Chris Buck

With their 2022 debut album, Cardinal Black showed the world how the budding guitar hero in their ranks could thrive in a band environment. Here, Chris Buck explains how its follow-up has taken his playing and songwriting to the next level

- Amit Sharma & Jamie Dickson

There has been many a great player emerging out of the blues scene over the past decade or so, though young Welshman Chris Buck could very well be the cream of the crop. His phrasing is exceptional, he never overplays but still knows when to utilise technique, and every note is struck with the utmost control and no shortage of charisma. His tones are equally as jaw-dropping, and while he's been spotted with all kinds of Fenders and Gibsons over the years, it's his custom Yahama Revstar goldtop that is more often than not seen in his hands, going through an elaborate pedalboard he jokingly refers to as “50 shades of gain” and into a Victory V140 or MK Clean. A full package in every conceivable way, it's no wonder guitar greats like Slash and Joe Bonamassa have continually namechecked him as one of the most exciting talents around.

This year he's back with the second album from his band Cardinal Black, titled Midnight At The Valencia, which benefitted from more confidence and focus in the studio.

What does the title of your second album, Midnight At The Valencia, mean to you?

“I wish there was a good explanation behind it. We were struggling a bit; no immediate themes leapt out from the record lyrically. Out of nowhere, our drummer, Adam [Roberts], was doom-scrolling through Instagram and came across this photo of a place in California called Valencia Club. It seemed to represent everything we'd done on the way up, every club and neon-lit dive bar we'd played. The stuff we'd been doing over the years - our 10,000 hours, in essence. It really tied in with the journey.”

How does this material move the conversation on for the band?