Folk-rock fans will be united in celebration this weekend, with the anniversary of one of the country’s best-loved bands.

It’s hard to imagine, but it is 45 years since Fairport Convention emerged, blinking, from the suburbs of North London, before single-handedly inventing what we now know as folk-rock. The band have since seen their share of triumphs and tragedies and have, of course, been through any number of line-up changes, but they have kept their trademark sound — a thrilling blend of vocal harmony, virtuoso fiddle-playing and catchy electric guitar licks.

Fans usually have to wait until the height of summer — for the Cropredy Festival, which the band started and still curate — to get their annual fix of such classics as Meet on the Ledge and Matty Groves, so, one imagines, many a tankard was raised high in the air when it was revealed the band would be playing an anniversary show on Saturday at Oxford Playhouse.

The show will feature songs from recent long player Festival Bell, as well as a selection of favourite tunes specially chosen by fans from the band’s groaning back catalogue — including seminal album Liege & Lief — cited by many as one of the the most influential albums of all time.

“Forty-five years is a milestone” says Simon Nicol who co-founded and still stars in the band. “But we don’t intend to rest on our laurels or hark back to the past. Fairport is a band that always looks to the future. All five of us are looking forward to getting back on the road — in fact, we’re raring to go — because our first love is live performance.”

He adds: “We’ve played in at the Playhouse before and we always enjoy coming back. In fact, it is one of our favourite venues.”

The show will open with a supporting set by Kieran Goss, one of Ireland’s best-loved singer-songwriters who has previously supported Elvis Costello, Christy Moore and Joe Jackson.

Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets are £20 from the ticket office on 01865 305305 or book online at www.oxfordplayhouse.com.