Lennon &… Pegg

To the Tung Auditorium at the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre this evening to see the mighty Fairport Convention.

When I last blipped about Fairport, 7 years ago, www.blipfoto.com/entry/2272682392403578753 I noted that I’d seen them play live more than any other band. That’s still the case, but life and world events have meant that this is actually the first time I’ve seen them since then. 

High time, therefore, to sit back and let their music wash over me once again. The star of my previous blip, Simon Nicol, is currently recovering from a rough dose of Covid but was in typically excellent voice throughout and still plays a mean guitar. Indeed, all the band were on top musical form, including this chap… the one on the right! (The Lennon sculpture is by Daryl Smith).

Dave ‘Peggy’ Pegg is Fairport’s longest continually serving member, having been their bass player since late 1969 (as well as fitting in a lengthy stint with Jethro Tull, 1979-95). He’s also their oldest member at 76. In fact, only one of the current lineup (multi-instrumentalist and singer, Chris Leslie) is now under 70. They may not leap around much on stage these days but my goodness they can still play! That includes cosmic violinist Ric Sanders and returning drummer (and sometime keyboardist) Dave ‘DM’ Mattacks.

Mattacks may well be my favourite drummer of all time and I’m thrilled that he’s back on Fairport’s drum stool for the 4th time around (there’s a Bob Dylan reference there for fellow nerds), having previously held the beat down for the band from 1969–1972, 1973–1975 and 1985–1997. 

Over the years he’s also worked with a huge and eclectic list of other artists including XTC, Brian Eno, Everything But The Girl, Joan Armatrading, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Nick Drake, The Dream Academy, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Nick Heywood, Roseanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Proclaimers and The Incredible String Band. And that’s just a tiny sample! 

Here are the current line-up last year, playing the epic ‘Sloth’ (as they did tonight) https://youtu.be/TfV5kDbQjl8?si=PJp4tfcLf1vmzKKn written by their former bandmates Richard Thompson and the late lamented Dave ’Swarb’ Swarbrick and first recorded by the band back in 1970. The lyric is still all too relevant in these precarious times:

“Just a roll, just a roll
Just a roll on your drum.
Just a roll, just a roll
And the war has begun.

Now the right thing's the wrong thing
No more excuses to come
Just one step at a time
And the war has begun”

DM’s martial drum roll in the chorus always gives me the shivers. Well worth sticking with this clip for the full, glorious, 11 minutes 46 seconds - including the violin pyrotechnics (not quite literally) of Ric Sanders, The Hendrix of the fiddle. 

You can see all the band members in the Extras.

My favourite bit of the band’s typically wry stage patter tonight:

Pegg: If there are any young aspiring musicians in the audience, I’d advise you to take up the bass. It’s much easier than the guitar and you get paid the same as the guitarist.

Nicol: That’s what you think.

I LOVE this band.