“We may be witnessing a true future guitar hero in our midst”: Aussie teenager Taj Farrant officially blows Nuno Bettencourt’s mind as Extreme guitarist describes the blues-rock phenom as SRV meets EVH

Teenage blues-rock virtuoso Taj Farrant will have been on the radar of a lot of players ever since his appearance on Australia’s Got Talent, aged nine, but it might not be long before he is a household name in electric guitar.

Nuno Bettencourt certainly thinks so. Describing him as the reincarnation of Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Extreme guitarist says Farrant is “dangerous, inspiring” and could well be the world’s next guitar hero.

Reposting footage of Farrant performing the solo to Mumma Raised A Man, taken from his debut album, Chapter One, Bettencourt said he had “chills” watching it, and said he had rewatched it “a dozen times”. That Farrant was playing like this live was the difference.

“Yes, the internet is littered with great players, especially jaw dropping technical players,” wrote Bettencourt. “But rarely, do you get that technical prowess that shoots straight through the heart with pure emotion.

“We may be witnessing a true future guitar hero in our midst. Shreds the blues… but more importantly he does it with soul, passion and fire. And this is unleashed live on a fucking stage … not in the safety of a bedroom or studio.”

Mumma Raised a Man [Official Music Video] - YouTube

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Farrant was tickled by Bettencourt’s post. He replied, telling Bettencourt that it was on his bucket list to jam with him – just so long as he gets a shot of his Washburn N4 signature guitar – and thanked him for the inspiration.

Bettencourt might have to get in line to get some jam time with Farrant. By the age of 10, Farrant had already jammed with Carlos Santana and Orianthi. He had been on Ellen DeGeneres' show. Heck, is almost a regular on the Norman’s Rare Guitars YouTube channel after making his debut, aged nine, playing a poo brown 1968 Gibson Melody Maker for Mark Agnesi.

9-years-old Taj Farrant playing a 1968 Gibson SG-3 Melody Maker at Norman's Rare Guitars - YouTube

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So, is Bettencourt right? Now aged 15, with his debut album coming in at number one in the iTunes Blues chart, Farrant is on his way. He has played Lollapalooza 2024. And his style, says Bettencourt, combines two of the world's greatest ever players.

Bettencourt says it’s like God was doing weekly reincarnations and decided – “just to fuck with us” – to put EVH and SRV in one body, “and just for fun he threw in Michael Jordan’s fingers”. Time will tell. But Bettencourt has long been on the lookout for the next player to change guitar in the way Eddie Van Halen did.

That was part of his motivation going into Extreme’s comeback album, Six – and why he really swung for the fences, particularly on his solo to Rise.

Speaking to MusicRadar in 2023, Bettencourt said Eddie Van Halen’s death left a void that needed filling.

“Even him passing away. It gave me this sense of responsibility and fire, like, ‘Fuck, man! There’s not a lot of people left in this generation of people who I work with,’” he said. “There are a lot of great guitar players but not so much that we are in a band and write songs, and play the solo within a song, and got creative within the tone of a song, and I almost felt this responsibility to fucking carry that torch.”

“I told the guys, ‘I wanna go for blood on this album, in the sense of I want to make it fun, and I want to make it fun with the guitar, so that there are things within the rhythm playing. To bring joy into it, to bring passion into it, is what I have always done in the past, and it comes from that Edward Van Halen school, and Brian May and Jimmy Page.”

Maybe sooner or later that torch will be passed. You can judge for yourself. Farrant is touring the US right now, playing Nashville's 3rd and Lindsley tomorrow (26 February) night. See Taj Farrant for full dates and ticket details.