankruptured
Flowers of the Forest
Sloth
Polly on the Shore
Spring Song
The Rose Hip
Claudy Banks
Lalla Rookh
Moondust and Solitude
John Condon
John Gaudie
Matty Groves
Meet on the Ledge (with Jenn Butterworth)
