Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • EVH trance state
  • Antonoff on Please Please Please
  • “Mick looked peeved. The Beatles had upstaged him”
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

disiniblud
Artists “It creates a tone that you can't find in Guitar Center”: Disiniblud on the self-built instruments behind their debut LP
Jamie The Ks
Artists The K’s speak to us about leading the guitar band fightback
Lifeguard's Kai Slater, Isaac Lowenstein and Asher Case
Artists Lifeguard on abstract noise and pop hooks – and the creative epiphanies behind their stellar debut
Marcus Mumford and Neil Young
Artists “He was like, ‘You’ve got it all wrong, man”: How Neil Young changed Mumford And Sons’ approach to making albums
South Arcade
Artists South Arcade on how they became the figureheads of a growing Y2K revival
Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors
Artists “I used the snare I played on Two Princes”: Why the Spin Doctors are still rocking with the gear they used in the ’90s
Joe Bonamassa plays a vintage Gibson Les Paul SG equipped with a Maestro Vibrola. He wears a gray patterned suit and sunglasses.
Artists Joe Bonamassa announces new album, Breakthrough – listen to the title-track now
  1. Artists
  2. Guitarists

In the studio: Don Broco

News
By Matt Parker ( Total Guitar ) published 28 July 2015

Their second album may be 'Automatic', but it's not machine-like

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

Bedford Brit-rockers Don Broco penned their debut album, 2013’s Priorities, on the road in their tour van, with guitarist Simon Delaney jamming through a practice amp that he’d wedged under his seat.

"It was a bit more calculated and a bit less scattergun in approach"

New album, Automatic, is a more considered affair, with most of the songs first finding life on an acoustic, before being quickly recorded and shared with the group.

“It resulted in hundreds and hundreds of riffs getting cut, but then one would stick,” explains Simon of the process. “It was a bit more calculated and a bit less scattergun in approach, but I think the songs got honed a lot more. Though you never know whether that’s for better or worse!”

Page 1 of 4
Page 1 of 4
Tight ain't right

Tight ain't right

Perhaps sensing that danger, producer Jason Perry - who they lived with for two months at Angelic Residential Recording Studio in Oxford - was keen to ensure that the new record still felt organic, and set about pushing his proteges.

"A listener doesn’t care about meticulous tightness"

“The big thing that Jason taught us is that a listener doesn’t care about meticulous tightness on a record,” says Simon. “The things that provoke an emotional connection tend to be playing slightly behind the beat. I’d never thought about that and I found it really quite testing.”

Page 2 of 4
Page 2 of 4
Picking PRS

Picking PRS

Picking guitar tones to match the epic funked-up rock riffery and whopping choruses of new tracks such as Fire and Nerve was less of a challenge, however, with Simon’s long-favoured PRS Custom 22 leading the charge.

"If I wasn’t using my PRS, I’d be using my Tele or my Pawn Shop Strat"

“It’s just been my go-to for years,” he says. “I did loads of the last record on it and it feels like the right guitar to play for so many parts. I also have an S2 Custom 24, which goes really well with my EHX POG. Then, for the cleans, if I wasn’t using my PRS, I’d be using my Tele or my Pawn Shop Strat.”

Page 3 of 4
Page 3 of 4
Amp'd up

Amp'd up

The amp selections were also suitably wholemeal, with a tasty selection of valve heads and combos including a Marshall JCM800/Vox AC30 pairing for the overdriven sounds and a Bluesbreaker or a Swart Atomic Space Tone for the cleans.

"It sounds like this awesome, hellish synth - but it’s all done on guitar!"

“One of my favourites tones was on Superlove,” reckons Simon. “The chorus part is a JCM800 with a Tube Screamer and the POG doing both an octave below and two octaves below. Then we doubled it up with a RAT, and it sounds like this awesome, hellish synth - but it’s all done on guitar!”

Don Broco's second album Automatic is released on Epic Records on 7 August.

Page 4 of 4
Page 4 of 4
Categories
Guitars
Matt Parker
Matt Parker

Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
disiniblud
“It creates a tone that you can't find in Guitar Center”: Disiniblud on the self-built instruments behind their debut LP
Jamie The Ks
The K’s speak to us about leading the guitar band fightback
Lifeguard's Kai Slater, Isaac Lowenstein and Asher Case
Lifeguard on abstract noise and pop hooks – and the creative epiphanies behind their stellar debut
Marcus Mumford and Neil Young
“He was like, ‘You’ve got it all wrong, man”: How Neil Young changed Mumford And Sons’ approach to making albums
South Arcade
South Arcade on how they became the figureheads of a growing Y2K revival
Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors
“I used the snare I played on Two Princes”: Why the Spin Doctors are still rocking with the gear they used in the ’90s
Latest in Guitarists
Kirk Hammett of Metallica wears a studded denim jacket as he plays live with his Mummy ESP signature guitar
“Guitars should be played”: Kirk Hammett has been anonymously selling his guitars online
Fender Jack White Collection
Jack White on why he rerecorded half of the guitars on No Name after he got his new Fender tube amp
Mark Speer of Khruangbin sits with his natural finish Fender Strat while Laura Lee holds her new signature Jazz Bass.
Fender unveils DiMarzio-loaded Strat and Jazz Bass for Khruangbin’s Mark Speer and Laura Lee
This composite image features Charlie Starr playing a TV Yellow Les Paul Junior on the left, while Metallica's Kirk Hammett plays his Greeny Les Paul Standard, and James Hetfield plays his his ESP Snakebyte.
Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr on that time he took Duane Allman’s '57 Goldtop to a Metallica show
Brent Mason performs at Guitar Town at Copper Mountain, Colorado on 29 July, 2007
“I said, ‘Damn, I wish I'd cut that song faster!’”: How a master guitarist made a cult classic instrumental album
Eric Clapton
The Grammy-winning hit that Eric Clapton wrote to order, with a little help from Foreigner’s Mick Jones
Latest in News
Home studio
You don't need to be a music theory expert to make electronic music, but it helps - here's our guide to the basics
Ed Sheeran, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix
How Ed Sheeran generated royalties for Bob Dylan by borrowing from Jimi Hendrix
Richie Hawtin
“All my equipment kind of glowed and then shut down”: The weather event that shaped a Richie Hawtin classic
Apple's new Automix
Sack The DJ: Apple launches its new feature that can mix tracks using AI
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: My pick of Father's Day deals for musicians include $400 off the Polyend Play+, $200 off a Martin acoustic and so much more
pmt
"It’s been a tough few years": UK gear retailer PMT closes its doors, makes 96 staff redundant and sells £2.4m of stock to Gear4Music

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...