Salut! Live

Fifty-seven years after Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson formed the band, the setting for a minor musical triumph on Saturday March 9 was one of the capital’s loveliest venues, the Union Chapel, still a working church tucked in a side street across the road from Highbury and Islington tube station.

The heights of Fairport glory were reached during the late Sandy Denny’s two short stints, 1968-69 and 1974-75, but declining interest in the folk-rock genre led to the band being sidelined - though its musicians remained active - in the first half of the 1980s.

Somehow, not least because of the annual Cropredy Fairport reunion festival (book for 2024 at this link) , they have remained a fixture of  the national consciousness, or at least our part of it. Not always with admiration; I recall chancing upon an episode of The Archers in which parental possession of Fairport albums was roundly mocked.

Nicol, now 73, is still in the band - he had a break in the 1970s - and long ago developed into a compelling lead singer whose guitar playing is also exemplary. Peggy - Dave Pegg is at 76 the senior member of the band, still by providing the solid bass work that underpins a tight, vibrant sound combining pulsating drumming (Dave Mattacks back in the group at 75), exquisite fiddle playing by 71-year-old Ric Sanders, 67-year-old Chris Leslie’s multi-instrumental flair and 73-year-old Nicol’s adaptable rhythm guitar (he describes his style as percussive).

Saturday's repertoire included plenty of Fairport standards: Walk Awhile, Sloth, Crazy Man Michael, Genesis Hall and - with further deference to Macbeth’s soliloquy - all the sound and fury of Matty Groves.

At one point, perhaps when songs less known to me were played, I did find myself wondering whether this was vintage Fairport or just a very good reminder of past triumphs. But Peggy, who lives near Lorient in southern Brittany and is a connoisseur of red wine according to Sanders, will know the French use the word correct when they mean "OK but nothing special" and once they returned to more familiar territory, I knew I was indeed present at something special. I'll even acknowledge that Sanders made a decent stab at stand-up comedy, though his timing was better than the gags.

In musical terms, nothing fell short of accomplished performance, reaffirming folk-rock’s status as a special genre. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those seated along the Union Chapel’s pews sensed the approving, ghostly presence of departed Fairporters Denny, Dave Swarbrick, Judy Dyble, Trevor Lucas, Martin Lamble, Bruce Rowland, Maartin Allcock and David Rea (RIP one and all and please give me a shout if I’ve missed someone). The very much still alive Richard Thompson was present in spirit courtesy of key parts of the set list.

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It was all preceded by an excellent husband-and-wife support duo, Plumhall, who quickly engaged the audience with the warmth of their chatter and as quickly impressed with superior songwriting and robust accompaniment. I cannot have been alone in encountering them for the first time, yet they effortlessly had the audience singing along with choruses.

If I am not among those concert-goers who hog the bar until the main act is about to appear, truly memorable supports are rare indeed; only Lindisfarne (for Ralph McTell), Damien Dempsey (for Sinead O’Connor) and Show of Hands (for Fairport at the Cropredy festival that re-created each track of the renowned Liege and Lief album) spring instantly to mind,.

One glaring omission from Fairport’s two generous sets was Denny’s best-known composition. Who Knows Where That Song Went? Nicol hinted at a curfew, so maybe the band simply ran out of permitted time.

But in a splendid finale, Plumhall - alias Michelle Plum and Nick Hall - were summoned back on stage for a loud, lingering rendition of the anthemic Meet on the Ledge, helpfully bringing down the average age on stage.

Keep strutting, Fairport.

SEE ALSO:

'Hearty disagreements' but no Everly or Gallagher-style strops: Simon Nicol on Fairport Convention's enduring appeal and camaraderie