With a line-up that’s an impressive who’s who of Scottish traditional music, Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook has been the start of the festive season for thousands of Scots over the past 15 years.
Minus one of course. The rousing show, like every other, was forced to move online last year. For its creator, 50% of the success of the show was lost.
“The audience is as much part of this show as we are. It’s a singalong, a party that we present but the audience are also participants, there’s just not enough room on the stage!”
Joining Phil on stage is Karen Matheson, Eddi Reader, John McCusker, Kris Drever, Ian Carr, Kevin McGuire and the Songbook Brass Ensemble.
The show arrives at Perth Concert Hall on Sunday, December 19 and tickets are selling fast, despite Phil’s opinion that numbers might not be as high as we emerge slowly from our bunkers and into these shared spaces again.
“It’s up to everyone to judge how comfortable they feel. Aly (Bain) and I have done around 20 gigs this year and they pretty much all sold out so hopefully people are happy to come out but will do it safely.
“For my musician friends, it has been a torturous couple of years. Some people have been pretty much living on the road for 45 years. For someone to turn around and say you can’t do that anymore… it was genuinely very tough.”
Hard time with Covid
Phil had an extremely tough time himself, with a period of terrible depression.
He contracted Covid-19 and then a viral problem that led to him losing the use of his legs for a month and a half.
“I live on my own so I was incredibly lucky that my brother-in-law came to look after me. It was a bad time – I was very ill.”
With some gigs behind him this year, Phil can now look forward to this merry band travelling the country together. But first the rehearsals.
“We always rehearse for two days before the show. It’s all done in my living room, so it’s an additional joy.
“That line up is so good. First of all, and this is important for this show – we are all really good pals. Of course, they are all such good players too. If someone comes up with something, we can all investigate that idea together. “
Phil describes his living room being “filled with angels” as the voices of Eddi Reader and Karen Matheson soar and harmonise. I once found the postie outside the living room having a listen.
A magical process
“There’s a scene in Finding Neverland, where it’s clear that JM Barrie and his wife aren’t getting on.
“They both climb the stairs and they turn left and right into separate rooms. Her room is filled with darkness, whereas his is filled with butterflies light. That’s a great illustration of how I feel about my living room during those two days of the rehearsal.
“I even found the postie hiding outside the window having a listen to rehearsals!”
As glad as Phil was to get together to perform the show last year, he says that not seeing faces really made a huge difference to him.
“Being onstage with people you really trust musically and otherwise is always fun, and that fun translates to the audience. So many people tell me that for them, Christmas doesn’t really begin until they have been to the show. I feel honoured and I take that on board.”
‘I spend Christmas Day by myself’
So once the tour is over will Phil be getting the Christmas jumper on and diving into the mince pies? Sorry to break the spell, but definitely not.
“I spend Christmas Day by myself,” he says. “Usually it’s with my own vindaloo, but this year I’ll be walking out the front door of a little Spanish beach house and getting some sun.”
It’s a working holiday in many ways, with Phil taking a small keyboard to do some writing and to revisit a couple of children’s books that he started a few years ago.
“I want to see if I can work in those surroundings. Of course I’ll be nipping back and forward between there and here for my Celtic Connections commitments.
“First things first though and it’s time to bring some Christmas joy. I can’t wait.”
Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook, Perth Concert Hall, Sunday, December 19. More details from www.horsecross.co.uk
