Sofar Chennai puts musicians in a swimming pool

Breezy, loud and immersive — the April gig was held in an emptied- out swimming pool

April 29, 2019 05:02 pm | Updated 05:03 pm IST

What is it with music lovers and loud Hawaiian shirts? Many in Chennai city were given short notice this past weekend, to put on the brightest shirt they possess and head far into Old Mahabalipuram Road, to the secret (as usual) location for Sofar Chennai’s April gig. And did they deliver, in floral and animal prints, multicoloured patchwork and more. But it wasn’t only the dress code — #ShitShirtShindig — that stood out at the latest edition of this popular yet clandestine, independent music event. The venue did, too.

Down OMR, up the short slope to Novotel Chennai, into the lift leading to the second floor swimming pool, went patron after patron that evening. And then they all clambered into the pool. That’s right: the invite-only gigs, hitherto restricted to drawing rooms, offices, car showrooms and gyms, were now extended to an emptied-out swimming pool.

“We’re always looking for interesting spaces that would make great intimate venues, from furniture stores and garages to living rooms, so when we spoke to Novotel they told us, the pool is empty only this weekend, so it was serendipitous and we jumped in the deep end (pun intended). Quirky, fun venues really give us an opportunity to challenge what a ‘performance space’ really is!” said Prashanth Oliver, organiser, Sofar Chennai.

Setting things up down there, was only slightly tougher than setting up any other performance venue. “There are the usual hiccups when it comes to different spaces, mainly a power outlet, for all our sound. So once that was sorted, it was just about lifting the equipment in and out and setting up lights. We visit venues before the show to take a look and be prepared with the set up.”

So people leaned against blue tiles at one end as others dangled their feet above them, seated at the edge of the hollow. All heads were turned towards one end of the pool, where ‘Sofar’ was spelled out in cursive, by fairy lights. This was where the lineup for the evening — Jatayu, Mr Kev and Junkyard Groove, also unveiled two hours before the gig — set up their equipment. One of the best parts about the hollow space was the breeze which, once it had made its way in, decided to stay a while. And as the wind settled, so did the mood, and the sound with no acoustic-absorbing curtain or cushion coming in its way.

But that also affected sound feedback, and made the venue a bit more challenging for musicians. As Akshay Ganesh, violinist for the band Jatayu, explains, “In any performance venue, you look for certain material that absorbs sound. This one had nothing. That made the percussions really stand out...it was louder than everything else, so we had to adjust things accordingly. And I had to play with earplugs on,” he adds with a grin.

But no performer was complaining. In fact, one of them recalled the two times he had played at a pool before. “One was in an empty pool in Chennai, the other at a gathering of Harley bikers in Goa. At the end of both, the pool was filled for everyone to jump into the water. We just had to keep our equipment aside first,” Ameeth Thomas of Junkyard Groove, adds with a laugh.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.