Sofar Sounds Listening Party
By TATTON & THOMPSON
TT Liquor showed off its capabilities as a flexible Shoreditch venue hire location, transforming into a live music venue on Easter weekend as we were lucky enough to host our first Sofar Sounds gig.
The bands set up in the Old Cutting Room in The West Wing, which turned out to be the ideal space for an intimate, atmospheric evening of live music.
Sofar put on live music events with a difference – they began back in 2010 when a couple of friends went to a typical gig in London, and were really disappointed with the experience. There were people talking throughout, massive queues at the bar, more people were on their phones taking videos and photos than actually listening to the music. That’s not what live music should be about.
They decided to do something about it and started hosting their own gigs, where the music took centre stage. Phones and talking were banned, and the audience sat on the floor throughout – paying full attention to the performers. Unsurprisingly the idea snowballed and Sofar are now hosting around 500 gigs a month at over 340 venues worldwide – and we were lucky enough to be the latest venue that they approached.
As with all Sofar gigs, the performers were not announced in advance – there are no “openers” and no “headliners”. Every lineup is carefully curated to give the audience a diverse show, and each performer is given equal attention.
We were blessed with amazing performances from three great bands – first up were duet Echoes, lead singer XXX’s beautiful vocals filled the room masterfully supported by intricate acoustic guitar work from XXX. Next James Beckwith blew us away with an hypnotic solo keyboard performance that reverberated around the venue, and last on were Alvarez Kings, celebrating their new album Somewhere Between, who gave a stunning stripped back set showcasing the pitch-perfect harmonies between singers Simon Thompson and our very own Sean Parkin, who has worked with TT Liquor for a number of years.
The evening was a huge success and a great showcase for TT Liquor’s adaptability for use as a flexible events space. Hopefully this will be the first of many – don’t miss the next one!
