Brighton date as Worthing-based Sel Balamir goes on the road with Amplifier

“We used to be based in Manchester but I've lived in Worthing for about 15 years. One of my wife's friends was from Worthing. We were living in south London and I was commuting to Manchester but when we wanted to get our daughter into a school, we couldn't find anywhere that we wanted and so we just decided let's move to Worthing and it's been a great move. I'm by the beach for a start!

“And you think of the lockdown. If I'd still been living in London I would have been driven insane. I think we're pretty lucky here. I think the Worthing temperament is good. I love Worthing. If you scratch beneath the retirement homes, you get a pretty vibrant energy in the town. I grew up in London but the London I grew up in is very different to London now, and I think Worthing reminds me of what it was like back then. There's a great sense of community here on my street and it's a good place to be a musician. There are lots of opportunities to try your hand at whatever you want to try your hand at, and everything is so close. You can virtually walk anywhere.”

The duo – which features Sel alongside Matt Brobin – have got a gig coming up on April 25 at The Brunswick in Brighton, coinciding with the release of their eighth studio album Gargantuan.

“We have been together for 30 years, a very long time. We originally started as a duo when we were at music college in Manchester in the 90s. We were both in other bands and then we just got together and played but then we decided that we ought to write some songs and make it a bit more conventional and get a deal and so on.

“With Gargantuan, we reverted back to our original organic template. Things started getting longer and bigger because there weren't any restrictions on tape as you developed. What was really driving Gargantuan was just a huge amount of content. We were originally going to do a three-hour release but we decided to parcel it out into another record which we will be releasing next year. With Gargantuan we decided that we would pick out the most instantly earwormy easy-to-digest sections from the nebula that we created and just make it into something that was much more easily digestible in just an hour. We thought it would be much more prudent to show some restraint – still to make a major work but just to make a major work that was actually digestible.”

Born from late-night jams in a secluded Sussex smithy, the album sees the band return to their roots, embracing a raw, electric energy while pushing sonic boundaries.

“In good conscience, I could hardly go there and fire up a Marshall stack at 2 am,” says Sel. “Matt plays louder and harder than anyone else I know so we irresistibly ended up going down the route of pure electricity.”

The result is an album that's both expansive and intimate, he says, featuring intricate soundscapes, thunderous riffs and poignant reflections. From the driving opener Gateway to the dark, melodic King Kong, Gargantuan showcases Amplifier’s signature blend of progressive rock and experimental sounds.

“If you look at the back catalogue, it's very varied,” says Sel. “The band has never been tied into one thing... We've never fitted into any of those moments. But that's good – don't be wiped out by the asteroid.”