Fairport Convention strike gold

ICONIC folk group Fairport Convention will celebrate their golden anniversary next year with a UK & Ireland winter tour, taking in Gateshead, Settle and Whitby, and a new album.

The folk-rock heroes will be marking 50 years of performances with an extensive series of dates and the release of 50:50@50 which features new original songs and live recordings of various fan favourites.

Founding member Simon Nicol says: “Fairport Convention have been extraordinarily fortunate to create a work ethic based on live performance. As someone whose hobby ultimately became a career, I'm happy every time the van pulls up outside my house to take me off on my travels, where the stage awaits, and I get a chance to make everyone happy that they made the choice to buy a ticket.”

The group, who revolutionised British folk music with their electric sound and traditional tunes in the summer of love of 1967, has survived numerous lineup changes over the decades and still performs with the passion and precision their reputation demands.

The current line-up is the longest running in the band's history, with Simon Nicol on guitar and vocals, Dave Pegg on bass guitar, Chris Leslie on fiddle, mandolin and vocals, Ric Sanders on violin and Gerry Conway on drums and percussion, audiences across the land will be in safe hands for an unforgettable night of folk history.

Tour dates: Wed, Mar 1, Sage Gateshead; Thu, Mar 2, Settle, Victoria Hall and Fri, Mar 3, Whitby, Pavilion.

Viv Hardwick