Cropredy 2012

[Thurston Garden]

Just bought my ticket. Any ishers going this year?

[Green Aura]

I'd love to TG - looks like a great lineup. Bellowhead and Richard Thompson would get me there on their own. Too far though, I'm afraid.

[Thurston Garden]

I'd love to TG - looks like a great lineup. Bellowhead and Richard Thompson would get me there on their own. Too far though, I'm afraid.

I first saw Bellowhead there a couple of years back and think they are fab. Mr Thompson sadly does not float my boat though. I will volunteer his slot for my child minding session back at the tent

It is a trek though - even for me. More of a marathon journey for you!

[baldybloke]

Used to go every year without fail but recently the line up hasn't really inspired me. There are other festivals that I now prefer.
Richard Thompson is a great comedian when talking between tracks plus a great guitarist and songwriter However he is a bit of an aquired taste, a Marmite musician you might say. You either love his stuff or hate it. Over the years his music has kinda grown on me and I love the stuff he did with his ex wife Linda.

[Crickleymal]

I love his solo stuff but the stuff he did with Linda leaves me cold. I'd love to go to Cropredy and I used to go regularly but the cost nowadays is just too much. It was OK when I was young free and single but when there are 4 of you the cost for 3 days is over £400.

[MKG]

Speaking of Bellowhead, I thought you might enjoy this. It's from the local quarterly rag (of which I'm editor, so copyright is waived) and it was written by a non-folky bloke. I think that speaks volumes about Bellowhead.


"Fancy going to see Bellowhead? Not a question I get asked every Friday, I must admit. So, 'Who are they?' I asked. 'They've only been named Best Live Act by BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for an unparalleled fourth time' came the reply. So I thought 'Why not?' and agreed to go.
Now I don’t know about you, but when I think of folk music it brings Cornwall to mind, images of fairies, boys wearing waistcoats, songs about tin mines, cotton mills and spotted pigs filling the air of a 'proper' local pub bursting with dancing and singing, real fires burning in stone fireplaces and proper wooden floors. To me Cornwall is a place which still retains that mystical charm.
However, we are in Lincoln - the Engine Shed to be precise - and it's early November 2011, there are no seats, it's standing only. Ahab, the support group, have just completed a blistering warm-up, full of tight, four-piece harmonies. There are now eleven instruments on stage, most looking enormous, to which eleven band members attach themselves as we watch. One gigantic structure almost totally engulfs its player. They start with 'Yarmouth Town', and it's like being dunked in cold ocean water, blasted with freezing air and then turned upside-down and given a good shake. Before you know it, you're bouncing up and down because you can't help doing it, then you're clapping, because you can't help it, then you're dancing and clapping because you literally cannot help it - Bellowhead have infected you (and the whole audience) with an extreme happiness on this cold November night. How very talented!
Jon Boden (looking a lot like Michael Vaughan, the former England cricket captain) leads them into 'Whiskey is the life of man' and then onwards through a whizz around their elation-inducing music. They are so confident on stage and they all work together so well. They have the ability to fill the stage, performing with great skill and humour, band members changing instruments multiple times during each song, while dancing and poking fun at themselves (and other band members). It's great to see their belief in their performance and the joy they have from just being there. Everyone dances around on stage, making me feel like I'm watching a vibrant musical. The stage is loaded with talent, humour and energy, there is a crescendo of sound being produced and I begin to realise that these guys are actually epic!
I look at the audience. It isn't what you would call 'young' - instead there's a very broad demographic of people in attendance, which lays testament to their talent. Bellowhead are able to cross divisions and bring people together with a related inner excitement. I'm glad there are no seats. I'm bouncing around now because I want to, I'm stamping my feet because I want to, we are all bounding with energy. All too soon it's the end (I could have gone on forever) and not one song about tin mines, cotton mills or spotted pigs. An encore (or two) follow and the night ends with 'New York Girls', a song I've never heard before but I sing it all the way through anyway.
Huge accolades have been bestowed upon this mega-folk band - by no less a paper than the Independent - stating 'with the exception of The Who, Bellowhead are surely the best live act in the country'. All I can say is that from start to finish Bellowhead performed with great energy, fun and a skill that I have not seen before. They put on a fantastic show. If you only ever see one live act in your life, make it Bellowhead - they are a 'must see' act, and not just for lovers of folk music."

Mike

[Biscombe]

Would love to see Richard Thompson, and Croperdy again (a stayed there a little while on my narrowboat) but this is my festival of choice! http://www.rebellionfestivals.com/ I think I'm the only person who lives in Spain who goes to Blackpool for a holiday!

[Thurston Garden]

Mike - great review! Saw Ahab at Cropredy too another good band.

I listened to Bellowhead in advance of the Cropredy gig and could not really get my head round the huge number of instuments in the band - it's quite an eclectic mix of sounds but once I had sat with my cans on and listened a few times it just clicked. Live is the best way to hear them tho!