Jameson Irish Whiskey is partnering with Sofar Sounds to give UK musicians a platform to be Seen & Heard during the latest national lockdown, helping to support the best new artists of tomorrow, today. Launched on 13th January, Sofar's online Listening Room will offer a diverse line-up of 15 up-and-coming artists the opportunity to perform to a captive virtual audience. The free gig series is designed to highlight and support artists following a challenging year for live music, and follows Jameson’s 2019 partnership with Sofar Sounds on a series of intimate gigs also featuring fresh UK talent.
The Seen & Heard Listening Room series will profile a different emerging UK artist every night for two weeks through a 20-minute stripped back set, which will premiere nightly at 7pm in Sofar’s Listening Room. Two of the artists have been selected following an open call inviting UK musicians to submit a recording of their set for a chance to perform in the Seen & Heard Listening Room series.
The line-up includes Otis Mensah, a writer and performing artist with an alternative take on Hip-Hop music and abstract poetry from Sheffield; I.M.O, a Birmingham-based band with an upbeat underlined funk sound; and TIËRNY, an alt-pop poet making self-described "Baroquetronica" music representing the LGBTQ+ community. All the performances were recorded ahead of the latest lockdown and in accordance with national tier restrictions.
In addition to the musical performances, each week a virtual "behind the scenes" conversation will premiere with one of three participating artists. This includes Liverpool musician TIËRNY, who won a professional music video shoot through Jameson’s Seen & Heard competition last year. Sofar will also curate a bespoke Spotify playlist featuring tracks from the musicians performing in the series, allowing them to keep the music playing following their initial broadcast.
Every element of the program will be housed on Sofar’s online content platform, where viewers can immerse themselves in content, editorial, and the music of the featured talent. All campaign performance and interview content will go live on YouTube, supported by social content across Instagram and Facebook to maximise fan views and engagement, generating over 3.3m impressions.
To enhance the virtual experience, Jameson is also offering consumers the chance to purchase drinks kits to replicate the real-life experience of being at a live Jameson x Sofar Sounds gig at home. Viewers can select from serves including a Jameson, Ginger & Lime, a Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition & Aromatic Tonic and a Jameson Black Barrel Old Fashioned, and the drinks kits will contain all the ingredients required to enjoy these perfect serves at home. Each kit will contain four drinks and will be available from Create Cocktails for £25.
Jameson is leading the remarkable growth of the Irish Whiskey category, enjoying a significant performance in the off-trade (+25.1 per cent value) and growing three times faster than Total Whisky (+7.1 per cent).
