We asked Chloe Rodgers, one or our GET IN promoters to give us the low-down on what SOFAR sounds is and why she is using the secret gig format when promoting.
Sofar – Songs From a Room – is a global network of musicians, hosts and volunteers putting on gigs every month in over 400 cities. What makes Sofar gigs different? For starters, there are three artists who each play a 20 minute set at a show and they are kept secret until you are at the gig and listening to them! The venue is also a secret and only revealed the day before the event when an email is sent out to those who bought a ticket. The aim is to find an unusual and intimate place for a gig. Some examples include someone’s livingroom, a rooftop, a café or an attic.
Our audiences are lovely! We average around 40 people per show and to begin with, they were mostly made up of friends but as each month goes on, we are seeing more and more new faces, which is great. Since the audience do not know who is playing, it means the people attending the gigs tend to be music lovers who are interested in hearing something new and who enjoy music in an intimate environment.
For me, being involved in organising Sofar Inverness, alongside a few friends, has been great. It is a different way of organising and promoting gigs and to see how it works has been good. On top of that, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting lots of talented musicians from all over the world and new people from Inverness.
Sofar Inverness will have been running for a year in April and to celebrate this we will be having a birthday gig on the 6th April in association with The Touring Network!
You can buy tickets now from www.sofarsounds.com/inverness.
Finally, if you have a space in Inverness which you think would be perfect for a Sofar event, please get in touch with Chloe Rodgers