Between trade fairs and Lake Maschsee, CeBIT and the zoo, Hanover isn't primarily known for live music. But the live music scene in Hanover definitely has a lot to offer. Lower Saxony's capital has not only produced well-known bands like Fury in the Slaughterhouse or the Scorpions, but is still home to many musical hidden gems today.
Every famous musician once started as an unknown newcomer – and was eventually discovered. At your own house concert in Hanover and surrounding areas, you can experience new talents up close.
Hanover has exported more rock than most cities twice its size. The Scorpions came from here and went global; Fury in the Slaughterhouse followed with a different sound and the same reach. Underneath the arena-sized names there is a durable independent scene centred on Linden, with the Pavillon and the Faust complex hosting everything from folk to experimental music, and the Lister Meile end of town keeping a steady run of smaller gigs going all year.
Hanover also has one of Germany's most serious music schools. The Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien draws students from all over the world and keeps the classical and jazz ends of the scene well stocked, since many of them stay. The NDR Radiophilharmonie is based here, the Staatsoper runs a full season, and in summer the Maschsee festival and the Fährmannsfest over in Linden put free music in front of crowds who might never otherwise buy a ticket.
Hanover is a green, low-rise, comfortable city, and that suits house concerts well. Flats and houses here tend to have more room than you would get for the money in Hamburg or Munich, gardens are common, and the lake and parks make summer garden concerts an easy tradition to start. Artists based in the region are used to playing small rooms, so booking one for your own is rarely difficult.
For a host the practical picture is unusually good. Hanover rebuilt after the war with wide streets and low blocks, so flats run larger and quieter than the same money buys in Hamburg, and a back garden is ordinary here rather than a luxury. Linden and List have the kind of neighbourly density where an invitation travels by word of mouth, and musicians based in the region think nothing of driving half an hour for a good small room.
A living room concert is exactly what it sounds like: a professional musician plays a full set in a private home, for an audience the host has invited. You will see the same thing called a house concert, a house show or - because of where we started - a SofaConcert. They all mean the same evening.
There is no stage, no ticket desk and no support act. A typical concert in Hanover runs 60 to 90 minutes, often split into two sets with a break, in front of anywhere from 15 to 50 guests. Most take place in a roomy flat, a house with a garden or a terrace. The artist brings whatever they need; you provide the room and the people.
Everything you need to plan, folded into the order you'll actually do it.
Pick a date and a room - thirty people fit a living room more easily than you'd think. Then browse the artist list for a singer-songwriter, duo or band.
Send as many free enquiries as you like. Each artist replies with a non-binding offer, so you can weigh up a few before choosing. Settle the scope in writing in the booking system - that written record is what the contract is based on.
Confirming creates the contract and reserves your date. You deposit the fee plus the booking fee, which is held in trust and only released to the artist after the concert. You then get their contact details to sort out the last bits.
Browse Hanover and Lower Saxony acts, send free enquiries and book the one that fits your evening.
A few of the acts playing around Hanover.
List your space for free and touring artists apply to play your living room. You pick whoever you like the sound of, and you're never obliged to say yes - here is what hosting involves.
You would be joining people all over Europe who open their doors a few times a year and have turned their living room into somebody's favourite venue.
Some of the most recent spaces to join.
The choice can feel overwhelming. Don't worry - we'll help you.
Tell us the details of your concert and any particular wishes, and we'll do the rest.