Sofar so good for welcoming refugees
Out and about
Secret locations all around the world were transformed into intimate concert venues this week, to help refugees.
Sofar Sounds, a global community which hosts small gigs in unique venues, has joined forces with Amnesty International for its Give a Home project.
This involved hundreds of intimate gigs all over the world on September 20. The global lineup included big-name musicians such as Ed Sheeran, Hozier and Moby.
In Wellington, the project saw indie pop band Opal House, singersongwriter Miles Calder with Finn Johansson and electronic pop singer-songwriter Este` re perform in a Holland St apartment.
Sofar Sounds Wellington coleader Andrew Baird says the gigs are about raising awareness and support for Amnesty International.
Sofar gigs take place in interesting locations, which often include people’s homes.
‘‘All about bringing people together and welcoming people into your home,’’ he says.
‘‘The whole concept is about bringing people into an experience that is uplifting and positive ... you’re open to different people and any sort of person is welcome and that’s what we can do with refugees.’’
Baird says the Give a Home performances hope to get people thinking about refugees.
In Britain, the United States and Norway, audiences pay to attend. In other cities, people can make a donation. ‘‘Hopefully it makes a difference, whether it’s through the money that’s raised or by getting people more aware,’’ he says.
Sofar began in London in 2009 and is now in more than 350 cities.
It began in Wellington in March 2016. Baird, along with other organisers Marina Marin and Patrick Forsyth, and an audio and video team, have since put on almost 20 gigs.
Baird was a fan of Sofar gigs while living in London and wanted to bring the events to Wellington.
‘‘Sofar’s a unique experience and it’s a really pure connection between the artist and the audience. It’s just you and the artist. It’s just this intimate, really cool experience.
‘‘I’m a really big music fan, so I guess that’s the main reason I do it. I just want people to experience music in the best way possible.’’