Ex-Verve bassist Simon Jones has joined John Squire‘s new band and the two are writing new material in a Manchester rehearsal studio.
The rest of the band are made up of ex-Seahorses drummer Mark Heaney and an unnamed singer from Manchester.
It’s been previously rumoured that Squire‘s new project is called Reluctance, although his management deny this. Another name being considered is John Squire’s Skunk Works, named after a Californian-based weapons systems plant, where the U2 spy plane was developed for the US government.
An insider told NME: “It’s all going really well apparently. Simon (Jones) is excited about it and it takes something special for him to get excited.”
Squire has been working on new material since The Seahorses split in February. In March, ‘Horses frontman Chris Helme attempted to launch himself as a solo artist at a low-key gig in London. Since that gig, it seems, he’s been unable to secure a record deal.
Former Seahorse Heaney, a session and jazz musician from Peterborough, replaced original drummer Andy Watts last year and had started work on the ‘Horses’ second album, the follow-up to their debut ‘Do It Yourself’.
Before the split, titles of tracks being rehearsed for the planned album included ‘City In The Sky’, ‘Tomb Raid’, ‘One In A Million’ and ‘Moth’. It’s understood many of the tracks penned by Squire at the time will feature on his new album.