“Iasked Eric, ‘Can I play them?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, ofcourse.’ So he went home and I had full licence to play his guitars”: Stephen Dale Petit on break-ups, cancer, Eric Clapton and why the original “blues hooligan” is no gun-for-hire

Stephen Dale Petite: 3. The Modern Flying V is a divisive design, but its lightweight, ergonomic build makes Stephen a big fan. It was specially made by Gibson’s Custom Shop and features a solid mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard – plus Stephen’s initials as part of the serial number.

For Stephen Dale Petit, new album Be The Love holds a Molotov cocktail of emotions. The Anglo-American bluesman takes a deep breath and decides which one he’ll dredge to the surface first.

There’s pride in an album that is hands-down the career peak of the man once dubbed a “blues hooligan” by Mojo, who has revved and ripped up trad-roots since he debuted with 2008’s Guitararama. There’s heartbreak bleeding across seven tracks that kick the hornet nest of a failed relationship.