3 day tickets and camping stickers go on sale from the online box office at midnight, Wednesday 9 December (two-day and Saturday-only tickets will go on sale on 1 February 2016).
But be quick off the mark - the first 800 pre-christmas orders will receive a Fairport Christmas card individually signed by each member of the band and the first 2000 orders will, as usual, receive a collectable souvenir car sticker.
We can’t reveal the complete line-up just yet but keep a close eye on the website, Twitter and Facebook as the announcement for the rest of the acts will be released soon.
Meanwhile here is a taster (all subject to contract, of course).
First up, the wonderful Bootleg Beatles with their stunning recreation of the greatest songbook in popular music. Their show traces the Fab Four’s journey through the 1960s with love and a meticulous attention to detail from costumes to authentic period instruments and the perfection of their vocal mimicry. The show will also feature video imagery and a little help from their orchestral ensemble.
GRYPHON
Gryphon is a legendary British band that’s as exhilarating and unpredictable now as it was when the members last toured in the 1970s. Now Gryphon is back, reinvented and mixing old and new material. The virtuoso musicianship and composing flair that marked the band out in the 1970s has been developed over the intervening decades.
Ralph McTell is no stranger to Cropredy fans. Ralph is a great storyteller and spell-weaver – his contributions to Fairport’s repertoire is proof enough of that. Now celebrating almost 50 years on the road, Ralph is known for his virtuoso guitar playing, rich voice and gifted songwriting.
Fresh from their amazing performance on Chris Evans’ TFI Friday, Sound of the Sirens is a foot-stomping, crowd-engaging female folk/rock duo whose strengths lie in their passion and chemistry. These girls know how to rock a stage, and make you believe in every word they sing. Their vocal harmony is compelling and magical.
Steeleye Span are one of the most successful British folk-rock bands ever and they return to Cropredy for the first time in ten years with a new live show. Maddy Prior leads a line-up featuring faces old and new performing a mix of material from their classic repertoire to their most recent work.
Hayseed Dixie make a welcome return to Cropredy by popular request. Straight from Nashville, these Appalachian hellraisers take bluegrass and give it a hard rock edge. Although Hayseed Dixie are best known for their hillbilly renditions of rock classics they also have an impressive repertoire of self-penned songs.
Wille and the Bandits are a classic blues rock trio in the vein of Cream. However, they take their sound beyond what might be expected from such a traditional line up. Their use of more bizarre instrumentation and eclectic influences pushes them more into a world music or progressive category. The band has toured with artists such as Deep Purple and the John Butler trio and played major festivals across Europe.
Fairport Convention will play on Thursday to welcome you to the festival and take the stage again for the headlining set on Saturday night.
If you don’t make it to any gigs before the festive holiday, see you in the New Year.
