Guitarist Iago Banet comes to Forest Arts, New Milton

VIRTUOSO Spanish guitarist Iago Banet is set to appear at New Milton’s Forest Arts.

Currently touring his third album Tres, Iago has built a loyal following through his live performances. Hailed as the ‘Galician king of acoustic guitar’, he has performed on several regional BBC shows, alongside BBC Radio 3’s In Tune twice, and The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2 with Cerys Matthews.

Born in Galicia in the north-west of Spain, Iago found a classical guitar at home when he was a teenager and set about learning to play it. From that moment, there was no going back: guitar became his passion, his obsession and his future.

After moving to the UK in 2014, he was involved with several bands of diverse style; touring and recording. These included The Boo-Hoos, JFK Blue and Deep Blue Sea.

Since 2018, Iago has been building a career as a solo fingerstyle acoustic guitarist, gaining critical acclaim along the way. With two studio albums and a live album under his belt, Iago creates stories without words.

He released his third studio album in March 2023, fusing styles including gypsy jazz, blues rock, country, Dixieland, swing, pop and folk.

He has previously appeared at Brecon Jazz, Hellys International Guitar Festival and Aberjazz and has performed with artists including Josh Smith (Joe Bonamassa), Mark Flanagan (Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra), Jack Broadbent and Clive Carroll.

Iago Banet and support will be at Forest Arts on Friday 23rd May at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 in advance or £14 on the door. For more information and bookings visit forest-arts.co.uk or contact the box office on 01425 612393.