Report from the Guitar Experience concert | 30.11.23

On an exceptional night full of guitar melodies and music capable of taking you on a journey, Φοίβος Ζαχαρόπουλος, Κώστας Φοίτος, Ειρήνη Κετικίδη and Φώτης Δεληνικόλας, set the stage on fire at the Piraeus Club Academy (Facebook)! All this for the Guitar Experience concert, the first of many (we hope!) to come in the future.

An amazing experience for the whole crowd!

From the very first conversations, all the guys were very clear about the goals they had for this particular live show. It's about creating a kind of musical gathering, where the entire community of musicians can come together, get to know each other, exchange views and of course have a good time. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that the Guitar Experience concert was a night just for musicians. On Thursday we had the chance to enjoy powerful riffs and captivating melodies, both those of us who are part of the guitar community and any music lover who appreciates quality music.

With things kicking off with Φοίβο Ζαχαρόπουλο, the venue managed to get pulses up immediately! Playing tracks from his debut album ‘Distorted‘, Φοίβος managed to win the crowd over on his own terms and get them fired up with his powerful riffs. His tracks, each one better than the last. And of course, the whole thing wasn't without the surprise appearance of clarinet and similar wind instruments that added a genuinely interesting flavour!

The night was just getting started!

And while the crowd had warmed up, the baton passed to Κώστα Φοίτο! Κώστας has a very distinctive playing style. Even though it was the first time we'd come across his music, we can say it was an experience we'll definitely remember. The Guitar Experience concert happened to coincide with the release of his record titled ‘Observer‘, which gave us the chance to hear a number of tracks taken from it.

With the concert now at its halfway point, the lady of the guitar foursome took the reins! Ειρήνη Κετικίδη stepped onto the stage and managed to give us a taste of the melodic quality that defines her guitar style. Bringing tracks like Maggots (which is currently the freshest thing she's composed) or my personal favourite Snake Eyes (oh yes! I've mentioned it countless times!) into play, Ειρήνη managed to make us briefly lose all sense of our surroundings!

Closing out a wonderful night!

Musically, the night closed with Φώτη Δεληνικόλα treating us to tracks from his record ‘Alma‘. With tremendous energy and making complex riffs look simple, Φώτης managed to make our jaws drop even further in surprise at what we were hearing. Every track seemed to have something different to say. Sound-wise, the quality was such that it could have passed for a studio recording.

Another mistake we could make would be to leave out the rest of the excellent musicians who took part in each lineup. No one can pull off such intricate music without a single slip-up unless the whole lineup is made up of musicians with enormous talent. Superb basslines carving out the path of each track, drum hits changing the texture and feel of the melodies, all framing 4 outstanding guitarists. A huge bravo and an even bigger thank you to all the musicians who worked to make this result possible!

Hoping this becomes a milestone for guitar music!

The Guitar Experience concert showed us its full potential. It was definitely a night mainly for musicians and guitarists. It was also a night with quite a few giveaways raffled off to the audience (including a guitar that Φοίβος played some tracks with). For our part, having noticed there's enormous talent on the Greek scene, we hope this particular live show becomes an (at least) annual milestone. We're eagerly awaiting the next one!

Credits

Photos: C. Alossi (Facebook, Instagram)