The group, which lays emphasis on live music, has put together over 15 gigs in Chennai over the last year and a half since their inception – but their first concert to also invite dogs, cats, and other pets of every kind, saw a rousing reception from the audience as well as the animals. 

With the concept of secret, intimate gigs held every month or so – performers as well as audience members need to register for participation well in advance – SoFar Sounds has quickly captured the fancy of concert-lovers in the city. 

Their latest featured the likes of rock act Sawan, jazz singer Aasha Sriram and progressive Carnatic rock band Yaazhi. “It was so easy to connect with an audience like this, and we felt really comfortable performing on stage. 

The dogs, which were present, were brought in by some members of the crowd during the sound-check, and made comfortable and calm. They never barked even once during the concert and listened to us gamely. 

That was my favourite part of the experience,” said Aasha, one of the singers. Anu Bhaskararaman, a volunteer at SoFar Sounds Chennai, added that they would really like to keep the practice going if they found more pet-friendly venues. 

“We got the idea to host an event like this when someone (a dog’s profile) commented on our Instagram post asking us how pets could enjoy music. We managed to find a co-working space that let pets in and hope this trend can continue. Around 70 people turned up for the gig; the pet owners were really understanding and ensured the dogs didn’t disturb anyone.”