Shine on, Harvest Moon

[caddyman]

Looking out of the window, watching the rain stream down from the leaden grey skies, I have to say that I feel a pang of sympathy for my boss, Ann, who is in a tent in a field somewhere in Oxfordshire, partway through Fairport Convention’s annual Cropredy festival.

In principle, I would like to attend such an event at some point in time, but I’m glad it’s not this year. I looked at the line up and there were precious few bands there I’d heard of (and to see the event being advertised in today’s Guardian suggests other people thought likewise). Fairport themselves don’t do a set until 9pm on Saturday and before that the only other band that springs to mind is, oddly, Status Quo - all very well, but not my pick for a folk festival.

I am all for a good gig. I’m all for a good outdoors gig in the countryside. I might even be up for the occasional bit of camping (provided I have something between my sleeping bag and every pointy stick and root in Christendom), but I’m not sure that I am up for gallons of mud any more. I’m not sure I ever was, to be honest, but certainly not now.

On the other hand, the temperature is back below 60° (whatever that maybe in new fangled temperatures) so it is finally feeling like a proper English summer at last.

Comments

[pauln.livejournal.com]

About 16C.

[fractalgeek.livejournal.com]

I'd love to do Cropredy - and you can stay locally, you don't have to stay on site

[keresaspa.livejournal.com]

Little Feat are apparently appearing too although I wouldn't really think of them as an obvious example of folk either. Also the fact that Little Feat still exist even though Lowell George is well dead seems a tad silly to me. Given that the rest of the line-up seems to be all those slightly dull modern folk acts like 3 Daft Monkeys I don't think I would be tempted to the mud either.

[november-girl.livejournal.com]

Cropredy is a lovely festival. I don't recall actually watching any of the bands very much (apart from when my then-boss mysteriously appeared on stage) but the beer was good and it was all very chilled. Where else could you sit and have a formal dinner for ten (candlesticks and all) in the middle of the crowd without getting jostled or jeered at? I suspect you'd like it very much - in the dry.

[irdm.livejournal.com]

I first did Cropredy in 1987.
I originally went not for the music but because I suspected I was "one a promise" (which as, it turned out, I was!)

I did come to like Fairlight Convultion and their eclectic gang of co-performers.
(Roy Wood allowed Robert Plant to play on the same bill IIRC)
I carried on going each year until Omega clashed with it and I thought I'd try that.
I had a random Saturday there a few years back.

I remember sunshine, fantastic beer and appaling khazis, such that the day often started with a very tense drive to the nearest Little Chef.

I think this w/e would not be the best, given the weather....