Chapter 1.
The Sofa Singers
Eventbrite OFFSCREEN
Welcome to Eventbrite OFFSCREEN, a new series that connects virtual event creators with the attendees they have only ever seen through a screen – for a meeting of joy, hope and reflection.
The Sofa Singers
Background
“When the pandemic hit and it was obvious that we weren’t going to be able to sing together in person,” starts vocal leader James Sills, ”I was already thinking, well, we need to keep on singing together, in some way.”
That way ended up being The Sofa Singers, a virtual singing event that James set up in March 2020 as a response to lockdown and the cancellation of all his regular gigs. After a successful test session, James launched the event and quickly built up a loyal following across the globe, boosted by primetime coverage on BBC News and NBC and features in The Telegraph and Huffington Post.
It’s a story that many of us can relate to. Lockdown forced us all to reassess, to find creative ways to stay in touch and maintain our connection to the outside world. Maybe you shared sourdough starters with neighbours or hosted quizzes for your friends.
What’s remarkable about The Sofa Singers, though, is that it’s still in rude health today. When I log on to one of its Friday morning sessions I am greeted by a wall of beaming faces from around the world. After tackling the harmonies of Bob Dylan’s I Shall be Released (an apt choice given the slow easing of restrictions), we are invited on first name terms by James to share something of our own.
One woman dialling in from New York recounts meeting Dylan’s ex-girlfriend at an art event, another shares some crafts that she’s been working on. All the while the chat box fills up with well wishes and spontaneous conversation. It becomes clear that what James has forged with The Sofa Singers is not just a successful recurring event, but a community all of its own.
How to Build a Virtual Community – Tip #1
“Encourage participants to keep their cameras on. Being able to see each other brings that extra level of connection and engagement.” – James Sills
For one of its regulars in particular, The Sofa Singers has provided a vital source of comfort and connection.
“It came at a perfect time for me,” says Rachel Phillips, an infant school teacher from Wirral. “In the early days of the pandemic we self-isolated for a bit because my little girl had a cough. I’m a single mum with no family nearby – I’m trying not to cry! – and my support network are just people at work and my friends through the real-life choir I attend. I became very, very anxious and was signed off from work.
“The Sofa Singers was a massive lifeline, one of the only times that I saw other adults. It felt like a safe place, where everyone felt welcome, and got me through those horrible first few months. I managed to get back to work just before the summer holidays and I don’t think I would have done that without the confidence and connection I gained through Sofa Singers.”
Though they live relatively close to one another, the restrictions have meant that Rachel and James have only ever spoken to one another through a screen. They’ve never had the chance to reflect – IRL – on the challenges of the last year or so; how The Sofa Singers has brought them together and what the future holds.
That is, until now.
The Meet
When the pair do eventually meet, it’s on a sunny afternoon at Hawarden Farm Shop in North Wales.
Over the border, England football fans are celebrating a victory in the European Championships, able to gather once again in small groups. A semblance of normality has returned.
James and Rachel greet each other with tentative smiles. They both agree that it’s strange and slightly awkward to connect offscreen (“you have legs!”) but quickly relax into each other’s company.
[More OFFSCREEN: Discover how Hoop Blast kept one attendee moving during lockdown]
“I just feel very privileged to be here today,” Rachel says. “I feel like I’ve won the lottery almost, it feels like meeting a famous person. I would never have had the confidence to do anything like this last year or before then even.”
“This is the first time that I’ve met someone in real life that we’ve connected with only digitally before,” James explains. “But people, Rachel included, have been so honest about how The Sofa Singers has helped, what it means to them. So I kind of feel there’s a real openness there already.”
As the pair walk around the estate’s lush grounds, the conversation turns to the last fifteen months and the ways in which The Sofa Singers has made it more bearable.
How to Build a Virtual Community – Tip #2
“It’s really important that – for the people that are engaging digitally – it’s an active rather than passive experience. Use the chat box and field questions from social media.” – James Sills
Rachel recalls attendees singing her Happy Birthday; how it cheered her up and gave her the confidence to come off mute for the first time. For James, The Sofa Singers has given him something to talk about with his Mum, who, along with hundreds of others, attends every session. It’s also giving him an income stream – through paid subscriptions – amid a wider shutdown of the arts.
The event, which occurs weekly and combines open sessions with paid members’ club editions, has helped many other people, too. James mentions the Talling family, who live apart and use The Sofa Singers as a means to unite all three generations, and a woman who says attending the event soothes her PTSD.
“It feels like a genuinely safe place for people to express themselves,” James says. Rachel agrees: “In some online communities, off-topic things get removed but The Sofa Singers is more of a family, more of a community. You feel like you can share anything.”
The Singalong
As the sun begins to dip, the pair are joined by two more members of The Sofa Singers team – Mersey and Zia. Despite working together for the last year or so, this is the first time the trio have met in person. Their relationship and onscreen chemistry, James argues, has played a crucial part in The Sofa Singers’ success.
“I couldn’t have foreseen how we would create such a lovely dynamic. And I think people really pick up on that in the sessions.”
With the team in tow and some hastily assembled hay bales in place, it’s time for James to do what he does best. He busts out his guitar and leads the group in a socially-distanced singalong.
For Rachel, singing was something she had only dared do in private until she plucked up the courage to join a local choir in 2019. Even now, she struggles not to feel self-conscious while singing in public, enjoying the freedom afforded by the mute button in The Sofa Singers’ virtual sessions.
How to Build a Virtual Community – Tip #3
“Give your audience a voice. We have a weekly newsletter where we include things from the community – things that people have shared in the open mic.” – James Sills
But any apprehension she is feeling soon gives way to joy once the music starts. And watching the four of them belt out Here Comes the Sun, All Night Long and Friday I’m in Love, it’s suddenly evident just how much we missed over those isolated months in lockdown.
Singing in unison with others, whether at a football match, church or farm in North Wales, has an elemental power that is impossible to fully replicate in a virtual format. A fact that James is well aware of as he plots Sofa Singers’ post-lockdown future.
“The Sofa Singers started as a response to lockdown and really met a need during that time. But, actually, what we’ve got here is really special and transcends the situation that it began in. We’ll be doing [virtual] sessions twice weekly as long as people want to be part of that. And we’d also like to do in-person events where it’s the same ethos – inclusivity, fun and community – but we’re actually in the same space.”
“There’s something about singing with someone in person that makes people feel more connected.”
Lockdowns may have kept us apart, but events continue to bring us together. Whether you’re looking to plan your next adventure, or create an event of your own, find your crowd on Eventbrite.