Baz is on song with Quarantine Chant single

Sunderland musician Baz Warne has teamed up with Italian band The Mugshots to record a lockdown single.

Lead singer of The Stranglers, Baz, performed a guitar solo on the record, which each musician recorded separately in their own homes.

The Mugshots are from Brescia in Italy in a Northern region of the country badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Entitled Quarantine Chant, the single is part of the band’s funding campaign to support their local hospital, Spedali Civili.

Baz said: “The Mugshots are mates of The Stranglers. We play with them quite often when we tour over there, and their singer contacted me to see if I’d contribute a guitar solo to the charity single they were making for COVID-19 relief in their country.

“They were hit incredibly hard, and I was only too happy to help in any way I could.

“I recorded it in my studio at home and sent it to them in a couple of hours and it came out pretty well.”

First formed in 1974, The Stranglers’ no-nonsense attitude was embraced by the punk movement of the late 70s.Baz, who’s fronted The Stranglers since 2000, said: “I don’t play too much punky/ metal stuff these days, so it was nice to dust off a different guitar, turn it right up, and see what came out.”

The single has had airplay around the world including the influential Rodney Bingenheimer Show in LA.

Baz said: “The band are pretty chuffed with the response and it was nice to contribute to a very worthwhile cause – without leaving the house!”

The band believe it’s the first single to be recorded in Italy during lockdown.