Mike Dawes is an English fingerstyle guitarist born in Guildford, Surrey in 1989, known for performing melody, bass, harmony and percussion simultaneously on a single acoustic guitar. He was voted Best Acoustic Guitarist in the World by Total Guitar Magazine and MusicRadar readers two years running (2017 and 2018), and built a global following through viral YouTube arrangements - most notably his solo take on Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used to Know'. Alongside his solo career, he has served as lead guitarist for Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues, appearing on the live release Spirits...Live, which debuted at #2 on the US Billboard chart.
Mike Dawes is currently on an extensive 2026-2027 world tour spanning 59 cities across New Zealand, the UK, the USA and Europe.
Dawes is scheduled to appear on a joint European tour in early 2027 alongside Bernth, Charles Berthoud and Ola Englund, with a date at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht.
Dawes rescheduled his USA tour dates after an arm injury earlier in 2026, adding additional shows to the revised schedule.
Dawes released his third studio album Galactic Acid on 9 August 2024 via Qten Records, featuring collaborations with guitarist Plini and violinist Jenee Fleenor.
Dawes contributed electric guitar to the soundtrack of Ubisoft's video game Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, composed by Mentrix and Gareth Croker.
