Becoming Led Zeppelin + Live Music

Live music in cinema foyer pre-screening from Tom Scamell

Riverside Guitarnation Festival of Music-themed Theatre, Recitals, Masterclasses and Films is proud to present Becoming Led Zeppelin: the origin story of the band that outsold Pink Floyd and are second only to The Beatles in album sales. The festival curators have developed Fender and Gibson guitars for archetypal guitar heroes Jimmy Page and Francis Dunnery, who is performing on 28th February in the festival. Francis is Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant’s longtime guitarist from his various solo albums and tours! Robert usually pops up on Dunnery’s tour dates, especially the London shows, so stay cool if you find yourself in the presence of a rock icon or two during the festival.

There’ll be lots of opportunities during the festival week to meet the people who developed guitars for Fender and Gibson for the biggest bands in the world, including Led Zeppelin and The Who, and Zak Starkey of The Who and Oasis will be playing in a very special concert for us on 27th February with Bad Company’s guitarist!

On the subject of Rock Guitar Gods, Led Zep’s Jimmy Page played in two bands with Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton - which were the Yardbirds and Ealing All Stars - and there’s a rare concert on the 25th that features The Jeff Beck Group’s seminal ‘Truth’ album that was recorded with John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page (two thirds of Led Zeppelin), and we’re hoping to have Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page guitars at the Beck Masterclass event preceding the concert on 25th February at 6.30pm in Studio 2.

BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN (2025)

Becoming Led Zeppelin explores the origins of this iconic group and their meteoric rise in just one year against all the odds. Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances, and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.