India’s Secret Intimate Gig – Sofar Sounds?

9th November 2019
By Nigel D’souza

Ever wanted to listen to your favorite Music Artist live over the weekend and vibe with that special someone? The oblivious question is HOW?

Music has and will always be the perpetual mood-changer for each one of us. Titled as ‘The Seventh Largest Country in the World’, India finds it difficult to economically cater to individual preferences. If spoken in the context of music, Indian Music Listenership finds itself in the top tier. But considering the above stats, Music Artists whether Indie or mainstream, have found it difficult to connect to their fan base on a personal front.

It isn’t just the case in India but such similar shock-waves were felt in Shoreditch, a small town neighborhood in London in the year 2009 which led to a phenomenal change in the global music scene. No one ever predicted what was to come their way! A resident of that town, Rafe Offer, witnessed that Music Artists at local music gigs and venues were not being valued for their musicianship. He was disappointed to sight ‘listeners’ standing in groups enjoying their small talks and random conversations.

Mr. Offer from that day forward decided to create a startup initiative over the weekend with the help of his friends. He decided to hosts Music Artists and their original compositions over at his residence and have selected guests come over. What started as an initiative to create a healthy space for Music Artists, has now become The World’s Secret Intimate Gig – Sofar Sounds acronym for ‘SOngs From A Room’! Rafe Offer is now The Founder of this global phenomena that is spreading like wildfire across towns and cities globally.

Today, Sofar Sounds is a community of thousands of artists, hosts, fans and more, across 444 cities around the world. Every city in the world has its very own base and dedicated ‘core team’ that aid artists and guests to promote their love for one substance – MUSIC. On similar grounds, Sofar Sounds has been welcomed to our homeland in 12 prominent locations – Delhi NCR, Jaipur, Dimapur, Shillong, Bombay (a.k.a Mumbai), Pune, Goa, Imphal, Bangalore (a.k.a Bengaluru), Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi and are likely to expand to other cities in the next few years.

I enjoyed the privilege to be invited over as a guest to witness performances at an undisclosed location in Bombay (a.k.a Mumbai) on October 12th 2019. Ssssshhhhh! Sofar Sounds has been operating from its Bombay base since mid-2016. My excitement blew through the rooftop to be part of an event that really has been a launchpad for artists such as Prateek Kuhad, The Ghalat Family, Easy Wanderlings and the other game-changers of the industry. Fingers crossed!

And guess what! I received an email notification few hours prior to the gig shouting out that I made it on their guest-list. I was THE happiest person alive to see Sofar Sounds Bombay recreating magic for me. The venue chosen was Jaipur Rugs in Mumbai in collaboration with Tinder India (yes, the coupling portal!). This show was promised to be a special one as they lined up special performances for the city-dwellers: Ladies Compartment, Smalltalk and Easy Wanderlings.

The day and the hour arrived to witness a range of exuberant and young talent rising from the ‘City Of Dreams’.
The Ladies Compartment a.k.a The Spice Girls of Bombay opened the evening with their syncopated set of rhythms. Their songs ‘spoke’ the daily struggles of an individual. The four-piece girl band froze our emotions with their harmonious string of vocals throughout their 30-minute set. They bought in emotion, humour and jazziness through their sound. Do check out some of collaborations and projects here.

Following them were Smalltalk, a Bombay-based four-piece who swooped the audience with their metaphorical song-writing. They impressed me with their mindful attitude to distribute handmade zines to their listeners so that we could join them in chorus. Their music was woven together with acoustics, bare vocals, synths and effects. Their performances ‘story-told’ the experiences of a young boy struggling to find his way out of a darkened tunnel. At the end of their set, they led the imaginary boy and all of us to the awaiting light of hope at the other end. Listen to some of their recent singles here.

The treat of the evening was surely Easy Wanderlings, the Pune-based ensemble that brought musical dexterity in their frequencies. The more I speak of them, the less it would be. They ingeniously played their ‘most-streamed’ singles since their two-year musical journey. The band was a true amalgamation of fun, musicianship and simplicity that created music not only easy on the ears but penetrative to one’s core.

The extended monsoons of Bombay were not the only blissful moments to have been captured in my mind but also every minute that I spent at this ‘living room’.

I truly felt liberated to think that the Indie music scene in India is growing rapidly but at a slower pace. I do not hold regrets to have invested my interests and passion in the Indie music scene of India. For surely deep within, I know that such occurrences are changing the sound of this nation.

Do you agree?