Starting out with covers on YouTube and building a fanbase in the hundreds of thousands, Sophie Lloyd has since become a guitar goddess in her own right. Whether it's playing to thousands as the guitarist for Machine Gun Kelly or releasing her own badass collection of songs in debut album Imposter Syndrome, Sophie has proven to be a leading light for the next generation of rock star.
Hammer sat down with Sophie to find out exactly which bands set her on the path to guitar greatness...
1. Slash - Slash (2010)
"When I first heard Slash’s Beautiful Dangerous with Fergie, I knew what path I wanted to take my career down. My new album wouldn’t exist if I’d never heard this song. Slash made me realise it was possible to be an established guitarist without having to be a vocalist. And it really inspired me how Slash tailored his playing to each person featured. For Fergie, the guitar feels sexy - it has this feminine, powerful edge to it."
2. Iron Maiden - Rock In Rio (2002)
"Similarly, Iron Maiden’s Fear Of The Dark - specifically the Rock in Rio live version - really inspired my playing. It was the first Maiden song I ever heard, and I remember thinking, ‘I’ll be the best guitarist in the world if I can ever play this song.’ It taught me about being soulful with your playing, how to really speak through your instrument.
3. Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists (2005)
“There’s also a lot of Disturbed in my rhythm playing. Their time signatures can be so intricate. Stricken is one of my favourite riffs of all time - it’s so powerful."
4. Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood (1989)
"Motley Crue’s Kickstart My Heart was one of the first songs I learned to play. Not that I played it that well - I was 14, I was trying! I’d ask people to come up to my room and listen to me play it on my shitty little Line 6 Spider amp. I used to go on rock bandcamp for weeks away, and we once played this song in front of all the parents. I actually met Mötley Crüe and watched them side of stage this year, which was a very full-circle moment."
5. Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal (2013)
“I had another full-circle moment with Bring Me The Horizon this year. Bring Me were one of my favourite bands growing up – I had their posters on my walls and everything. On tour with Machine Gun Kelly, we played Rock Am Ring on the same day as them, and Oli Sykes performed Maybe with us, which was crazy. Later on, when Bring Me were headlining, we went down and moshed to Can You Feel My Heart in front of the barrier."
6. The Offspring - Americana (1998)
"Growing up, The Offspring always stood out for me. I loved The Kids Aren’t Alright because it wasn’t their traditional sound. It has a more serious edge to it and when a band is normally so fun, those serious tracks hit so much harder. It spoke about things I could really relate to, and it was really comforting. Plus, it’s catchy!"
7. Ghost - Impera (2022)
“Speaking of catchy, I’ve been obsessed with Ghost recently. I only properly got into them this year - which is funny, because I was actually one of Ghost’s back-up nuns on stage at Download Festival once. Right now, I cannot get Call Me Little Sunshine out of my head. They just have incredible vocal harmonies - I can’t stop singing it around the house."
8. Steel Panther - Feel The Steel (2009)
“Despite being a parody band, Steel Panther are such talented musicians. Satchel’s riffs are crazy! I love Eyes Of A Panther - it’s a classic. I collaborated with Michael Starr on my new album Imposter Syndrome for the song Runaway, and he was so humble. We shot the video at this old, 80s-style rock bar [Slim Jim’s] in London, and we made the mistake of providing free alcohol to everyone that came down… but everyone was certainly happy to be there, at least!"
9. Van Halen - Van Halen (1978)
“Van Halens Eruption is a love/hate thing for me. I can’t listen to it anymore - it was my alarm during uni. Whenever I hear it, it feels like being hungover at 7am, blearily having to crawl out of bed. But I loved it. My old guitar teacher was inspired specifically by Eddie Van Halen, and he would have lessons dedicated to him. It’s just raw emotion, no bells or whistles. It’s really special
10. Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe (1998)
"I, of course, have to give Rob Zombie a shout out. My boyfriend and I once went to Beverly Hills and we stuck out like sore thumbs; everyone was all fancy, while we were in our grungy clothes. So we decided that we’d really make a statement by driving down Sunset Boulevard, windows down, just blasting Dragula. You could feel everyone staring - it was brilliant.”
