Kicking off a new series, 'Waves' will see us asking a range of top influencers in the football industry to fire a short, sharp playlist at us. First to tune in with his top tracks of 2016 is one of the most stylish full backs of the Premier League era – Everton's Leighton Baines.
Renown as one of the more cultured members of the professional football scene, Baines became somewhat of an unofficial Premier League indie icon due to his friendship with people in music industry, including Miles Kane and Alex Turner. Not to mention his visits to the oversized baggage conveyor-belt to pick up his guitar on England away days. Since then, Kane and Turner have grown and fled from the intricate venues of Liverpool and Sheffield, while Baines' music tastes have also developed into new ground.
"I could rattle off a few albums no problem, but it's always hard to choose specific tracks. Recently I've been listening to a few albums that are a bit different to what people would expect. More like Franck Ocean and stuff. I didn't listen to a great deal from last year so this might be a little bit all over the place!"
Leighton Baines was talking to us during a visit to the HQ of Zap Graffiti in the heart of Liverpool city centre. He met youngsters taking part in a graffiti workshop organised by Everton in the Community’s Breathing Space programme, which works to make significant life changes to young people either in care or at risk of entering the care system. A regular figurehead of the Blues’ official charity, Baines has designed a t-shirt that is now on sale in the Club’s shop and online at evertondirect.com, and £5 from each t-shirt sold will go towards the Everton in the Community programme.
