“I think there are plenty of people who care more about music than they do about beers.” 

Jamie Lena makes intimate music. Her songs, teetering between neo-soul and folk, showcase her warm, acrobatic voice. Prioritising connection in music and in life, it is no wonder that she gravitates towards house shows. Especially when, as she says, it allows her and her audiences to “remove alcohol” as the means of funding music. 

“Personally, I don’t drink that much,” she says. “And if I go to a venue offering live music for free, I’m often not contributing to that musician’s income if I don’t buy drinks - and I don’t really want to buy drinks.”

She goes on. “The audience that my music attracts is not generally a big drinking crowd, so the venue might not make a lot of money off of bar sales. Sometimes they’ll take dollars off the top of your ticket prices instead. Fair enough - they’ve got overheads to run too. But in a house show you don’t have to worry about that so much. And that gives me the opportunity to make the show ‘pay what you can.’ People can choose their own adventure.”

The literal fact of playing in a bar or a pub can completely change the nature of a show. “With a bar, a beer garden, it seems like more of a social event, a going-out event…I think people choose to come to a house concert because then there’s a bit of reverence of it just being about the music. It’s not necessarily convenient, it’s not necessarily a habitual thing, so there’s a bit more intention and focus and people are ready to be present with the music.

“I think the audience also likes this intimacy. Personally, when I go to a house show I like that it’s not as loud as some band rooms.”

David Thompson from the 16-piece folk collective Bromham agrees that the setting of a house show can allow for heightened engagement.

“People seem to have their guard down at house shows,” he says. “While at pubs or venues, people are in their groups and are in ‘I’m in public’ mode. At a house there seems to be a different mentality, like we are all sharing this unique experience. You might meet someone in the line for the bathroom or by asking someone standing in the kitchen if they know where the glasses are. Then one of you asks whether you know someone who lives there or one of the bands and bam! You’ve made friends. So then by the time the last band is playing there’s this great sense of togetherness that you just don’t get at most venues.”

Thompson says, “We’ve always loved house shows for how engaged everyone is. People are quiet and respectful when we are playing delicate songs or sharing stories and they are still keen for a dance when the time is right.”

Blake Tabart, member of The Munch and artist behind Resting Mind Flowers adds, “House shows are daunting in the best way possible. All the social norms and barriers that exist within the pub are gone, which leaves an experience that can be both confronting and beautiful.”

There is more of a warmth, a coziness, that doesn’t exist in the same way at traditional music venues. 

“I love the opportunity to sit down. I never want to sit down at a bar because the floor’s sticky. [House shows are] more accessible to patrons, which is why people might gravitate towards them - people can bring their own food, bring their own seating arrangements. There’s a lot more comfort in a house show in that way. I love comfort, I love things that feel cosy,” Lena says.

Tabart says, “The spaces you play influence the music you write and for this reason I wish every show I played was a house show. I want to create something real and honest and house shows facilitate that so much more than pubs. Plus you get to have a cup of tea while playing, set up your 4-track, and record the whole night, which I think is special.”

Thompson expands on the nature of house shows in a touring context. On tour, house shows are “magic,” he says. “Finding yourself in a foreign city connecting on this level with a crowd of mostly strangers is super special. They are engaging with the stories you tell, dancing, and they are usually more likely to buy merch and want to support you.”

Over the years, Bromham has expanded - members of the collective have started to grow families and raise children. “It’s only been in the last year that we’ve started touring with kiddies and we are very keen to keep finding ways of doing it well, we want to keep playing music through different seasons of life so although we don’t have all the answers we are willing to give it a go!” House shows seem to be an accessible avenue at this point.

Thompson does not have children himself, but he expands here on conversations he has had with his bassist, drummer, and trumpet player, who all do.

Generally, he says, with house shows, “there are spare rooms and quiet spaces to change a baby or put a kid down for a nap, which is great. Backyard shows are generally quieter. Kids can listen without it being overwhelming. Some venues are not super kid-friendly or are dark and intimidating. At house shows you can choose your own set times, which is huge for all of us. A lot of venues want us to start playing at 10 or 10:30, which doesn’t work with kids or us or most of our fans. Doing an arvo on a Sunday or an evening on a Saturday means our kids can actually see us play! They can be part of it and grow up with live music being a normal and joyous part of life - that’s why we are trying hard to make tours accessible for them.”

Thompson adds, laughing, “House shows on tour can be great if you can sleep on the person's floor too! It’s expensive to find accommodation for 16 people and camping with little ones can be tough.”

Jamie Lena expands on the process of actually setting up a house show. “Usually I just put a call-out on my social media and mention the city that I’ll be in and a rough time frame, and see if I’ll get any bites. That’s worked every time so far, actually. Then I set up the ticketing link and do the posting and the Facebook event, and find some supports. Usually people who are happy to host house shows are also musicians, I’ve found. It’s very DIY.” 

It is definitely a labour of love, and it isn’t always easy. “Getting the word out on social media” can be tough. “It’s a lot of hours to make it all happen. On the day of, playing all the roles of the venue, all the roles that a venue would usually hire multiple people for on top of performing, making cups of tea. So sometimes it can be a bit tiring.” 

But there is such joy in the culmination of it all. Lena calls it “so rewarding.” She ends up feeling “so connected to a room of strangers and friends. The quiet stillness of a house show - I love seeing how it unites people in the space who maybe haven’t met before after they’ve shared an experience together. Watching people sitting on the living room floor making a new friend next to them. I love the community-building aspect of a house show.”