England has more than its share of pop stars at the moment, but the country seems to be suffering a distinct shortage of guitar heroes. So it makes sense that when John Squire, former effects-box wizard for the infamously embattled Stone Roses, assembled a new band, British audiences flocked like moths to a flame.

\\The Seahorses guitar-drenched debut, "Do It Yourself," topped the British charts when it was released in June and the group is now in the midst of trying to crack America on a 30-date U.S. tour. But at a time when many U.K. acts are greeted with a resounding shrug of indifference, it will likely take more than a few Jimmy Page-style guitar runs from Squire to draw interest from anyone other than Anglophiles and hardcore Brit-pop devotees.

\\That appeared to be the makeup of the crowd that gathered Friday night at the Paradise to hear a generally strong, if noticeably brief, show. Perhaps because they simply don't have much original material to play, the Seahorses left the stage sans encore after barely an hour. As it turned out, however, that was more than enough time to deduce both the band's obvious strengths (Squire's virtuosity) and its apparent weaknesses (pleasant but nondescript singer Chris Helme).

\\As was the case in his old group, the stoically charismatic Squire easily overshadowed his frontman -- without uttering a single word to the audience. But his blond Gibson Les Paul spoke volumes -- especially during the fizzy, Small Faces-style bounce of "Happiness Is Eggshaped" and the crunching riff-o-rama rock of "I Want You To Know." Apparently, the architect of rave-pop anthems like "Fools Gold" and "I Wanna Be Adored" has abandoned his late-'80's "Madchester" sound in favor of an early-'70s sensibility that echoes some of the artists Seahorses producer Tony Visconti's worked with over the years: Bowie, Badfinger and T-Rex. With skillful playing, Squire made the era look as good on him as glitter did on Marc Bolan.

\\Occasionally, Squire came close to overwhelming the airy folk-pop melodies of the songs (especially on the Helme-penned "Blinded By The Sun"), but it was no great loss. On the swirling psychedelic blizzard of "Love Is The Law," for example, Squire's ferocious solos made a more convincing push for the psychedelic str