Anna Calvi

As she prepares for the release of her third studio album Hunter, we tracked down the Tele-wielding, creative firebrand to Fender’s Artist Showroom in London

- Rod Brakes

Anna Calvi earned immediate acclaim from critics, music fans and guitar players alike with the release of her eponymous debut album in 2011. It was a powerful introduction to a remarkable guitarist and, like her follow-up album One Breath released in 2013, was deservedly nominated for the Mercury Prize. Seven years on, with stacks of fevered and unforgettable performances chalked up, Anna is preparing for the release of her third studio long player: the visceral and wildly sensual Hunter.

Taking advantage of a short pause in an impressive tour schedule that runs well into next year, Guitarist travelled over to Fender’s Artist Centre near Kings Cross to meet up with Anna and discover more about how she approaches her hard hitting music, her unique and eloquently wild brand of guitar playing – which has its roots in her classical violin training – and the ageless utility of a battered Tele...

That sense of wildness from your shows translated really well on Hunter…

“Yeah, there’s always this place between really knowing what you’re doing and trying to be a master of your instrument, but then also being right on the edge of the cliff where you don’t know what’s going to happen – that feeling of just going for it and not worrying whether it fails or not, y’know? Because sometimes it does fail, but other times what your fingers are doing feels like a really direct connection with something very honest inside. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it feels good.”

How do you get into that mindset?