Garage Fest kicks off with a bang as the Queen legend treats a small audience to an intimate performance and interview
February 18, 2024, saw Gibson host a very special event to launch Sir Brian May’s signature Gibson SJ-200 12-String acoustic and kick off Garage Fest, a week-long celebration of the anniversary of the opening of the Gibson Garage London.
In addition to unveiling the Brian May SJ-200 12-String, which is now available to purchase via Gibson.com and the Gibson Garage locations in Nashville and London, Sir Brian May wowed guests with a surprise performance that included Queen’s “Love of My Life” and a cover of “So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)” by The Everly Brothers, which also featured special guest, singer-songwriter and guitarist Arielle.
The launch event included an interview with Sir Brian May, moderated by Absolute Radio host Leona Graham. Sir Brian spoke in depth about the creation of his signature guitar, how it links to his love of astronomy, and his history with acoustic guitars, including an early experiment to electrify an acoustic guitar with a homemade pickup that was a precursor to building the iconic Red Special.
Image: Brian May performing with Arielle at Gibson Garage London
May said: “It’s a dream come true. As soon as I held the guitar, I thought, ‘This is what I need.’ It has such presence and such a beautiful breadth of sound. Gibson has done the most beautiful job. It has the lovely solar system on it, including Mercury, but the most important thing is it sounds massive.
“It’s very traditional, old-school technology, not made with AI or mechanised in any way. I take fantastic pride in it and I’m very honored to have worked with Gibson. From the days when I used to gaze enviously at the guitar catalogues, sitting there with my dad, I wish he was here to see this amazing fusion of the collaboration we’ve made.”
May’s performance also included “Love Token” from his 1992 album Back to the Light. Before dueting with Sir Brian, special guest Arielle performed her songs “Devil’s Disguise,” “Weakness For You” and “Magick Again.”
Praising the Gibson Garage London, Sir Brian added: “It harks back to the days when I used to go to music shops and drool over the guitars and wish that I could touch one. But you couldn’t in those days.
“Gibson has done a wonderful thing by making it a place that people can come to, even if you are a kid and you’re not rich or famous and you’re not that great a guitarist, you can still come in here and you will be welcome, and you can get into the world of guitars.”
Find out more about the Garage Fest program of events at Gibson Garage London and shop the Gibson Custom Brian May SJ-200 12-String.
