Sophie Lloyd has announced her debut US headlining show, with the Machine Gun Kelly guitarist and YouTube shred star scheduled to play Los Angeles’ legendary Whisky A Go Go on 16 January, a storied venue on Sunset Strip whose history Lloyd is well aware of.
“It’s especially special to be playing at The Whisky, which is such an important part of rock and roll history, where almost all of my guitar heroes have played multiple times,” she says.
The gig follows just months after she makes her UK headlining debut on 17 October at the Underworld, in London. The London show was an immediate sellout, and with many of Lloyd’s followers based in the US, the likelihood is that this will, too.
If you plan to head on down, hit TicketWeb ASAP, or head to Sophie Lloyd’s website for VIP packages.
Lloyd promises US fans are in for a treat.
“I’m so grateful for the strong American audience I’ve gained online over the years, and I definitely think it’s about time I head over there and rock out with them in person!” she says. “It was incredible to see the response to our London show and I hope the US will be just as excited to experience what we’ve got in store.”
This is a big deal for the BIMM graduate who has built a ridiculously large following of almost 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube with her virtuosic electric guitar reinterpretations of some of the most famous tracks in rock.
Her debut album, Imposter Syndrome, was released in April, and was an all-star affair, with Lloyd joined in the studio by the likes of Trivium’s Matt Heafy, Lzzy Hale of Halestorm and Chris Robertson of Black Stone Cherry.
Taking this material to the stage is the next step.
“I’m so excited to be announcing my show at Whisky Go Go in LA,” says Lloyd. “We put so much work and love into the Imposter Syndrome album and we’re so excited to finally bring that to the stage, first in London in October and then to LA in January.”
To celebrate the announcement, Lloyd has dipped into her record collection and pulled out a shock rock doozie to rework for your shredification, giving Alice Cooper’s Poison the full Sophie Lloyd treatment. You know the drill; Kiesel signature guitar, immaculate intonation, blurring the line between Cooper's vocals and John McCurry original guitar...
And most impressive of all, she duly makes short work of what has to be the longest pre-chorus in the history of hard rock. Check it out above.
Head to Sophie Lloyd for info on those VIP packages. Imposter Syndrome is out now via Autumn Records.
