A house concert is exactly what it sounds like: a concert in a house. It’s a unique event where musicians and audience can really connect and have fun - often while raising money for a good cause too.
People are sometimes attracted to the idea but have questions, so here’s our FAQs all about house concerts. We hope that once you’ve been through these, you might want to have one yourself.
Do I need a big house or room?
If you have a room in your house where at least eight or ten people can sit comfortably, even if that means floor cushions, and a small space where two musicians can set up, then your house is big enough.
Is it noisy?
We bring a very small amplifier to put reverb on our vocals, but that doesn’t make it super-loud. Bear in mind that Gareth plays the trumpet. So checking with your immediate neighbours is important and you can set a cutoff time of, say, 9pm. We're good time-keepers! We won’t run over a cutoff time.
How long does it go on?
We can play two sets with a comfort break in between or just one. The sets can be any length, but 35-40 mins is a good length for folk to sit in one place. Again, we're good time-keepers, so you can trust us to respect your schedule.
Can you take requests?
If you tell us in advance, we can learn a couple of songs that you like or as a surprise for someone. We will even compose a brand-new song, if we have enough notice. Likewise, if you ask us on the night and we know the song - of course we’ll play it!
How does the money work?
You set a suggested donation, for example £10, when you send out invitations and also tell your guests that the band will have CDs for sale if they’re interested. Usually guests bring their own drinks but the host might provide nibbles. Up to you!
Who gets the money?
If you want to give all the donations to a good cause, that’s fine with us. If you want to split the donations - say, 50/50 between us and a good cause - that’s also fine. You can also give us all the money if you really want to, but we don’t expect that and we’re happy to sell a few CDs and get some social media shares, etc.
I still have a question…
Great! Drop us an email at overandmac@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
