The city of Birmingham has an incredible history when it comes to music, arguably only the second most prolific area behind Liverpool in terms of diverse genres and musicians and far and away the natural home of Heavy Metal.
Following on from the long list of notable musicians to come from the city and its W.H. Auden like leafy suburbs such as Jeff Lynne, Dexy’s, Magnum, Duran Duran comes David Garside. His last album, End of the Pier, was much acclaimed and the haunting nature of the Progressive undertones that he weaves impeccably throughout the entire recording are sublime and poetry driven.
As a solo performer he notes that often, “…people aren’t able to attend my gigs because they’re unable to get to the venues or the dates aren’t convenient.”
His answer to this is to reproduce a style that has been very popular in the United States for a while, the concept of hosting a gig in your own home. House concerts are a fun, alternative way to enjoy live music and for artists like David Garside to reach their fans.
David Said,”Wouldn’t it be good if you had a say over when a gig takes place, who to invite* and experience it in the comfort of your own home? Your house doesn’t have to be turned into a music venue! The set-up would normally be just me and my guitar. The nature of the event means that no amplification should be necessary. All the host needs to provide is a space for me to stand and perform and as much comfortable seating/floor space necessary for the number of guests you want to invite. One of my most fulfilling experiences was playing to just two people for someone’s birthday. If you do have a big place, then we can organise something appropriate for it – maybe use some small amplification. But if you want to keep things to a small gathering of a handful of friends, that will work really well.”
You will hear David perform his songs on acoustic guitar interspersed with the stories behind them…with no glasses being broken, drunken, rowdy audience members or other unwelcome distractions associated with traditional music venues! You will be given all the help and guidance you need and he will work together with the hosts to ensure the event goes smoothly. His small fee would normally be covered by audience and host contributions. The details of this and everything else will be discussed on enquiry.
For the chance to have one of the new greats of the Birmingham music scene play an intimate set in your living room sounds like an opportunity to good to miss out on.
If you are interested in hosting a house concert, please don’t hesitate to email David at info@davidgarside.com.
* Advertising the event publicly is at the discretion of the host
End of the Pier is available from www.davidgarside.com
Ian D. Hall
.
.