“The factor is, I’ve at all times seen myself as a solo artist,” shares Sophie Lloyd. It was a yr in the past that we final spoke to the shredder, when her debut album Imposter Syndrome had simply landed. Although sitting earlier than us with the identical cheerful glimmer, one thing’s modified.

Lloyd has at all times had a powerful sense of self, proper from her tone and enjoying type, all the way in which to her purple branding that has grow to be so synonymous with the 29-year previous Londoner, she just about warrants her personal Pantone shade. That’s not what’s completely different, it’s extra delicate than that – there’s a brand new cadence in her voice that signifies development. Although usually dubbed as “Machine Gun Kelly’s guitarist”, Lloyd has at all times been an artist in her personal proper, and this previous yr has let her flex her personal muscle tissues greater than ever.

“This yr there haven’t been that many MGK exhibits, so this yr has been fairly a superb transition interval as a result of I believe he’s writing a brand new album now,” she says, as her canine Kobe goes to absolute city on a chew toy. “I by no means actually noticed myself as MGK’s guitarist, significantly as a result of I used to be at all times engaged on [Imposter Syndrome] and doing quite a lot of solo stuff. That’s the place my real love and keenness lies, and I’ve instructed Kelz this as effectively.

“I like the exhibits, however there’s a lot different stuff that goes together with it that I’m probably not constructed for. I love folks a lot which can be like Nita Strauss, [who’s] on the street 350 days a yr or one thing loopy. I like focusing by myself stuff, I like writing.”

Fears have been confronted, solos have been aced

It feels as if we’ve solely simply reached the ultimate hurdles of the Imposter Syndrome story, and given its narrative, it after all made sense to shut out with some killer reside exhibits. Lloyd conquered Camden’s Underworld in October – promoting out a venue she frequented rising up – and it felt like the start of closure.

“It was form of like a punctuation, like a full cease on like the top of the album,” she explains. “I don’t actually really feel [imposter syndrome] after I go on stage with MGK or different bands anymore, as a result of I’m not the centre of it. I’m there to do a job and I do know precisely what I’m doing, however with the [solo show] in Camden, it’s your title on the door. You must surrender a component of management as to what’s going to occur, and that’s at all times been fairly difficult for me.

“A few days earlier than, we had a rehearsal, and I had a bit of little bit of a wobble the place I used to be enjoying and began disassociating. It virtually seems like I’m floating above myself and I’m not within the second, I’m not taking it in. I need to be within the second as a result of that’s the enjoyment and the enjoyable of reside performing, and I do know I can try this due to the MGK stuff. In order that made me a bit of bit extra nervous, however I believe I wanted that launch as a result of I used to be simply getting a bit overwhelmed with the whole lot.”

Inside these first few notes of Battleground on the evening, Lloyd felt really current. “I went out and after I began enjoying that first tune I simply felt so good. I felt so assured. I actually felt like that is the place I’m meant to be. There was no voice behind my head saying ‘you’re going to mess up’. The group was so wonderful as effectively… You’re at all times going to be a bit nervous, it means you care! However that crippling imposter syndrome, I believe I’ve undoubtedly overcome all through this album.”

What comes subsequent ought to really feel like nothing in need of a celebration, then. And fittingly she’s bought a legendary slot scheduled for LA’s legendary Whisky a Go Go in January, plus a set booked for 2025’s Obtain Pageant besides, so the whole lot’s developing Sophie. With that mentioned, placing on exhibits on a smaller scale in comparison with her colossal exhibits with Machine has introduced dwelling the difficulties of performing reside music within the 2020s.

“I’m very lucky I entered touring at fairly a excessive degree, the place I used to be simply actually there to play guitar, I didn’t should load in, I didn’t actually should arrange my stuff very a lot. The musicians in a method form of have the simplest job on a tour, we simply form of present up and play – it’s the roadies that deserve all of the credit score.

“As a result of I’m clumsy, I at all times injure myself which isn’t preferrred. And likewise the price of issues, particularly placing on like one off exhibits, has undoubtedly been a little bit of an eye fixed opener, as a result of we’re all self-funded, we’re all impartial. So it’s all a studying curve,” she confesses.

Placing guitar centre stage

Placing this album on stage additionally posed some logistical questions for Lloyd. Rock’n’roll social conditioning anticipated there to be a singer entrance and centre, and guitars on the facet. How can a solo participant flip this so that they’re the distinguished performer? Within the case of Lloyd’s album, the place there are 11 visitor vocalists on all 11 tracks, it additionally wasn’t possible to get all unique vocalists current both.

For the planning part of the Imposter Syndrome reside present, Lloyd did some homework – she went to observe Slash with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators. “They’re form of their very own entities,” she says. “Slash doesn’t discuss in any respect. He’s just about utterly silent. I used to be like, ‘ought to I am going that route? Extra mysterious?’ However that’s probably not me as a result of I’m a yapper. [So] then I used to be like, ‘okay, what about Nita Strauss? What does she do?’ She will get a vocalist to come back.

“I knew I wished Marisa [Rodriguez, of Marisa And The Moths] to be the one of many vocalists, as a result of I’ve labored together with her earlier than. We work effectively collectively, and have good stage presence. However I additionally wished so as to add a bit of little bit of selection, so we wished a male singer and Gaz Twist [was] beneficial. However I nonetheless assume I’m making an attempt to determine precisely what [my show] seems to be like. At The Whisky, we’ve bought a couple of shock company coming to sing.”

One collaborator who could not have been there bodily at Lloyd’s Camden present, however in spirit by way of a fucking cool guitar, was Lzzy Hale. The Halestorm frontwoman’s signature (and fairly lethal-looking) Kramer mannequin made an look for Lloyd’s titular monitor, which Hale additionally options on.

Apart from the brand new addition, Lloyd’s rig stays the identical – she’s nonetheless rocking the Neural DSP Quad Cortex (or a Kemper when out on the street with MGK), and her signature fashions with Kiesel are at all times in tow too. Her SL6 pushed boundaries for what we count on from a signature, providing choices to customize it to your individual liking, so it’s laborious to image the place she may take issues subsequent.

“I believe it will be actually cool to do one thing with an results firm like Neural DSP to make some form of [plugin]. I like issues to be so simple as doable, [and] I believe quite a lot of these things is form of tailor-made in direction of massive gear heads. I believe it’d be cool to make a barely extra accessible model to those who doesn’t appear so intense,” she shares.

How guitar adjustments us

As 2025 looms ever nearer, Lloyd is pondering of the place she may take her personal music subsequent. This yr, she’s had quite a lot of time to consider who she actually is and the place she needs to go. “Being round MGK, I’m impressed by so many alternative folks and several types of music,” she provides. “We do quite a lot of hip-hop, so I’ve bought actually into [that] and the synth facet of stuff, and the way that may combine into metallic.

“A part of me nonetheless loves traditional rock [so I thought] perhaps I ought to do a traditional rock album, however the different a part of me needs to discover some extra trendy sounds. I’m dabbling in a bit of little bit of each, [but] I believe what it would most likely be is much less of an album, and extra singles or EPs.”

When not writing, gigging, or being a busy canine and cat mum, Lloyd can also be a gamer, and even has plans to department out musically into this realm too. Apart from her personal artistic endeavours, we may sit and ask Lloyd one million questions on what guitar data she may cross on earlier than we let her go, and she or he’s shared many suggestions prior to now. However what has being a guitarist taught her?

“That’s a extremely good query. It’s 100% formed who I’m as an individual. I’ve realized how my mind works is kind of completely different to quite a lot of different musicians and creatives,” she explains. “I’m within the technique of getting recognized with autism, and I believe that’s one thing that’s an integral a part of how my mind thinks about issues. I believe so logically, it’s very shapes and numbers, very technical,” she admits.

“[Guitar] highlighted the place my strengths are, and taught me the way to utilise these strengths in all points of my life and be okay with that, to not battle towards it. That is how my mind works, it’s completely different, and that’s what makes it cool.”

Sophie Lloyd helps These Rattling Crows at Cardiff’s Utilita Area on Saturday, 14 December, and performs LA’s Whisky a Go Go on 15 January 2025. She can even play the 2025 Obtain Pageant – for tickets and extra data, go to sophieguitar.com