So it seems groups are doing a bit of lateral thinking... and it's getting quite exciting.
That's what I discovered at the weekend when I went up north to a friend's with my daughter for a 'gig in a living room' in North Yorkshire with Lost Alone.
Hands up, I had not really heard of them before though my daughter and her friend had been to a gig. It didnt seem like my old-fogey-mum kind of music.
But the acoustic set they performed in my friend's living room at the weekend was a brand new opportunity to listen and to like! The lads... really friendly, down to earth and well really just very nice!.... explained that these days music labels just dont have the cash to sink into developing new albums. And so they are going down a different road.
As well as touring all over the world (and loving it, from what they were saying) they have lined up 10 of these intimate gigs - sold to fans, or the friends and parents of fans, to provide a unique experience at home, in the local pub etc. The money generated will then give the guys the freedom to get on with the creative side of things and record a new album.
It also means their fans can get a really up close and personal musical experience. I dont know their music so it woulnt be fair to attempt to review it, other than to say the harmonies were fantastic and I suspect the enforced acoustic approach highlights better just how tight they are musically.
The lads admitted to being more nervous at this performance than some of their stadia gigs... and you could see they werent lying! But this intimate and personal set was fab, they pulled out all the stops and couldnt have been nicer, more accommodating or friendly... what a treat!
