Biréli Lagrène
IGF presents London Guitar Festival 2025
| Biréli Lagrène | guitar |
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Biréli Lagrène is one of the greatest guitar virtuosos in any style of music. A prodigy of the instrument, he started out as a Gypsy guitar wizard. Later he developed a highly distinctive and innovative style, drawing much praise for his fertile blend of swinging continental jazz, post-bop, fusion and rock.
Renowned for his virtuosic performances and jazz improvisational skills, Biréli Lagrène has produced numerous albums and toured the world, collaborating with exceptional musicians such as Jaco Pastorius, Jean Luc Ponty, Lenny White, Victor Bailey, Philip Catherine, Didier Lockwood, Larry Coryell and many others. He even replaced Eric Clapton during the temporary reformation of the legendary band Cream. Throughout the years, he has never ceased to impress the world with his unequalled virtuosity and astonishing rhythmic accuracy.
Biréli Lagrène has collaborated with such legendary players as Stéphane Grappelli, Ginger Baker, Al di Meola, Paco de Lucía, John McLaughlin and countless others. Given that roster of top collaborators one might mistakenly assume that Lagrène is quite advanced in years, but this is not the case; the fact is, he was drawn to the guitar as a child of four, and after auditioning at the intermission, was invited onstage with Grappelli for the second half – when he was only ten years old.
When his Routes to Django: Live was issued in 1980, the 13-year-old jazz guitarist was immediately praised by critics as a protégé of Django Reinhardt. He had already won a prize in a festival at Strasbourg in 1978, and his appearance at a Gypsy festival was broadcast on television. He soon broadened his approach, exploring a wide variety of jazz from Wes Montgomery to Jimi Hendrix and got recording with some of modern jazz’s biggest names.
This is Biréli’s only performance in the UK, a unique opportunity you cannot miss!
‘One of the most remarkable guitar players on the planet.’ London Jazz News
This event will last for approximately 90 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Biréli Lagrène workshop
Biréli will give a jazz workshop on Saturday 25th October, assisted by John Wheatcroft. For info and booking click here or ask a question: info@igf.org.uk.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets for attendees aged under 30 are available for certain shows. To purchase an ‘Under 30s’ ticket, please choose the ‘Under 30s’ price type when selecting your ticket(s). If the option does not appear, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out or are not available for this performance. Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue. The £10 offer does not apply to premium price categories.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
