Express & Star

Walsall gig for Fairport Convention

Legendary folk-rockers Fairport Convention are playing a show in Walsall this weekend to celebrate 51 years of playing on the road.

Published
Fairport Convention first started in 1967

On Saturday, May 12, the band that have produced more than 28 records will arrive at the Forest Arts Centre's A3 Arena in Walsall ahead of their ever-popular Cropredy Convention festival in Oxfordshire in August.

Fairport Convention still attract critical acclaim and won a coveted BBC Lifetime Achievement Award at the turn of the century. Radio 2 listeners also voted one of British folk music’s high water marks - the ground breaking album Liege & Lief - 'The Most Influential Folk Album of All Time’ and the band still play many songs from the record during their performances.

They have just played a sold-out winter tour, making this show a major early coup for the fledgling A3 Arena.

“I know that at some point in the individual lives and experiences of our fans, something Fairport has done has reached into them and made an impact and a connection,” said founding member Simon Nicol ahead of the show. “They may have nothing else at all in common, but at our gigs we are at the centre of their personal Venn diagram.”

Their latest record last year, 50:50@50, celebrated the golden anniversary of the band, who are showing few signs of letting up just yet.

Tickets for the Walsall show, priced at £22, are available here.