It's been a long and winding road for music group Fairport Convention

Through six decades, Simon Nicol’s band have been through the full gamut of experiences from massive success to awful tragedy, writes Ed Power.

They don’t make bands like Fairport Convention any more. The English folk ensemble’s early days read like the most dramatic ever episode of VH1’s Behind The Music — a whirlwind of triumph, death, romance and groundbreaking art.

“A quick snapshot of Fairport is that we’ve had quite a turbulent history,” nods guitarist and longest serving member Simon Nicol. “We didn’t make two albums with an unchanged line-up until we got to number seven. That was a result of youth — we were finding our feet.”