Ever get bored of going to a gig and you can’t see who’s playing because someone’s filming the whole gig on an iPad in front of you? Or you can’t hear the music properly because some idiot is giving it the big one with his mates next to you? Yeah, it annoys us too. It also really annoyed Rafe Offer and Rocky Start – the co-founders of Sofar Sounds.
Sofar – aka Songs from a Room – is a global music movement, which was established in 2009 in a tiny North London flat. After attending a Friendly Fires gig and fed up with all the distractions, the guys enlisted some musical friends to play at their flat. People loved the intimate experience and fast forward nearly 8 years and Sofar Sounds is now in 294 cities worldwide, hosting gigs in people’s living rooms, shops, warehouses and offices.
And that’s where Pitch comes in… On Tuesday 11th October, come 5.30pm, we shut down our laptops, pushed the desks aside and welcomed some incredible acts from around the world to grace our reception area stage. With over 65 guests sitting on the floor, it’s safe to say it was a bit of a tight squeeze. But the pins and needles and numb bums were worth it to see the 3 amazing acts that Sofar had booked.
First up were Warhaus – the artistic alter ego and solo recording project of Maarten Devoldere — who (along with Jinte Deprez) fronts the Belgian rock band Balthazar. Check out a video of them preforming The Good Lie from Pitch HQ here.
Next on the bill was the soulful pop singer NADINE from Switzerland, who added to our European inspired line-up. Here’s one of her latest tracks, Pocahontas which she played at Pitch.
Ending the night on a (very loud) high, were the incredible Noisy Pots. Completing our Euro road-trip, the duo from Prague brought with them their very unusual “DIY kitchen electro” style. I think all of Pitch are in agreement that our expectations for a band playing the pots and pans were not very high. We were proven wrong! The acoustic sound of pots, buckets, cans and other stuff from the kitchen and garage combined with live synths, samples, vibraphone and vocals delivered a spontaneous yet amazingly energetic set full of catchy beats. We loved it! Here’s the guys in action.
Pitch have since hosted a second Sofar Sounds gig with three more fantastic acts – Temple of Anyone, Samuel Ford and Close Talker – with another sold out gig with a secret line-up coming soon in December. Get in touch with the team if you’re interested in attending one of our future shows, but so far (pun intended) they’ve been selling out like hot cakes; so get a move on!
