When a grandpa rocks a killer guitar solo, the world becomes a better place. That’s a fact, and Kenny Petrie's dazzling, two hand-tapping-filled performance on Britain’s Got Talent from 2022 proves just that.
At the start of the audition – which has been reposted as part of the long-running UK talent show's 'Unforgettable Audition' YouTube series – the 64-year-old looked every bit the antithesis of a rock star, with his quarter-zip fleece, button-up shirt and gentle smile.
But his talents very much belied his unassuming appearance: the effortlessness with which he showcases his chops – so nonchalantly iced with some squealing whammy bar tricks – was a delight to behold, and we're rather pleased to see that the spotlight has once again shone on Petrie's performance. At the time of writing, the resurfaced clip has almost 400,000 views.
“My name is Kenny Petrie, I'm 64 and I've come to hopefully take a good part in the show tonight,” he said shortly after walking on stage. At this point, there was no guitar in sight, although the presence of a Roland combo amp behind him would have given clues to the eagle-eyed for what was about to unfold.
Petrie's six-string of choice was a Suhr Classic S – a Strat-alike with a humbucker in the bridge and two single-coils. A DigiTech Whammy Pedal, paramount for his final flourish, and a CryBaby Wah could also be seen on his pedalboard.
His performance starts with a tight stab through Aerosmith’s classic Walk This Way riff, but it’s when he slaloms through his lead playing that he truly lets go and expresses himself, and wins the hearts of the adoring audience.
“Well, we weren't expecting that,” judge Simon Cowell admitted afterwards. “We love being surprised on this show. When the guitar came out I thought, 'This isn't going to go well,' but you were actually brilliant.”
David Walliams shared his colleague’s sentiment, adding: “It was fantastic. Obviously unexpected because you seem sort of a mild-mannered guy. Sorry, I didn't think, 'Oh, here comes a rock god.'”
Guitar veterans tearing up the stage on national television is becoming more common these days, and it's interesting to see that Petrie may well be the OG grandpa shredder – beating to the punch John Wines (AKA the oldgreyguitarist), who made a similar impact on America's Got Talent last year.
The equally unassuming 59-year-old went viral with his Brian May and Van Halen-esque soloing. The well-oiled guitarist, who actually hails from the UK's Southern coast, has amassed a whopping 1.4 million followers on TikTok.
Speaking to Guitar World, Wines revealed his participation had come after he tried to calm one of his guitar student’s nerves regarding an upcoming performance.
