The music world is currently lacking mavericks. Real ones—not the self-proclaimed kind. Steve Gunn is one of the holdouts and, in a way, a survivor. His career hasn’t—yet—had any stratospheric moments; for over a decade, he moved between projects that didn’t get the recognition they deserved (such as GHQ with Pete Nolan and Marcia Bassett) and a solo career that was crying out for more. That “more” came when he signed with Matador in the middle of the last decade, and in the meantime, his audience grew; a slightly larger part of the world discovered Steve Gunn’s genius. He is not just a guitarist; he is not just a writer of great songs.
In fact, Gunn will never be known for writing great songs, but for experimenting—with flair and consistency—with his own unique blend of voice, songwriting, and guitar, and taking it to the horizons he feels are possible at any given moment: whether solo, with a band, or in more experimental recordings. That, to his credit, was not lost when he signed with Matador. Intense years, three albums released—“Eyes On The Lines” (2016), “The Unseen In Between” (2019), and “Other You” (2021)—under his own name, plus several collaborations, collaborations that also took place live. Gunn used to play more, but he still plays a lot. Survival instinct and more.
Last year he released two albums, one following his Matador releases, “Daylight Daylight” (on Quarter), in November, which will be more in line with what we’ll hear in Lisbon. An album of songs, produced by James Elkington—a friend and regular collaborator of Gunn’s—“Daylight Daylight” is less of a band and more of Steve Gunn with arrangements, where a more polished sound is heard, while the voice blends with a fragility a la Mark Hollis. Before that, his return to recording came in the summer with “Music For Writers” (Three Lobed Recordings), an instrumental and, in a way, ambient album where he ventures into psychedelic and country territory and winks at a certain classic Steve Gunn who was more present before the Matador years. Different albums that remind us he has always done—and still does—everything his own way. That’s enough to enchant, and that’s enough to make him one of this century’s great songwriters. Without exaggeration, it’s about embracing him, existing with his guitar, and listening to music that’s accessible to all of us—tangible, beautiful, palpable. Live, we guarantee, the enchantment is even greater.
AS

Martim Beles is 21 years old and was born in Lisbon on October 25, 2004. He lived in Faro his entire life until 2023, when he began—and continues to pursue—his studies in Musicology in Lisbon.
His music moves between Indie-folk—if it can be labeled that simply—and he released his first EP in February of this year, thereby solidifying his musical aesthetic in a more cohesive way.
He presents more intimate songs as well as those containing social and personal criticism, accompanied by guitar sounds influenced by his fascination with the sound of the 1960s, combined with exaggerated synth layers to blend the acoustic with the analog and digital.
In concert, various forms of performance are explored, ranging from simply playing guitar and singing to playing the synth live on certain songs and singing along to backing tracks accompanied by guitar.