Sofar Sounds: the secret gigs you didn’t know you needed

Rushing through the busy streets of Shoreditch, it never occurred to me how many things you can do on a Monday evening in London. Yet here I am, on my way to my first ever Sofar Sounds, a company that organises live events in secret locations around the world — and I don’t really know what to expect.

Walking through the studio flat feels a bit surreal, like it should belong on a famous blogger’s Instagram — two old leather couches, vintage rugs and even a kitchen space.

I sit on a very uncomfortable but ‘cool’ chair and admire the place for a second: amongst all the chaos, the noise and the sound check, Studio 7 looks just like the sort of place you would go to listen to good, chilled music whilst sipping your soya chai latte.

As the guests arrive, the flat is lively and full of energy: there’s people on the sofas and people on the floor, good music doesn’t necessarily mean comfort — or at least not at Sofar. “This is my first time here and I’m really excited. I love discovering new music and I’m glad I won the tickets,” Hannah tells me, a lovely girl sitting to my right. “It’s actually funny because I requested the tickets but I wasn’t sure I was gonna get them so I made no plans for today and then I had to rush here.”

As Claudia, one of the volunteers, later tells me, this is how Sofar works. “You can’t actually buy tickets, you find the event you want to attend to and you apply. If you get in, you then receive the secret address and all the other info you need.”

Finally the event starts and we get catapulted into a whole new music scene: three artists are performing tonight, two are musicians and one is a spoken word artist. Everyone is quiet during the performances, allowing the artists to be heard loud and clear without any distractions.

First up is Georgia Blackwell, a young and talented soul singer and songwriter that grabs the audience’s attention with an acoustic guitar and a powerful voice. Then we have Rachel Nwokoro, the most interesting character performing. The powerful words in her stories captivate every single person in that tiny flat and I find myself shocked and weirdly pleased she is talking instead of singing. Last on the set list is Midé: chilled guy with an insanely powerful soul voice.

Among the many concerts and gigs I’ve been to in the past, this was hands down the weirdest and probably most enjoyable one so far. The location, the people and the overall experience was more than I thought it could be. Sitting on the floor or uncomfortable chairs was what made this gig so personal: no talking during the performance, little to no photographs and lots of talent.

Rushing to catch the tube I didn’t get a chance to talk to Rachele Tucci, a Music Business undergraduate student and Sofar volunteer. The next day, phone in hand, we chat all things music and Sofar. “I started in 2015 when I was just a guest but I knew I wanted to be a volunteer. It wasn’t easy as we had training to prepare us and ensure we could cover all the roles but I finally became a volunteer in July 2016 and it has been great.

“The role helped me with university as well as I can now plan and organise events and I know how to talk not only to artists but also managers and publicists — and that’s a big part of what I do at university and what I want to do in the future.”

With locations in more than 380 cities all over the word, Sofar Sounds is not only a great night out, but is quickly becoming a place for people to share talent, discover artists and improve their skills.