Oxygen (Catfish And The Bottlemen/1975)

Saffron

"Oh since i was dead little really, me dad used to love all like the beatles, bob dylan, and the streets, me dad really really liked the streets," I watched Fliss as she spoke, into the microphone, our third interview of the day, laughing and giggling along, lighting up the little tent we were sitting in, glowing in her seat whilst I sat beside her a shadow in comparison.

Van was watching from my peripheral vision, Fliss hadn't seen him yet but I got the impression he was trying not to be seen. There was a small smile lingering on his lips as he listened and watched contentedly from where he stood leaning up against a make shift wall, splitting out interview from someone elses.

""The streets? Really?!" Laughed Dylan, who was grinning away, arm around Fliss like they'd know eachother for years, then again they had. I wondered how Van felt about "Drunk Dylan from Birmingham" who she'd met at a tia maria stand on the isle of white two years before.

The story that they'd giggled their way through at the start of the interview, is that he'd hit on her and felt like a criminal because she was only 16 at the time, they'd seen the charlatans together on the last night of the festival and their departing words were that next time he saw he'd be interviewing her. And here she was.

"Yeah, reckon I know A Grand Don't Come For Free and Original Pirate Material off by heart,"

"She raps in her sleep," I nodded forcing a cheeky smile of my own, trying my best to remain tuned in. I had other things on my mind, I'd fallen victim to a familiar disconnect I always seemed to feel when Rhys disappeared. A distant feeling wrapping its arms around me waist in his place.

He'd been gone for two months now, we'd heard nothing from him, only the back gate clanging shut behind him after he'd broken in one night in late April. He was always there though, in the back of my mind. At first we thought he'd gone back to the band, but Ryan had called Fliss last weekend asking after him, asking how he'd taken "it" and upon asking what exactly "it" was, she'd uncovered a whole new reel he'd been spinning me.

"To be honest I just like anyone thats got good lyrics," she admitted with a small smile, "I'm a slut for clever lyrics like,"

"Why doesn't that surprise me," smirked Dylan leaning forward with a knowing smile as he looked between her and Van, fliss still blissfully unaware of his presence.  "That why you've been hanging round van mccann lately then? I knew it had to be more than just his boyish charm..."

"Yeah Vans lyrics are class," she grinned, "I like you know the one ewan McGregor did... I like those lyrics, im so impatient when youre not mine... love it, oh and outside as well, I think Smother me in lippy is absolutely one of the best lines, cause its so simple int it, but youve all got that one mate that gets absolutely shiters and kisses everyones cheeks the whole way home, yous all wake up next morning covered in red lipstick... proper clever that one," she seemed to get more scouse the more excited she got, her eyes all lit up with it, I couldn't help but smirk struggling to hold back a laugh because she'd never have said any of it had she known he was listening in. I flashed Van a grin, I could tell he was itching to slip in between us, he had that feverish look in his eyes again half fond and endeared, half fizzing with pride and mutual admiration. Like there were a thousand things he was desperate to say about her."Van an the lads are just class lads you know, dead friendly lids, they're takin us on the american tour wi them in November you know, proper looking forward to that, these what we're doing now are like warm up gigs," she joked.

"Yeah I think Van may have mentioned that to me last time I saw him, he seemed pretty made up about it too, the lads are pretty big fans of yours aren't they,"

"Not as big a fan as Fliss is of them," I teased drawing a laugh from dylan and a grin from Fliss who shrugged me off nonchalant as you like.

"We've not got as many songs for them to sing in the shower as they have us, jus you wait" she smirked and I had to bite back a laugh because for a moment Van was caught stunned, his eyes wide, his adams apple popping as he visibly swallowed down and struggled to think of something clever to say. Still he managed it.