The Festival takes live music home
Getting up-close and personal with musicians is not always allowed, but one Taranaki music promoter is encouraging it.
In fact, Anand Rose is such a fan of audiences interacting with performers he has been presenting intimate concerts in living rooms around the region for the past two years.
And now the homely gigs are so popular they have been included in this year’s Taranaki Arts Festival line-up.
‘‘What makes pop-up concerts special for the people attending is the ability to be closer to the performers and even interact with the musicians,’’ Rose said.
‘‘A house concert may manage to fit up to 40 people, so the concerts are very intimate. The informal setting means performers and audience get to talk, eat, and drink with each other in a relaxed, cosy environment.’’
Hosting New Zealand and international musicians, the PopUp Gigs Network offer a live music experience like no other in private homes.
The events began with a potluck meal, which the artists and audience share while getting to know one another, in turn creating a more personal environment to perform.
A musician himself, the idea came to Rose after watching a French film maker at a house gathering in Wellington.
But the Irishman also said the concept was a blend of traditions from his two homes, Ireland and New Zealand.
‘‘House gatherings are something of an old Irish tradition that we have revived with a Kiwi pot-luck tea twist.’’
He said first-timers to the gigs invariably came away looking forward to the next event.
Rose had been asked by the festival’s artistic director, Craig Cooper, to curate three gigs at various New Plymouth addresses especially for the coming event.
The festival’s concerts, named House Gigs, will feature two acts, with the first kicking off at 7.30pm and the second at 8.30pm.
The pot-luck dinner is at 6pm and each concert requires people to book, as numbers are restricted, and to bring along food and drinks.
The first gig featured trio Glass Boat, who deliver music of all styles from ballad to folk blues, and singer songwriter Laura Griffiths, who has twice been selected to attend the State’s A Cappella Academy camp for youth, on Saturday, August 19.
The following weekend, on Saturday, August 26, songstress Victoria Girling-Butcher, formerly of group Lucid 3, and bogan-jazzfolk group The Stove will take the stage. And to wrap up, on Friday, September 1 funky-folk musician Sonic Delusion and singer songwriter from Tipperary Ireland Adrian Whelan will entertain a crowd.
‘‘It is an honour to present these intimate shows to the Taranaki Arts Festival audience,’’ Rose said.
Cooper said House Gigs was a distinctly Taranaki event.
‘‘Part of my research into the arts scene was to look at what’s actually going on at a real grassroots level that we could showcase in the festival,’’ he said.’’
The festival gave an opportunity to local artists who may have a strong niche audience to present more widely, he said.
‘‘If people see it in an arts festival programme it suddenly doesn’t feel so difficult to get to.’’
‘‘I’m just so excited to be profiling it in the festival.’’
- Tara Shaskey