Editing Fairport Convention (section)

===1998–present===
[[File:FairportsCropredyConventionStageView.jpg|thumb|right|The stage at [[Fairport's Cropredy Convention]] in August 2009]]
[[File:Kami Thompson & Fairport Convention.jpg|thumb|[[Kami Thompson]] and Fairport Convention, 2012]]

Dave Mattacks moved to the US in 1998, and [[Gerry Conway (musician)|Gerry Conway]] took over on drums and percussion. Fairport produced two more studio albums for Woodworm Records: ''[[The Wood and the Wire]]'' (2000) and ''[[XXXV (album)|XXXV]]'' (2002). Then, for ''[[Over the Next Hill]]'' (2004) they established a new label: [[Matty Grooves Records]]. In this period the band toured extensively in the UK, Europe, Australasia, Europe, the US and Canada, and staged a major fund raiser for Dave Swarbrick at the [[Birmingham Symphony Hall]]. In 1998, members of the band began their association with the Breton musician [[Alan Simon (musician)|Alan Simon]]. Working in collaboration with numerous others, members of Fairport (predominantly Nicol and Leslie) have performed in and participated in the recordings of all Simon's rock operas, including the ''[[Excalibur (rock opera)|Excalibur trilogy]]'' (1998, 2007, 2010) and ''[[Anne de Bretagne (rock opera)|Anne de Bretagne]]'' (2008).

2007 was their fortieth anniversary year and they celebrated by releasing a new album, ''[[Sense of Occasion]]''. They performed the whole of the ''[[Liege & Lief]]'' album live at Cropredy, since 2004 renamed Fairport's Cropredy Convention, featuring the 1969 line-up of [[Dave Swarbrick]], [[Ashley Hutchings]], [[Dave Mattacks]], [[Simon Nicol]] and [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]], with singer-songwriter [[Chris While]] taking the place of [[Sandy Denny]]. Footage of the festival, although not the ''Liege and Lief'' performance, was released as part of a celebratory DVD.

The band's first official YouTube video appeared in April 2008. Edited from footage shot for the DVD, the nine-minute mini-documentary includes interviews with [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]], [[Jools Holland]], [[Seth Lakeman]], [[Mike Harding]], Geoff Hughes and [[Frank Skinner]].

In 2011 the band released a new studio album [[Festival Bell]], the first new album in four years. This was followed in 2012 by ''Babbacombe Lee Live Again'' recorded live during the 2011 tour revisiting the ''Babbacombe Lee'' album first issued in 1971. In 2012, the band also released ''[[By Popular Request]]'', a reworking in the studio of a number of the most popular songs in the band's repertoire (as determined by a mysterious consultation and voting process conducted by the band with its fans).

{{as of|2020}} the band continues to write and record music, regularly producing new studio albums, the most recent releases being 2015's ''[[Myths and Heroes]]'', 2017's ''[[50:50@50]]'' and 2020's ''[[Shuffle and Go]]''. The [[Covid-19 Pandemic]] impacted significantly on their ability to tour, and their 2022 tour was initially cut short after several of the touring team developed Covid.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fairport Convention postpone Worthing date because of Covid|url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/fairport-convention-postpone-worthing-date-because-of-covid-3568381|access-date=20 February 2022|website=www.sussexexpress.co.uk|language=en}}</ref>

In 2022, Gerry Conway made the decision to leave the band after 24 years, and it was announced that the band would continue as a four piece.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 September 2022 |title=Fairport Convention's drummer, Gerry Conway, is leaving the band |url=https://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/news/people/fairport-conventions-drummer-gerry-conway-is-leaving-the-band-3840477 |access-date=1 October 2022 |website=www.banburyguardian.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> Conway did not make public that he left because he was suffering from [[motor neurone disease]] from which he was to die in April 2024.<ref name="burlass">{{Cite web|url=https://atthebarrier.com/2024/03/30/thank-you-gerry-conway/|title=Thank you, Gerry Conway.|first=John|last=Barlass|date=30 March 2024|website=At The Barrier}}</ref>

On the bands Winter 2023 UK Tour, they were joined by a returning Mattacks on drums and percussion who also returned for the 2024 winter tour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=thestrangebrew |date=7 February 2023 |title=Dave Mattacks on playing with Fairport Convention for Winter 2023 UK Tour |url=https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/dave-mattacks-fairport-convention/ |access-date=2 March 2023 |website=The Strange Brew |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=ra120118 |date=26 November 2022 |title=Fairport Convention Announce Winter 2023 UK Tour - with Very Special Guest on Drummer's Stool |url=https://spiralearth.co.uk/fairport-convention-announce-winter-2023-uk-tour-with-very-special-guest-on-drummers-stool/ |access-date=2 March 2023 |website=Spiral Earth |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":8" />