Mike Dawes at The Glee Cardiff

Mike Dawes is hailed as one of the world’s finest and most creative modern fingerstyle guitarists.

His solo music, littered with nuances and micro-techniques, has seen him tour almost every continent on the planet. He has recorded with multiple grammy award-wining artists, featured on international film and TV and achieved over 50 million music video hits online.

Additionally, Mike tours as Justin Hayward’s lead guitar player, performing Moody Blues classics throughout the world. Fans of Mike’s work include John Petrucci, Steve Vai, and James Valentine of Maroon 5.

Mike needs to be seen live to be believed. His ability to create the most unusual tones and textures simultaneously from a single acoustic guitar leaves fellow musicians stunned. Bass, melody, harmony and percussion all seamlessly produced using his signature technical yet intrinsically musical guitar technique. His show is not just for guitar fans however, his entertaining and humorous rapport transcends the traditional guitar concert. Extraordinary virtuosity meets Monty Python via a one-man rock show. In the live arena, his British humour and electric presence sprinkle an entertainment not uncommon in a comedy club. He does not take himself seriously, but the music is taken very seriously.

In June 2012, Mike Dawes released his first solo instrumental through the US label, Candyrat Records. This incredibly detailed arrangement of Gotye’s smash hit ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ took on a life of it’s own when it smashed through 1.5 million views in just one day online on YouTube. Before the release of his second full length LP ‘ERA’ in summer 2017, Mike released his typically intricate arrangement of Metallica’s ‘One’ through Metal Hammer magazine. This release smashed all previous expectations with a staggering 25 million views in just one week online.