Profile - Antonio Forcione

This article is from 2008.

Name Antonio Forcione

Occupation ‘The Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar’.

What does that involve? Being unutterably talented. The rags-to-riches tale of Forcione busking in Covent Garden while unable to speak English is romantic; it was preceded by a period studying music back home in Italy. Clearly he’s smart, but what he does with his instrument – the picking, the strumming and the tapped percussive sounds – can only have its roots in sheer natural talent.

What should we expect? Dazzling guitar playing in the Latin style, first and foremost. A bit of amusing banter, as befits a Fringe regular who used to have his own show with Boothby Graffoe. Some unashamed crowd-pleasing, as also befits a man who has opened for Phil Collins. Also, the nearly comparable percussive skills of this year’s co-performer Adriano Adewale.

Antonio Forcione and Adriano Adewale, Assembly Rooms, 623 3030, until 25 Aug, 10.15pm, £12–£13 (£11–£12); 21 & 22 Aug, 11.45pm.