Fairport Convention in concert
South Holland Centre, Spalding
Thursday, May 29, 8pm
Tickets £20
Box Office 01775 764777
www.southhollandcentre.co.uk
Legendary folk-rock outfit Fairport Convention will welcome the return of longest-serving member Dave Pegg on bass guitar when the band visits Spalding during its UK spring tour.
Dave will take the stage with fellow band members Simon Nicol (vocals, guitar), Ric Sanders (violin), Chris Leslie (mandolin, fiddle, vocals) and Gerry Conway (percussion) at the South Holland Centre on Thursday, May 29.
Earlier in the year, Dave’s son Matt had to stand in as bassist when Pegg senior badly injured his hand in a kitchen accident.
“In January, I severed a tendon in the first finger of my left hand while I was emptying the dishwasher,” Dave recalls.
“The irony is I’d just spent two days chain-sawing firewood without incident.
“My hand was in a splint for six weeks so I couldn’t play bass or mandolin.
“Luckily, Matt is a bass player too – like father like son – and he was available to deputise for me on Fairport’s winter tour. Now I’m raring to get back on the road and really looking forward to playing with the band again.”
The South Holland Centre gig is one of 30-odd venues and festivals which Fairport will visit between Thursday, May 1 and Saturday, June 7. Their semi-acoustic spring tour will have an intimate feel and the concerts will feature a mix of new songs and long-established favourites from the Fairport repertoire.
Simon Nicol, lead singer and guitarist, says: “We’ve played in Spalding before but we always enjoy coming back here so we are looking forward to playing at South Holland Centre on Thursday evening.”
Hailed as the originators of British folk-rock music, Oxfordshire-based Fairport Convention has been playing for nearly 50 years yet remains as vibrant and inventive as ever.
