Fairport Convention mark their Diamond Anniversary with their Winter Tour, live at the Exeter Corn Exchange.
Fairport Convention play the Exeter Corn Exchange on Thursday 25 February 2027, as part of their Winter Tour. It's a Diamond Anniversary tour, marking sixty years since they first formed in 1967.
They're credited with inventing British folk-rock, and the early years show how that sound came together. They started out covering American 'west coast' music before shifting to a style that melded rock with traditional English tunes, a change driven by bassist Ashley Hutchings and producer Joe Boyd. Personnel changes marked those first few years: original singer Judy Dyble was replaced by Sandy Denny on the second LP, What We Did on Our Holidays, and fiddle virtuoso Dave Swarbrick joined on the third, Unhalfbricking, which produced 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' and 'A Sailor's Life'. Liege & Lief is regarded as their finest hour alongside the rockier Full House.
After splitting in 1979, annual reunion concerts eventually led to a 1985 reformation. They've toured and recorded regularly since then and have run the Cropredy Festival, held near Banbury since 1974. A BBC Lifetime Achievement Award followed, and Radio 2 listeners voted Liege & Lief the most influential folk album of all time.
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The line-up for the night is Simon Nicol on guitar and vocals, Dave Pegg on bass guitar and vocals, Ric Sanders on violin, Chris Leslie on fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, banjo and vocals, and Dave Mattacks on drums and keyboards. Doors open at 6.45pm, with the show starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £38, which includes a £2.00 booking fee.
