IT COULD be said that Winter Wilson are living the dream, but it could all have been so different.

Both with successful full-time careers in international marketing and social services, the duo of Kip Winter and partner Dave Wilson had for many years managed to fit part-time touring into holidays and weekends. In 2012, the aftermath of the financial crash left both Kip and Dave facing redundancy.

They saw it though as a one-off opportunity and decided to take a chance. "We gave ourselves a year to see how things would turn out," explained singer Kip. "And six years later we’re still getting away with it. It’s not easy, but playing music professionally sure beats working for a living."

In the years since, Tallullah (their trusty VW camper) has seen plenty of use, and critical acclaim has followed their every move; they even made one of the Daily Telegraph's Top Ten Folk Albums of Summer 2014 with the redundancy-inspired Cutting Free.

Kip and Dave have repeatedly toured the length and breadth of the UK, plus Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.

Early 2017 saw their first tour of Australia and New Zealand, so successful that a return trip is already set up for early 2019.

Then the couple was invited to join folk rock legends Fairport Convention on their 2018 UK Winter tour, playing 29 concerts across the country in a whirlwind 32 days.

“The whole tour was a complete blast,” added Kip. “After the launch gig in Tewskbury, we covered almost 4,000 miles, and had only three nights off in almost five weeks, but what a thrill to play on stage with such amazing musicians. We played to sell-out crowds in some of the country’s great music venues. Most of the audiences on the tour had never seen us before, so it's been wonderful to have so many of them turn up at our own gigs since then."

And, as if all of this wasn't enough, the pair were then invited to join Fairport on stage at their Cropredy Convention festival in August. "We're still buzzing from that one," added Kip.

"I can't say we weren't terrified, but to get such a great reception from a crowd of over 15,000 was an amazing experience, and certainly one we hope to repeat."

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Multi-instrumentalists and singers, Kip and Dave intersperse great songs and stunning harmonies with often hilarious stories of life on the road and spontaneous humour.

"Some of the songs can be quite hard hitting, so we know it's important to lighten things up in between," said Dave.

"Also we both like having a giggle, and luckily our audiences tend to join in."

Winter Wilson play Water Yeat Village Hall on Friday, November 23. Tickets at www.wegottickets.com/wateryeatvillagehall.