THEY are two of the greatest guitar heroes of their generation – and now Joe Satriani and Steve Vai are joining forces in a band that gives positive meaning to the much-maligned supergroup tag.

And it was, they say, fated to happen from the day a young Vai took guitar lessons from Satriani, sparking a firm friendship that has remarkably spanned close on fifty years.

The new SatchVai Band – it does what it says on the tin – is set to play a UK tour of just five dates this summer, including a night at Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall on Wednesday June 18.

It’s not the first time the icons, who have two million Instagram followers, have toured together – they’ve jammed on G3 guitar summit bills, and hit the road as co-headliners.

But this will be the first time they’ve ever played in the same band.

“I’m so looking forward to sharing the stage with Steve again,” says Satriani, whose own albums include technically mesmerising but deeply melodic pieces such as Sahara.

“Every time we play together, it takes me back to when we were teenagers, eating and breathing music every second of the day, pushing, challenging, and helping each other to be the best we could be. I guess we’ve never stopped!”

Vai agrees: “Touring with Joe is always a pleasure and an honour. He is my favourite guitarist to jam with, and now we have another opportunity to take it to the stage.

“I feel as though we are both at the top of our game, and the show will be a powerful celebration of the coolest instrument in the world … the electric guitar!”

Ahead of the tour, and due for release in March, will be the first official new music from the band, following a collaboration between Satriani and Vai on last year’s The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1.

Check out their delightfully tongue-in-cheek video from 2024.

Completing the band are drummer Kenny Aronoff – familiar to Satriani fans from Satch’s solo shows, Chickenfoot and Best Of All Worlds tours, guitarist Pete Thorn and bassist Marco Mendoza.

“Finding the right musicians was at first a daunting task, then an exciting one,” says Satriani. “The chemistry between players will always be the thing that makes them a magical live band, and we’ve found that chemistry with Kenny, Marco, and Pete.

“The upcoming shows will focus on not only our respective solo works, but also the music from our new album.”

The band’s Surfing with the Hydra tour takes its name from the guitar star’s signature tracks, Satriani’s Surfing With The Alien and Vai’s Teeth Of The Hydra.

The full UK tour dates are: London Eventim Apollo (June 14), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (June 17), Wolverhampton Civic Hall (June 18) and Manchester O2 Apollo (June 19). Lead image: Jon Luini.