KISS, Metallica and Black Sabbath Memorabilia Lands in London as Julien’s “Music Icons” Exhibition Opens at Hard Rock Cafe

London Becomes Ground Zero for Rock History as Julien’s Unveils “Music Icons” Exhibition

London Becomes Ground Zero for Rock History as Julien’s Unveils “Music Icons” Exhibition

For a moment, London doesn’t feel like a city. It feels like a vault.

Inside Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus, guitars don’t just hang, they carry weight. Cultural weight. Emotional weight. The kind that only comes from decades of distortion, sweat, and mythology.

London Becomes Ground Zero for Rock History as Julien’s Unveils “Music Icons” Exhibition - Credit Jasmine Keira Photography

On March 24, 2026, Julien’s Auctions opened the UK preview of its globally touring “Music Icons” exhibition — a rare, almost surgical look into the artefacts that shaped rock and metal as we understand it today .

This is not nostalgia. It’s evidence.

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Exhibition Before the Global Auction Tour

Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus Music Icons exhibition by Julien's Auctions - Credit Jasmine Keira Photography

Positioned as a pre-auction showcase, the London exhibition offers media and the public an early encounter with items that will later head to Japan and New York before going under the hammer .

At its core, this is about proximity. Getting close enough to history that it stops feeling distant.

And the centrepiece does exactly that.

Ace Frehley’s 1974 Gibson Les Paul Leads the Exhibition

Front and centre sits Ace Frehley’s 1974 Gibson Les Paul, a guitar that isn’t just associated with KISS — it is KISS in its rawest form.

Ace Frehley 1974 Gibson Les Paul on display at Music Icons exhibition London  - Credit Jasmine Keira Photography

This is the instrument that followed Frehley through both stage and studio, becoming one of the most recognisable Les Pauls in rock history. Its presence anchors the exhibition, not through spectacle, but through legacy .

Surrounding it are fragments of the same era:

A 1977 “Rock & Roll Over” tour jacket

A black kimono embroidered with a golden dragon

A stage-worn jumpsuit tied to both Frehley and New York Dolls’ Arthur Kane

Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus Music Icons exhibition -  Credit Jasmine Keira Photography

Each piece feels like a continuation of the same sentence.

Metal, Mythology and Machines: Guitars That Defined Generations

Beyond KISS, the exhibition widens into something heavier, both sonically and culturally.

Among the standout pieces:

• Kirk Hammett’s first Ouija ESP custom guitar, a mainstay of Metallica’s touring and recording era

• Billy Duffy’s 1976 Gibson Les Paul Custom, immortalised on Sonic Temple

• Mick Mars’ Gibson Explorer, tied directly to Mötley Crüe’s visual and sonic identity

• Stevie Ray Vaughan’s 1969 Guild F-412, used during his MTV Unplugged performance

  
  

There’s also a quieter presence from Black Sabbath — a stage-used Zildjian gong from Bill Ward — a reminder that sometimes the most powerful sounds aren’t notes, but impact.

Free Public Access Before the Auction Moves Global

The exhibition runs from March 24 to April 13 at Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus, open daily and free to the public .

After London, the collection moves on — first to Japan, then to New York, where the full auction will take place in late May.

That timeline matters. Because what’s on display here won’t stay still for long.

Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus Music Icons exhibition by Julien's Auctions - Credit Jasmine Keira Photography

Why This Exhibition Matters Now

There’s a shift happening in how music history is consumed.

Streaming made music intangible. Algorithms made it disposable. But exhibitions like this push in the opposite direction — back toward objects, ownership, and physical legacy.

A guitar is no longer just a tool. It becomes a timestamp.

And in a room like this, you realise something quietly unsettling:

These instruments outlive the moments they created.

Event Details

Event: Julien’s Auctions “Music Icons” Exhibition

Location: Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus, London

Dates: March 24 – April 13, 2026

Entry: Free public access

Auction Dates: May 29–30, 2026 (New York & online)