Fairport’s Cropredy Convention music festival has announced that BRIAN WILSON will perform the legendary Beach Boys album Pet Sounds at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention on Thursday 9 August 2018.

Acclaimed for its ambition and sophistication, Pet Sounds is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential albums of all time. Released in 1966, Wilson’s masterpiece is number 2 in the Rolling Stone ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time’ list, only beaten to the top spot by The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper.

The festival will be held over three days (Thursday 9, Friday 10 and Saturday 11 August 2018) at Cropredy near Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Thursday opens with host band FAIRPORT CONVENTION who will play a short welcome set. Fairport are followed by SMITH & BREWER, a talented Americana guitar duo featuring close harmony vocals. POLICE DOG HOGAN deliver their own brand of exhilarating Country-tinged rock. Ever-popular folkrockers OYSTERBAND will make their first appearance at Cropredy since 2004 and they will be followed by Thursday’s headliner, BRIAN WILSON. 

On Friday, Cropredy Convention will open with a set by the BBC Young Folk Award winner followed by newcomers MIDNIGHT SKYRACER who describe their music as ‘Anglo-Irish girl-power Bluegrass’. Favourites of the Cropredy crowd THE TRAVELLING BAND make a welcome return with their blend of Mancunian Americana and indie folkrock. CREGAN & CO features Jim Cregan, best known for his associations with Family, Cockney Rebel and Rod Stewart. LE VENT DU NORD will perform traditional Québécois music with infectious enthusiasm before former frontman of Marillion, FISH makes his second appearance at Cropredy. Mercury-nominee KATE RUSBY (Folk Singer of the Year and Best Live Act winner at the BBC Folk Awards) makes her Cropredy debut before Friday’s headline act LEVELLERS celebrate their thirtieth anniversary with a welcome return to Cropredy. 

Saturday sees BAFTA nominee RICHARD DIGANCE getting the day off to a flying start. Sets from ERIC SEDGE and THE BAR-STEWARD SONS OF VAL DOONICAN precede singer-songwriter WILL VARLEY who makes his first appearance at Cropredy with his band. BBC Folk Award winner SAM KELLY & THE LOST BOYS are newcomers to the festival and so are AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM who fuse traditional Irish and West African music in a thrilling mix. They will be followed by a solo set from Scottish singer-songwriter AL STEWART before FAIRPORT CONVENTION AND GUESTS take the stage for their traditional two-hour-plus Saturday headline show.