Words by Mary E Adams  Photos by Sandra Ciampone 

At our London show January 19th (#89, for those of you keeping track), we were yet again wonderfully surprised by just how incredibly good these bands sound live. We traveled to a secret address in northwestern London where Giovanna kindly opened her flat to us. We anxiously set up camp in the living room, eager to finally hear what these bands could offer in real-time.

Ligers opened the night with beach-tinged bluesy tunes. Liz Stott easily bellowed rich alto notes, adding a jazzy twirl to the bright, childish theme in their music. Their first two songs caught everyone with catchy beats and a summery, Californian feel, ultimately ending in a jumping crescendo from the band. “I’m Telling You,” their 3^rd song, brought the music back to a mellowed tone, while still maintaining a honeyed, Jazz sound. The guys chimed in on the last song to create a folk-inspired march of a tune with “Come Away”.

On a completely different note, Laws of Motion changed the scene into a bit of a time-warp of shoegaze and post-rock. Matt James’s vocals sent shivers down spines: his falsetto floats and vibrato causes sentiments, both of which recall those powerful vocals of Thom Yorke. Graeme Dart’s and Chris King’s textured guitar parts offered surging emotions, either acoustic and light, or darker and complex. The 4-piece band finished with a new song, adding crowd-stomping to turn their thoroughly dreamy sound into a beat-themed rock selection.

We were really in the mood to mix up the stage a bit, so it came as no surprise that our 3^rd act should be Duologue, In every sense of the word, they’re an electronically robust act. But for our purposes, they let loose to perform, for the first time, a stripped down set. The band had the entire room swaying and drumming the beat in their seats; the violinist rocked out in the background as the keyboardist and guitarist dueled with their instruments. Their final song encompassed eerie Egyptian folk music, rivaling acoustic guitars, and energy close to that found in gospel churches.

The Brute Chorus kept the energy going till the end with their skinny-jean, rock star look, melodica usage, and eccentric yearning. They humorously kicked off with “Heaven,” followed by “Wife,” an intimate piece, which only called for guitar and melodica. Sofar vets, these guys had no qualms debuting a song they had just written last week. The finale began with simple bongo drums and clapping from the audience. They sang of trembling bone and exhaustion from the reaping, using crazed hollers and creeping whispers to turn Giovanna’s flat into a revival.

As always, each act overwhelmed us with their riveting performances. Adding to the element of surprise, Rafe wowed the room with his announcement of Sofar’s participation in Nova Festival. This summer, Sofar will set-up tent at Nova, simulating the Songs from a Room atmosphere in the middle of this festival, being the debut outing for Sofar at any UK festival.

Rafe making the big announcement - Sofar's going to Nova Festival ! 

The Brute Chorus also caught the room by surprise with another announcement – they’ve been asked to take on SXSW! But, as they are a group of nomadic musicians, they’re always happy to receive outsider random acts of kindness. Visit their IndieGoGo Site to help them on their trek through the US!

The crowd dwindled, bands packed up, and Giovanna’s flat was returned to its normal state. In true Sofar form, we had a moveable feast of a night, one that we’ll carry with us until we meet again in the next secret living room.  

All Photos by Sandra Ciampone / http://www.meorme.com/
Written by Mary Elizebeth Adams