Last Updated on 2026-08-29 by a-indie
Looking straight into his eyes, I found myself wondering how many different landscapes he had witnessed throughout his life, and how many things he had encountered that were “real,” and how many that were not.
The Guest List is a rising guitar band from Manchester, England.
Formed in 2021 by five schoolmates, the young band quickly attracted attention through numerous cover videos posted online, building a devoted following in no time.
Their guitars scream and warp as they shape a raw rock sound, intertwining with catchy melodies while leaving behind a lingering sense of shadow and melancholy.
Honestly, for someone whose gateway into Western music was UK rock, this is right up my alley.
On a personal note, I sometimes feel that discovering new music requires not only excitement, but also a little “effort to listen.”
It takes time for your ears to adjust to unfamiliar sounds and to grasp what makes the music compelling.
But The Guest List’s music was different.
Even on my first listen, my ears accepted it without resistance.
While their catchy melodies naturally settled into my heart, I felt that their music could not simply be summed up as “accessible.” Beneath the solid guitar-rock sound, I could sense, somewhere along the way, the distinctive dedication they bring to pursuing the music they genuinely love.
Before the song was over, I had already fallen for it.
That is the kind of irresistible appeal they have.
I completely agreed with Cai when he said, “Anyone can come to love The Guest List’s music.”
Taking the opportunity of their visit to Japan for Summer Sonic, I sat down with the band’s frontman, Cai Alty (Vo. / G.), for an in-person interview.
The way he carefully chose his words and spoke with clarity revealed his thoughtfulness.
His mind must be overflowing with words and emotions.
He looks directly at the world around him, his own circumstances, and the events unfolding in society, reflecting deeply on them.
That earnestness, rooted in what he feels and believes, supports the band’s unwavering songwriting.
Their debut album, Something Real, is set for release on August 28.
I hope you will listen closely to Cai’s own words about the album and what The Guest List holds dear.
I believe you will find it hard to view them as merely “another new band from England.”
Their music and the attitude behind it are far too compelling for that.
After all, you, too, are surely part of the “Right Audience” this music is meant to reach.
An Interview with The Guest List
Artist: Cai Alty (Vo. / G.)
Interviewer: Wakiki
Interpreter: Ayako Takezawa
Photography: Ted Orsenado
Editing and proofreading: BELONG Media, A-indie
First Impressions of Japan
The Guest List「Weatherman」(Official Video)
from The Debut Album『Something Real』
Wakiki: First of all, this is The Guest List’s first time in Japan as a band — is this also your first time here personally, Cai?
Cai: It is for me, yeah, I’ve never been to Japan.
Leio’s been to Japan quite a lot, because obviously his mum’s from Osaka. And Tom’s been to Tokyo, the guitarist, he’s been once before. But the first time for the rest of us.
Wakiki: How are you finding Japan so far? Is there anything that feels noticeably different from the UK?
Cai: Oh yeah, it’s very different to the UK (laughs). I don’t even know where to start. I’d say it’s different in pretty much every conceivable way.
But I’m loving it, I think the food is much better. I don’t know, everything feels very well organised in a way that we don’t always have in the UK. So I’m really enjoying it.
Wakiki: Are you doing okay with this heat here in Japan? Or is it hotter back in the UK?
Cai: Weirdly it’s hotter right now. I think normally it’s a lot hotter in Tokyo. But right now we’ve somehow managed to leave Manchester at a time when it’s not raining in Manchester.
It’s a heatwave. And it’s obviously not as hot as it sometimes is here.
Wakiki: Thank you. From here, I’d like to ask about The Guest List as a band, about your debut album 『Something Real』, and about what you value when you make music.
What “The Guest List” Means to Them
Wakiki: First, about the origin of the band name — in a previous interview, you mentioned that you needed an account name to post cover videos on social media, and that after a while it became hard to change (laughs). Now that some time has passed, what meaning has the band name come to hold for you, or for the band?
Cai: What does the name mean to us? I think it represents everything that we associate with the band. It represents all the people in the band, the people that work with the band, the experiences that we’ve had together.
Everyone always jokes about the name, new people that we meet, because obviously there’s a guest list for a gig. So everyone always says, can I be on the guest list for the guest list? (laughs) So yeah, that’s about as much meaning as we’ve squeezed out the name.
Wakiki: That’s Great.(laughs)
What Brought the Five Members Together
Wakiki: Next, about the members — I heard you were classmates at a music school…
Cai: It wasn’t a school for music, it was just that we were in the band at school.
Wakiki: I see. So what was it that brought the five of you together?
Cai: It’s mainly just a love for music. Certainly that was the original thing that brought us together. We didn’t know each other that well previously.
I only really knew that they played the instruments that they did. It’s been through the band, writing together, releasing together, touring together, which we’ve really become friends. I think it’s just a shared passion for music and a shared taste in a lot of ways.
Musical Roots and Shared Influences
Wakiki: By the way, is there any music or artist that the members commonly liked or were influenced by?
Cai: Yes — Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Strokes. These three really connect us.
Within the band, there’s a shared taste. Sid and Tom, like, grungier stuff. Me and Sid, like, folkier stuff. Leio’s into his post-punk. More, not aggressive, but in-your-face guitars.
I think everyone brings their own thing to the table. But there is, at our core, a shared taste and a shared love for guitar bands.
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