I first heard about Sofar Sounds from a Brooklyn blog back in October. You can imagine how captivated I was. What was this Sofar? How do people get invited? Why is it secret? I clicked onto their website and read that Sofar Sounds is a series of secret, pop-up music gigs hosted in people’s living rooms around the world. Their mission? To reinvigorate the way in which people listen to music, aiming to make a major difference in the lives of up-and-coming artists as well as the people they perform for. Sofar began in North London 3 years ago as a grassroots movement of alternative gigging and has since expanded to 35 cities across the world. These include Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Dublin and in the USA – NYC, LA, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco – also Mumbai, Sydney, Melbourne, Sau Paulo and Buenos Aires.
This sounded incredible. I didn’t hesitate, I signed up to be added to the email list for news on future gigs. I was soon contacted about an upcoming show during CMJ and RSVP’d right away. It felt like I was part of some super cool music club, the email provided possible dates but nothing of where or who would be performing. I had heard of secret supper clubs before but nothing like this – nothing involving music in such an intimate setting. I’m pretty sure a guy playing an acoustic guitar at a restaurant was the closest I had ever come to experiencing music in a living room.
And then the day finally came. I received an email on the day of the gig with a Brooklyn address and was told to show up at 8pm sharp! Upon arriving, I was greeted with a smile and a hug from Sofar NYC coordinator, Jodie. The open space loft soon filled up and the show began. Artists were announced when they were standing in front of us, ready to perform. Each act played a short, stripped-down set of four songs. There was no talking, no one on their phones – just music. It may seem extreme to say, but it was truly an emotional experience. Some performances literally brought tears to my eyes, including one a cappella performance. From that night on, I was a believer. Attending shows at traditional venues, like Terminal 5 or Bowery Ballroom, just wasn’t the same. I was more aware of how much people chat during shows and take photos (using flash) to later instagram. I felt so badly for the bands, whether they were openers or not. I thought about how frustrating and discouraging this must be to artists. Sofar had certainly shifted my perspective and I have since attended three more living room shows that have all been equally amazing.
If you are a music enthusiast of any kind, I highly recommend checking out Sofar and signing up for future gigs. Recent acts to have played include some of the world’s hottest new artists – UK current no. 1 artist Bastille and Brit winner Tom Odell, Grammy nominee Jon Fulbright, The National, Sheepdog, Allah-Las, Pearl and the Beard, Lucius, X Ambassadors, Wake Owl, Memotone, Radiation City, Morning Parade and Elle Varner plus UK stars King Charles, The Staves, James Vincent McMorrow and Slow Club. We even had a performance from Twilight star Robert Pattinson.
LINK: http://www.sofarsounds.com/
