I went to a unique gig experience in Manchester Cathedral where the artists were kept a secret until they hit the stage.
Manchester Cathedral hosted a unique and intimate live music experience on May 21st, where mystery artists played without an opener or headline act to give an equal opportunity for emerging Manchester talent.
The event was hosted by Sofar Sounds, a company that puts on mystery acts by local artists in intimate spaces, and was the largest Sofar Sounds gig to date.
The event was in partnership with GigPig, a gig booking website for emerging artists, who supplied the surprise artists.
The cathedral created the perfect intimate setting for the performers, with a small stage in the centre of the space and a few dimly lit lamps scattered around the stage.
It became the centre of everyone’s attention.
The first artist to perform was Hetta Falzon, her voice echoed beautifully through the audience as she began her act with her singles ‘Not the same’ and ‘Get a grip’ alongside her band members on strings and French horn.
The 19-year-old has played at Glastonbury Festival twice, and it’s not hard to see why, after she played an exclusive track ‘Freckles’ which had the crowd in complete awe.
Finishing her show with her songs ‘1500’ and ‘Switch it off’, Hetta’s honesty and realism in her lyrics resonated with the audience, combined with her amazing vocals and band, she received a huge round of applause for her performance.
Up next was Morning Company, a duo consisting of guitarist Luke Gaul and vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ada Grace Francis, who again swayed the crowd into bliss with their soothing songs ‘Fools Spring’, ‘Lighter than air’ and ‘Lullaby for the lonely’.
What stole the show was when Ada switched to the Celtic harp which made the next two songs, ‘In sadness we arrive’ and ‘Little wonder’, sound ethereal while in the cathedral setting.
The last mystery artist was Secret Night Gang, consisting of Kemani Anderson and Callum Connell, who ended the show on a high with their transcendent blend of jazz and soul tracks.
With Kemani on the keys and Callum on the trumpet, the duo put the audience in a trance with their irresistible melodies ‘Never ever’, ‘One and only’ and ‘Don’t know what tomorrow brings’.
As the sun set on the cathedral, Kemani’s songs were boosted to another level, creating a comforting and relaxing vibe in the hall. The audience and myself were truly mesmerised by his performance and it was the perfect way to end a night of amazing talent.
More information on Sofar Sounds: https://www.sofarsounds.com/ and GigPig: https://www.gigpig.uk/
