Folk-rock legends Fairport Convention will visit The Atkinson, Southport, as part of their 29-date Winter Tour 2016 on Saturday 30 January.
This will be Fairport’s thirty-second consecutive Winter Tour and the event has become a much-anticipated fixture in the band’s annual calendar.
Fairport frequently introduces new concert material as well as drawing on its vast back catalogue so each year’s Winter Tour features a unique programme of music. For 2016, the concerts will feature a mix of long-established Fairport favourites and numbers from their recent studio album ‘Myths And Heroes.’
Each year Fairport invites a special guest to open their Winter Tour shows. The Southport concert will feature a short performance by Brighouse-based singer-songwriter Roger Davies. Accompanying himself on guitar, Roger’s entertaining and quirky songs reflect his love of Yorkshire, its towns and its people.
“We’re looking forward to visiting Southport,” says lead vocalist and guitarist Simon Nicol. “Live shows are what keep us going – the band has been on the road for nearly fifty years and we still love every minute of it. The Winter Tour brings a dash of brightness and warmth to the dark cold evenings of January and February – for us as much as our audiences.”
Mr Nicol is the only founding member still in the group – he played his first gig with Fairport in May 1967. However, bass player Dave Pegg has been in the line-up for nearly as long having joined the band in 1970. “Obviously, Fairport – like music itself – has seen a lot of changes over the last four decades but I can honestly say it’s always been a joy to be out on tour with the band,” says Mr Pegg.
Next to Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg, the other band members are comparative newcomers. Violinist Ric Sanders joined in 1985, singer and multi-instrumentalist Chris Leslie in 1996 and drummer Gerry Conway in 1998.
Credited with originating the British folk-rock genre, Fairport Convention has attracted great critical acclaim down the years. The band has won a coveted BBC Lifetime Achievement Award; Radio 2 listeners voted Fairport’s groundbreaking album Liege & Lief ‘The Most Influential Folk Album of All Time’; and the band’s story has been celebrated with a major documentary on BBC Four television.
Fairport Convention’s concert at The Atkinson starts at 7.30pm on Saturday30 January, tickets are priced at £20. For tickets and booking information please call Box Office on 01704 533333 or visittheatkinson.co.uk
“Impressive musicians with a great back catalogue… (they) take chances and clearly enjoy themselves.” The Guardian
“Vigorous and confident…the music leapt around the room.” The Mirror
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