GT: How long have you been performing with Westlife?
PS: I’ve been with the band since 2019.
How did you get the gig?
PS: An older friend of mine, who had been a bit of a mentor to me in my early 20s, was called for the gig. He was unavailable, so he put me forward for it. They were looking for an exciting, rock orientated guitar player who was confident with shredding and soloing and he thought I’d be a great fit. I’d also recently won Guitar Idol (hosted by LickLibrary) in December 2016. They saw my winning live performance and asked for a few more videos to check I could play different styles. I sent some clips and some session work I had done, and that was that.
How close are the album versions of songs to the live performances?
PS: It varies, but in general, all the live arrangements are much more detailed and built up than the studio versions, often quicker tempos and sometimes nods towards different genres. There aren’t many guitar parts on a lot of
