While the Gallagher brothers and Oasis had already broken through with debut ‘Definitely Maybe’ in 1994, which brought with it singles like ‘Supersonic’, ‘Shakermaker’ and ‘Live Forever’, their legendary status was sealed with follow-up ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’. The album released at the height of their britpop rivalry with Blur, selling over 22 million copies since 1995, making it the best-selling British album of the 90s. It features the Manchester rock group’s biggest hits, including acoustic anthem ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, and ‘Champagne Supernova’.

Following Noel’s departure in 2009 which led to Oasis’ split, he had a high-profile feud with brother Liam until they confirmed they had reunited in 2024 and announced tour dates the following year. Their 2025 world tour became a monumental event, shifting over 2 million tickets and taking in nearly £398 million, while boosting the profile of the band and their music higher than ever before. If ever there was a good time to sell a piece of the band’s history, it might be now.

Noel’s Epiphone EJ-200 acoustic guitar is signed by him, and was used in the famous 15-day writing and recording process of ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’, coming with a certificate of authenticity to prove it. The story goes that Gallagher gave it to a member of their road crew, who then sold it onto the current owner who is putting it on auction. The owner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, is described by Sotheby’s New York pop culture specialist Craig Inciardi as “a huge Oasis fan. He was in the social circles of people who were around the band at the time.”

Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone EJ-200 guitar. (Photograph: Sotheby’s)

The guitar is listed in Sotheby’s Rock & Pop Sale, alongside Gallagher’s Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, which he used for over 10 years with Oasis, and a hand-written manuscript lyric sheet for Oasis’s hit ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, their first single to feature Noel on lead vocals. Other lots going on auction include a unique floor tom drum owned by The Who’s Keith Moon, a travel bible belonging to Elvis Presley, as well as Presley’s Hagstrom electric guitar, which is anticipated to sell for between $1 million and $2 million. Noel Gallagher’s last guitar to go on auction was his custom Silver Sparkle Les Paul, which sold for over £226,000 in 2024.

Sotheby New York’s Rock & Pop Sale opens for bidding tomorrow, the 9th of April and running until the 23rd, with Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone guitar expected to go for between $60,000 (£45,000) and $80,000 (£60,000). If you don’t have that kind of cash lying around but want to live through Oasis’ history all the same, the band are also releasing memorabilia for the 2025 live tour, including a feature-length documentary with no release date, and a photo book which is up for pre-order and will release this May.

David Gilmour joined the fledgling Pink Floyd as singer and guitarist in 1967 shortly before the departure of maverick Syd Barrett. Following an incident in 1970 where the band’s gear was stolen in New Orleans and they cancelled their US tour, Gilmour purchased the fairly nondescript black Fender Stratocaster in Manny’s Music, a New York City guitar dealers. After several modifications to the paint and the features of the guitar, it was ready to make its mark on the world.

The Black Strat- David Gilmour’s well-worn 1969 Fender Stratocaster

Speaking to Prog Magazine before the Black Strat’s initial sale in 2019, Gilmour said “it became my main guitar, the one I used pretty much on everything, unless there was a reason to want a different sound. So that’s definitely on ‘Meddle’, it’s on ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, ‘Comfortably Numb’. The four notes at the beginning of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ popped out of this very guitar, because it was there and in my hands! What can you say? It’s definitely earned its keep.”

After rifts with Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters, Gilmour reignited his solo career with UK number one album ‘On An Island’ in 2006, which saw the restored Black Strat in use for recording and touring. In 2008, Fender’s Custom Shop created a Signature Black Stratocaster in its honour, fitting to Gilmour’s specifications. His guitar tech Phil Taylor, who was responsible for its modifications and upkeep, published ‘The Black Strat’ in 2007, a chronicling of its physical evolution.

In 2019, David Gilmour parted with the guitar at a charity sale in New York, at the famed Christie’s auction house. It sold for a then-highest value of $3.975 million (currently just shy of £3 million) to US billionaire Jim Irsay, whose collection also contained other top-selling guitars from Gilmour, Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and John Lennon. Its value was surpassed in 2020 by the $6 million (£4.5 million) sale of Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar, best known for its use on Nirvana’s 1994 ‘MTV Unplugged’ set.

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Following Irsay’s passing in May last year, his collection estimated to be worth over $1 billion is currently being auctioned off, again at Christie’s. According to Billboard, the Black Strat was the subject of an intense 21-minute bidding war, before being sold to an as-yet unnamed online buyer for a staggering new peak of $14.5 million (£10.9 million). Also sold this week was Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia’s custom-made “Tiger” guitar, which went for over $10 million (£7.5 million).

David Gilmour celebrated his 80th birthday last week, on the 6th of March, also the 20th anniversary of ‘On An Island’. His latest release is 2024 album ‘Luck and Strange’ and it’s 2025 live performance recording ‘The Luck and Strange Concerts’, both of which are available for purchase on his website.

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Jack Gardiner, hailing from the Liverpool area, is something of a hidden gem, nestling in the realm between a multitude of genres and styles. While on the surface an extraordinarily talented jazz fusion guitarist, his masterful shredding encompasses rock, funk, blues, and far more. Past singles this year from his ‘Urushi’ EP, ‘Shibuya Meltdown’, ‘Eightfold Fence’, and ‘Mugen’, have tinkered with traditional Japanese sounds and instrumentation, all under under his laser-focused guitar playing.

But it is this final single, ‘Taxman’ that crowns his year off in beautiful fashion. Recorded with frequent collaborators Owane, a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and producer, and Henrik Linder, best known as the virtuoso bassist of experimental Swedish group Dirty Loops, the whole composition is an eclectic treasure trove of good vibes without a vocalist in sight.

While the funky bass pops harken back to US easy listening music of the late 20^th century, and the synths wash over like a summer breeze, it is of course the electric guitar that is the centrepiece, a mix of melodies you could almost sing along to, followed by Gardiner’s lightning-fast lead work. All of the elements blend to create a groovy bite of nostalgia and warmth.

As if the track itself wasn’t enough to evoke a feeling of summer, then the accompanying music video must be. Filmed on location on the coast of Norway, it features scenic views of the three musicians out on the cliffs, with the backdrop of crystal clear Nordic waters. When contrasted with the bleak sight outside English windows currently, you can tell why they didn’t attempt to film it here. And the playful, yet bizarre editing showcases that these three artists are having as much fun creating this music as listeners will be upon hearing it.

Jack Gardiner himself is an interesting character. He currently lives in Switzerland, where as well as writing his own music, he applies his talents to instructional courses and teaching materials for other keen guitarists. Having been in the spotlight as a unique talent since the age of 15, he caught the eye of many greats of the guitar world such as Tom Quayle, Rick Graham, and the renowned innovator Steve Vai.

Now Gardiner himself is on a rise of his own, releasing a diverse set of distinctive singles across 2025, as well as featuring as the lead artist on the promotional track ‘Matterhorn’ for guitar plug-in developer Neural DSP. With so much output, we can expect everything that comes after ‘Taxman’ to be just as exciting.

Jack Gardiner’s 2025 EP ‘Urushi’ and single Taxman, are available to buy on his Bandcamp store, and are also on streaming services. His educational courses are available on his website, and he is forecast to release a full album of material in February 2026.

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This solo project has been ongoing for Malia throughout April, where the Official Jackson Guitars Instagram revealed the rock guitarist’s involvement with the brand. Here the brand showed Malia speaking about his process in designing his new guitar, Pro Series Signature LM-87. Frontman and vocalist of Bring Me the Horizon Oli Sykes, supported Malia’s solo endeavours in the comments of the post, praising his impressive guitar skills with the exclamation, “Riff goes HARD”.   

Alongside the masterful guitar skills in the post, they linked this interview with Malia where he speaks more in depth about his process and design choices.

In this further exploration of the guitar with YouTube Channel Guitar World, Malia explains his history with the brand, stating that he got his first Jackson guitar at 15 and similarly used a Jackson guitar for Bring Me The Horizon’s first ever European tour. He goes on to say this is “the guitar I’ve dreamed of making”.

The Jackson brand was founded in the late 1970s as an independent guitar brand, emerging in the heavy metal scene and have since been dubbed as “shred machines”. Malia has shown prior involvement and admiration for Jackson Guitars, featuring on their YouTube channel several times over the years, most notably in their The Soloist series.

Malia’s passion and endeavours will not go unseen, with Bring Me The Horizon’s vocalist Oli Sykes recently teasing the idea of new music for the band. Here fans will soon see Malia’s powerful, deep riffs showcased on new music, as it has in past chart-topping albums ‘Amo’ in 2019 and ‘Post Human: Survival Horror’ in 2020. This led them to earn The Alternative/ Rock Act at The Brit Awards last year.

Although, they are also well known for older tracks, rising in popularity with their fourth studio album ‘Sempiternal’ in 2013, a metalcore, hard rock project which showcased fan favourite songs such as ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ and ‘Shadow Moses’. Their latest album ‘Post Human: Next Gen’ experiments with hyperpop, emo and rock, however they showcased their rock routes earlier this year with a creative heavy cover of ‘Wonderwall’ by Manchester indie rock legends, Oasis.       

There is an exciting chance for fans to win Malia’s Pro Series Signature LM-87 on the Jackson Guitars Instagram.   

 

 

 

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Squire detailed the incident, sharing that he broke his wrist back in 2020 when playing basketball with his son. His thumb on his dominant hand was affected, leaving him unsure of whether his guitar-playing days would have to be put behind him. He said, “There was a question mark over whether I would get full use of it back.”

Fortunately, Squire has been able to regain his abilities through a rigorous regime of physiotherapy. The incident ultimately “didn’t just force him to play again; it reignited his desire to do so.”

Squire has recently collaborated with Liam Gallagher on a much-anticipated single, “Just Another Rainbow.” Speaking on the collaboration, Squire shared, “I think we were both surprised at how complementary my guitar tone is with his voice and how the songs I’ve written worked for him.“

Gallagher and Squire have hinted that this will be the start of an ongoing musical relationship, with Gallagher commenting, “If John comes up with another load of songs that are banging, they’ll get it as well. Squire’s got a lot more in him. People look at John as this guitar hero, but he definitely knows how to write a fucking song.”

Squire also reflected on the Stone Roses reunion back in 2016 which ultimately fell flat. The iconic 80s Manchester group came together to put out two new singles, “All For One” and “Beautiful Thing” but a new album never came to fruition. Despite selling out stadiums across the UK and headlining numerous festivals, Squire said, “the general feeling was that nobody was that into even being in a band together, never mind making an album.”

The Stone Roses ultimately disbanded again, leaving a lull in Squire’s music career. Instead, he turned to visual art, co-creating the artwork for “Just Another Rainbow.” He said, “It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, or whether it’s visual or sonic. What makes me tick is creating.”

When questioned on any regrets he may have had within his music career, Squire shared, “There’d be a trade-off. I might not be married. I might not have as many children and I might not have seen as much of them. I don’t feel like I’ve massively fucked up.”

Squire has hinted at more upcoming tracks and has teased some potential tour dates, though nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

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Michael Chapman was born in Leeds in 1941 and began releasing music in the late 60s, with his formative debut Rainmaker being released in 1969 on EMI-owned label Harvest, cementing his place in history as an esteemed, and occasionally unsung hero of British music. Chapman’s output in the following decades showed no signs of slowing down, with a further ten albums being released in the 1970s and another nine albums between 1980 and 2000. Impressively, the musician’s final album True North was released in 2019 when he was 77 years of age.

By that point, Chapman had amassed over forty albums across his career and had been regularly touring the UK, USA and Europe. In 2012, a cover album celebrating his work was released by Tompkins Square Records, entitled Oh Michael, Look What You’ve Done: Friends Play Michael Chapman. The record featured contributions from musicians such as William Tyler, Lucinda Williams and Thurston Moore.

As for his sound, Chapman was no meagre emulation of his contemporaries or peers, which is evidenced not only by his songwriting abilities and thoughtful lyrics but in particular the virtuosic guitar playing that features all across his discography; from the blistering instrumental tunes on Rainmaker to the subdued, bittersweet fingerpicking of 1995’s Navigation.

Since his passing, an outpouring of heartfelt tributes have been made in Chapman’s memory by friends, family and prominent musical figures such as Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, who stated “We got to know England when (and because) we got to know you. Thank you hero. Rest in Ecstatic Peace Michael Chapman (1941-2021)”, accompanied by a video of Chapman playing the guitar.

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We’re really excited to share that we’ve joined the @ninjatune family and our new single ‘Talks’ is out everywhere now. Talks is the first single off our debut EP ‘Toner’ which will be out November 20th physically and digitally via @bigdadarecords. Toner features three new tracks and remixes from @the_mura_masa , @lynkslynkslynks and Daniel Fox of @birl_gand . You can preorder the 12” along with some merch bundles via http://pva.band Feels good to finally be sharing this music with you all – thanks for waiting Love to @laurenlaverne for premiering Talks on her show this morning and big love and thanks to all the people who’ve helped us work towards this release in the craziest of times – to Maddy, Darius, Marco, Dan, Lex, Feta, Lewis, Chloe, The Ninja Tune Team, Adam, Oli, Elliot, G, Tim P & everyone else who made this possible along the way. We love you! J, L & E x Artwork photography by @lewis.khan Styling by @chloealicefrieda Design by PVA & @slugxoxo

A post shared by PVA (@pva_are_ok) on Sep 30, 2020 at 2:00am PDT

The track opens with what sounds like a church organ sound, quickly interrupted by a rhythm section so energetic its impossible not to tap your foot too. PVA is a genre-defying band, but the dance element present in their debut single Divine Intervention is clearly alive and kicking in Talks.

Then enters the dark guttural sound of Josh Baxter’s voice: ‘I’ve been stuck tryna to play this game// and I rolled the dice just to see you again’, he sings, echoed by the heavenly vocals of Ella Harris. The chemistry between their voices is reminiscent of the classic partnership between Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot.

Talks was inspired by the relationship between two Red Dead Redemption characters, Abigail and John Marston. The repeated refrain, ‘you don’t wanna talk// nah you don’t wanna talk’ that Harris and Baxter sing interchangeably, could be a back and forth between the cowboy couple.

When Baxter sings ‘I’ve searched for forgiveness’, the edge in his voice makes it sound like he could be taking on the persona of the determined protagonist, with whom Abigail’s main complaint was that he wouldn’t leave behind his violent and vengeful ways. It is a tale as old as time, but PVA’s take is entirely fresh.

One of the most notable things about Talks is the instrumental maturity displayed. Synths, guitars and a tight drum beat all work together flawlessly; disappearing and reappearing at the perfect moments. The electric guitar accent that weaves through the song is is a pure stroke of genius, as is Louis Satchell’s drumming, which provides the framework for all the other layers.

For a young band with only two singles out, one might be surprised at how confident PVA’s sound feels. But the band has been playing together for a few years now, building up support through live performances in cult venues like The Windmill and the Bunker. Managed by members of the powerhouse DIY collective Slow Dance and having just signed to Big Dada, they are well set to go from strength to strength. You can preorder their upcoming EP Toner via their website.

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Happy 2 year anniversary Hunter My hunter years have been thrilling and scary and beautiful. I can’t wait to open a new chapter with you again

A post shared by Anna Calvi (@annacalvi) on Aug 31, 2020 at 5:19am PDT

Hunter is an apt name for an album so ferocious and primal as this one. Calvi said that she chose the title because she ‘hate[s] the fact that strong words about going into the world and taking what is yours are so male-gendered‘. This hatred is clear from the first track onward. In As a Man Calvi sings over a repetitive bass-line and war-like drums: ‘If I was a man in all but my body// Oh would I now understand you completely’.

It is an exploration of the still pervasive sentiment that Queen Elizabeth expressed when she defended her status as a female leader with the words ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king‘. Calvi said in a press release that: ‘If a woman wants to be powerful she’s expected to exhibit ‘male’ traits… the woman in the song is trying to understand a man by imagining becoming him, but as it progresses she asks the man to become more like her instead’.

She continues, ‘there hasn’t been enough effort for men to become more like women… Men are brought up believing that to be feminine is to be weak… both sexes need to be able to move to the middle of the spectrum’. This measured and interesting idea runs through the album, especially on the track Don’t Beat the Girl out of My Boy.

This song starts with a doo-doo chorus over upbeat guitar. It is a joyful celebration of gender non-binary ideals, a call to society to let the children be. To let boys cry and girls be bossy in the playground. Toward the end of the track Calvi sings ‘I shout out// Let us, be us’ and lets out a Kate-Bush-esque wail for a full 40 seconds. Her passion and pain toward the subject of gender is evident in her cry, and as a result its sound is enough to send shivers down anyones spine.

The album is a political piece of artistry. It remains as relevant now as it was two years ago, if not more so.

On March 26th, he took part in his first live stream lesson number one; ‘Let it go’, and published it for those who missed his live stream that day.

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Had a great time breaking down Let It Go with you all on Instagram live yesterday! In case you missed it or want to give it another go, here’s the full video. I’ll be going live again tomorrow (Friday 27th March) for lesson 2 at 5pm UK time. Tune in for Hold Back The River! x

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Since then, James Bay has live-streamed and published 10 new lessons on his Instagram page with the latest one posted yesterday on ‘Need the sun to break’ including a mini-gig to celebrate lesson number 10 only for the pleasure for his fans.

Tonight, at 5 pm, join him for his eleventh lesson and why not try and learn new guitar chords and if you are looking to learn any of his specific songs, scroll through his Instagram page for more of his quirky lessons. James Bay has been a lot on social media lately playing music to cheer up people stuck at home during the UK confinement and social distancing guidelines due to Covid-19.

Yesterday he went live with Russell Howard and played ‘Hold Back The River’ for #HomeTime, a TV show which you can follow on Russell Howard’s YouTube channel or Instagram account every Tuesday and Thursday.  

 

 

 

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Watch @JamesBayMusic perform Hold Back the River on #HomeTime #acoustic #jamesbay #london A post shared by Russell Howard (@russellhoward) on Apr 27, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

“We’re blown away by the overwhelming response to our three months of free guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons on Fender Play,” said Fender CEO Andy Mooney.

Another act of support for musicians, in this unpleasant reality, was the company’s involvement in initiatives like the “Uncancelled Music Festival” and MusiCares “COVID-19 Relief Fund”, helping, not only the musicians, but the touring personnel as well.

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To sign up for a free 3 months of Fender Play, interested users can visit fender.com/playthrough . The link will lead to the official Fender Play website, where musicians can receive a code to enter and start learning. Card info is not needed for that process. As stated in the official announcement “There are no strings attached – just music” The video lessons are versatile in terms of the genre preference and the level of the musician.

The program is directed by professional music teachers and it gives beginner and intermediate players to learn and play the songs of their favourite artists. Short demo of a lesson with official guitar instructor Nikki Stevens has been posted on the Instagram Profile of Fender Play

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Since the company was established in 1946, it has been one of the leading gear suppliers for musicians all around the world, creating a loyal community of artists. Now 74 years later, Fender keeps supporting musicians of all generations.