The Year in Guitar

The return of the mega-gig. The rise of the guitar synth. Amazing new music, surprise comebacks and mindboggling new gear. The story of 2022 has all this and more...

If 2021’s silver lining was the barrage of new albums from artists with nothing to do except record, 2022 was the year all those acts hit the stage. We all knew it would be a gig bonanza, but ticket demand exceeded expectations. It’s also been a year of unexpected successes. Snarky Puppy, a 25-piece funk/jazz/rock combo, headlined Wembley Arena. The industry didn’t know what to do with Nova Twins, but they’ve been breaking out on the independent Marshall Records anyway. Tash Sultana’s ‘unplugged’ MTV gig, featuring Strats, shouldn’t have worked but somehow became a streaming phenomenon. And two octogenarians, Paul McCartney and Buddy Guy, turned in standout performances when some assumed they were past it.

We also saw the results of our massive Greatest Guitar Album poll, with readers choosing their favourite from each decade since the 1960s. We would never call you a predictable bunch, but it’s unlikely anyone spat out their coffee on learning you’d voted for Hendrix, Zeppelin, Van Halen, and Metallica. The 2000s and 2010s polls were harder to call, but Alter Bridge and Greta Van Fleet took the tape respectively.

The Newbies