Features

Everybody knows B.B. King played a Gibson guitar named Lucille – but what model was it really?

By Tony Bacon published 8 May 26

B.B. King will forever be known as the great bluesman who always played Lucille. But he had many Lucilles

Mark Collins on triumph, tragedy, and the long-awaited return of the Charlatans

By Henry Yates published 7 May 26

Collins explains why the Britrock survivors still believe in albums and real amps moving air, and discusses their return to the formative Rockfield Studios after three decades

Up close and personal with a '63 Strat and '70s Höfner Violin Bass with Oasis and Ocean Colour Scene connections

By Huw Price published 7 May 26

This 1963 Fender Stratocaster and 70s Höfner 500/1 violin bass guitar recently went under the hammer – and, as it turns out, these were Britrock unicorns for collectors

How Laura Cox threw the blues-rock rulebook out the window and found herself in the process

By Joe Bosso published 7 May 26

From the smallest screen in our pockets to the stage and studio, can anyone stop the French garage-blues prodigy from taking her rock sound to the to the masses?

The making of the Smiths’ 1986 classic The Queen Is Dead

By Henry Yates published 6 May 26

It was a square peg amid the shred scene and almost sank Johnny Marr, but the Smiths’ majestic third album ended up as the jewel in their crown

Why P-funk legend Michael Hampton is keeping an open mind in search of his solo sound

By Andrew Daly published 6 May 26

The P-Funk veteran takes us inside his latest life stage, a much more mellow place than the frenzied funk days of his past

How the Dirty Nil’s sound runs on vintage Marshall power and a healthy serving of the Rat pedal

By Jim Beaugez published 5 May 26

Weaned on the Stooges, Luke Bentham developed a taste early on for any player who could “peel paint” from the walls. Here, he walks through the high-volume approach behind the Dirty Nil's latest, which originally provoked a cease-and-desist from the Holy See...

Richard Oakes on the making of Suede’s 1996 Brit-pop classic Coming Up

By Andrew Daly published 5 May 26

Guitarist Richard Oakes arrived in the band as Bernard Butler's replacement – a relative rookie. Suede were supposedly cooked. And yet in songs like Trash and Beautiful Ones, they had something special indeed

How fast-rising blues ace Laura Chavez found her voice on guitar

By Damon Orion published 5 May 26

On her solo debut, the longtime backup musician proves she’s got far more than the blues in her bag

38 bassists appeared on Bob Dylan albums before Tony Garnier came onboard. In the 37 years since, no others have

By Chris Jisi published 4 May 26

With a career backing artists like Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Chuck Berry, and Tom Waits, Tony Garnier is a walking textbook of bass history