Limelight
Multifaceted guitarist turns to writing his own naturally chaotic instrumentals.
LOAM MAY NOT be a familiar name to many, but there’s a good chance regular gig-goers will have heard him play in some guise or another. In recent years the Aberdeen-based musician has quietly carved out a reputation as a multifarious session guy. His most recent excursions as Iamthemorning’s live guitarist add to an impressive CV that includes tours with prog metallers Sithu Eye and Orynthia.
“I’ve always been obsessed with music theory,” he says.“That gets you into playing a lot of different styles. I played in a lot of different bands in my hometown and that opened a lot of doors for me. I soon learnt that if you see an opportunity, you can’t hesitate or someone else will get it.
“I love throwing myself into foreign territory, too,” he continues.“It’s why I was so excited when Iamthemorning picked me up. I was surprised when they said they were looking for a guitarist, but live, they don’t have anything else that fleshes out their sound beyond Gleb [Kolyadin] on keys. So it was my job to extrapolate all the other textures and decide how I’m not going to get in the way of the piano and the vocals, but still be a voice in the band.”
A self-confessed“people person”, Loam – aka Liam McLaughlin – is in his element when sharing stages with other musicians. Although his EP Featherbrained is billed as a solo record, when it came to writing his own music he wanted to compose as collaboratively as possible to create conditions he knew he’d thrive in. The lineup includes guitarist Sithu Aye and drummer Andrew Scott.
“I would hate to think what this record would sound like if it was just me,”the guitarist admits.“I play my best material when I��
