Fairport Convention, at Burnley Mechanics

IT'S 32 years since they first formed and 30 years since this reviewer saw them at Hull City Hall but the wild electric fiddle that's the Fairport trademark still filled the Burnley Mechanics on a cold, wet, winter weekday evening.

Fiddle player Ric Sanders introduced the evening by quoting a Birmingham newspaper description of the folk rockers, who have a fairly hectic tour schedule between now and June, as "desperately unfashionable."

But the truth is the audience did range from twenties and below to those who can remember line up survivor Dave Pegg's early days - and he's 52!

The songs included old favourites and their latest CD The Wood and The Wire which went down a treat and not just with the devotees wearing T-shirts emblazoned: 'Fairport Convention have never heard of YOU either!'

The music makes foot-tapping compulsive and apart from a grey beard, bald head and programme notes about Simon Nicol's back pain and spinal disc problems last year the lads seem to be in great shape.

But they could ease up on the constant merchandising patter throughout the evening...now that WAS desperately unfashionable!

NICK NUNN

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.