Steve Hackett discusses his long-awaited collaborative album with Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery, the importance of restraint, creating cinematic music without words—and why the pair may already be considering another album.
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This was the sixth time I had interviewed Steve Hackett, but our conversation took us into rather different waters.
Previous interviews have explored Steve’s solo albums, tours and Genesis history. This time, the focus was The Roaring Waves, his long-awaited collaborative album with Steve Rothery of Marillion.
Developed intermittently over several years, the album consists of seven instrumental compositions connected by the power, mystery and emotional pull of the sea. It is cinematic, atmospheric and sometimes almost ambient—but, above all, it feels like a genuine conversation between two guitarists.
This is not an album about two celebrated musicians attempting to outplay each other. There is no musical competition and very little conventional showing off. Instead, Hackett and Rothery listen, respond and leave space for the music to breathe.
As Steve told me:
“There’s no sense of competition, just a sense of completion about it, really.”
An imaginary soundtrack
Steve explained that he and Rothery were thinking less about conventional song structures and more about the possibilities of soundtrack music.
“We were thinking in terms of soundtrack—less in terms of songs, verse and chorus,” he said. “The idea was that tracks could become each other in a way.”
There are longer pieces on the album, allowing both musicians time to establish an atmosphere and develop their ideas. Steve compared this with the albums he first made with Genesis during the early 1970s, when three compositions might occupy an entire side of vinyl.
The album was created gradually around the touring and recording commitments of both musicians. Much of the work took place at Marillion’s Racket Club studio, with further contributions recorded at home and with a wider team that included Riccardo Romano and drummer Daniele Pomo.
Steve described the project as an extension of his friendship with Rothery. Their wives are both called Jo, leading him to joke about “two Steves and two Jos” going out together.
That friendship helped ensure that the music never became a duel between two guitarists.
“It was very much a case of a musical conversation between two guitarists.”
Leaving room for the music
One of the most interesting aspects of our conversation concerned the amount of space within the music.
Steve spoke about using his Fernandes guitar’s built-in sustainer, modulation effects and feedback to add small atmospheric details. Rather than filling every available space, he would introduce brief sounds and textures—what he described as “little daubs of paint on a canvas.”
“We were not trying to out-salvo each other,” he said. “We weren’t trying to blow each other out of the water. It was something else.”
Steve compared this approach with Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross.” When he first heard that record, he had expected more movement from a blues-based band. Over time, however, he came to appreciate it as a form of tone poem: a group working in harmony to create a musical picture without filling every space.
That same philosophy lies at the heart of The Roaring Waves.
“I don’t feel the need to play impressively, but to work with a kind of constructive minimalism.”
Steve felt the album had restored his faith in atmospherics. He described it as “a film for the ear” or an imaginary soundtrack to a film that does not yet exist.
Two recognisable guitar voices
Hackett and Rothery both possess instantly recognisable guitar styles, but they did not try to imitate one another.
There are moments when even Steve is unsure who played a particular part, but for much of the album their separate guitar tones remain identifiable. On the title track, Hackett’s more overdriven sound and Rothery’s cleaner tone follow independent melodic lines without getting in each other’s way.
Steve described the result as “genuine harmony” and “very romantic.”
The title track begins with fast nylon-string arpeggios designed to suggest the movement of water. As the piece develops, the two electric guitars move around each other like waves.
Although there is technique throughout the album, it is rarely used for display. A sustained note, a slowly developing melody or a brief piece of feedback can carry more emotional power than a barrage of notes.
“It’s less driven by form and more by spirit,” Steve explained. “I suspect it’s more about emotion than taking the intellectual approach.”
From film noir to the sound of the sea
“The Black Sea” is one of the album’s darkest and most cinematic compositions. Its monochrome video was filmed at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, complementing music that Steve associates with old spy films and characters lurking in the shadows.
There is a sense that something is about to happen, but the music refuses to explain exactly what that might be. Instead, it gives the listener enough space to create their own images.
Elsewhere, the guitars near the end of “Sandsend” sound like seagulls calling to one another.
“Red Dragon” introduces further colours. What initially sounds like traditional pipes is a keyboard-created hurdy-gurdy, while Steve also uses a sitar guitar to give the piece an earthy, exotic quality. The title refers to the historic sailing ship associated with the beginnings of England’s seafaring trade.
The sea is not merely a lyrical theme placed on top of these compositions. Its movement can be heard within the arrangements, guitar lines and sustained notes.
The tragedy of “K-129”
One of my favourite pieces on the album is “K-129.”
It begins with crackling, indistinct sounds that might be worn vinyl or a radio station disappearing from range. From there, it develops into one of the album’s most evocative and emotionally powerful compositions.
The music was inspired by the loss of the Soviet submarine K-129. Its bleak subject gives the piece a sense of descent, isolation and tragedy before the guitars rise dramatically from the surrounding darkness.
Steve also made the fascinating observation that track titles take on particular importance when an album contains no conventional lyrics:
“The only lyrics you have when you’re doing an instrumental album are the titles of the various tunes.”
Those titles provide a starting point, but the listener is free to create an entirely personal interpretation of the music.
A road trip to end the album
After storms, shipwrecks, dark waters and submerged submarines, The Roaring Waves ends with a considerable change of mood.
“Pacific Coast Highway” is a joyful piece of Americana—a musical road trip travelling along the coastline. Steve joked that they were slightly worried “the prog police” might object because it is not driven by complicated time signatures.
“It is a fun jam,” he said. “Pure Americana. Pure fun.”
Steve also plays amplified harmonica on the track, encouraged by both Rothery and Riccardo Romano. Although some listeners may be surprised to hear him playing the instrument, Steve previously explored it extensively on his 1994 album Blues with a Feeling.
The piece ends with voices from Steve, Jo, Rothery and members of his family, creating what Steve described as “a kind of musical sunset.”
It is a wonderfully human and uplifting conclusion to the album.
Could there be another album?
Although The Roaring Waves took many years to complete, it may not be the final collaboration between Hackett and Rothery.
Steve revealed that the reaction to “The Black Sea” and its accompanying video had already been extremely encouraging:
“I suspect we’ll do another album, because response has already been so strong to the video.”
That was wonderful to hear. The chemistry between these two guitarists feels natural, and there is clearly much more territory they could explore together.
The Roaring Waves demonstrates that great guitar playing is not simply about speed, complexity or technical display. It can be about listening, restraint, atmosphere and placing one emotionally meaningful note in exactly the right place.
The album gives us space to bring our own memories and images to the music. It takes us through storms, shipwrecks, childhood landscapes and dark seas before finally offering the freedom of the open road.
I think it is absolutely superb.
The Roaring Waves by Steve Hackett and Steve Rothery will be released by InsideOutMusic on 28 August 2026. It will be available across CD, Blu-ray mediabook and vinyl editions, with the Blu-ray featuring an immersive Dolby Atmos mix.
