At a recently-held secret gig
CHENNAI:When was the last time you did something for the first time? For instance, go to a gig without knowing who will perform. There are few music lovers in Chennai who are the adventurous kind and that’s the reason why secret gigs are becoming common in the city. Organised by Sofar Sounds, launched in London in 2009 by Rafe Offer and Rocky Start, they came to India two years ago. They have been conducting shows in Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kochi, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.
On a trip to London, Rafe and Rocky were eager to listen to their favourite band, but it turned out to be a dud. How did they make up for their disappointment? They started Sofar Sounds. “The Chennai chapter started in 2016 and we have done 16 shows so far. We try to do one show every month,” says Aditi Kuriakose, Chennai lead, Sofar Sounds. The entry tickets to the gigs usually open a month prior to the concert, and once people register, they are put on the waiting list. They are then sent invites depending on the capacity of the venue. “You don’t know who is playing what kind of music and even the venue is revealed just 30 hours before the show,” says Brejesh Aiyer, a member of Sofar Sounds Chennai.
Yazhi band performed recently at the 16th edition in the city. They played popular theme songs of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter. “This was our first secret gig as a band and we really enjoyed our performance,” shares Sandip Ramanan, percussionist. The city-based neo-Carnatic band had Kiran Kashyap on violin, Karan Praveen on guitar, Sankrith Soumya on bass, Harish on keys and Harini Rangan on vocals.
Kashyap who has been active in this scene says here the artist and listeners interact. “In Chennai, there are very few venues to perform at and even those, don’t have a great sound system. So such gigs come as a boon,” he adds.
