Up close and personal

Music lovers savor being part of small gatherings with a mixed bag of live bands they may not have heard before, Zhang Yuchen discovers.

What is the appeal of listening to a live performance by a band standing a couple of meters away? When Sofar Sounds was started four years ago, its mission to maintain intimacy in live music meant being more than making background melodies for chatting smokers and drinkers. In 2013, the secret gig movement blew into China like a refreshing wind. Bemused invitees for a yet-to-be-confirmed venue are informed only 48 hours ahead. The secret gig keeps mum the lineup of musicians or bands until the very start of a show in an undisturbed space with no drinks, no smoking and only 20 minutes' break in four hours of performance. "I encountered Sofar Sounds by chance," says Qin Meng, director of Sofar China.

"I met Rafe Offer, one of Sofar's founders, at a London Sofar gig and told him I would love to help out. He asked, 'What do you think of taking Sofar to China?'"