On Thursday 29th October, the audience at Stan Elliot presents: The Renaissance Sessions experienced a small snippet of normality in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.

It is no secret, the crippling effect that the pandemic has had on the music industry and the enjoyment of a live performance. The Guardian reported that a third of British musicians are considering quitting the industry “because of the financial difficulties they face, as performance opportunities are severely curtailed.”

But thanks to the genius and hard work of Charlie Long and Stan Elliot, some of us had the opportunity to forget about our pandemic troubles for the evening and – for the first time in around six months – sit back, relax and enjoy some live music. 

During a time of cultural, political and economic ‘renaissance’, Stan Elliott and the Easy Peelers’ performance came as a great relief to many. Audience member, Sidney, described, “It was good to see live music after months of lockdown.”

Following a long stretch of performance prohibition, indoor, seated performances were allowed from 15th August 2020. However, this came with rules to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The bands’ gigs would usually be centred around dancing, so putting on a seated show was a new experience. Charlie Long, the band’s manager, has shared insight into putting on such an event:

“The venue set out a certain number of tables, allowing about 50 per show… We broke it into two parts, so we did the same show twice.

“You had to book as a whole table and in advance, following the rule of 6 guidelines… We weren’t allowed to play over a certain volume… We couldn’t encourage any singing around the tables… Crowd participation had to be reduced. Nobody being able to dance made the performance very different.

“Naturally, the band had a different approach. They knew they had to perform with the same energy but it was going to be experiential with more theatrics to it.”

The pandemic is also putting strain on venues, which is having negative implications on musicians. Long explains:

“The venue, and others too, are being careful to pick bands that they can trust to fill their tables, so that they can sell enough drinks to pay their staff. If we hadn’t sold out, we wouldn’t be asked again… But there was never any doubt that Stan would be able to carry a seated audience.”

Lead singer, Stan Elliot, has shared his thoughts on performing to a seated audience for the first time:

“I got a reaction above and beyond what I was expecting… It’s interesting because there’s definitely positives and negatives… It was absolutely knackering getting up and doing it again, I was exhausted for four or five days afterwards! Even though it was so rewarding… I’d like to get back to doing gigs in the old fashioned way.

When speaking to audience members, it was clear to see how much they appreciated the performance. Spectator, David, shared, “I love live music! Live music is a huge loss with COVID. A lot of people use it as a big part of their lives. Many feel connected to music through watching it live.”

However, there was a unanimous feeling that something was missing from the event. Olivia commented, “Personally, I like to dance. As human beings we want to dance. It’s hard that we’re not allowed.”

But overall, the show was a huge success. Attendees described the performance as, “Atmospheric… Honed in on the music and talent… Immersive… Needed… Electric… Vibrant”. To have the opportunity to sit down and watch such raw talent was truly captivating.

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This article was written for a Journalistic Research module in January 2021. We were tasked with reporting on a current event by writing a 600 word piece with an original angle.