Fairport's Cropredy Convention today announced a change to the line up of bands appearing at the festival on the 13th August 2010. Up and coming alternative country band Ahab will replace BBC Young Folk Award winner James Findlay.

James was to appear on the festival's main stage on the Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, he has had to cancel his live appearances this year and will not play at Cropredy.

Luckily Ahab will fill the spot. The London based five piece was already booked to perform at The Brasenose as part of the Cropredy Fringe and can now look forward to a main stage appearance as well. The band, which cites Fairport and Richard Thompson amongste their influences, combines instrumental prowess, powerful vocals and an indie edginess.

"It's a shame James can't make it," said Fairport's Simon Nichol "and we are grateful to Ahab for stepping up to the plate at short notice. Their music is fresh, energetic and very accomplished and we're suer that the Cropredy crowd will love their set."

Only once every four years can a festival get away with scheduling bands around the World Cup. Grendon Festival in Buckinghamshire is an open-air one-dayer where you can watch England's opening World Cup match against the USA on a giant video wall in the evening and relive the glory of 1966 in the afternoon. Meanwhile, bands play a main stage and acoustic tent. You won't find any really famous names, but there will be lots of local talent, real ales and ciders, a barbecue and a hog roast. All profits go to charity, most notably the Florence Nightingale Hospice in Aylesbury.
Festival organiser John Davison - “We set out to create a feel-good event for the local community and to raise money for local charities. It’s a sad fact but serious illness touches so many of our lives – that’s why we chose FNH as our main beneficiary”
Grendon Underwood resident and local GP, Dr Alan Watt who sadly lost his wife Yvonne to cancer in 2008 has first-hand experience of FNH. “The care that Yvonne received during her final weeks and the support given to me and my family was invaluable to all of us – FNH really does make a difference”.
Head of Fundraising at FNH, Lindsey Fealey “We’re delighted that Grendon festival has chosen to support us – we need to raise just short of half a million pounds every year and we couldn’t possibly do that without the help of people in the local area”
Like many local villages Grendon Underwood prides itself in its community spirit. “When Yvonne died, it seemed like the whole community rallied around us” commented Dr Watt.  Organiser John Davison agrees. “We’ve had phenomenal support - despite the economic climate many local businesses are giving their time and services free of charge”.
The countdown to the World Cup may be well underway but the main event in four weeks won’t be in Rustenberg, South Africa but in Grendon Underwood.
Dr Watt and his children James and Sarah are now looking forward to June 12th, fine weather and hopefully an England victory.
Advance tickets priced at £7.50 are available now from www.grendonfestival.co.uk <http://www.grendonfestival.co.uk/>;  (under 11s are free when accompanied by an adult). Tickets will be available on the day subject to availability priced at £10.00. The web site provides all the festival details.

Acclaimed as Britain's friendlist music festival, Fairport's Cropredy Convention is Oxfordshire's premier music event. This year it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

The festival appeals equally to young people, families and veteran fans. It is run by legendary folkrock band Fairport Convention and great music has always been its hallmark. During that time, Cropredy has also developed a well-deserved reputation as a trouble-free and safe festival.

Cropredy features 20 or more bands over three days on a single stage. The festival has presented many big name acts down the years - among them Robert Plant, Jools Holland, Richard Thompson, Lonnie Donnegan, Jethro Tull, Seth Lakeman, Levellers, Steve Winwood, Ade Emdondson - but has also helped launch the careers of many up-and-coming performers and has been a staunch supporter of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards. However, Cropredy is not a folk festival - its cross-genre programming includes a wide variety of rock, pop, and acoustic music.

A host of 'festival fringe' events in Cropredy village feature live music from local bands to augment the entertainment on the main stage.

The farmland festival site in beautiful north Oxfordshire is licenced for  up to 20,000. Cropredy is only three miles from Junction 11 of the M40 and there is a shuttle bus to nearby Banbury railway station which is served by frequent train services from London and many other parts of the UK.

The audience ranges in age from toddlers to OAPs and people attend from all over the world including Australia, America, and continental Europe. Most festival-goers pitch tents or park camper-vans on the well-regulated campsites surrounding the arena although some arrive by narrowboat on the nearby Oxford canal. Tents can be erected beside campers' cars for convenience and security.

As well as great music, Cropredy is renowned for its huge real ale bar provided by Wadworth, an independent brewery. The bar is used by festival-goers and musicians alike (there is no back-stage bar) making Cropredy one of the few major festivals where the audience can mingle with the stars of the show.

Fairport's Cropredy Convention offers great value for money - it is one of the cheapest three-day festivals of its kind in Britain. Camping is inexpensive for those arriving by car (in fact, the price has not been increased for three years) and is free for people coming by motorcycle, pushbike or on foot. Click this www.fairportconvention.com

Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2010 - line-up of artists

Thursday 12 August 2010; 4pm - 11pm All acts subject to contract

Keith Donnelly and Flossie Malavialle Keith is well-known for his songwriting skills and top notch guitar playing and French chanteuse Flossie has a wonderful voice. As a duo, they supported Fairport Convention on their winter tour and were a big hit with audiences.

Banbury-based, five-piece Leatherat plays fast and furious folk-based original material.

Thea Gilmore Local lass Thea has a long association with Fairport Convention. Admired for her beautiful voice, Thea will appear at Cropredy with her backing band.

Pauline Black (Selecter) The 2 Tone record label was in the vanguard of the ska revival and The Selecter enjoyed huge chart success. The members have remained hugely influential ever since and original singer Pauline Black is a stunning performer.

Status Quo Absolute legends! After 40 years, Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi still front one of the best live rock acts in the world.

Friday 13 August 2010; Noon - Midnight All acts subject to contract

The Tindalls This midlands-based musical family combine great playing with close harmonies to perform new and classic folk songs.

Mabon Six-piece Welsh band Mabon puts on a spectacular show with fiery original Celtic material. A classic ‘get you on your feet' act.

James Findlay (BBC Young Folk Award Winners) Fairport is very proud of its close association with the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. Each year, Cropredy offers a festival slot to the winners. For 2010, we present James Findlay, a Dorset-based traditional singer and guitarist whose music captivated the Award judges.

3 Daft Monkeys 'Back by popular demand' is a hackneyed phrase but it's true of this Cornwall-based trio. Their fast and funky feel-good set will get the crowd dancing.

Little Johnny England Local five-piece folkrock outfit making their third appearance on the Cropredy stage.

Dixie Bee-Liners For sheer entertainment and good vibes Dixie Bee-Liners are hard to beat. Hailing from the USA, this energetic band has a unique and contemporary take on bluegrass and country music and is Americana par excellence.

Bellowhead A veritable folk orchestra, Bellowhead's dozen or so musicians present a riot of wonderful music and the band won Best Live Act at the 2010 BBC Folk Awards.

Little Feat Immensely influential on a whole generation, Little Feat is a truly legendary band. After many changes down the years, the current line-up is as fresh and bold as any of its illustrious forebears.

Saturday 14 August; Noon - Midnight All acts subject to contract

Richard Digance The customary Saturday opener.

Breabach Young and enthusiastic quartet playing songs and tunes from their native Scotland.

Martin Taylor Quartet Reinhardt-influenced veteran sidesman to Stephane Grappelli, Martin Taylor is a true guitar virtuoso.

Easy Star All-Stars Easy Star All-Stars are New York-based but have a worldwide following. Internationally acclaimed, the dub-and-reggae band has played in over 25 countries on six continents. Their inventive re-working of classic material has produced three of the best-selling reggae albums of the last decade - Dub Side of the Moon, RadioDread and Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band. At Cropredy, expect to hear tracks from these albums as well as the latest original songs from the band.

Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble Arguably finest keyboard player in rock music, classically-trained Rick has a wide musical pedigree and was a pioneer of electronic music. This will be his first visit to Cropredy and he will be backed by The English Rock Ensemble.

Martyn Joseph Revered singer-songwriter Martyn performs his first set at Cropredy. His rich voice and unique songs are spellbinding.

 

 

 

Bloxham School has won the 2010 Division One National Senior Schools Arena Polo Championships after an exciting day of polo involving the top 16 polo playing schools in England, played at Longdole near Cheltenham this month.

The 16 were divided into two ranked divisions of eight. Rugby School, who Bloxham share facilities and coaches with at the Rugby Polo Club, were the winners of the second division beating Stowe comprehensively in the final.

Bloxham’s final warm-up match had been against Rugby on Thursday and it was apparent that the match had done both teams a great deal of good.

Bloxham were ranked in Division One along with Milton Abbey, Millfield, Harrow, Cheltenham College, Uppingham, Wellington, and Marlborough.

Milton Abbey were their first opponents but Bloxham proved far too strong and scored freely to record a 6-0 victory over a fancied opponent. Millfield had beaten Uppingham to become their semi-final opponent and again Bloxham set the pace and ran up a 3-0 lead that might have been extended before Millfield launched a strong come back scoring twice and giving the Bloxham contingent some concerns. They hung on however to book a place in the final where Marlborough lay in wait.
The final started badly for Bloxham and they were one down within 20 seconds. It took the team some time to recover from that start but they came back strongly and lead 2-1 going into the closing stages of the first chukka but conceded an equaliser. Fresh ponies and a better start in the second chukka saw Bloxham move ahead with two goals in quick succession. Some great marking and determined riding saw them run out winners to claim a title that has been out of their possession since 1998.

The Bloxham team was made up of Robin Spicer, Charlie Aprahamian and Thomas Falkingham. Robin was the popular choice as MVP at the event and he received great support from both Charlie and Tom who made some superb interceptions, breaks and goals of their own. “I am really proud of the Bloxham team and what we have achieved. With two thirds of the team available next year I hope that polo at Bloxham will go from strength to strength. We need now to focus on the outdoor, 4 a side, version of the game but with confidence boosted by the National Arena title and with the great coaching we get from Rugby Polo Club, we hope to be competitive," commented Robin Spicer, Bloxham Team Captain

The Teams would like to give special thanks to Glynn Henderson, their coach at Rugby Polo Club and Old Bloxhamist Phil Baker the club owner and co-coach. Given that Glynn coaches both schools you could say that he did the double! Both teams benefit hugely from Glynn's great knowledge, encouragement and no - nonsense approach to the sport and are grateful to him, to Phil and to all at Rugby Polo Club for their help and encouragement throughout.
Pictured are
Schools & University Polo Association (SUPA) Chairman Charles Betz with the Bloxham team after the presentations.

The Silverstone Classic - a great combination of rocking and racing is all set to set the Northamptonshire circuit alight. The event takes place over the weekend of 23rd - 25th July - we at the Four Shires are looking forward to covering the event in the near future. Keep checking our website for details or go to www.silverstoneclassic.com

The rock and rollercoaster history of The Saw Doctors defies logical 
explanation until you remember that, in the end, perseverance gets 
rewarded.
The very definition of journeymen rockers, Ireland's Saw Doctors have 
blazed back phoenix-like from almost two decades of unsung glory. Out 
of the blue, their rambunctious cover of The Sugababes' About You Now 
rocketed to No1 in Ireland, restoring them to their rightful place as 
that nation's best-loved good-time band.
Fronted by two criminally under-rated songwriters, Leo Moran and Davy 
Carton, this is the band that entered the record books back in 1990 
when I Useta Lover spent nine weeks at number one, becoming Ireland's 
best-selling single of all time. They followed up with another No1, 
N17, and a chart-topping album, If This Is Rock And Roll, I Want My 
Old Job Back, but somehow the momentum wasn't maintained.
Irresistably singable songs (To Win Just Once, Hay Wrap and Same Oul' 
Town to name but three), still flowed from Moran and Carton; their 
stormingly exuberant live shows remained unparalleled celebrations of 
the spirit of great rock; and their substantial phalanx of hardcore 
fans on both sides of the Atlantic never wavered in support.
Even so, the hits dried up. Instead of giving up, though, The Saw 
Doctors resigned themselves to the honourable tradition of keeping on 
keeping on. They toured America every year, building an ever-
increasing fan base, released ten acclaimed albums and simply refused 
to go away.
"I suppose we’re a bit like an old dress," says Leo Moran with a wryly 
philosophical smile. "If you keep it long enough, it’s bound to come 
back into fashion."
Typically for the Saw Doctors, coming back into fashion happened in 
the least likely way imaginable, on February 12, 2008. "We were on the 
Podge And Rodge Show," laughs Davy Carton. "It's a late-night RTE tv 
show hosted by two rude puppets. Part of the show involves a spinning 
music board. They spin the board and the guest artist has to perform 
whatever song it lands on. It landed on The Sugababes hit About You 
Now."
At the end of the show, The Saw Doctors took to the tiny Podge And 
Rodge stage and delivered up their blindingly transformed re-
interpretation of what had been a slick r'n'b pop hit. Now it was 
entirely their own, as surely as if Moran and Carton had written it 
themselves. Suddenly, About You Now had become a ranting, raving rock 
anthem.
To their surprise, this totally off-the-cuff performance stirred up so 
much interest that the band realised they had no option but to commit 
their version to record.
On October 18, 2008, with hot releases from P!nk, Kings Of Leon and 
Snow Patrol trailing along in their dust, About You Now by The Saw 
Doctors debuted at No1 in the Irish Charts. Generous to a fault, the 
band donated all proceeds, over €10,000, to Galway’s Salerno Cystic 
Fibrosis Fund.
Analyzing exactly what makes a hit single is a fool's game. Even so, 
it's hard not to notice that a lyric which conveyed angsty twenty-
something romantic regret in the hands of The Sugababes, carries a 
completely different message when sung by men who have experienced 
more than their fair share of life's upheavals. With Carton howling 
out the hooks, the song says that no matter how old you are, it's 
never too late to make mistakes and never too late to try to put them 
right.
There's a trace of impish delight in Davy Carton when he notes that 
The Sugababes' original version of About You Now stalled at No2 in the 
Irish Chart. "We're not pretty to look at," he admits, "but we were 
No1."
Leo Moran is typically self-effacing when he addresses the question of 
exactly what went right for The Saw Doctors after almost two decades 
of hovering just off the radar. "Sometimes you stumble upon a bit more 
attention," he reckons. "Last year, with The Podge and Rodge Show, and 
the Meteor (Lifetime Achievement) Award, we got a lot of attention.”
For many artists a Lifetime Achievement Award comes towards the end of 
a long and acclaimed career but, for The Saw Doctors, it came at the 
start of their second sprint to the top – just three days after their 
momentous appearance on the Podge And Rodge Show.
Nevertheless, it was still a moment that enabled them to reflect on 
their achievements so far.
The Saw Doctors were formed in Tuam, Galway, Ireland, in 1986. 
Although membership has fluctuated over the years, two founder-members 
have remained constant. Leo Moran, formerly of local reggae combo Too 
Much For The White Man and Davy Carton, a refugee from short-lived 
punk band Blaze X, were there right at the start, when it felt like 
success to be able to play in local venues such as Tuam's Imperial 
Hotel.
Within a couple of years, though, they were already attracting 
attention as an ear-grabbling support act on national tours by major 
artists including Hothouse Flowers and, more significantly, The 
Waterboys, with whom they formed a lasting friendship, and from whom 
they gained a longstanding member, saxophonist and bassman Anthony 
Thistlethwaite.
Even after the first flush of success faded, The Saw Doctors were 
never far out of earshot. Guinness, for example, used the Saw Doctors' 
song Never Mind the Strangers in a multi-million dollar ad campaign 
for Harp Lager in the USA. The band made a film appearance in Walter 
Foote's directorial debut, The Tavern, which featured Same Oul' Town, 
and their song She Says became the theme to the BBC Northern Ireland 
comedy series Give My Head Peace.
Through it all, the twin planks of the band's enduring appeal have 
been immensely singable songs and riotous live performances. Instead 
of the usual swaggering rock cliches about life on the road, drug 
problems and easy sex, their songs range from bringing in the harvest, 
to running away to join the army;  from the plight of Ireland’s 
unmarried mothers to the effect of strong religion on a nation’s 
youth; from playing football against a neighbouring village to loving 
the prettiest girl in town from a distance but lacking the courage to 
tell her.
Saw Doctors' fans go home glowing from a gig crammed end to end with 
songs about real life. They work the same live magic wherever they 
play, from the Royal Albert Hall to a convent, from the paddock at 
Sandown Racecourse to the front room of a lucky fan who won a live Saw 
Doctors concert as a competition prize.
For a band so clearly in tune with tradition, they're also well aware 
of the pros and cons of the digital age. Their 2007 single, I’m Never 
Gonna Go on Bebo Again is a case in point. Although it details the 
perils of being stalked by an ex-lover on the social networking site 
Bebo, the band is savvy enough to maintain its own lively Bebo presence.
Asked about their current approach to songwriting, Moran says, "We’re 
being picky and more meticulous than before. We’re trying to put in 
all the little things that pop records have now. We’re trying to put 
the fairy dust on things.”
As this compilation hits the streets, The Saw Doctors (currently Leo 
Moran (vocals, guitar), Davy Carton (vocals, guitar), Kevin Duffy 
(keyboards), Anthony Thistlethwaite (bass guitar, saxophone), and 
Eímhín Cradock (drums) are embarking on a UK tour that will run 
throughout November and December of 2009
And beyond that? In the words of Leo Moran, "We never look more than a 
few months ahead. It's tempting fate. We're just pleased to still be 
around."