The heartbeat of the band, Bob brings the sonic foundation that allows the lead guitar and vocals to soar. With a love for massive, overdriven chords and decades of experience, he ensures that every track has the power and bottom end to fill any room.

Bob's journey to the guitar has been a lifelong obsession, rooted in a childhood spark that never faded. By prioritising the "big" sound over flashy solos, he anchors the rhythm section, locking in with the bass and drums to deliver a tight, high-energy performance. Whether he’s reminiscing about the early days of gigging or sharing the stories behind his collection of gear, Bob brings a grounded, honest perspective to the stage.

Let’s start at the beginning—how did you first pick up a guitar?

It all began when I was four years old. My parents took me to see Cliff Richard and The Shadows at the Gaumont Theatre in Trowbridge. It’s been knocked down now, but back in the day, it was the place to go for live music. It was Hank Marvin’s red Stratocaster that did it for me; that was the moment. I had to wait a few years, though. I kept pestering my parents to buy me a guitar. On the walk to school, there was an acoustic guitar in the window of an old record shop that also sold instruments. I’d make my mum wait with me every morning just so I could stand there and look at it—I was about six at the time. Then, one morning, it was missing, and I was heartbroken. Two months later, I came down the stairs on Christmas morning and there it was, waiting for me, along with a tuner and a Bert Weedon ‘Play in a Day’ book—which wasn't true! I was still figuring out how to tune the thing by the end of the first day. I learned to play a song on a single string because I could tune it one day, and it would be out of tune the next!

I struggled with that guitar until I was 16. Then, at my very first job, there was a guy in the office who wanted a classical guitar, so I swapped it with him for one with jumbo frets, which was quite awkward to play. He wrote out all the chords for me, and I took them home, drew each one out, and pinned them to the wall at the foot of my bed. I just started playing from there.

You've clearly got no time for flashy lead playing. What is it about laying down those massive, overdriven chords that really does it for you?

I’ve always preferred the big chords. If you listen to a band like Aerosmith, they have these massive overdriven chords that really have something to them—they make the hair on the back of your neck stand up! I’ve never really been interested in the "squiddly" lead stuff.

I like being part of the rhythm section. We’re laying down the groove—the drums, the bass, and me. The bass is the thunder, and I get to bring those chords with plenty of bottom end. I can do a bit of lead now and then, because you’ve got to be able to do that, but Olli is really good at it, so I’m happy to leave that to him.

Who are the guitarists that shaped how you play?

Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton—Hendrix is the man! Then there’s Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Pete Townshend. Those guitarists from the 60s and 70s had such a distinctive sound; you could tell who was playing just by their tone. There were a lot of great guitarists from that era. It was before the age of YouTube tutorials or music institutes, so they had to figure it all out themselves. That gave them each their own unique way of playing and their own signature sound.

I've spent 20 years trying out different pickups, pedals, and amps to find the right combination that gives me the sound I want. I'm pretty confident I've found it now and I'm keen to get out there and let people hear it!

Every stage you step on feels a little different. What are the gigs that really left their mark on you?

My very first gig was an acoustic show with a friend, on the same evening that Charles and Diana got married. A friend of mine was asked by a pub landlord if he would play, and he said he’d only do it if I played too. We practiced for two weeks and went out and played Bob Dylan, The Beatles, that sort of stuff. I was 16. Then I grew up, got married, got a job, had kids, and that all took over.

I had an acoustic 12-string and I used to play for my daughters. I’d play something and they’d come out from behind the bed and dance around. Then, in 2011, I met a guy through work who was a bass player. His band wasn’t playing because their lead guitarist was off following a hip replacement. This guy was getting on a bit and told me he wanted to be in a band he could be proud of before he died.

We formed a band, and his dad ran a business sending medics overseas to repatriate people who got injured abroad. Through that, he knew a girl in Spain who was running a festival in Madrid. She asked us to go out and play, so we sorted the details and ended up headlining it. We started at 10:00 PM and played until midnight; by the time we finished, it was freezing.

I played that festival three times. The last time, I got really ill with necrotising fasciitis. Fortunately, our bass player was a paramedic, his wife was a nurse, and a lot of people at the festival were medics. They worked on me until the ambulance got there. I found out later they didn’t expect me to make it to the hospital. They literally saved my life.

Wow, that definitely beats a gig being shut down by the police! So, who’s on your Spotify playlist?

The only playlist I really have is for the band to learn new songs, but I watch a lot of music DVDs. I’ve seen Joe Bonamassa live four or five times. When he was younger, his parents used to force him outside to play because all he wanted to do was stay in his room and play guitar. Ten minutes later, he’d be back in his room playing—the guy is really good.