I want to start with the music since the show was well balanced. We first listened to Horses On The Beach from Falmouth, Cornwall. Their live performance was refreshing. Seeing the awaiting saxophonist kept me in suspense while the band was getting ready to funk. The main lead sang effortlessly and delivered the poetic verses in perfect harmony. My personal highlight from their repertoire was Another Planet, which, I think, describes lockdown anxiety beautifully.
After Daniel Piper’s poetry and comedy skit, Marshall Law Band ended the night on a vibrant note. They travelled from Seattle to spread their message about unity beyond political ideologies. I suggest checking the funk-hop band, as they have a positive take on the current political climate (They even made it to TEDx). It was all well and good until the next day.
When I saw the 1x2 offer for Sofar Sounds, I thought to myself, pay it and see how it goes. And I came back overall thinking that it wasn’t too bad. I discovered new artists while sitting on a piece of fabric on the floor. The venue had an atmospheric vibe with the decorative fairy lights. But something about my night didn’t sit quite right with me, and it wasn’t the sitting on the ground part.
I had unconsciously put on my pink coloured glasses. I was having fun with my friend and listening to new bands that I would have probably never known about through other means. Discovering a new band live is exciting. However, the day after, I had to reflect on the event and listen to any thoughts that I might have put on hold that night.
The first alarm started buzzing when the host talked a bit about Sofar as if she was reading a script word by word. To me, it sounded a bit reminiscent of an MLM speech. I’m now finding out that Sofar isn’t paying hosts. In fact, the more I read into it, the more and more questionable Sofar Sounds becomes:
If the musicians go underpaid and the hosts go unpaid, then why sit there quietly about it? Sofar Sounds needs to change its ways for the deal to work better for everyone involved.
