Staying Inn

Hi Gigantic Gang,

It’s more important than ever to #StayAtHome – but social distancing doesn’t mean you have to be all on your lonesome. Plenty of people are turning to the internet to host their own online parties and if you are looking to start your own, you can get started with Zoom, Houseparty and Google Hangouts.

Missing the buzz of live music? Songkick have compiled a comprehensive list of upcoming gigs about to be live streamed in the near future, giving you that badly needed hit of live music – just click HERE!

They have some awesome acts to look forward to, including online appearances from Grouplove, Robyn Hitchcock and Guy Sebastian!

Plus, Girls In Synthesis, BC Camplight, Kip Berman of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and The Natvral as well as Jason Lytle from Grandaddy will all be streaming shows this week! If you’re looking for any more Indie Is Not A Genre has a calendar ready for you to browse.

Taking a lock-in to the next level, plenty of online pubs have sprung up which mean you have company whilst drinking without even leaving your sofa. Check out The Virtual Pub Facebook page for a long list of cyberspace drinking spots and recommendations from their patrons.

Staying true to its motto “Because no one should drink alone”, The Social is encouraging music enthusiasts to meet up for bants and beer every day from 18:00 on Twitter. Ran by famed indie label Heavenly Recordings, you can be sure to digitally rub shoulders with plenty of fellow fans of the truly alternative.

Alex Lee Thomson is the director of London based digital market group Green House Group who are serving the community with a novel twist to the internet pub. Get to their Crowdfunding page to buy a #VirtualPint, with 50% of the proceeds going to the Music Venue Trust, supporting the hard hit grassroots stages around the UK, with the other 50% being sent directly to independent venues who need it most.

And they are even offering some fantastic prizes if you buy a round for £20, including tickets for gigs at venues like The Lexington and End Of The Road festival, 8 hours studio time with an engineer at The Libertines Albion Rooms, bar tabs and much more! For more info, shout them at: pints@greenhousegroup.co.uk

There’s some great online activity being hosted around our Nottingham hometown, including pub quizzes held from 19:00 – 21:00 every Sunday at Trent Navigation,  Wednesday’s at 20:00 in The Lion at Basford and at one of our fav gig spots and watering hole The Bodega on Tuesdays – come back on Friday evenings for a relaxed drink too. Plus the man behind Jamcafe; Bradley Rice brings the big beats on the ones and twos with his Daily Jams.

Also, vital community paper LeftLion will be streaming performances from the very best local artists on their Sofa Sessions. Get comfy every evening at 20:00 and enjoy a wide range of sounds from a city renowned for its excellent grassroots music scene.

Light Hustle is a collaboration between Hockley Hustle, Circle Of Light and I’m Not From London celebrating the young musicians of the city, the day of music has been turned into a livestream fundraising event aiming to raise a £5000 fund to help Nottingham creative freelancers. You can look forward to special streamed performances from the likes of Rob Green, Nina Smith, Natalie Duncan, Daudi Matsiko, Alfie Sharp and Youth Music winner Mae Monypenny. Taking place on, Saturday 4^th of April, you can grab your online tickets HERE and you can make donations on their GoFundMe page – please give generously!

And coming soon; iconic venue Rock City will soon become a virtual club for the duration of the crisis!

Gigantic loves the theatre and you can click HERE to book tickets for the West End and live performances right around the UK. National Theatre Live invite thespian fans to enjoy a series of streamed productions on their YouTube channel every Thursday evening at 19:00.

Big shout out to all NHS staff and key workers – you are the heroes upon whom we all depend, and we will never forget your bravery, sacrifice and hard work.

We want everyone to be safe so stay indoors unless you’re doing your daily exercise or you’ve run out of Hobnobs – and wash your grabbers as soon as you get home! See you soon GG xx