Over the past year, the world has become strangely familiar with the virtual event world. Whether watching your favourite DJ’s and artists perform virtually, or re-watching sets from previous summer seasons when pandemics were a thing of myth. We’ve all hosted a Zoom call with friends and family having pre-planned quiz nights, murder mysteries, bingo nights or just a good ‘ol knees up in front of our computer screens. Pre-covid times, we may have logged into the odd Boiler Room or Mixmag’s The Lab and got all excited for the next big party or festival to see our favourite artists. But let’s face it, apart from the big guns, there was little participation from the underground.
Within a heartbeat, the world was turned upside down and events from March onwards were cancelled, postponed or transformed into pixels on our laptops. The internet became a venue with limitless number of simultaneous gigs with YouTube, Facebook and Instagram’s live stream functions getting rinsed. It was only when the restrictions on licensing and PRS contributions were clamped down on that most jumped ship to the commonly used gaming platform “Twitch”, which quickly became the go-to site for all your underground party needs. For most, using webcams, phone cameras, shoddy interfaces and next day delivery microphones were all a part of the instant video streaming package, whilst domestic internet routers received their weekly dose of internet traffic in one afternoon.
Generally, the novelty wore off fast, although the seed was certainly set for some new big players in the stream scene. First off RA released their new branch – Streamland, which would list the world of virtual events for our needy eyes. Moodymann and Palms Traxx can now be found regularly via Grand Theft Auto V’s “The Music Locker” – a virtual club, which players can attend with other realtime users. Defected have boosted their social media followers by almost 2 million hosting regular virtual events and DJ’s such as eats everything have been hosting their own bedroom Live Streams for the masses.
As the event world struggled to stay afloat, many tech companies transformed their spare office spaces into live studio‘s offering a service to the virtual entertainers. As everything from corporate, to underground looked for their new opportunities, there became a huge influx of suppliers eager to film, edit and distribute. We Are Placemaking in December produced a stunning virtual workshop on the grounds of Greenford Quay where attendees were invited to follow the classes with material kits which were sent out in advance. A socially distanced music festival in Amsterdam took place last year with guests being allocated a room with a Soundsystem and smart TV to follow along live. Food and drinks were brought to their room and the tickets costs in excess of £200!
There are obviously some key differences between virtual and the real deal. First of all, there’s a hell of an amount less people to accommodate and manage, less infrastructure, less suppliers and organisations involved and no need to worry about the weather on the day. But without all these physical factors and mental concerns, is it really comparable? And will it stick around when we can finally return to those sweaty crowds? Just remember stepping onto the dancefloor with your mates and settling into the last bit of available space. Was it front left? Front right? Or maybe right in the front of the stage barriers? Ferrying everyone’s drinks back and forth from the closest bar (and spilling half of it along the way), or meeting those Randoms in the que for the toilet.
All these things felt so normal back then. But will it feel normal again? Have people’s mindsets changed now, and will many us prefer to have a night in with their nearest and dearest, watching the gig from home? With the rise of technology, I wonder how things like VR headsets will affect the events industry. Could we see virtual performances become as enjoyable and realistic as the real thing, whilst not needing to leave the comfort of our homes? Just imagine, no more queuing for a grotty toilet or paying almost a tenner for a pint!
For many of us, we’ve become weirdly used to the new normal, however looking back at events in 2019 and early 2020, it’s undeniable that we are social creatures that hold a burning desire to interact physically with one another. With positive news recently from the PM, we’re all gearing up for a Summer powerful enough to make up for a whole year of lost time. Let’s hope social distancing is soon a thing of the past, so that we can get back to doing what we do best!
Photo: Courtesy of Defected, Rinse FM, Greenford Quay
