Off to Cropredy
August 09, 2007
Salut! Live is going live. For the first time in far too many months, I am about to attend a gig in Britain.
There has been plenty of excellent music to savour so far this summer in the sunny south of France: John Mayall's Bluesbreakers at our local Théâtre de Verdure, Celtic Legends in a neighbouring town's community centre, gypsy music in Bormes-les-Mimosas and, on the beach at Le Lavandou, the Commitments and - last night, drawing a crowd so vast that the police closed off the town centre and seafront to traffic - Jimmy Cliff. The long range picture is of his pulsating band.
Who accused folkies of not being open-minded? Though if the truth be known, the fact that most of the shows have been free had a lot to do with my presence.
But what I am really looking forward to is tomorrow night, on the Civil War battlefield at Cropredy, Oxon, Fairport Convention attempting to recreate, with the original band minus of course Sandy Denny (the excellent Chris While will be doing her best to fill the unfillable), the glories of Liege and Lief.
The festival is sold out, but I shall report back here on my return to France.
And that's not all that will soon be appearing here......
Not quite sure when, but an interview with Kate Rusby is on its way. And if you've seen that tantalising reference to the North Yorkshire town of Guisborough in "coming soon", all will soon be explained. It has to do with a young man's broken dreams of becoming a troubadour: to be filed under Dollops of Nostalgia.
But one way or the other, late summer and autumn promise to be busy around these parts.
I intend to enjoy my short break back in the UK - football rears its head, too, that need not concern us here -but I will probably be grateful to be back in the sunshine.
A bientôt.
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