By George Katralis
AS an outsider moving to London, my head was filled with pseudo erotic tales of London’s famous hidden scenes. Places, people, things off the beaten track so secret that word of mouth via a friend of a friend was the only way to catch wind of such things.
Lucky for you, today I am playing the role of this friend and I am blowing the whistle on one of London’s best kept secrets. And that is Sofar Sounds.
An underground musical movement, Sofar Sounds is a way for the minority who love the purity of music to hear what is often missed when performed on the big stage. By placing the music and the performers in the intimate setting of a pop up style gig held in someone’s living room, Sofar Sounds gets back to the beauty and the basics of live music. In such a small setting, not a word is missed and not a chord is unplayed…
Entrance is only gained to this exclusive and secret set via an email ballot. The organisers then help keep it a secret for as long as possible, with the lucky attendees only being told the address of the gig just hours before. And so it was, that a couple of weeks ago – I was one of the lucky few to attend a Sofar Sounds evening.
The night began at a north London Hampstead Heath location. Complete with family photos, kids running around and even a cat…the scene was set by some music loving people who welcomed 150 strangers, a handful of musicians and a couple of camera crews into their house with open arms.
With each band getting a set of just four songs (a tough ask by any musical standards to impress with such a tight deadline), the night began with local act I Said Yes and their very current hipster musical style reminiscent and maybe inspired by the Mumford and Son’s folk rock genre. Complete with thudding dulling acoustic guitars, strong vocals, toy pianos and even a xylophone, these guys and gals were the perfect way to ease us into the night ahead.
Folk music seemed to be the order of the night and the intimate setting with crowd sitting cross legged on the floor seem to appreciate it.
Songwriters Rozi Plain and Rachel Hillary treated us next, both ladies impressed with musical styling, witty banter and clever lyrics, paving the way for an enjoyable first half of the evening.
After a quick break to stretch the ol’ legs, Modeste Hugues Randriamahitasoa took to the stage. A softly sung but incredibly charming entertainer, he took us on a journey through the music of his native Madagascar. His music had a way of taking you away, and his unique finger picking style of play with double capos and alternate tuning was something this musician loved seeing in action.
The night was to end with Hyperpotamus playing a style of music I have never seen before but what I can only describe as live and instantly recorded/performed beat boxing and dub step with a twist of rap…not my cup of tea but interesting to say the least. His music might not have instant likability or instant appeal to the masses, but his show won us over with his originality, cheeky banter, interpretive dance and very comical facial expressions which accompanied the music he was creating literally live in front of our eyes and without the aid of one instrument.
Sofar Sounds is a must for any music lover out there. The chance to see music in this setting is rare and unmissable. To find out more, visit Sofarsounds.com and be sure to thank me later.