Rig Rundown: Richie Malone on Status Quo, His Own Band, Guitar Gear and Life on the Road
Pete from The Rig Rundown caught up with legendary Status Quo guitarist Richie Malone ahead of his solo gig at The Empire Music Hall on Friday, September 25th.
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The Rig Rundown Podcast — Episode 40
Richie Malone is a guitarist, vocalist and longtime Status Quo fan who found himself stepping into the very band that inspired him to pick up a guitar. Now, alongside his work with Quo, Richie is launching his own band and preparing for a headline show at Belfast’s Empire on Friday, September 25th.
We caught up with Richie to talk about his musical beginnings, his relationship with Status Quo, his guitar rigs, life on the road, songwriting and what comes next.
Rig Rundown: First of all, Richie, thanks for joining us. You’re here because you’ve got a big show coming up at the Empire in Belfast on Friday, September 25. How are you feeling about it?
Richie Malone: It’s a big one for us, obviously, because we’re just getting the band off the ground. To come to Belfast and do a Ticketmaster event is a big deal. There’s a bit of pressure because the guys are thinking, “This is going to be great,” while I’m thinking, “What’s going to go wrong?” [Laughs]
But no, it’s an absolute honour. It’s going to be great, and I can’t wait to come up.
Rig Rundown: You’re also launching your own solo band. Tell us a bit about the lineup.
Richie Malone: The band is made up of my lead guitarist, Jay Forbes, who I’ve been playing with since we were about 15 or 16.
We broke away for a while when I was in Raid, and then I got called up for Quo, but we’ve always been guitar brothers. We’ve always played together.
We’re also actually in a real-life business together, so Jay has always been around me. I just thought, with us being together in Raid and with his connection to Quo as well, he’s a massive Status Quo fan and deserves a shot. He’s been absolutely nailing the solos. He’s put the work in, and he’s doing all the website stuff and everything behind the scenes. Don’t tell him I know! [Laughs]
Then we’ve got our bass player, Paul Wallace. He’s an absolute animal on bass. He plays with Shades of Lizzy and has been around the scene for years. I used to watch him years ago in bands.
We’ve got Grant Nicholas on drums, who we call the “rock ‘n’ roll leprechaun.” [Laughs] He’s played with everybody — Brush Shiels, The Godfathers, you name it. He’s been around forever. He’s older than us, so he brings the Spinal Tap element.
Rig Rundown: So that’s the whole band?
Richie Malone: That’s everyone. No keyboards — no offence to anybody! It’s two guitars, bass and drums. It’s a lot of electric rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s what it is.
Rig Rundown: Let’s go right back to the beginning. How did you get into guitar and music?
Richie Malone: I saw Quo for the first time when I was 13, up in Belfast, and that put me on the map as a music fan. Once I saw them, it gave me a purpose. From that point on, I knew what I loved.
When I got to about 15 or 16, Jay and I decided it was time to ask Santa Claus for guitars. Would you believe we both got our first Telecasters on the same Christmas Day?
We ran around the corner and started playing. We didn’t know what we were doing, but that was the beginning of the musician journey.
We were learning what we could and going to see the professional shows. We’d watch what the crew were doing, how everything was being taken down and set up — everything. We’ve always been fascinated by that side of things.
Rig Rundown: What were those first guitars?
Richie Malone: We both got Squier Teles. I got a butterscotch one, and I think Jay got a dark blue one, which I later sanded down because I tried to make it look like Francis Rossi’s!
Rig Rundown: You relic’d it?
Richie Malone: I tried to relic it, yeah! I even burned a hole in the middle. [Laughs]
We’ve always loved Telecasters. If you’re doing AC/DC, you know what I mean. I’ve always loved the look of a Telecaster and that classic rock ‘n’ roll thing.
Rig Rundown: Has it always been Telecasters for you, or have you experimented with other guitars?
Richie Malone: I’ve dabbled. Over the years with Quo, there have been other guitars brought up to try.
Another phenomenal guitar is the Yamaha Revstar, which I’m using for an open tuning. It’s a great guitar.
But I always come back to Tele variations. I use custom-modified ones, and I like a solid bridge because there’s no room for error. You’ve got to hit it. It’s got that Gibson-style setup, and it’s rock solid.
Rig Rundown: You use some pretty heavy strings too, don’t you?
Richie Malone: I use 13–56. That’s on the guitars in standard tuning.
A lot of people ask, “Why do you go to that extent?” But try playing some of the songs on 10s. There’s too much bend. I don’t like that. I like a heavy G string on everything.
I’ve just got used to playing rhythm at that level. I prefer it because you can really hit it.
I used to use seven-string guitar sets, but what I did was buy an eight-string set and just kept going heavier and heavier.
Don’t get me wrong — when I pick up somebody else’s guitar with nines or tens and try to play a solo, my fingers go straight up in the air! [Laughs]
But I’ve never really been a guitarist in the traditional sense. I’ve always looked at people like Malcolm Young, James Hetfield and Rick Parfitt as my idols.
James Hetfield is massively underrated. Just watch his right hand. Everything is coming from there.
Rig Rundown: And you’re also a Metallica fan?
Richie Malone: Absolutely. I’ve seen Metallica a few times, and they’re never anything less than awesome.
What impresses me most about James is that when you’re playing guitar and singing, normally what you’re playing follows what you’re singing. He’s doing something completely different with his right hand while singing. I’m so impressed by that.
Rig Rundown: Were you and Jay always in bands together?
Richie Malone: Yeah, we’ve been glued together at the hip because it’s all we knew. We were fans first, and then we started playing.
We got into our first band together and, although people always talk about AC/DC, the core of our set was always Quo.
It was never just the hits. We’d play something really sporadic from an album that nobody in the band would know! [Laughs]
But that’s the great thing about a deep cut. If you play it properly and somebody doesn’t know the song, they’re still going to tap their foot — especially with Quo because they’ve all got that boogie beat.
Play it well, and you’ve got the crowd on your side.
Rig Rundown: You’ve also spoken about the difficulty of balancing original music with playing covers.
Richie Malone: Yeah. We started off playing bars, and that got us onto the circuit. Then we tried to go down the originals route.
But with originals comes the need for money. So we started doing book gigs to make money, and then you get trapped doing the book gigs because you think, “If we do this, that’s going to pay for that.”
Or you do an original gig and nobody’s there.
I’ve actually encouraged a lot of original bands I know to do something they already know and love. There’s no real work in that because you’re already doing it. Use that money to fund your music, get yourself into studios and build from there.
Rig Rundown: That was something you experienced with Raid?
Richie Malone: Yeah. Raid was great. We started doing some good stuff, and towards the end we were trying to move more towards originals.
But I got to the point where I was carrying everything — being the PA, doing the management, running around, organising everything — while getting paid the same as everybody else.
At the time we’d brought in a piano player who was a music teacher, and he was great, but we were moving towards playing pubs and doing all kinds of songs rather than focusing on the heavier stuff.
Once he left, I felt like I’d lost the musical connection. Jay and I weren’t getting on as well at the time either, and I thought, “I’m done with this.”
I had a job, so I thought I’d focus on that.
Two weeks later, I got the call from Status Quo.
Rig Rundown: You were literally on your way to work when it happened?
Richie Malone: I was on my way to work. I was selling equipment and getting ready to knuckle down when Rhino Edwards, the bass player, called me.
He said the person I was replacing was ill and asked if I’d be interested in stepping in.
I could hear the magnitude of it in slow motion.
Rig Rundown: Had you already had a relationship with the band?
Richie Malone: I’d been very lucky over the years to be in the right place at the right time, particularly with Rick Parfitt.
I’d spent years standing at the front barrier, mimicking the parts he played. He’d see me doing it.
I’d even sent them a VHS tape around 2003. I was at my dad’s house playing Rick’s songs and talking to the camera. It’s incredibly cringey now!
Years later, I found out they’d actually watched the video on the tour bus.
From around 1999 to 2014, I followed the band with my dad. Over time, I went from being the guy at the front barrier to being brought into the dressing room. Eventually you stop asking for autographs and pictures because you’re just talking to people like friends.
That’s how the relationship with Rick developed.
Rig Rundown: Your dad was a big part of that too, wasn’t he?
Richie Malone: Absolutely. He got me into Quo. He actually named me Richard after Rick Parfitt.
Little did he know I’d eventually be stepping into the band!
When I joined, I didn’t really talk about all of that because I didn’t want to shout about it. I just wanted to be there and do the job.
But looking back, it was an incredible journey.
Rig Rundown: What did your dad say when you told him you’d been asked to step in for Rick?
Richie Malone: I remember ringing him and saying, “Sit down.” He thought I was going to tell him something terrible — or that I’d had another child! [Laughs]
Then I told him I’d been asked to step in for Rick.
I was expecting this massive reaction, but I wasn’t expecting what he actually said.
It was just incredible.
Rig Rundown: You had two weeks to prepare, didn’t you?
Richie Malone: Yeah. I said yes and then rehearsed for two weeks straight. I drew blood. There was skin missing! [Laughs]
The first gig was supposed to be in front of 10,000 people. I knew very little apart from what was written on a piece of paper.
I found out years later that if I hadn’t turned up to rehearsals and delivered the goods, I probably wouldn’t have been there. They must have had a list of backup options.
Thankfully, I was good enough!
Rig Rundown: And you rehearsed in an entire theatre?
Richie Malone: Yeah. They basically took the whole theatre for rehearsals.
It’s incredible because these places are booked for shows and then you’re standing there in an empty theatre rehearsing. We’ve done similar things since, including going into a studio in London where one day Stereophonics are next door, and the next day it’s Mike & the Mechanics.
You realise these guys are working just as hard as everybody else.
Rig Rundown: One of the biggest crowds you’ve played to was in Germany, wasn’t it?
Richie Malone: Yeah. We went on after Europe, and I remember being backstage hearing “The Final Countdown.”
Then we went on in front of about 85,000 people.
The stage was just a straight line. All I could see was a horizon of people.
You go out there and play “In the Army Now” and suddenly you’ve got all these metalheads in front of you. But metal comes from rock, so there’s a mutual respect.
I’m a metal fan myself, so I loved it.
It’s incredible to see that change in a crowd. You’ve got 90 minutes to win them over before they switch back into full-on metal.
Rig Rundown: You’ve also played Belfast’s Odyssey before.
Richie Malone: My first time in the Odyssey was in the mid-2000s to see Status Quo. The next time I was there, I was playing there in 2016!
We played there with Uriah Heep and then went down the road to the 3Arena.
It’s incredible sitting here because the venue has changed names so many times since then. It’s the O2… I can’t remember what it’s called now! [Laughs]
I remember being there and having cold feet because it was freezing. “Come on, guys, get on stage!” [Laughs]
Rig Rundown: Do you enjoy coming up to Belfast outside of playing shows?
Richie Malone: Absolutely. Belfast is a favourite for me and my wife.
The last time we were here, we stayed in a hotel, and we just love coming up. It’s not far from Dublin, but you feel like you’re somewhere else. You feel like you’re away.
And obviously the music scene here is brilliant. To be able to come here and do this for the first time with my own band is an honour.
Rig Rundown: You’ve also done some work with Status Quo tribute bands.
Richie Malone: Yeah. A couple of Quo tribute bands contacted me a few years ago.
When we weren’t touring, I thought, “Why not? Let’s give it a go.”
The first one was in Belgium, and everything was organised as if we were actually on tour. It was really well done.
They mimic the backline; I show them the guitars and play a selection of songs. I also get to meet the fans.
I’ve since done it with another band in Scotland. It’s very technical and runs on clicks. It’s incredibly well organised.
Rig Rundown: Is it a full silent-stage setup?
Richie Malone: Yeah, everything. Full in-ears and no wedges on stage.
It’s a really clean stage. Everyone is in-ear.
The Marshalls are still there, though!
As Rick Parfitt used to say, “How do they put all of this into this?” [Laughs]
Once I walk away from the 4x12s and the Marshalls, I go over to the bass player, and you lose the bottom end.
The sweet spot is right between Francis’s Marshalls and me.
Rig Rundown: Let’s talk about your current rig. What are you using with Quo?
Richie Malone: On the Quo side, we’ve got a Marshall Kerry King head, funny enough. It’s the closest thing we could get.
It’s been rebranded in white, and the extra gain features are switched off, so we’re basically using it like an 800.
The secret weapon is that we’ve got Marshall 800s, but we’re also using AC30s at the back end.
We’re blending the Marshall 800 with the AC30 and feeding that out to front of house. You get the bottom end of the AC30 and the top end of the Marshall.
It sounds really good.
Rig Rundown: And your own rig?
Richie Malone: My own rig isn’t too different.
I’m using a Marshall 800 with a lovely 2×12 custom Zilla cab.
I’ve got a Source Audio EQ for my rhythm channel and a couple of Tube Screamers. One of them is modified to give me a brighter tone.
I’ll use that for something like an intro, then another EQ to give it a bit more punch.
Apart from that, there’s some chorus and flange for different songs. It’s very simple. There’s nothing too technical.
It’s about getting the tone right for the room.
Rig Rundown: Especially when you’re playing a mixture of Quo, ZZ Top, AC/DC and Black Sabbath.
Richie Malone: Exactly. That’s the challenge.
We’re trying to recreate the Quo tone so it’s acceptable, but we’ve also got to be able to play other songs.
I actually have a bit of a family connection with ZZ Top. My uncle used to be a big-time manager in LA and Texas in the ’80s, managing bands.
When I was growing up, I had some pretty cool access to bands like Static-X and some of the newer metal bands.
Rig Rundown: You’ve played with some serious legends over the years.
Richie Malone: Yeah. The guys from Uriah Heep are great. They’re absolute legends.
We’ve toured with REO Speedwagon and Skid Row as well.
You get to know some of these people quite well when you’re on the road together.
And sometimes the people you wouldn’t expect are the ones you remember most.
The crew are the unsung heroes. They’re the people who actually make the shows happen. You get to know them, you watch them build everything and then have a beer with them afterwards.
They’re probably the most dangerous people on the tour! [Laughs]
Rig Rundown: The catering crew too?
Richie Malone: Chefs and catering crew are the hardest! They’re the most dangerous.
But seriously, the people behind the scenes work incredibly hard.
Rig Rundown: You’ve learned the hard way that touring can affect your vocals too.
Richie Malone: Definitely. When you’re doing vocals, you learn quickly that you need to be quiet and relax the day before a show.
If you go on a night out, you’re shouting all night because you have to shout over the music. You don’t realise what you’re doing to your voice until the next day.
I remember doing press at a festival where there were tribute bands in the VIP area. We were all singing every song, and the next day I had two more days of interviews.
Thankfully they gave us Vocalzones in the press tent! They saved me.
Rig Rundown: Do you have any vocal warm-ups or techniques?
Richie Malone: I didn’t originally.
When I was in Raid, we had a piano player who would get us to sit outside in the car and do warm-ups. That’s where I learned the benefit of them.
I used to think all the scales and different sounds were ridiculous, but they work.
I’ve also learned to use the support band as an opportunity to warm up. I’ll hide behind the curtain while they’re playing and sing our songs at full voice with my headphones on.
I used to be really self-conscious about doing warm-ups in front of people, but eventually you just get comfortable with it.
Then there’s the rest of the day — you’re basically “hurry up and wait” all day.
Suddenly you’ve got 40 minutes to go and you don’t know where the day went. You’re pacing up and down the corridor, getting dressed, putting the jeans on, getting the shirt on, getting the white runners on.
At that point I’ve already done my vocals, so there’s a mixture of rest and exercise. You don’t want to strain yourself.
Rig Rundown: How do you approach vocals during rehearsals?
Richie Malone: I used to have a terrible tendency to do a full rehearsal the night before a show. I’d absolutely hammer the vocals.
Now I’ll put my in-ears in and turn myself down in the room. The lads won’t hear me singing full blast, but I’m still hearing myself clearly for pitch.
It’s about finding that balance.
The guys in the ’70s did it differently, but I think we’re built differently now.
Rig Rundown: Your big Belfast show at the Empire will be your first time playing there, won’t it?
Richie Malone: I’ve never played there before.
I’ve heard it’s a very impressive venue. I’ve played in Belfast a few times, but never the Empire.
I’m really looking forward to it because it has that old-fashioned music hall feel — the red curtains, tall ceiling, the whole thing.
It’s going to be great.
We’ve also got Davy K playing with us. I’ve seen him online and watched his videos, but I’ve never met him in person.
He’s a phenomenal player, and I’m delighted he’s part of the show.
Hopefully he’ll bring some of his crowd with him as well.
Rig Rundown: Is your setup for the Empire different from your Quo rig?
Richie Malone: Not massively.
The amp I’m using is one of my old JCM800s. It’s a 1996 white one that’s slightly modified.
I can only really turn it up to one in rehearsals; otherwise you’re going to have problems! [Laughs]
What we’re missing is obviously the big Quo backline. We’re not at stadium or arena level with my own band, so we don’t have the big boxes behind us.
My Marshall and Jay’s JCM900 combo work nicely together.
Rig Rundown: Do you use acoustic guitar at all?
Richie Malone: Not in the current set, but we’re working on a new song that hasn’t been done before with a better acoustic part.
I’ve been playing acoustic at home all the time, but because we’re not using one live, I’m trying to adapt that part to the Telecaster and tweak it until it works.
I should probably just use the acoustic! [Laughs]
Rig Rundown: What about going digital — Quad Cortex, Helix and that kind of thing?
Richie Malone: I know I should know more about them, but to me it’s like a rocket ship!
I like the old-fashioned way. If you can bring the big rig, bring the big rig.
I know a lot of bands love the digital stuff because they can fit everything into a backpack. And I understand why.
Francis was a bit controversial when he switched to the Kemper, but he got the sound he wanted, and there was a lot more control from front of house.
The front-of-house guy loves my guitar because he’s getting the real amp tone, while there’s a different dynamic with Francis.
He’s gone down the digital route, but again, I look at it and think, “It’s a rocket ship. It can do everything.”
I just want this!
Rig Rundown: And you like keeping things simple?
Richie Malone: Absolutely. I focus on one area.. rhythm guitar.
I get what I need from either the 800 or the DSL40C, which is a dream amp. It’s a small 40-watt amp, and it does everything.
Rig Rundown: You’re also a songwriter. You’ve written for Quo, haven’t you?
Richie Malone: Yeah. I wrote two songs on the last album.
I sang one, and Francis sang the other.
Rig Rundown: That’s quite an achievement — joining the band that inspired you and then writing songs for them.
Richie Malone: Yeah, it is. I wrote songs for Raid too, but as I said earlier, you can get locked into playing gigs and lose focus on the originals.
It’s not easy to break an original band nowadays. You start thinking about the financial implications and asking, “What are we going to do with this?”
So we’re at that stage now where we’re going to do a few shows with my own band and then, hopefully next year, we’ll have to approach the subject of making a solo album.
That’s the plan.
We’ve all got loads of ideas. There are loads of deep cuts we want to bring in. It’s just finding the time to sit down and do it.
Rig Rundown: When you write, do you intentionally sit down to write or do ideas just appear?
Richie Malone: It’s both.
Sometimes I’ll sit at home, and suddenly something comes to me. I’ve got about 100 different clips and ideas on my phone.
You get those moments of productivity, and then you get the grey area where you think everything is probably rubbish.
But you need to find inspiration.
You can take inspiration from anywhere. You can read something on paper, see something on the street or hear something from a friend.
Sometimes you have to get it down as quickly as possible because ideas can disappear.
Rig Rundown: You actually wrote “Face the Music” pretty quickly, didn’t you?
Richie Malone: Yeah. I had to write that one really quickly.
I was in Dublin Airport. I had the music and everything, but I needed the lyrics.
At the time, Jay and I hadn’t been speaking for a long time. I basically said, “I want to see you when I’m back in town.”
The whole basis of the song was about that relationship.
He didn’t know until he watched one of these interviews and realised, “Hold on.. Richie is talking about me.”
Then he called me.
So, strangely, the song helped reconnect us.
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Richie Malone
