Sofar Sounds
Sofar Sounds is an international music project that lands in Barcelona. It is about secret domestic concerts in private homes, every month, for music lovers who want to enjoy a good live concert without getting up from the sofa.
It's 20:30 and we're standing in front of a doorway near the Vía Layetana post office building. We have arranged to meet Anna (Ibarzabal), one of the organisers of Barcelona SofaNext to it hangs a sign indicating the exact location of the domestic concert we are going to attend. We don't know which musicians will be playing or what the venue will be like, and this added mystery and excitement is cool.
We take the lift and arrive at a beautiful Med Apartments flat, and as we arrive early, we are lucky enough to be able to witness the soundcheck. At the entrance we are greeted by Roberto (Esposito), also the organiser, who reveals the main course of the evening: Miss Carrussel, Les Sueques y Da Souzathe three bands that will liven up the evening in the living room of the flat. Together with Roberto, Anna (Fernández), Ainara (Marañón), Jordi (Isern) and Victoria (Niven) finalise details: microphones connected, correct set lists, guest list, lights... In the background, Les Sueques are tuning their guitars while some of them are playing the guitars. groupies take photos to share on Instagram. There is a nervous atmosphere before any performance. Little by little the audience starts to arrive and in a few minutes the hall is filled to capacity.
Victoria, who acts as hostess, explains the story of Sofar Sounds at the start of the performance. Sounds For A Room (Sofar) was born four years ago when two London friends decided to try a new artistic concept. Fed up with mass concerts, they thought about bringing musicians and audiences together in more intimate settings where to enjoy a concert in a much more personal and direct way. And what's more, everything had to be done for the love of art. Nobody is charged, admission is free and beer and snacks cost just over €1.
The formula caught on and spread to 42 cities, arriving in Barcelona last February. All the performances are announced monthly and to attend you need to be registered to their newsletter and sign up via email. But only the fastest get a place, as they are allocated in order of receipt, although priority is always given to "newcomers". We are told that it is addictive and that whoever attends a Sofar, repeats.
