COVID-19 is impacting every area of life to great detriment, especially the music industry through gig and tour cancellations and delays in album releases causing loss of earnings. Although this is all quite bleak, artists are keeping morale high by staying in touch with music and with their fans by giving virtual performances via live stream. Here are some of my favourites from the last few weeks.

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These impacts are being felt in the music industry through gig and tour cancellations and delays in album releases causing loss of earnings

Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil has been performing an acoustic set every Friday evening live on Facebook for his fans whilst encourage them to dress up and post photos using the hashtag BiffyDressUp. Neil powerfully performs a few songs with the same vigour he would at a live show which is all done whilst wearing a full suit and is the perfect Friday night entertainment to round off another week in lockdown. One of the songs he performed was ‘Accident Without Emergency’ where the line ‘If this is a concert then where’s the crowd / Let’s sing it out and sing it proud’ was pronounced with much more poignancy in these very strange times.

One of the most prolific live-streamers of this lockdown has been Gary Barlow with his ‘Crooner Sessions’. Every night he has invited a different singer to join him on his Instagram live to perform a song with him; my favourite of which was his socially distant performance of Take That’s ‘Back For Good’ with all four members of JLS. You would think that technical difficulties would impact such a performance but the combination of video and voices was very impressive to listen to.

Remaining on the topic of JLS, Marvin and Rochelle Humes have been running an Instagram series called ‘Stay Home with the Humes’ in order to raise money for the NSPCC at a time where a lot of children are in very difficult situations. One of the ways the couple have been raising money for this incredibly worthy cause is to hold a DJ session every Friday night so people can feel like they are at a rave from the comfort of their own living rooms. The mixes range from old school RnB to pop party to garage and then back again. The fun shared by all involved at these sessions is infectious. Last week, JLS’ own Aston Merrygold performed a half-hour acoustic set to warm everyone up for the Instagram handover which worked perfectly.

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The fun shared by all involved at these sessions is infectious

The Humes are not the only artists to be using music to promote a good cause. On Friday 3rd April, CALM Zone (Campaign Against Living Miserably) arranged a night of live music to raise money for the charity which has seen a rapid increase in calls from people battling with their mental health since lockdown began. CALM Zone posted set times on their Instagram at the beginning of the day so that people tuning in at home could switch between Instagram accounts like they would move between stages at a festival which was a really surreal but fun experience. There was a great range of performers on the night but my personal highlights were: Joy Crookes, Nothing But Thieves’ Conor Mason, Kodaline’s Steve Garrigan and Frank Turner. 

Crookes has one of the best voices in the rising star category and she has a personality to match it – it is only on an Instagram live that the performance could be interrupted by WhatsApp calls and low battery levels! Conor Mason performed some of Nothing But Thieves’ biggest hits but had to apologise for his red eyes because he is in lockdown with his cat who he is very unfortunate to be allergic to! Garrigan’s vocals were incredibly impressive and he took some requests from the virtual audience, one of which was ‘High Hopes’ which was a very apt track for the occasion. 

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It is only on an Instagram live that the performance could be interrupted by WhatsApp calls and low battery levels

The final performer of the night was Frank Turner and he did not disappoint. He is an artist who is always very honest about his own battles with his mental health, therefore this is a cause he is very passionate about. He performed his track ‘Don’t Worry’ and the line ‘Don’t worry if you don’t know what to do’ really stood out to me and is a good message to anyone struggling with the impacts of the current lockdown. Turner’s tracks are all packed full of meaning and they seem to be relevant in so many different times and political spheres. He urged everyone to be more kind, the title of his 2018 album. He closed his set, and the hugely successful evening, with ‘Lean On Me’ by the late, great Bill Withers, whose death was sadly announced that same day. It was a beautiful rendition and felt like the perfect way to end the night.

The last live stream that has caught my attention was by singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti. This live stream however was one with a difference as Savoretti decided to conduct a song writing session with his fans. From this session, Savoretti penned a charity single to support Italy in their battle against COVID-19. The track is called ‘Andrà Tutto Bene’ which translates to ‘All Will Be Fine’ and it is truly moving especially coming from a voice as talented as Savoretti’s. Discussing the track, Savoretti said ‘It was a true honour to write a song with so many of our Italian friends.’ This kind of community togetherness is what will hopefully define not only the music industry’s response but also the world’s collective response to this ongoing and tragic crisis.

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