Cropredy 2010

In those days, it was just a small village event attracting a few hundred locals; now it is a three-day event that attracts thousands of music-lovers of all ages from all over the globe.

“The first year it was just a village event that we did as a way of repaying the village hall committee for letting us use the hall for rehearsal time,” recalls Simon Nicol, who co-founded the band in 1967.

“Then it was suggested that after the fete one year it might be nice if the band did a concert to show the villagers what we got up to in our daily life. It was a great success, because it made money and everyone had a good time.”

From those humble beginnings, the event gathered momentum, and was soon drawing people in from outside the village.

These days, most people come for the entire festival, pitching tents or parking camper vans to form what must be one of the friendliest campsites you could hope to find.

It has been known for festival-goers to arrive by narrowboat along the Oxford Canal.

Perhaps remarkably, Cropredy has never attracted the kind of controversy that has dogged Glastonbury for so many years, with locals seemingly happy to accept their village being turned annually into a massive campsite.

“It’s always had the support and goodwill of the people of the village,” says Simon. “It’s very important to the whole community. Everybody gets behind it, and everybody chips in and makes the most of it.

“I can’t imagine that a small village like Cropredy would normally be expected to support an annual invasion of 20,000 people with such good will.

“But they’ve seen it grow organically from the beginning, and of course the villagers have profited from it down the years, and raised a lot of money for themselves every year, so it’s a win-win situation for the villagers and the band.

“And, of course, there’s a great atmosphere. Fundamentally, it’s a celebration, a three-day party. I’ve been to a lot of festivals down the years as a performer, and there is something very particular about the atmosphere at Cropredy.

“It’s so much more than just the music — there’s a genuine feeling of reunion and celebration going on.”

Adding greatly to that celebratory atmosphere are the festival’s gastronomic delights — not least the real ale bar, which is always a big hit.

But, of course, it is, first and foremost, about the music, and Cropredy has always featured a huge variety of acts, from folk and rock legends to little-known bands just starting out.

The biggest headline act this year, undeniably, is Status Quo, in their first appearance at the festival.

“Without doubt, they’re one of the all-time crowd-pleasing bands,” says Simon. “It’s going to be a big smile-fest when they’re onstage.”

Also making his debut at Cropredy this year is another rock legend, Rick Wakeman, who appears on Saturday with the English Rock Ensemble.

There’s also Richard Digance, popular folk orchestra Bellowhead and a rare appearance by Little Feat, while local bands Leatherat and the Tindall family finally make it on to the Cropredy stage after being keen supporters for many years.

As always, Fairport Convention will bring the festival to a close on the Saturday.

“It’s our festival, so we always put ourselves on last!” laughs Simon. “We’ve got some brand new material that’s going to be on the next record, and we’ve got some of the old songs that have been in the repertoire for a long time and people would feel short-changed if we didn’t do them.”

Whether you go to Cropredy for just one night or for the whole three days, you are guaranteed a good time at what has become known as one of the friendliest music festivals around.

“We’ve got a very varied bill, hugely entertaining and difficult to nail down,” says Simon.

“You can’t say what the musical theme is, but it’s just all damn good!”

lFor full details, visit the website fairportconvention.com