Noise Pop: Gaz Coombes Ex-Supergrass (Solo)

It’s been an extraordinary journey for Gaz Coombes, from flashily whiskered pop tearaway to Ivor Novello and BRIT award-winning rock star to soundtracking the summer (he was responsible for that sublime cover of The Kinks ‘This Time Tomorrow’ for John Lewis earlier this year). However, the megawatt melodic genius responsible for ten Top 20 hits and six Top 20 albums has often obscured the fact that, like any 37 year old, he’s had his fair share of bumps and bruises along the way. It’s these aspects of his journey including self-doubt, personal loss and drug-induced tour psychosis which he faces up to on his remarkable new album, fittingly entitled Matador. “There’s definitely a tenderness, darkness, and uncertainty to the songs,” he says with a smile. “But I think there’s a resilience and a confidence about being vulnerable, even though that sounds contradictory.”