- Krishna J. Nair, III B.A. English
Chennai is popular for its music culture, varying from the kutcheries in Margazhi Maasam to various live performances in places like Music Academy and Phoenix Mall. What makes these different from a little gig called Sofar Sounds?
In Sofar, you have to cross your fingers and hope that they put you in their guest list.
Sofar Sounds, a worldwide renowned music gig, hosts secret live concerts in around 444 cities. It was started by a group of friends in 2009 in London after being disappointed by how people chatted and ignored music while passionate musicians played in pubs (a scene similar to the one seen in the opening of the movie Begin Again). The events are announced on their official website, revealing only the area and not the actual address of the place; after which people can register using their email IDs. If you are lucky enough to be selected, they revert through mail, asking for a confirmation; all it takes is luck.
Sofar also restores hope in the music industry, being a supportive shoulder to musicians who are waiting for a break, or musicians who disappeared after their big opening. Each gig consists of three acts, usually of three different genres so that the audience can have a taste of everything. At Sofar, there is only one rule: listen to the music.
In November 2019, Sofar had their event in Adyar after a short break of two months. The acts included Kevin Fernando, Space is All We Have, and Peter Pulavars Okalist. With a minimal yet comfortable performance space and posters from previous gigs hosted in Chennai as the main décor for the event, Kevin Fernando opened the set with five original compositions, which could even give him the label of Chennai’s Prateek Kuhad. Ollie, the host for the evening, introduced him as the person who is alive and emotional half of the time, and happy and enthusiastic during the other half.
Space is All We Have’s music can be considered experimental, as the genre of Space Rock or Electro Rock is only just being introduced in India. The electric guitarist was also the DJ for the band, producing music that one has never heard before, leaving the audience as well as the other performers baffled and impressed. The band did knock the audience out of space, only to be brought back by Peter Pulavars Okalist with their humor and jokes about the entertainment industry that all the singers are a part of. Formed only eight months back by a group of actors who label themselves as ‘failed,’ Peter Pulavars Okalist succeeded in creating a whole new genre, “Jazz Kuthu.” Mixing the contemporary Jazz and Chennai’s own Kuthu songs, P.P.O stole the show with their ballads on Chennai, and on the little things in life.
Sofar is hosting their next secret event on December 15th in Alwarpet. If you make it into the guest list, make sure you take a plus one, and introduce them to the magic of intimate live music, until they crack the ultimate ‘joke,’ “Sofar, so good!” That is your cue to leave.