Led Convention

Founders of British folk rock, Fairport Convention are on in the Crosby Civic Hall this Thursday 3 February. Founded in the 1960s, the group has had innumerable line-up changes, but still boasts one original member and several very long-standing ones. They have an annual festival at Cropredy joined by luminaries from the worlds of folk and rock.

The video here shows the band joined at Cropredy by Robert Plant, formerly of Led Zeppelin of course, singing The Battle Of Evermore with Fairport Convention in 2008. Former Fairport lead singer, Sandy Denny, had sung on the original recording, which was on Led Zeppelin IV (1971), and this special rendition of the song was to mark the 30th anniversary of Sandy's untimely death. Kristina Donahue sings Sandy's words here; she is the daughter of Jerry Donahue, who in the 70s was himself in Fairport and Sandy's own band, Fotheringay.

I really doubt you'd hear this song on Thursday, but there'll be loads from Fairport's own extensive back catalogue. I've checked and there are one or two tickets left (£17-50) - available here. The venue is about 5 minutes' walk from Waterloo Station. Bottled beers in the venue, but Stamps 2 is between the station and the civic hall, and sells a choice of cask beers.