TwitGig: A Night of Live Music on Twitter

TwitGig: A Night of Live Music on Twitter

20 July, 2009
by: Spoonfed Team

If you thought that the Twitter Comedy Club was a funny idea then this will be music to your ears. The Twitgigs Experiment is the microblogging service’s first ever live London gigs, featuring a battle of the bands style night with UK bands Essay Like Nephew, Mike Dignam and The Seal Cub Clubbing Club. The most popular band, selected by Twitter followers on the night of the event, will walk away with a cash prize and bragging rights as the first kings of Twitter pop.

The organisers, Twitgigs, have teamed up with Smirnoff Original Nights to take over Vibe Bar on 6 August where the three bands will play for votes from their live and Twitter audience. In addition to the music, live guests will be treated to an on-screen live Twitter feed featuring their own comments as well as those from the at-home punters watching from their computer screens.

For the most up-to-date information, as well as the chance to win free tickets and music gear, you can follow @twitgigs on Twitter and tune in on 6 August for the live event but before we get there, we’ve gotten in touch with the coordinators of Twitgigs, @nishajl and @raxlakhani to get the inside scoop about the event.

How did the idea arise?

@nishajl: I love music...
@raxlakhani: ...and I love Twitter
We collided over drinks one night and...
@twitgigs happened.

Which bands are taking part and how did they get involved?

We’ve been really lucky to get a fantastic trio of talented bands playing at our first Twitgigs event. We put the word out at the end of June for Twitter-active bands who would be willing to take and we were amazed to get such a good response from such a wide range of artists.
We were looking for bands already using Twitter to engage with their fans, and the acts that we finally decided on will all contribute to a truly interactive experience on the night (oh, and they’re all pretty awesome too)...

Essay Like Nephew (@EssayLikeNephew) - a creative four piece that have been making playful guitar-pop since they formed the band as schoolboys back in 2001. Now all grown-up and based in London, their music still captures the joys and pains of youth

The Seal Club Clubbing Club (@thesccc) - formed in 2004 on the Wirral Peninsula of Northwest England. They’ll be unleashing exclusive new material for the first time off their forthcoming second album.

Mike Dingham (@mikedignammusic) – 18 year-old singer-songwriter has been writing songs since primary school but only started performing 3-4 years ago.

What will the gig experience be like to the viewers at home?

We have set up a livestreaming channel which will be available on to view through our USTREAM channel. Everyone will have the chance to vote on who they think deserves to win the Battle of the Bands. Prizes will also be awarded to our Twitter followers via competitions on the night and in the days that follow the event.

How can fans get involved before the gig?

Spread the word! The success of the Twitgigs Experiment lies in the hands of Twitter’s army of music fans. All of the relevant information about the night is up on our website together with a whole host of ideas on how to get involved and show your support for the event.

How do you expect fans to get involved during the gig?

Without giving away too much about the surprises that we have in store (and we do have a fair few), we want the event to be a truly interactive night. This means that we’ll be looking for lots of Tweets, TwitPics, Twitter dedications and honest reviews of the individual performances. As well as focusing on the music, we’ll be kitting out the venue with lots of Twitpic-friendly props to capture your attention, so keep your eyes peeled (you may even win yourself a prize or two – folks at home included). Oh, and keep an eye out for our mate WIGGITTS on the night….

What do you think will be gained using the Twitter medium?

Have you ever been to see a band and wished that you could tell them (and the rest of the world for that matter) exactly how freakin’ awesome they are!? Well, that was the initial driver behind putting on The Twitgigs Experiment. Twitter is the perfect medium to bring together musicians and music lovers.

Anything else we should know?

Woodstock, Smoodstock. You may well be telling your grandchildren that you were there at the original Twitgigs Experiment.

You heard it here first – it’s the digital Woodstock and if you don’t want to miss out, head over to the Twitgigs website to get your tickets. Tweet you later....

Spoonfed Team