Phil Sky - Cranfield

The moon was high, a large white orb that hung in the heavens and lit up the frozen landscape and the icy road shone like a white river that carved its way through the fields past tiny cottages that huddled together for warmth and occasional seasonal decorations radiated like beacons out from cottage windows and into the cold December night. As we neared Cranfield, the red runway lights poked up out of the fields and sporadic cottages broke into streets and houses and shops and finally The Carpenters Arms and our second stop on the Six String Theory Tour.

Once inside, the pub was warm and welcoming and adorned with Christmas decorations. A big, scary animated Father Christmas and a rotund Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer occupied the back room where a Christmas party was in progress but in the front room where we would be playing there was a large Christmas tree, streamers on ceilings, a seasonal window scene diorama on the bar and an open fire burning over the hearth. Our tour poster was pinned up on the wall along with the pubs own, bizarre interpretation of the tour printed on bright red paper (The Saving Salvation Tour?? With Rick Sky??) but either way it was exciting to see the tour poster up when we arrived.

Scott opened the evening and it was another great set. His new songs Crush On You and The Finger Song sound better and better every time I hear them while classic Destined To Fail remains one of my all time favorite Seeking Salvation Through Love songs. My own set, this time with a full lineup with Olie on bass and Mickey on the cajon, felt fantastic and seemed to go down well enough with the local audience. There is something really magical that happens, at least for me, when all three of us play a set together on stage. I introduced myself as Rick Stein before running through the tour set - 10 songs in half an hour including México Viejo which just feels better and better live. The Further Adventures Of Vodka Boy turned out a predictably awesome set of unpredictability, sticking to an original and then a cover format and starting and finishing with songs by pop artist diva Lady Gaga. Then YC Olie, playing to his home crowd, headlined the evening. Opening with Frank Turner, playing through some of his best originals including Boy With The Heart Shaped Sleeve, Weak Knees (One Night Stand) and his brilliant new Christmas song Snow Came Down which really does set the bar very high for the soon to be released A Very Monkey Kettle Christmas, it was another awesome set.

It’s a real honor to be on tour with three such brilliant acts in fact and one of my best highlights of the night was getting to watch everyone’s sets again. If anything, second night of the tour, I enjoyed everyone’s sets more a second time round and can’t wait to see all the sets again. Next stop, Wolverton….