Love at First Listen: How London Singles Can Find Love Through Live Music

Ditch the apps. Sofar Sounds is here to remind us that the best connections happen in the most unexpected places.

Written by Elektra Kaldeli

Photography by Abigail Shii

Here's what's happening: people are done with dating apps. The complaints are the same everywhere you look: endless swiping, features locked behind paywalls, conversations that fizzle out, profiles that bear no resemblance to the actual person. Worse, the apps are designed to keep you on them. 

So people are showing up in person again. Not just to speed dating events or singles mixers, but to places where the focus is on something else entirely, like live music, comedy, and art. The theory is simple: shared interests beat a witty bio every time.

Sofar Sounds has been running Singles events on this premise for a while now. If two people share the same music tastes, there's a 70% chance they share core values too. That stat came from a CBS Mornings segment, and it's why these shows work (and has a way better success rate than most dating algorithms can claim). The format is straightforward:  intimate live shows in unconventional spaces, phones away, three emerging artists per night, and everyone in the room is single. While dating apps paywall meaningful connections at £19–38 per month, Sofar's Singles events clock in at around £19, and you actually get a concert out of it alongside some genuine in-person connection.

This is what Sofar's been building since 2009, transforming unconventional spaces into intimate stages for emerging artists. Think: living rooms, rooftops, caves, and historic churches, and rest assured Sofar has tried it all. Business Insider called it serving "people new artists without the intervention of an algorithm."

And this Valentine’s week, they’re taking that magic and turning it explicitly romantic. From February 12th to 15th, Sofar is running Valentine’s programming across ten venues in London. You can find everything from Singles Nights, Galentine's celebrations, queer-focused lineups, comedy, ballroom dance performances, and the usual discovery shows in places you wouldn't normally see live music.

The Venues

Thursday kicks off with a Singles Night at Bread and Butter Lounge, featuring electronic and indie acts with a DJ between sets. Standard format, good icebreaker.

Friday the 13th (ironic, we know) takes over Bart’s North Wing, the oldest hospital in the UK, where you can expect indie and alternative artists. If you are skeptical about what acoustics a historic hospital wing can offer, just trust that Sofar’s pulled it off before. That same night, Sky Lounge at Labs is hosting a Galentine’s celebration with soul and R&B performers, which is less about dating, more about celebrating friendship, if that’s your thing. 

Saturday has the most programming and variety. StrongHer Space is running a show spotlighting queer voices, leaning into indie-pop and alternative sounds. At Andaz, Liverpool Street, the format shifts entirely. Live music meets ballroom dance, with three singer-songwriters each paired with professional dancers. It’s one of the more ambitious experiments Sofar’s running this week, blending performance styles in a way that doesn’t usually happen outside of theatre productions. Definitely a must-see in our opinion. Across town, The Ministry is hosting a comedy night, proving that the Valentine’s programming isn’t exclusively about music, with Mohini Kotecha producing and hosting.

For those seeking the OG Sofar experience, there are several options. Battersea Barge is exactly what it sounds like: an intimate venue on the river, folk and acoustic acts performing on the water. Clipper Lounge at Embankment has floor-to-ceiling views of London landmarks alongside indie and electronic artists. Gray's Inn, a historic venue that's typically closed to the public, opens for singer-songwriters and alternative acts in a space most Londoners will never access otherwise.

Then there’s Zipworld viewing deck, which might be the most unusual venue of the week. There’s an optional pre-show slide (yes, an actual slide), and then performances from indie and rock artists against views across the city. Tensor Studios is also running an acoustic session inside a working recording studio, the kind of stripped-back environment that lets you hear every detail. For people who care about the craft, this is the one.

The week closes Sunday at Purple Owl in Wandsworth, a new community space featuring indie and alternative performers.

Why the Mystery Matters

Here’s the thing about Sofar: you don’t actually know who’s playing until 36 hours before the show. The venue and artist lineup are revealed late, which means you’re committing to the experience rather than a specific name. It’s the opposite of how most people approach live music now, where the artist is the entire reason for buying a ticket. Instead, you’re trusting the curation.

And the format creates an environment where people are actually present. As one attendee from The Times of London wrote: “During the 20-minute sets the crowd is rapt. It must be the first time I have witnessed Londoners, myself included, not scrolling through a phone for such a long period of time. In the course of the evening I met five new people.” 

So even if you don’t meet anyone this Valentine’s, you’ve at least discovered new music, experienced a one-of-a-kind performance, and spent an evening fully present instead of half-watching someone’s Insta story while pretending to listen to your date talk about their startup. It’s the ultimate low-stakes, high-reward scenario: just you, a room full of other single people, and three emerging artists you’ve most likely never heard of, but will be adding to your rotation by the end of the night.

And Sofar has a history of booking artists before they break through, which means attending a show is as much about discovery as it is about the night itself. Billie Eilish, Jack Harlow, Chappell Roan, Hozier, and Lola Young all played Sofar shows before becoming household names. In the past four years alone, Sofar alumni have earned 129 Grammy nominations and 21 wins. So, even if your love life doesn’t take off, your music taste definitely will.

In a moment when loneliness is being called a public health crisis, Sofar creates intimate gatherings where strangers actually meet face-to-face over live music. It's organic in a way apps can't replicate, no matter how good the algorithm claims to be.

So, if you’re single, coupled up, or just tired of swiping, consider trading the dinner-and-a-movie routine for something a little more unexpected.

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Sofar’s Valentine’s week programming runs February 12-15 across London. Tickets average £14 to £19 and sell out quickly, with show locations and lineups revealed 36 hours before each event. For tickets and more information, visit sofar.com