FAIRPORT Convention and friends were at their relaxed best at the 34th annual reunion of the band at Cropredy over the weekend.

More than 16,000 fans from as far afield as Japan and the US turned up to see yet another new face in the Fairport line-up - Gerry Conway replacing stalwart Dave Mattacks on drums - as well as stars Loudon Wainwright III, in brilliant form, Roy Wood's Army and Edward II.

And without last year's 30th anniversary celebrations to distract them, the band's three-and-half-hour set should have pleased most fans, playing the outstanding songs from recent albums, Who Knows Where the Time Goes? and Jewel in the Crown, and classics from the days of Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson.

Ralph McTell's The Hiring Fair has long been a Fairport standard but I doubt if it was ever performed better, managing somehow to conjure up that right lightness of touch despite the huge arena. Is it the introduction of fiddle player Chris Leslie which has made the difference?

The band's guests at the end are always keenly awaited and, with the exception of ex-Strawbs man Dave Cousins, there were no great surprises this year, but the guests who did appear helped to create an inspired night.

Fairport had been trying to woo Loudon Wainwright III to Cropredy for some years and he didn't disappoint.

The band clearly enjoyed joining him on a trio of numbers, including The Swimming Song.

Other highlights were Steve Gibbons' uncanny imitation of Bob Dylan on numbers from The Dylan Project album, to be released soon with Fairport's Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg, and singer Chris While who showed she can rock with the best.

There were many acts who impressed, but mention must go Edward II, Rory McLeod and his song for Campsfield detainees, Hank Wangford and the Lost Cowboys, guitarist Paul Capper with Cat Scratch Fever and, of course, the irrepressible Roy Wood and his army of 12 musicians, nine of whom were girls.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.