Have you ever
attended a SofaConcert? Well, imagine what it would be like to give one! Apparently it can be more daring to perform for a small but very attentive audience sitting just a meter away from you than to perform to a large crowd from the safe distance of a big stage. Every gesture, every tiniest move is witnessed by the guests. So you
better not make any mistakes, right? ;)
We already
shared different stories about what it feels like to host a SofaConcert, but this time we
would like to turn the table and introduce you to Matt Woosey. Matt is a singer/songwriter from Worcestershire in the UK who is now living in Germany. He has already played quite a number of SofaConcerts - we wanted to know why exactly he is such a fan of these smaller gigs and asked him a couple of questions:
So where does
this fascination for living room concerts come from, Matt?
I realised that
I wasn't enjoying the bar gigs like I used to. I'd become tired of the music
industry. I used to play noisy gigs where nobody listened, so I switched to
only doing gigs where you had to buy a ticket to get in. Then I realised that
nobody was buying tickets and I was cancelling shows all over the place. I
became really upset with how things were going in my career until I moved to
Germany and found SofaConcerts.
It seemed to
answer all of the prayers I had as a musician...listening audiences? Yup! Am I
able to make a living out of it? Yup! Does it spread my name around the country
so that I can return with my band and do a 'proper' gig somewhere nearby? Yup!
Am I playing to open minded, friendly people who are there to listen to music?
Yup! Can I play my own music and will people be happy if I don't play any
covers? Yup!
But where is the difference between a SofaConcerts and a normal gig?
I always get
nervous though, at SofaConcerts, at normal gigs, at festivals... wherever really.
I just get nervous. But being in such a small space with people so close and
watching and listening to your every tiniest move is quite different to a
normal gig.
Additionally, people are engaged, enthusiastic about new music, friendly and open minded.
They are always interested in listening to my music. You are on a very tiny
space, sharing all of your feelings with people you haven’t met before. That’s
great!
And all concerts
have something in common: They are very special. There is always the possibility
to talk to the hosts, to get in a deep contact with the guests and you always
share a little bit about yourself with all of them.
Some hosts are a
little bit nervous before their first concert. They fear that their living room is not big enough, that they can’t live up to the artist's expectations… Can
you put them at ease?
Yes! First, have
a glass of wine, maybe two. Then all you have to do is realise that, if someone
has a profile on the SofaConcerts website, it means that they want to spread
their music and their name around Europe. Real musicians who don't spend their
lives on facebook and the internet, are happy to make connections with people,
no matter how big or small the living room and no matter how many people are
there. Playing music is about moving people, making them feel something, that's
the only thing I want and I don't have any expectations from the host.
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Matt smiles. “Well,
normally, the gigs are very organised and start on time. And if people say they
will turn up to the gig…they turn up!”
Thank you Matt for sharing your views and experience with us!