Musician who cancelled tour due to COVID-19 plays live shows around his house
Musician who cancelled tour due to COVID-19 plays live shows around his house
A musician who had to cancel his tour did a five-night live-stream tour of his own HOUSE - with each gig in a different room. Ben Dlugokecki, 38, frontman of seven-piece band Dlugokecki, has toured the world supporting David Gray, Lulu, Chesney Hawkes, The Proclaimers, and Passenger.The band were in the middle of their own headline tour when the coronavirus pandemic hit - and the "lockdown" forced them to cancel their remaining tour dates.But dad-of-two Ben was determined to keep entertaining the masses - and has been live-streaming nightly shows on Facebook.Ben's "The Social Distancing Tour", has reached more than 10,000 viewers over the past week - and he said more people have watched than turn up to some of his gigs.Shows have been live-streamed from his kitchen, his garage, and his daughter's bedroom and his favourite venue - the downstairs loo.Ben joked that the band has sold more CDs while live-streaming shows from his house than they did on their last real show.Ben, from Southampton, Hants., said: "It's been so much fun. "The gig I played in my downstairs toilet last Thursday was probably more fun than when we played Isle of Wight Festival - just because it was so ridiculous."I've just been treating each night like it's a real gig.
I wanted to do something funny and absolutely ridiculous to take people's minds off things. "I just think, let's all have a fun time.
Let's try and smile through this bad situation."Ben kicked off his home tour last Friday (March 20) - the same night Dlugokecki had been due to play a show in London.The band, who have released six studio albums, had already played sold-out shows in Winchester, Southampton, and Portsmouth.His first show was in his conservatory - and he has subsequently played shows in his kitchen, his oldest daughter Daisy's bedroom, the garage, and the downstairs toilet.His last show even managed to raise an impressive £300 for Naomi House Children's Hospice, after the band called for donations to be made to the charity.Ben said: "All I wanted to do was give people a bit of hope.
It's a weird time.
I've got to do something or I'll just go crazy."It has been like I've been playing real gigs - because it does tend to take up the whole evening."Every night we've had about 120 or more people attending - more people are seeing us live on Facebook than some nights at an actual venue."People have been buying our CDs online, and have been sending in requests in the comments."After the shows I'll also have an after party, where I'll get a beer and go live to answer people's questions."I'm just trying to make it a bit of fun for everyone," Ben added.Ben said he will now take a week off from doing live shows so that he and the band can record a new single - whilst all isolating in their respective homes.But he has plans to keep the live shows going from his house "for as long as people want them".He said: "I'm running out of rooms in my house to play - but I'm still planning on doing shows in the car, the upstairs bathroom, the living room, and the garden."I do massively miss playing actual venues, of course - this tour was supposed to be our big one."But reading the comments after my live shows this past week has been amazing. "People have been saying it's the highlight of their days.
I have felt a lot of love from the community," he added.
A musician who had to cancel his tour did a five-night live-stream tour of his own HOUSE - with each gig in a different room.
Ben Dlugokecki, 38, frontman of seven-piece band Dlugokecki, has toured the world supporting David Gray, Lulu, Chesney Hawkes, The Proclaimers, and Passenger.The band were in the middle of their own headline tour when the coronavirus pandemic hit - and the "lockdown" forced them to cancel their remaining tour dates.But dad-of-two Ben was determined to keep entertaining the masses - and has been live-streaming nightly shows on Facebook.Ben's "The Social Distancing Tour", has reached more than 10,000 viewers over the past week - and he said more people have watched than turn up to some of his gigs.Shows have been live-streamed from his kitchen, his garage, and his daughter's bedroom and his favourite venue - the downstairs loo.Ben joked that the band has sold more CDs while live-streaming shows from his house than they did on their last real show.Ben, from Southampton, Hants., said: "It's been so much fun.
"The gig I played in my downstairs toilet last Thursday was probably more fun than when we played Isle of Wight Festival - just because it was so ridiculous."I've just been treating each night like it's a real gig.
I wanted to do something funny and absolutely ridiculous to take people's minds off things.
"I just think, let's all have a fun time.
Let's try and smile through this bad situation."Ben kicked off his home tour last Friday (March 20) - the same night Dlugokecki had been due to play a show in London.The band, who have released six studio albums, had already played sold-out shows in Winchester, Southampton, and Portsmouth.His first show was in his conservatory - and he has subsequently played shows in his kitchen, his oldest daughter Daisy's bedroom, the garage, and the downstairs toilet.His last show even managed to raise an impressive £300 for Naomi House Children's Hospice, after the band called for donations to be made to the charity.Ben said: "All I wanted to do was give people a bit of hope.
It's a weird time.
I've got to do something or I'll just go crazy."It has been like I've been playing real gigs - because it does tend to take up the whole evening."Every night we've had about 120 or more people attending - more people are seeing us live on Facebook than some nights at an actual venue."People have been buying our CDs online, and have been sending in requests in the comments."After the shows I'll also have an after party, where I'll get a beer and go live to answer people's questions."I'm just trying to make it a bit of fun for everyone," Ben added.Ben said he will now take a week off from doing live shows so that he and the band can record a new single - whilst all isolating in their respective homes.But he has plans to keep the live shows going from his house "for as long as people want them".He said: "I'm running out of rooms in my house to play - but I'm still planning on doing shows in the car, the upstairs bathroom, the living room, and the garden."I do massively miss playing actual venues, of course - this tour was supposed to be our big one."But reading the comments after my live shows this past week has been amazing.
"People have been saying it's the highlight of their days.
I have felt a lot of love from the community," he added.
