Steve Hackett says he was nervous doing the cover shoot for upcoming album Wolflight.
Speculation has grown that the artwork featuring the Genesis man and four wolves was created using Photoshop. But the guitarist says it’s genuine and that initially he was apprehensive about getting close to the animals.
He says on his website: “People have wondered if I really was with wolves on the cover picture for the forthcoming album Wolflight. The answer is yes I was!
“I felt pretty nervous at first when, on entering a large, grassy area, we were confronted by several full-sized wolves. But the owner reassured me that because they saw him as the alpha male I would’t be harmed. Apparently, it would not have been so safe if he’d not been there.
“Amazingly, the wolves didn’t feel threatened when I picked up a cub and started to play with them. In fact, I had the feeling they were proud that I was so charmed by their little brood. It was even possible to feed the wolves without them biting my hand.”
And he says the only thing that was changed for the final cover art was the colours to reflect the time of day.
He continues: “The main difference between the original photo and the cover is that it was taken in daylight instead of night. The ruin location and the wolves with me are all for real.
“It was an extraordinary day which I’ll always remember. My respect for those wolves and the joy of being invited into their world will remain with me forever.”
Wolflight will launch on March 30 and will be his first original solo work since 2011’s Beyond The Shrouded Horizon.
He’ll take to the road in October across the UK for 19 dates where he’ll showcase music from throughout his career, including tracks from his debut solo album Voyage Of The Acolyte which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
Wolflight tracklist
- Out Of The Body 2. Wolflight 3. Love Song To A Vampire 4. The Wheel’s Turning 5. Corycian Fire 6. Earthshine 7. Loving Sea 8. Black Thunder 9. Dust And Dreams 10. Heart Song
Tour dates
Oct 06: Guildford GLive
Oct 07: London O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Oct 09: Northampton Derngate
Oct 10: Cardiff St David’s Hall
Oct 11: Southampton O2 Guildhall
Oct 13: Basingstoke Anvil
Oct 14: York Barbican
Oct 16: Aberdeen Music Hall
Oct 17: Gateshead Sage
Oct 18: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Oct 20: Leeds Town Hall
Oct 21: Llandudno Venue Cymru
Oct 23: Liverpool Philharmonic
Oct 24: Leicester De Montford Hall
Oct 25: Salford Lowry
Oct 27: Ipswich Regent Theatre
Oct 28: Bristol Colston Hall
Oct 30: Birmingham Symphony Hall
Oct 31: Southend Cliffs Pavilion
