DIY concerts, at home!

House concerts are the new buzz word in the capital, with popular as well as upcoming musicians performing live in cosy, homely gatherings.

Live music, but in the more relaxed and comfortable surroundings of your home along with the company of good friends — that’s the idea behind house concerts that are fast picking up in the city. We speak to musicians and organisers of such house concerts about this alternate medium of connecting with the audience.

“A house concert is primarily a space for musicians to showcase their talent to an audience that is receptive and actively seeking out original content — a need which is not catered to by a majority of the existing live music and performance venues in the national capital. The latter push the artistes to play popular, upbeat and commercial numbers. Organising a house concert is an embodiment of the DIY — do-it-yourself culture of getting the right audience and musicians in an intimate space. The hosts, the artistes and the team members work hand in hand to create the perfect space for a great musical evening,” says Manu Mathew, founder of House Concerts Delhi that facilitates and organises house concerts in the capital. He adds, “House Concerts Delhi is a community project that came about after having endless discussions with my artiste friends about the need for spaces where an artiste is the center of the evening. The idea was conceived over a year ago and has led to 14 house concerts happening so far.”

This kind of model is a huge win for budding musicians who can directly gauge the reactions and feedback of the audience to their songs. Manu elaborates, “The musicians are the real winners since they get to talk about the journey of each song, right from when it was conceptualised to when they penned it down. Other positives also include gaining true fans for life that end up becoming advocates for the musician or the band.”

Gurgaon-based singer-songwriter Pragnya Wakhlu, who has performed at several house concerts in India and other countries, feels that it is an untapped venue option for DIY inclined singers and songwriters. “I was touring across four cities in America for my debut album Journey to the Sun, sharing some interesting unreleased material from my upcoming albums. This is when I realised the importance of house concerts — spreading music in a country where I didn’t know anyone before. The best part about such a platform is that at these concerts the people that attend, come exclusively to listen to you. At one of the house concerts that I did in San Francisco, there was a pretty good turnout of about 70 people,” she shares and adds, “At such concerts, there are chances of more personal interactions and feedback from the audience. For instance, at one such house concert one of the best and most humbling compliments I received was from a guest who said that my voice reminded him of Norah Jones.”

She then went on to Portland to perform two more house concerts at the homes of Portlandiers — Deva Gordon and Bruce Bartlett. “It was so amazing to see how generous and open-hearted the people of Portland are. That’s the power of music— it makes you meet new people and makes you travel to different parts of the world,” says Pragnya. Interestingly, the young singer connected with her hosts online through an artistes’ community, and they welcomed her into their home for the concert. She recalls, “We had a small gathering of about 20 people that came in through word of mouth and via social media. It was a cozy little setting with a small stage, sound setup and a parlour with rugs and sofas for the audience to sit on. In house concerts, the artiste typically makes money from the sale of CDs and donations from the audience. While organising house concerts, one can set up a CD station, guest book for feedback and a tip jar in one corner, and it works out quite well.”

Randeep Singh, vocalist and bassist of city-based rock band Menwhopause says, “Generally, there is little or no sound system, so performers may play and sing acoustically, or perform or act without a mic, which makes it a more relatable and engaging experience for the audience.”

Camille, a Parisian expat staying in Jor Bagh in the capital, recently opened her apartment for a house concert where the guests came in through private invitation. “These concerts are a major hit in Paris and other parts of the world, so I wanted to experience the same in India. It was a great opportunity to meet and make new friends and a great bonding exercise. Thankfully, our neighbours didn’t complain of loud music, as we ensured that we started pretty early during the afternoon and didn’t go on till too late,” shares Camille.

House concerts are getting widely accepted by popular and upcoming artistes along with a community of people who are looking beyond the existing performance formats in the clubs and pubs of the capital. Like any other platform, house concerts also come with a set of challenges, however.

“The lack of infrastructure and logistics that accompanies organising such an event is one of the biggest challenges that one faces, but passion for music is what drives us forward,” adds Manu.