Ahead of the band’s 2026 Spring Tour, I catch up with Fairport Convention’s Chris Leslie. We discuss how he fell in love with the band’s music as a teenager, getting to know the band members socially, working with them and – thirty years ago this December – becoming one of their members.

Let’s go right back to the early days, long before you joined the band, what were your initial impressions of Fairport Convention?

Well, I have to give a big thanks, as I always do when we chat, to my brother, John, who got me into that kind of area of music. He’s five years older than me and he latched on by buying an album in Smiths in Banbury. And he was into all kinds of music up to that point, but not folk music. And he just saw a Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick album, I think, on the Hallmark label. Anyway, he brought it home and he loved it.

And during the next two or three years, he was bringing albums home in this newfound music. You know, things like Steeleye Span, Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick, the Dransfields, Fairport. All those things were coming into the house and I loved it, too. And John was always very generous when I was younger. Being five years younger, it’s quite a gap at that stage. And he just said, “Yeah, come and listen to it.” You know, we’d sit and listen to it on the record player and all that kind of stuff. And I particularly fell in love with the sound of the fiddle. That was what really drew me in even more.

I think Liege & Lief was probably the first Fairport album John came across, which I obviously got to hear. Then he was backtracking to Unhalfbricking and What We Did On Our Holidays. And so that was my first impression of Fairport. And there was something about it that really got me. I really, really loved the band instantly. It was instant! I loved Sandy’s voice. I loved the fiddle. It was just music that touched my heart. It was almost like rediscovering something that had always been there, but I didn’t know about.

And so, yeah, it was through those albums. And then luckily when I was older, I got to my mid to late teens – 17 kind of age – and Fairport, a couple of the members moved in nearby. I couldn’t believe it. You know, Swarb and Peggy moved into Cropredy. And I was at that time in the village where we are, Adderbury. I was part of the Morris that was being revived in the village. You have a tradition in the village of Morris dancing, which has now grown, I have to say, to three sides in the village, which is fabulous. But at the time I was a young, enthusiastic fiddle player playing for the Morris.

And I remember we played once. We danced out at the Brazenose in Cropredy. And who should come along to watch us, but Peggy? He’s always such a generous character. He’s so friendly and he’s such a gregarious character. And we didn’t actually speak that day, but he was giving me winks and nods. And so, Peggy was watching us dance. And then who should come along ten minutes later, but Swarb? Cigarette in mouth. And came and watched. So that was fabulous. And then it wasn’t long after that, that my brother, John, again, met Peggy in a park in Banbury, the People’s Park, where there was a little music festival going on. And John went up and said hi. By that time, we were in a local duo. Banbury John & Fiddler Chris was our name. And anyway, Peggy and John chatted and Peggy invited us over to his cottage, in Cropredy. To go over one night, bring our instruments. And the friendship’s been there ever since, you know. Wonderful.

And so not only did I get into the band, but in my very formative years, I actually met them. And then through that, I think I met Simon very soon after. Because there used to be a session over in one of the local villages every Sunday. And the Fairports would take their instruments over and have a knock sometimes with whoever was there. And I was always there then with my fiddle. So, the whole thing grew very organically but in a way I could never have dreamt of.

And from that whole period before you joined the band, would you say Liege & Lief was your favourite Fairport album?

In a way it was. I mean, it was amazing, actually, because there was that beautiful gatefold cover of Liege & Lie and when I opened it, they obviously had that idea of mixing their own contemporary writing for that album with some ballads and traditional songs. And what’s amazing throughout that album is that they blend so well. I don’t think there’s ever been an album where it’s done more successfully.

It is so seamless, isn’t it? Because if you didn’t know the history of the songs, you would be hard pushed to know which were traditional and which were written by the band.

You absolutely would. But then, of course, there are great tracks like ‘A Sailor’s Life’ (From Unhalfbricking). I’d never heard anything like that before. I was still at school and I remember taking that to a friend of mine. Every year has a visionary in the school, I think. And our visionary was a guy called Mark Bradley. But we’d play each other music and he’d play me things like John McLaughlin, My Goals Beyond and all those kinds of really, really far out albums. Which I loved,  again because there was a fiddle player, Jerry Goodman. Wonderful, wonderful. And I’d play him things like ‘A Sailor’s Life’, you know, with the wonderful atmosphere of it. And then when the track goes off into a kind of into kind of a jam at the end. Richard’s playing and Swarb’s playing, weaving around each other.

So, I was going around all the albums. I couldn’t get enough of it. I still can’t, actually – of music. You know, just always playing music.

Yeah. It’s just the backdrop to life as far as  I’m concerned.

I mean, obviously, there are other ways to live a life, of course. But I can’t imagine having a life without music. And some people that’s their life. They have other things that fulfil that space but, you know, music’s really important to me.

So now moving forward a bit, your first full tour as a member of the band, I think, was 30 years ago this this year.

Yeah, it’s been 30. December 96, I joined.

But you’d been in the in the band’s orbit for some years before that, as you’d mentioned. I think you’d already deputised for Ric at Cropredy one year. So, you sort of eased your way into the circle, I suppose?

I’ve been so kind of fortunate in my journey through all this, because there’s no better way to join a band, I think, than if you already know them socially, which was the case with  Fairport. Peggy and I were great friends. And Simon, of course, as well. We’d worked on projects up until then. Steve Ashley did a wonderful album called The Family Album which Peggy produced. And that was with Simon Nicol, Peggy, Bruce Rowland. who was the drummer of Fairport at the time, and myself and various other musicians brought in for the album. So, I’d kind of worked with them before, recorded with them, I’d become friends socially with them.

And so when I got the call, I remember it so well. I was in the Albion Band at the time with Chris While and Julie Matthews and Ashley Hutchings. And I was washing up with my marigolds, looking down the garden and the phone rang. And I answered the phone and it was Peggy and he said, “Maartin Alcock’s decided to leave. He’s off doing other things. And your name came up. How do you fancy joining the band?” There’s an instant voice in my head that said yes. So, my immediate reaction was, “Yes, I’d love to join the band.”

And then there was a pause and I said, “But what am I going to do?” Because up to that point in all the bands I’d been in, everybody I’d worked with, I’d been the fiddle player. That was my ‘seat’ in everything. And Peggy said, “Well, you play some mandolin, don’t you?” And I said, yeah, I did. And at that time, Simon Mayor and Hilary James, had a mandolin quartet and I’d been part of that together with Maartin Alcock. I don’t know how long that that lineup lasted. Just say it was ten months, I don’t remember. But during those ten months, I spent my time rehearsing and gigging, sat between Maartin Alcock on mandolin and Simon Mayer on mandolin. So, my mandolin proficiency curve took a steep rise. I was learning so much and I always played a bit of mando. But that like a boot camp, a mandolin boot camp.

And so, I said, “Yeah, I play some mandolin.” And literally two months before that phone call, I was with the Albion band playing at the Fylde Folk Festival, I think it was. And Fylde Guitars were there. They had a stall and I went to have a look, as I do at instrument stalls. And there was a bouzouki hanging up and it was a reduced offer because the front had a split in the growth and he had to repair it. So, it was cheaper than a model without that.

And so, of course, I picked it up and I played it and it sounded fantastic. It was really great. And I said, “I want this, you know, I’ll get this.” I’d never played bouzouki before. But little knowing that two months down the line, that bouzouki would come in really handy initially because I had something else I could play.

I remember going over to Ric’s and Ric said, “Don’t worry, man, just come and play fiddle on everything. That’ll be fine. We’ll have two fiddles, you know.” And I knew it kind of wouldn’t. I felt it wouldn’t work for the audience as much as anything. So, I said, “Why don’t I just play the mandolin and bouzouki and then on certain numbers I’ll pick the fiddle up and we can have two fiddle things.” Which is what we did and that’s how it worked out.

And, of course, replacing someone like Maartin Alcock is impossible. He was such a fantastic multi-instrumentalist with such great musical ideas. And he was something I’m definitely not. I mean, I grew up through the folk scene. That’s my background. That’s where I’m at. That’s where I’m comfortable. It’s where my influence, my inspiration comes from – my main inspiration. I listen to everything. I’m inspired by everything. But my root is in roots music. Acoustic. Whereas Maartin had that incredible facility of keyboards, he could play Hammond organ, he could play electric guitar, as well as playing great bouzouki and great mandolin. He had a very wide palette.

But I guess what I had, I was definitely a vocalist, a singer. Used to singing, being the main singer of songs. And also, the fiddle, I had the fiddle and I did play some whistles and stuff. And when I initially joined, I remember I got myself built an electric bouzouki. Solid body bouzouki. I got myself two built, one a five-string tele one and one four string double.

And to be honest, I stuck with them for a while. And then when you join something so important and as big a thing as Fairport was for me, it’s how you’re going to build your nest. How are you going to find what your input is to the band? And it can’t be done instantly. Well, I couldn’t do it instantly. So, I was playing these solid instruments and just not feeling seated with them. You know, people who play electric instruments, they understand. It’s a weird thing to say but they understand the acoustic properties of it, although it doesn’t have any essentially acoustic properties, but through pedals and amps and using pickups, they have a quality that you have to bring out. Anyway, I stopped using those quite soon after I joined and I went back to the acoustic bouzouki, mandolin, fiddle. Things that were me, you know.

And in terms of my writing, I was very fortunate that the band have always been very supportive of my writing. I mean, as an occasional songwriter. I know people who are who are songwriters. There are loads of them who that’s what they do. That’s how they see the world. They see the world through writing songs.

Whereas I love songwriting and I have moments where I’m touched by something that writes a song. And it has a credibility so I’ll take those whenever they come. But generally, I’m equally as interested in fiddle tunes, in mandolin music, in other aspects of what I do. And I don’t see the world through songwriting, put it that way.

But I did have that to offer and Fairport were about to record an album, the title of which was Who Knows Where the Time Goes. And Dave Mattacks was still in the in the lineup then. And I had a song called ‘John Goudie’ which had been written in my Whippersnapper days,  the band that I was in with Dave Swarbrick and Martin Jenkins and Kevin Dempsey. And so, I brought that into the recording and that kind of instantly stamped a part of me. That could bring a song into Fairport and it be a good part of what the band does.

So, from that moment, Fairport’s always been very supportive of my songwriting. And like all writers of anything, you have songs you know aren’t suitable for the band. And I do a few solo gigs and they’ll come into that, or some I know will probably really work with the band and some that are just not songs I want to do anyway. So, getting back to your question, joining the band, I was able to bring that aspect of myself into the band and build my nest.

Obviously, ‘John Goudie’ has remained a staple for the band ever since. It’s a wonderful song. And on the next album after that, I think that’s when you really began to make your presence felt in terms of writing, because you had that one contribution on your first album and then on The Wood and the Wire, it’s quite a lot of Chris Leslie credits on there. Did your writing really begin to flourish then after you joined the band? And did you find you were writing a lot more than previously?

The Wood and the Wire is a very interesting album to look back on because I’d got a few songs bubbling over that I was about to finish when we were about to look to the next album. And Peggy came up with a great suggestion. He said, “How do you fancy getting together with another writer and see what songs you could come up with for the next album?”

And he suggested Nigel Stonier. And that was quite a moment because I thought, “Yeah, that would be a great idea.” And then, of course, what bubbles to the surface for me was all my inadequacies that I felt. Imposter syndrome, I think it’s called. “Can I really sit with a guy who writes and produces albums and sit and let things come out?” Anyway, I thought this is a lovely idea, actually. So, we got in touch with Nigel and he said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” So, we’re in this very room I’m talking in now. We sat together for… something like ten days over a fortnight period.

And what was lovely was Nigel was so lovely. He’s great to work with. I really enjoyed the process. And up to that point, I was a writer that had only written by myself. So, I only had my own ideas about how to be creative – writing. With instruments it’s different because you sit next to people, if you’re in a session or something and you hear things you like. Or if you’re in a band, you’re always getting feedback or input or inspiration from what’s around you. But songwriting for me up to that point had been very lonely. Not that I thought of it like that. It’s just what it was, you know.

So, Nigel would come over. He’d come over at 10 in the morning. We’d get our instruments out, sit head to head. And just throw out ideas, be they lyrically, be they instrumentally, be they riff-wise, be they chord sequence-wise. And for me, it allowed me to kind of open up in front of somebody.  Because how musicians work is very interesting. How they tick, I’ve found completely fascinating. And more so the older I get, the more it fascinates me. Because everyone’s coming from their own life, really. Everyone’s coming from their own filter, their own experience, their own inadequacies, their own positivity.

For instance, most things I do, I do completely by ear. So, because that’s what I do, I’ve got quite a good ear… I hear quite sophisticated things within what I do but I can hear it. But some musicians can just say, “Well, you want a C7 with something on the bass there.” And that’s just communicated instantly. Some people can just pick up a piece like a chord chart and they’re there. Peggy can do it. Simon can do it. Ric can do it. I’ve never done that. I can hear it and I can do very basic chord charts, you know, G, C, D, F. But when it gets stretched, I’m having to rely on my ear.

And so, sitting down in front of Nigel that first time, I really had to just open up and just be who I was. And he didn’t bat an eyelid, of course. Of course he didn’t. He wouldn’t. It’s all in your own head, isn’t it? But what I’m trying to say is that that those ten days really gave me something that opened me up in many ways.

And Nigel was such an experienced creator. He has just little nuggets of what, for me, were nuggets of gold. You know, like you don’t have to consider a song finished until you actually record it… You can change it. It’s your song. And I suppose the thing he gave me more than anything was a feeling of freedom in writing. Let everything come through. Let any ideas happen.

So, what I’m getting to is The Wood and the Wire, quite a few songs on that are co-writes. The ‘Wood and the Wire’ (title track) is one and I love that song.  I think I came up with the riff. I came up with that and the groove. And then I think Nigel came up with the first line. And then we both contributed to the lyrics and he’d think about another chord and we’re going somewhere. And that’s how we worked. It was the only time we worked together, not for any other reason than that’s just how it was. I really enjoyed working with him and he contributed a lot to that album as well.

And lovely – the front cover is our son, Sam, looking in the music shop window. And literally this last week we had our grandson down, Taylor, who’s five. And he’s looking at a little Sam on that cover.

You’ll have to try and get him a slot on Fairport’s next album cover!

Yes, that would be great, wouldn’t it?

What do you want to tell us about the forthcoming spring tour then starting 17th of March?

Well, the first thing I’ll say is we’ve got the absolutely fabulous Jen Butterworth. She’s a wonderful singer, wonderful writer, wonderful guitarist, wonderful musician. And I’ve just been listening to her latest album. And it’s fabulous. And as always happens, she will do an opening set of about 20 minutes and then we’ll come on stage and join her for a song, which is always very exciting. And I’m really looking forward to  being on stage with her for a song.

We’ve pulled in some songs from our new album. We’ve got a new live album out for the tour. It’s called Roadworks. And I think it’s the first album we have Dave Mattacks back on the disc for a long time as an album, a complete album. I think I’m right in saying that. Because, of course, we lost dear Jerry Conway a few years ago, which is very sad. But like all these things that come around, DM was the perfect person to come back in. Totally known, totally loved and that’s gone well.

So, we’ve got this new album called Roadworks. We’re very pleased with it. All recorded live from the five-piece tour last year. And we’ll be doing numbers picked from that. We’re going back quite a long way with the repertoire.

About 24 dates, I think. And yeah, we’re all very excited. We’re all very up as a band. We’re all very up for it. And please come along.

Tour dates can be found on Fairport’s website here

Before we wrap up, is anything else you want to you want to tell us?

Well, I’ll also mention our wonderful Cropredy Festival, which is on the 13th, 14th and 15th of August. Great lineup. Again, look at the website for the details. But if I put the just headliners. A few bands, Le Vent du Nord on the Thursday night. They’re headlining, which will be fantastic. Turin Brakes that night as well. And we open up the afternoon. To anyone who hasn’t been to Cropredy, we do an acoustic spot when the festival opens just to welcome everyone onto the site, onto the field and then off it goes.

Friday night, I’m going to say Spooky Man’s Chorale. I’m going to say Braebach. I’m going to Celtic Social Club. Danny Bradley. Richard Thompson finishing off the night, together with Zara Phillips and, one of my favourite bands behind him, consisting of Simon Nicol, Dave Mattacks and Dave Pegg! That’ll be wonderful.

And then on the Saturday I’m going to shout out Hayseed Dixie. Amazing mandolin player and incredible versions of modern music in a bluegrass heavy style. Fabulous. I’m going to mention Jerry Colvin Big Band. Will Pound. Jen Butterworth. And we’re going to finish off that night with some friends coming up to play with us. If you haven’t been before, it’s so friendly. It’s such a great site and it’s just the one stage so don’t miss anything. Fabulous stalls. Come along!

Wonderful. Well certainly, I’ll be there again. Hopefully, a weekend in the sun but not too hot.

The sun is booked! Whether it comes along is another thing but it’s booked!

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