Iago Banet

Event information

Banet is a Galician musician who forged his career in the UK. As a teenager he began to play his first chords on a Spanish guitar that he found at his family home. Since then, he has played and recorded with multiple bands and toured Spain and the UK, demonstrating his extraordinary talent through styles including fingerstyle, gypsy jazz, blues, rock, country, dixieland, swing, Tex-Mex, pop and folk.

In 2014, Banet moved to London in search of new horizons, challenges and projects through which to develop his career. There, he joined various bands, including The Boo-Hoos and JFK Blue, before forming ColorColour (previously known as Deep Blue Sea), with whom he recorded two albums.

Since 2018, Banet has built his career as a fingerstyle solo artist inspired by figures, such as Merle Travis, Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel. A year later, he recorded his first solo album, “A Sunset Wine”. In 2020, he released his second album, simply titled “Iago Banet”. One musician, one guitar. The album consists of seven original compositions and two special arrangement s: the traditional Galician folk song ‘Muiñeira de Chantada’, and the Van Morrison classic, ‘Moondance’.

Banet released his third album, “TRES”, in 2023. He has followed this with a series of successful tours, which have included multiple sell-out shows and a fantastic reception from audiences. Through his appearance at festivals, such as Brecon Jazz, Hellys International Guitar Festival, Aberjazz, and the Pontevedra Jazz and Blues Festival, as well as at iconic venues, including Hammersmith Apollo and the 100 Club, amongst many others, he has displayed his versatility as a musician, fusing styles ranging from gypsy jazz, blues, folk, Americana, country and dixieland, to swing and pop.

Banet has built a reputation as a solo artist in what is known as ‘fingerstyle'; showcasing new levels of skill and complexity, and receiving outstanding reviews as he does so. He has appeared on BBC Radio 3 In Tune twice; he has featured on BBC Radio 2's The Blues Show with Cerys Matthews; and has performed with artists, such as Josh Smith (Joe Bonamassa), Mark Flanagan (Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra), Jack Broadbent and Clive Carroll, among others.

He is a "one man band" on acoustic guitar not to be missed.

"A master of the guitar" (Sean Rafferty, BBC Radio 3). 
"Fabulous" (Katie Derham, BBC Radio 3).
"Highly recommended artist" (DKOS, Celtic Connections).
✭✭✭✭ "Nothing short of phenomenal" (R'n'R Magazine).
"It surpasses all expectations for a solo artist playing in this music genre. He carries the audience with him" (Andy Davies - Promoter)
"He’s influenced by the great guitar pickers such as Merle Travis, Chet Atkins and, latterly, Tommy Emmanuel. And he shares their ability to paint pictures on his fret board through a delightful lightness of touch, fluidity and that rare ability to share emotions through his fingers" (Pete Feenstra, Reel Music LIVE).