by Kate Wi
I recently got the chance to experience excellent live music thanks to Sofar Sounds’ second gig in Malta. Local and even one foreign artist presented their music in a secret, intimate and unique space in the Holy Trinity Church in Sliema.
It was still a warm and cosy evening when we walked through the beautiful little garden of the church to reach the entrance. As a matter of fact, I was emailed about the exact place only one day before, to spring a leak was almost impossible.
I could immediately sense the special atmosphere – being in a room with like-minded people, all awaiting the same good music experience in excitement. Especially because even the artists were kept a secret until the very start of the gig.
Everyone made themselves comfortable on pillows, had drinks and was in a good mood. As predicted, there wasn’t too much space. I can’t imagine there were more than a hundred music lovers. But exactly this made all this so exciting, as we felt like part of something special and rare.
Soon the bands started – Stolen Creep, Fastidju, Juno and the Wolf and TAMU – and we could indulge in each artist’s atmospheric, unique and sometimes experimental style. Neither of them played longer than 30 minutes, an appropriate and bearable time span to sit on the pillows, and get outside to stretch out or have a new drink during the breaks.
Sofar Sounds originally started in 2009 in a tiny flat in North London. The idea was “to bring the magic back to live music”, as the existing scene was quite frustrating. So an audience of true music lovers was carefully selected to experience an evening with three young artists.
And how one thing leads to another when a show enthrals, they told their friends, …and now Sofar Sounds is the world’s largest music discovery community with gigs in flats or other small venues in Istanbul, Berlin, Vancouver, Dublin, Sydney and countless other cities around the globe.
If you haven’t heard of it before, don’t worry – me neither. Although I’m quite interested in such things. The gigs are intended to be kept secret and intimate, as too big audiences would destroy the unique atmosphere.
In case you want to join a gig, follow them on facebook or visit the website, as that’s where you will find the latest news of upcoming shows, and “there will be indeed, and even bigger projects lines up for Sofar Sounds Malta”. Be fast, places have to be booked in advance and are always rare.
https://www.sofarsounds.com/
