Alex Gavaghan is probably best known as the guitarist for Liverpool legends, The Cubical, but he’s also flying solo as well. New album, Out of Sight dropped last week, so we fired off 13 questions.

Alex Gavaghan, lead guitarist with Liverpool garage-blues five-piece The Cubical has in recent years also been earning praise for his solo material released through Belgian indie Freaksville Records.

His debut album Binman of Love and the follow up EP La La La Lucy introduced Gavaghan’s penchant for well-crafted tunes that hark back to the frantic early days of Merseybeat and the dreamy balladry of the 50s and 60s.

There then followed second LP, Wool Behaviour – a 28 minute collection of sizzling rock n roll belters recorded with live band The Boss Jockeys.

A new Alex and The Boss Jockeys album is in the offing later in 2021 but until then (“We need a proper launch show“) there are more solo records and collaborations to whet the appetite. The first album of the year being Out of Sight, a stripped-down collection of acoustic tunes old and new recorded at home and released last week.

Alex says: about the new album: “Recorded at home during the 2020 lockdowns, some songs are brand new, some have been nudging me to do something with them for as long as twenty years. At a time when any form of catharsis is very much welcome, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed recording these little bastards; it feels like a good old purge to get them out there. More to come“

And, so to the 13Qs:

1. Where are you and what are you doing?

In my home studio watching Liverpool beat Spurs.

2. What is your favourite view?

The view from the back of the Kop.

3. What is your favourite swear word and why?

Twat. It’s nicely bookended by two satisfyingly percussive ‘t’s and you can really wrap your lips around the ‘w’. And, in a northern accent, ‘a’ is a wonderful vowel.

4. What was the first record / cd you bought with your own money?

I was the dead annoying kid who taped all his mates’ CDs so I managed to get to about 14 without actually buying an album, and therefore it’s a pretty good one: ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’, on cassette….that’s right hipsters.

5. Marmite. Yes, or no?

A big fuck off twatting YES.

6. If you could go to a gig right now, anywhere in the world, which band would you see? And in which venue?

The Magic Band, with all original members, not these daft Beefheart The Musical ones from the last few years, in Planta Baja, Granada.

7. Who are your musical influences?

In order of appearance: The Dubliners, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, Chuck Berry, The Beta Band, The La’s, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, Dylan, Captain Beefheart, Dr John, Leadbelly, Johnny Cash, Howling Wolf, Nick Cave, Fats Domino, The Pogues, Tom Waits, France Gall, Van Morrison, Ernie K Doe, Elvis Costello.

8. How do you like your eggs?

In Spain.

9. Tell us something we don’t know.

Nat Phillips is a good centre back.

10. Which city do you recommend we visit – and why?

Leon in Spain for the food and girlfriends.

11. What’s your drink of choice?

Red wine.

12. What band or album do you think we should check out right now?

Edgar Jones‘ ‘The Way It Is‘ 3 CD compilation released recently is essential purchasing.

And Bobby West is defo the new voice on the block. Me old mucker Dan Wilson has a spoken word album out soon, which I’m looking forward to.

13. Do you have anything else to declare?

The demos that McCartney did with Elvis Costello for ‘Flowers in The Dirt’ are the best stuff he’s done since his first solo album And that he didn’t just use the demos for the subsequently awful album is an absolute crime. Also, Plastic Ono Band has some shit songs on it and Yoko’s tracks on ‘Double Fantasy’ are pretty good.

Cheers!