Hailed as the originators of British folk-rock music, Fairport Convention remains one of the most entertaining bands on the live music scene, 47 years after they played their first concert.

Consisting of Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Ric Sanders, Chris Leslie and Gerry Conway, Fairport Convention have been rocking out since day one.

Their hits include Si Tu Dois Partir, Meet on a Ledge and I’ll Keep it with Mine.

Despite various changes throughout their long history, the group has been consistent in their line up since 1998.

Simon Nicol, the band’s lead singer and lead guitarist, is the only original band member still in the line up.

He said: “We’re closer than most friends; we’re more like a family. I think it looks a bit hectic when you look at our history but we were very young back then. I think the line up we have now works for us. There was never any acrimony at any point with people leaving, people just drifted away for natural reasons. We’ve never had to start from scratch.

“You can check out but you can never leave Fairport Convention!”

The band are preparing to take on their 2015 winter tour, which will see them perform at the Wycombe Swan on 4 February and Simon can’t wait to get started.

“We did a warm up show in Glasgow and it went really well. We debuted five new songs; it was a proper dress rehearsal and it went really well.

“I'm looking forward to another run; we have been doing this for 25 years now but I still enjoy every minute.”  

So what can the audience expect from their new show?

“It’s a mix of exciting new songs as well as the classics; the repertoire goes back to 1968 and then there’s everything in between. Some of the core elements have been there from the get go and it would be churlish not to do them.

“We’re not trying to recreate the band from back then; we’re not a tribute to original band. We do the songs that work well for us.”

Despite a huge back catalogue, Simon still has his favourite songs to perform.

“It’s probably Meet on the Ledge. It’s become our anthem. It’s a song that just hasn’t gone away but it has changed a lot in the years since it was released. It’s one that the audience knows and sings along to.”

The iconic group was almost disbanded when disaster struck the band. The van they were travelling in crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig, leaving two people dead and the rest of the band with severe injuries.

 “It was terrible. It made us all as individuals, question whether we wanted to carry on and whether we wanted to rebuild the band. I was 18 and I had been in the band for two years. I thought, I could go back to school and pretend the last two years didn’t happen, or we could reform. We had to create a whole new working group, a new album with a new sound.”

But what followed was Liege and Lief, arguably the band’s most iconic album, in 1969.

Simon left the band in 1972, but he says there were never any hard feelings between him and the rest of the group.

“I was the last of the original five members in the band. I was on stage one night in Texas somewhere and just thinking to myself, I don’t want to do this anymore. I’d been doing it for five years and I felt like life was passing me by. I didn’t have any plans, I just wanted a break.  I let the boys just get on with it. I never lost touch with them, we were always great mates. I learnt a lot about the other side of music by being a producer and engineer but I was drawn back to the band.”

Simon rejoined the band in 1976 and has been firmly in place ever since. But after almost 50 years, can he ever see the band retiring?

“We’re doing the next winter tour in 2016 and then in 2017 it will be our 50th anniversary. I still enjoy doing what we do. At times it feels like you’re doing a young man’s job in an old man’s body but you learn a lot about yourself. You become wilier and better organised. We’re all very fortunate; none of us find it a chore. I see the van as my second home now and we have made so many friends along the way.”

I will be too old to continue one day, but not yet. The band is much bigger than any of us as individuals. I don’t see any reason why the band couldn’t go on without us. It could go on forever if people want it to.”

The band still have plans for more albums and tours and specifically look forward to the Cropredy Festival, which they hold every year in August.

“The Cropredy Festival is the biggest event in the band’s year, it’s the highlight. That brings in an awful lot of interest in our music from people, whether they have been fans forever or not. 

“We’re already thinking about 2016. The new album has given us a whole new lease of life. We’ve got a very strong songwriter in the form of Chris Leslie. It’s a very strong record, it’s very exciting.”

Fairport Convention will be performing at the Wycombe Swan on 4 February. Tickets are available at www.wycombeswan.co.uk or by calling the ticket office on 01494 512 000.