Picture © John Squire
As influential old bands announce comebacks on a daily basis, Stone Roses guitarist John Squire has moved to distance himself from rumours of a renaissance with his former Mancunian indie-rock cronies through the medium of his new life as a conceptual artist.
After a story in the ever-reliable Daily Mirror suggested he would re-establish musical contact with incendiary singer Ian Brown, bassist Mani and bowl-hatted drummer Reni, Squire added a message insisting that he has no plans to “desecrate the grave” of his “seminal Manchester pop group” to a photograph of a metal sculpture from his latest series of work.
The twitterings are an inevitable by-product of the 20th anniversary enhanced reissue of the group’s self-titled debut album in June, but Squire is doing an excellent job of masking his plans if the mooted multi-date tour is imminent.
Having dedicated each track on his 2004 solo album to American painter Edward Hopper, Squire embarked upon his inaugural exhibitions in 2007, and plans a major two-month show at Gallery Oldham starting on July 7 2009 before stints in Austria and Japan.
He designed the cover for both LPs his former band released before leaving in 1996, and has sold works at auction since then.
