Squid are one of the UK's most forward-thinking guitar groups, but when their guitar-playing multi-instrumentalist Louis Borlase talks about his earliest influences, a surprising name comes up. "I was obsessed with Bryan Adams for a while," Louis says. "In school I performed Run To You in front of the year group, which is probably my musical highlight to date."
TG's self-depreciation detector is sounding, but Louis' modesty is welcome nevertheless. In the last couple of years, he and his bandmates - fellow guitarist Anton Pearson, singer/ drummer Ollie Judge, keyboardist Arthur Leadbetter and bassist Laurie Nankivell - have made the ascension from niche club venues like Brixton's Windmill to outdoor festival stages such as Glastonbury. As Anton describes the band's early days: "Our first show was at The Verdict, a jazz venue in Brighton. We booked that show and then had to write music to fill the set. I don't think we would have felt comfortable doing that for a 'normal' gig venue."
This avant-garde approach clearly worked, as Squid's love of Talking Heads-style art rock, krautrock, ambient electronics, odd time signatures and brass instruments landed them on famed dance label Warp Records for their debut album Bright Green Field - not bad for a band who seemed to suffer from a tinge of imposter syndrome in their early days. As Louis recalls: "When we first started playing gigs, we'd be looking at other groups like, 'They look like a proper band. They're playing their instruments like a proper band'. But one thing that's been quite explicit is the fact that we've never really wanted to come across like we're doing things properly - to know what 'properly' would mean!" Speaking from the Warp Records HQ in London, Louis and Anton are discussing their expansive new album O Monolith, recorded in Peter Gabriel's serene Real World Studios in Wiltshire...
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Total Guitar.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Total Guitar.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"You Can Imagine a Song in a Completely Different Genre" - The mysterious Lord Phobos, guitarist for TWRP, has covered everything from disco to Def Leppard in his collaborations with tongue-in-cheek duo Ninja Sex Party.
The mysterious Lord Phobos, guitarist for TWRP, has covered everything from disco to Def Leppard in his collaborations with tongue-in-cheek duo Ninja Sex Party. He explains what makes a great cover version - and reveals the one guitar and the one pedal he couldn't live without...
Some Things You Want to Tweak and Make Your Own- How the Foos' Chris Shiflett reworked two rock classics on his recent solo EP
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett is also a solo artist in his own right, and his latest EP Starry Nights & Campfire includes Lights covers of two great old rock tracks - Thin Lizzy's Cowboy Song and the ballad Don't You Ever Leave Me by Hanoi Rocks, the Finnish band that did so much to inspire Guns N' Roses.
"It Gives Me Physical Satisfaction To Play Funk Riffs!" - Into the groove with Giacomo Turra, the Italian guitarist who made his name covering classics by Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and more...
Into the groove with Giacomo Turra, the Italian guitarist who made his name covering classics by Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and more... Born in Milan, his funk guitar sensibility can be traced back to the dance studio where his mother taught, and the tunes he heard blasting out of her boombox. "I like to experiment with a lot of genres, but the really interesting thing for me is I really grew up on funk, and a little bit of jazz and fusion music," he says.
- Try out these creative tips and make your cover versions stand out
Try out these creative tips and make your cover versions stand out
BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE
Heavily requested on rock radio stations thanks to their unique twist on bluesy Americana, Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse are the kind of band that thrive in front of large crowds on hot summer days just as much as more intimate performances inside sweaty underground basements.
BOSS KATANA-50 GEN 3
The Japanese giant cuts through the noise with its new practice amp
SOLOKING MS-1 CUSTOM 22 HH
A great value guitar looking to clash headstocks with the big boys
IK MULTIMEDIA TONEX ONE
The most powerful amp modeller for its size, bar none
YAMAHA PACIFICA STANDARD PLUS PACS+12M
Yamaha's long-running doublecut finally gets a makeover
NO MORE MR.BRIGHTSIDE!
The 10 songs you should never cover. Or at least think twice before trying...