The Bunnymen's biggest international hit, Lips Like Sugar is a widescreen anthem — Will Sergeant trading his coldest post-punk edges for a chorus-drenched, driving shimmer that fills the whole song.
What makes the tone. Bright, clean-to-lightly-driven guitar soaked in chorus, delay and reverb, giving it that big, glossy late-80s sheen. The riff and topline lines ring out shimmering and anthemic, with the effects supplying the width while the guitar keeps a driving momentum underneath. It's Sergeant's atmosphere applied to a full-blown pop anthem.
The analogue recipe. A guitar into a chorus and a delay, into a bright amp with a touch of breakup and plenty of reverb. Bridge pickup for cut. Set the delay to a rhythmic feel so the lines shimmer, and let the chorus widen everything. A little drive on the rhythm keeps it anthemic without losing the gloss.
On a Boss GT-100 / GT-1000 / GX-100. A bright, edge-of-breakup amp model with chorus, a rhythmic delay and a big hall or plate reverb. Keep the drive light. The glossy, anthemic width is all in the stacked modulation and time effects — dial those carefully.
On a Kemper. A bright, lightly driven profile with chorus, delay and reverb stomps. Play the lines ringing and confident. The scale of the tone comes from the effects and the delivery — commit to the anthem.
Skip the guesswork. The Soulster Tonebook for fans of Echo & the Bunnymen → breaks down Sergeant's chorus, delay and reverb settings — and our Will Sergeant guitar tone guide → goes deeper on his textures.
See all 80 Echo & the Bunnymen prints →
Put it on the wall. The "Lips Like Sugar" Northern Life print →, the "Lips Like Sugar" Practice print → and the "Lips Like Sugar" Studio print → put the band's biggest hit on your wall.
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