Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has said he would be willing to take part in a reunion of the band, despite not expecting one to happen. His comments matter because they leave open the prospect of a return involving a key member of Genesis’s influential 1970s line-up.

Hackett joined Genesis in 1971 and left in 1977, contributing to six albums. Speaking on the Word in Your Ear podcast, he said he would accept even a minor role, while noting differing views over whether the band’s defining era was its hit-making three-piece period or its earlier progressive-rock work; he continues to perform and reinterpret Genesis material.