One time I saw Foals in the basement of a squat in Camberwell. It was sweltering, the band lit by a single swinging lightbulb as sweaty bodies crashed on and off stage. At one point someone decide to take a mallet to the wall, and pretty soon the kitchen had been knocked through to the cellar. Open plan is always a good look.Earlier this year I sat in Neneh Cherry's sweaty rehearsal space in a business park in Walthamstow. With room for me and no one else, I saw her play through her entire new album with band Rocket No 9. In between songs you could hear a pin drop. The room was filled with awkward eye contact. But it was absolutely spectacular - one of the best live performances I've experienced.Gigs in unusual places make everything more exciting. And everyone's getting in on it. I've even heard a rumour that when Prince comes to London he calls up a girl – she lays in a bubble bath, drinks champagne, and puts her phone on loudspeaker. Prince paints his nails purple and listens. No one says a word. (That’s only hearsay – but I do know that Prince has played a secret show in Mercury Award nominee Lianne La Havas’ flat.)Sofar have been keeping this good tradition going. For over two years, been taking hundreds of artists, including Wolf Alice and Rhodes, out of their comfort zones, and into people's front rooms and other unusual settings.Now Sofar are hosting a unique evening around Hackney on 12th of June, in partnership with GAP as a part of their #summerloves campaign which features musicians such as Say Lou Lou, The Smith Westerns and Andra Day. The show will be the perfect synergy between the magic of the Sofar Living Room and the scale of the Sofar Secret Festival. Expect a very large living room.As ever, the lineups for each night will remain secret, with the location also being revealed to successful applicants just 24 hours prior.Guestlist opens June 1st, signup at sofarsounds.com to apply, and get a feel for what they’re going to look like here.
Advertisement