Vivian Campbell has a new electric guitar hero – a young, unsung British blues rock guitarist who has been left gobsmacked by getting a nod from his idol on social media.
Campbell – whose own glittering career boasts stints with Ronnie James Dio and Def Leppard – has taken to Instagram to shine a light on an up-and-coming player who he believes could have an equally influential impact on the guitar world.
“I have a new guitar hero: Oscar Ball,” he writes while sharing a clip of Ball delivering a crooning guitar solo. “This is how it’s done, kids; tone and technique, fire and finesse. I need to practice more.”
The young guitarist is part of the Essex, UK, quartet The White Gates Band. Formed in 2022, the group, who cite Red Hot Chili Peppers and Paramore as core influences, have released a smattering of singles since May 2024. There’s a heart-wrenching blues sensibility to Ball’s playing, icing the band’s light, alt-rock grooves and catchy choruses. See the sweet and supple lead lines on the chorus of Tears of My Past for proof.
Ball can be heard playing an ES-335 in Campbell’s post with an extremely clean and dynamic clean tone just as impactful as his licks. The way it kicks into overdrive in the latter stages is impeccable, too. He is playing the band’s unreleased track, In My Mind, in the clip.
It’s easy to see why Campbell is so rapt, but that hasn’t made the public show of appreciation any less shocking for Ball.
“OMG! Thank you so much for sharing,” he replies in the comments. “One of my absolute heroes sharing a live solo of mine!”
The band is young with just shy of 1,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, but Campbell has been quick to spot and champion their talents, which could do their stock wonders.
Speaking to Guitar World last year, Campbell detailed the guitar solo advice he got from Dio when cracking 1984’s barnstorming The Last In Line. The advice, he says, aided a more tasteful solo as, “left to my own devices, it would have been a case of how many notes I could fit in!” It sounds like Ball has taken a similar approach.
He’s not the only player keen to pass the baton to a new generation of talents, either. Eric Clapton has named two hotshot players to have won his heart in recent months. He picked an unlikely candidate as his favorite contemporary player and has singled out a Japanese neo-soul guitarist as one to watch.
