Dan Kennedy, a local music producer, is relaunching Sofar Sounds’s Winnipeg branch after a hiatus.

Sofar Sounds started in London, England in 2009 as a concert network that specializes in low-key and intimate gigs in “unconventional spaces,” created in response to overly crowded and boisterous music venues. Several notable artists, such as Jack Harlow, Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, have performed at Sofar shows before their careers took off. The network currently has over 200 branches across the world.

“The sizes of the [shows] range from 50 to 120 or so [people], so they’re very intimate. You can sit a foot away from the musician that’s performing, or you can sit in the back of the room,” Kennedy said.

Sofar shows boast a “secretive pop-up nature,” and the venue of each concert is only revealed to ticketholders 36 hours before the show starts. Past venues include people’s homes, cafés after hours and art galleries. The Winnipeg relaunch concert consists of three 20-minute sets and will take place on March 6 at 8 p.m. in the Exchange District as a part of First Fridays in the Exchange.

In addition, the performers are kept secret for the concertgoers to discover upon arrival. Kennedy noted that artists are mostly Winnipeg-based and will be performing original songs or pieces since part of the network’s goal is to showcase grassroots arts and culture.

“We want people to experience new music [and] give artists the opportunity to also showcase stuff that they’re working on, maybe test it with a smaller audience.” he said.

Sofar Sounds launched in Winnipeg in 2017, but the underground concert series has wound down since then. Inspired by his time working at Sofar Sounds’s Vancouver branch between 2022 and 2023, Kennedy wanted to get involved with the network again after moving back to Winnipeg.

“I just worked as event crew or event support and emceed a few shows [in Vancouver]. I enjoyed it quite a bit. [There was a] new location [and] new artists each time […] Meeting new people [in the crowd] was also enjoyable,” he recounted. 

Looking forward, Kennedy hopes to continue cultivating the brand of the Winnipeg branch. He emphasized that, other than enjoying the music, the experience is also meant to foster connection and community among the audience. 

“[I hope] they’ve met more people than they expected and they’ve had conversations with people that share the same values and what they care to see happening in the city,” he stated.

“If people are buying tickets based off just seeing the Exchange District or some other area in town [like] St. Boniface […] then you usually assume that there’s a similar mindset as to why everyone who’s sitting around you [is attending] that show.”

For more information and tickets to the concert on March 6, visit sofarsounds.com.