To celebrate the upcoming opening of the Gibson Garage London, British boy band sensation Here At Last made an exclusive in-store appearance at the swanky new retail space this past weekend!
Arriving at the groundbreaking flagship store just hours after stepping off the stage at the Indigo at The 02 – where the fab five performed to a sold out crowd as part of their Happy You’re Here UK Tour – Zach Loizou, Tommy Lyon, Pedro Santos, James Thomas and Ryan Burns played a blinding acoustic set in-front of a small group of competition winners, before taking part in a super cute Q&A with fans, family, and friends.
Four lucky audiences members where then invited to join Zach onstage for a one-to-one guitar lesson, where they were taught a series of guitar chords and sequences.
To round off the exciting morning, Loizou announced that all of the competition winners in attendance were to be gifted their very own Gibson guitar!
The Gibson Garage London serves as the ultimate guitar experience and destination for music lovers across the UK, and marks the first Gibson flagship store outside of the U.S. following the hugely successful opening of the Gibson Garage Nashville.
This morning (February 22nd) music icons Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Sir Brian May, and James Bay joined the Gibson team and fans to celebrate the opening of the shop, which officially opens to the public on Saturday, February 24th 2024.
With members of the public lining the streets to get a first glimpse of the space, once inside they enjoyed a special “In Conversation” event with legendary guitarist Jimmy Page, as well as live music from the Gibson Garage London stage.
Page, who has recently entered into a collaborative partnership with Gibson, shared his thoughts on the brand: “When I met with Cesar and he explained what the future of Gibson looked like, I knew I needed to be involved. There is a spirit in the place; after seeing the people working at the factories and getting a connection with them, I knew that picking up that Les Paul Custom and the Doubleneck all those years ago was certainly the right decision.”
With Cesar Gueikian, President, and CEO of Gibson adding: “Jimmy Page deserves a very important chapter in the history of Gibson. We think of Jimmy as an ambassador emeritus of guitars and a music trailblazer in the birth and evolution of rock! In many ways, Jimmy is responsible for the success, continued innovation, and evolution of post-Golden-Era Gibson. We are grateful for Jimmy’s trust in the Gibson team, and we look forward to paying tribute to him by bringing this epic collaboration to life.”
With a rich history of craftsmanship and innovation, Gibson has become synonymous with music culture.
Inside the Gibson Garage London, visitors can “plug in” and play more than 300 electric and acoustic guitars across Gibson, Gibson Custom, Gibson Acoustic, Epiphone, and Kramer, as well as explore the entire collection of Maestro pedals, and more across 4,500 square feet of retail space.
Customers will also be able to design their own Made-to-Measure guitar inside the Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab by selecting a unique guitar top off the wall and choosing the specs inside and out.
The store also features a special, dedicated Acoustic guitar room with one of the largest displays of Gibson Acoustic guitars in the entire UK, as well as areas for Epiphone electric, acoustic, and bass guitars, and the biggest display of Kramer guitars in the UK.
Speaking at the launch, Queen guitarist Sir Brian May said: “The new Gibson Garage London will be just what we all used to dream a guitar shop should be-a place where a young player can feel welcome and mix with the finest instruments, amps, and ancillary gear – and NOT be told to keep their hands to themselves! It’s a new era in Rock – and the Twang is still the Thang!”
Whilst BRIT Award winner James Bay commented: “As a musician, even just holding a guitar for the first time was transformative. Then there was the first picked melody, the first blisters on my fingers, and still I went back for more. It’s something I’ll just never tire of. The launch of the Gibson Garage London can be such a vital space for creativity and inspiration for anyone and especially youngsters wanting to learn to play. I’m sure the opening of these doors will ignite not only lifelong passions but will lead to such an exciting new generation of guitar players.”
The Gibson Garage London is located at 61-62 Eastcastle St, London, UK (one block from Oxford Street) and is open daily Monday-Saturday from 10:00-7:00pm, and from 12:00-6:00pm on Sundays.