Music / Interviews
Sofar, so good
Imagine the most intimate gig, in a unique and undiscovered venue, attended by a carefully curated audience.
This is exactly what Sofar Sounds is all about.
With the non-profit organisation now operating in 268 cities, it has grown massively since its first gig in a living room in London in 2010. The idea stemmed from three friends attending a Friendly Fires gig where the music was so loud that they could barely hear themselves, let alone enjoy the music.
is needed now More than ever
This started a chain of intimate gigs where the audience could sit and enjoy the music and most importantly, respect the artists. No phones, no chatting and no walking out. These gigs are all about feeling connected to the artists and the music. The artists stick around after their set and are encouraged to bring along merchandise.
For Sofar the focus has always been on the artists and the music that they have to share. There are no headlining acts, just a diverse selection of artists who all get the same time in the spotlight.
What is so intriguing about these events is that the venue and the artists are kept totally secret. Most of the gigs are held in people’s houses or in unique, intimate venues. Keeping the artists secret stops people from being dismissive and choosing which gigs they attend based on what genre of music they like. It’s all about discovering something new.
Unlike a regular gig, you can’t simply purchase tickets. You have to apply for each gig and the city team for that gig will then carefully select the crowd with the key element being diversity. The teams want a varied crowd, with people varying in ages and gender.
Huw Thomas and Joseff Harris have recently relaunched Sofar Bristol. Their aim is to get people discovering not only new artists in the city, but also new areas of the city.
Joseff got involved with the company around three months ago, with their next event happening on September 19.
Joseff told Bristol24/7 that he found himself frustrated with the lack of Sofar events going on in the city: “Bristol is such hub for arts, not just for music, but it’s such a creative city, it felt like a crime not having a Sofar in Bristol”.
The relaunch gig was hosted in the temporary Backstage Bar at the Bristol Old Vic and the response from the gig was “overwhelming” according to Joseff.
“It’s got this warehouse, New York loft feel to it with brick everywhere and graffiti over the walls from painting sets. Then it has beautiful hanging Edison light bulbs and loads of fairy lights. It was the perfect place to start it; it was big but had an intimate feel to it.”
The event featured performances from Fenne Lily, Macaco Project, The Inexplicables, and Ayah Marar, who has worked on a tracks with artists such as Calvin Harris and DJ Fresh.
The aim for Sofar Bristol is to continue doing at least one gig a month with hope for growth. “The demand for it is overwhelming from people who want to host and people who want to play,” Joseff added.
The next gig is on September 19. To apply for tickets, visit www.sofarsounds.com/Bristol. Joseff hints that a little comment on your application goes a long way.
October 15 will feature a collaboration between Sofar Bristol and Oxjam Festival. Whilst Sofar Sounds is still keeping their stage location a secret, they have confirmed that they will be hosting two Sofar gigs on the same day.
All photos by Chelsey Cliff