``As concert experiences go, it was peerless. No stage, no distance, no crappy sound systems...``
Nikki Marshall (Guardian G2, 26 01 05) HOST A CONCERT... Full Guardian story:

I first caught Nizlopi in a wee tent at the Glastonbury festival two years ago. There was John Paker, akaJp, playing double bass and doubling as a human beatbox, and Luke Concannon, a charismatic guitarist leading singalongs about earth movers: "I`m Luke, I`m five, and my dad`s Bruce Lee/He drives me round in his JCB." I took home their album, signed up to the mailing list, and have followed their progress ever since.
And then I got the email.
"Jp here," it began. "There`s a lot going on for Nizlopi at the mo but we really want to do a short house concert tour, by this I mean play in people`s living rooms acoustically and charge on the door... If interested either email us or give us a call. This is a great way of having an intimate musical experience in your home.."
It was a gig-goer`s fantasty. I got in touch and JP explained that the band had hooked up with Healthy Concerts, a brighton-basded network promoting gigsin digs (smoke-free and booze-lite, thus the "healthy"). It was the brainchild of the dress-wearing ad lib aritst/guitarist Paul Chi, who would play support.
We settled on a date and I guaranteed 25 punters paying £7 a head. The next few weeks were dedicated to DIY and fretting about whether everyone would fit in a room more suited to seating four. Turns out I`m not cut out to be a music promoter: asking friends, family and, cheek of cheek, the neighbours to fork out the cover charge was excruciating - but this was a concert tour, not a band booked for a party. Pre-gig nerves? You don`t want to know.
But as concert experiences go, it was peerless. No stage, no distance, no crappy sound system, though still a queue for the loo. When the bedroom is both dressing room and cloakroom, everyone is backstage. And rock god posturing goes out the window when at any moment you might be upstaged by Nelson the labrador (he liked the tunes but wasn`t so keen on the applause). Not that there was any danger of such antics: the band were mainlining the connection with the crowd. They played their hearts out, then stayed for the after-party. And me? I danced as though I was in my own living room.
Nikki Marshall

HOST A CONCERT. All locations and spaces considered. Many touring Artists are interested in House Concert bookings in the UK.

www.healthyconcerts.com/members to Offer you home as a venue...