Tiny Gear Concert 21st May 2025
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On 21st May 2025, the Real Ale Classroom hosted the Tiny Gear Concert—a gathering of artists, listeners, and audio experimenters drawn together by their shared love of compact equipment and big ideas. This wasn’t a traditional gig. It was an invitation to listen closely.
The evening featured an eclectic mix of performances: modular synth improvisations, handheld cassette loops, lo-fi ambient textures, field recordings, and beat-based narratives. Each set used minimal kit—pocket synths, samplers, contact mics—but explored expansive sonic terrain. From pulsing minimalism to playful noise, the event was a celebration of constraint as creative freedom.
Held in the wood-panelled setting of the Real Ale Classroom, the concert blurred the lines between gig, installation, and listening session. Many of the artists brought gear that could fit in a backpack, yet what emerged was rich with atmosphere, memory, and intent.
The whole night was recorded live and will form the basis of an upcoming Radio Lear feature, sharing the sounds and reflections of those who make music on their own terms, with whatever they have to hand.
Sometimes, the smaller the gear, the bigger the sound.
