It’s been busy few weeks for Songs From a Room (Sofar Sounds), with three gigs in London and one a piece in New York, Washington DC and Berlin. Wednesday, 27 July saw the 56^th Sofar in the home base of London. Hosted in a sophisticated yet unpretentious Hampstead home, this house on The Heath was not only large enough to fit a group of over 70 Sofar veterans, newcomers, bands and the sound crew, but had the perfect ambiance for a Sofar gig.

Sitting on sofas, the floor and standing outside the big bay window in front of which the bands were set up, everyone encircled the artists and seemed to connect, both with each other and the music. Needless to say, it felt very magical.

[caption id="attachment_502" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Alex Mills by Sandra Ciampone www.meorme.com"] [/caption] The first performance was by Alex Mills, who brought along her guitarist Alex Patten. Alex is a soulful singer whose voice completely fills up a room. Almost a soulful pop with hints of the blues and supremely clever lyrics, Alex’s songs are full of raw emotion and have a contemporary cross-genre sound. Only Human has a very Caribbean vibe, whereas Colours reminded me of country music of old – a sort of Appalachian meets Alicia Keys sound. She also performed 9 to 5, a motto for all creatives, and a modern rendition of Aretha Franklin’s Deeper Love. Find out more about Alex on her website and follow her on Twitter @AlexMillsMusic [caption id="attachment_504" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Photo by Sandra Ciampone www.meorme.com"] [/caption] Next to take the floor were Sofar Paris and London veterans We Were Evergreen. French trio Fabienne, Michael and William’s enthusiasm is infectious, particularly in such an intimate space. It’s difficult not to feel their joy when they are playing. They are playful, quirky musicians with some serious song-writing skills. The lyrics are poetic, shifting between past and present. In tow with a toy piano, fruit-shaped shakers, a banjo, xylophone, ukulele, guitar and their brilliant harmonies the mixture of sound is uplifting and energetic, making for a great Sofar. Their set included: Eighteen, Second Hand, Thieves like Us with a surprise ending of a hauntingly beautiful cover of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and the playful Penguins and Moonboots. WWE is playing the Wilderness and Green Man festivals in the UK, and The Lexington in London this October. Find out more online and via Twitter @WeWereEvergreen [caption id="attachment_507" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Photo by Sandra Ciampone www.meorme.com"] [/caption] After a quick break, guests (and twins!) Amy and Claire led an impromptu sing-a-long for the crowd. A Sofar first! [caption id="attachment_508" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Sara by Sandra Ciampone www.meorme.com"] [/caption] SALA, another veteran, was the third act of the night. Frontman Sala was originally signed, but decided to go independent to maintain his artistic integrity – something we love and support. Madrid-based Sala (vocals and guitar) and drummer Kjetil represented the band. SALA are really fun to listen to – like WWE, they instantly move the crowd to join in on the fun. Their sound is upbeat and playful, clearly influenced by Beatles-era pop with a sound reminiscent of The Kooks. In fact, their first song Let me Down reminded me of The Kooks, with a bit of Simon & Garfunkel mixed in. Playful jams Oh Vivianne and the vampire-themed Creature Creature got the crowd clapping, while the final song Margot was catchy as hell with its oh oh ohs and ah ah ahs – by the end we were all singing along. Currently touring the US, find SALA on Twitter or their website [caption id="attachment_509" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Photo by Sandra Ciampone www.meorme.com"] [/caption] Rounding out the evening was London-based three-piece band Real Fur. Also known for their gigs in usual locations, namely launderettes across the UK and soon to be found at a farm near you, members Matt, George and Leo combine funk, indie pop and ghostly harmonies to create their unique sound. Playing a stripped down set with only a small amp, Real Fur’s music made me both want to join in the singing and get up and dance. Their first song, Pride, sucked the crowed in. Birds and Animal had a Talking Heads meets Vampire Weekend vibe to them, and since the intensity of final song The Fool was not enough for the Sofar crowd, an encore of the funny She’s Late was played on a whim. Find these guys at Hackney City Farm in September, and in the meantime online or via Twitter @RealFurBand Playful and energetic was the theme of the night at the 27 July Sofar at Joe’s. Like always, the musicians and the crowd made it very hard to leave for the night, but the thought of hearing something new very soon kept me going. ‘Til next time, catch the video and audio recordings on the Sofar website, and check out some great photography on FlickR with the sofarsounds tag. Thank you to Joe, Rafe, Rocky, Mike, Sam, Matt, Sandra and the entire crew for an exceptional evening. By Abby Nocon