The Travelling Band at Cropredy 2014

12 August 14

Posted at 11:52

Cropredy or Fairport's Cropredy Convention is a 'three day festival of music and good cheer' held in Cropredy, near Banbury in August. It has been held annually since the seventies. Fairport Convention, a legendary folk band of some note put on the festival and top the bill on the Saturday night. The festival is like no other I have witnessed for a number of reasons. First of all it is centered around an iconic folk band who are idolised by generation of families. Grandchildren, even great grandchildren of the hippies who followed the band in the sixties grow up with Fairport and Cropredy being part of their culture and all revel in the annual pilgrimage to Oxfordshire. The festival site is different. There is one stage set in a natural amphitheatre on Fairports farm. It is surrounded by campsites which stretch between the villages of Cropredy and Williamscot. Cropredy opens its doors, particularly its pub doors, to festival goers and fringe gigs are put on in the village. At 11am each day the gates to the site open to festival goers, many queue for hours before to get a prime position. The fans, 20,000 of them, then, all with camping chairs in hand, rapidly form rows of chairs, blankets etc etc and set up for the day. A large area at the front is left for those wishing to stand, dance etc. It all sounds so orderly for a festival and in many ways it is but its really chilled out and friendly and although it seems orderly there is no organisation - just tradition I guess. Real ale is the drug of choice but that is not compulsory and folk enjoy themselves in what ever way they wish - but at no other festival do many of the festival goers arrive with a pewter tankard hanging from their rucksack.

Another unusual aspect are the numbers of dogs brought along but there's an absence of any evidence of dogs stuck to your shoes. The dogs all wear  'Little Stephen' neckerchiefs - I've not yet discovered why. Cropredy is whiter than Midsomer, something I find a little disturbing - it is like going back in time to rural England about 70 years ago. The demographic is unrepresentative even for rural Oxfordshire but so be it. I first experienced Cropredy when The Travelling Band appeared there in 2011. I had followed the band for some years before that and spent much of that summer following their festival tour. A group of us went along - we had a brilliant time and witnessed such a broad eclectic mix of musical talent that I have returned every year since. This year with other committments I could not make the whole festival but as The Travelling Band were appearing again I made sure I had a pass to shoot their set at least.

So here are a few pics of TTB smashing it at Cropredy 2014 just as they did in 2011.

Jo Dudderidge The Travelling Band

Jo Dudderidge

Adam Gorman - The Travelling Band

Adam Gorman

Chris Spencer - The Travelling Band

Chris Spencer

Nick Vaal - The Travelling Band

Nick Vaal

Steve Mullen - The Travelling Band

Steve Mullen

Steve Mullen - Cropredy 2014

Steve Mullen

Adam Gorman - Cropredy 2014

Adam Gorman

Jo Dudderidge -Cropredy 2014

Jo Dudderidge

 

Checkout  The Travelling Band here

Checkout  Cropredy here

 

The Travelling Band have a new album The Big Defreeze out on 25th August and are touring extensively this autum.

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RIP KING ROBBO

01 August 14

Posted at 11:44

As you probably know I'm fascinated by street art, the culture and it's evolution. I often photograph street art, have published a book of a project about Stik and I have exhibited works derived from photographs of street art. Yesterday an infamous street artist, King Robbo passed away. He had been ill for a long time in fact since he had a fall in 2011 and was subsequently in a coma for many months, he never recovered. Channel 4 ran a documentary on the so called 'wars' between Robbo and Banksy in 2011. The two images below are from 2010 when the 'wars' were, I guess, at their height.

Banksy Robbo Archway

Originally Banksy's 'Anywhere' at Archway from 2004 this is it after a team Robbo visit in March 2010

Robbo in Camden

Another another Banksy after a team Robbo visit. This one in Camden in May 2010.

RIP King Robbo

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