FAIRPORT Convention is back in town this weekend and the band is in the mood to celebrate.
Hailed as the originators of British folk-rock music, Fairport Convention remains one of the most entertaining bands on the concert circuit and is sure to play to a packed house at the Lawrence Batley Theatre on Sunday.
The band has just released its studio album Festival Bell which contains 13 brand new tracks plus a revisit to Sandy Denny's Rising For The Moon.
This is an album with something for everyone. There are tracks written by Ralph McTell, Richard Shindell, Chris While, Sandy Denny, Red Shoes plus Fairport Convention’s own Chris Leslie, Dave Pegg and Ric Sanders.
As well as celebrating its album, the band is also marking the 40th anniversary of its ground-breaking folk opera Babbacombe Lee.
This classic album will be played in its entirety on Sunday night.
It was released in 1971 and tells the story of John “Babbacombe” Lee, a Victorian-era murderer who, although condemned to death, was reprieved after the gallows failed to work properly on three occasions.
The album has its place in musical history as the first folk rock opera.
The band features familiar names: Simon Nicol on guitar and lead vocals, Dave Pegg on bass and backing vocals, Chris Leslie on fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki and lead vocals, Ric Sanders on violin and Gerry Conway on drums and percussion.
The band has won a coveted BBC Lifetime Achievement Award and Radio 2 listeners voted Fairport’s groundbreaking album Liege & Lief The Most Influential Folk Album of All Time.
Fairport Convention will be supported by BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award nominees Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts who play contemporary folk.
Tickets are £16.50 from the box office on 01484 430528 or online at www.thelbt.org.
