INNSiDE By Meliá Liverpool – INNSiDE The Bedroom x GigPig, In Conversation With ME and Deboe

What a amazing Summer’s eve we spent over at INNSiDE by Meliã for their ME and Deboe at INNSiDE The Bedroom x GigPig.

Up on the 18th floor of their beautiful Condo Suite, with river views and a bedroom overlooking the city, we were wowed with a killer set from ME and Deboe, supported and put together by GigPig and Genre Music.

It’s part of an ongoing series of INNSiDE The Bedroom and offers a chance to see artists from the comfort of a wonderful suite. With a beer in hand, the view and music was a welcome treat to finish off a perfect afternoon.

We managed to catch up with ME and Deboe (Mercy Elise and Sarah Deboe) straight after their performance.

Liverpool Noise: Hey! Amazing set by the way, did you have to change or adapt anything for this ‘INNside the Bedroom?’ is there anything that worried you as performers when you first heard about a gig in a hotel suite?

Elise: Our first thought was to treat it like a sofar sound, because you don’t know what space you’re going to be in. It’s quite intimate too and I think you want to make sure it’s not too intrusive.

Sarah: It’s just that balance really, so people can engage and enjoy it while doing whatever they want.

Liverpool Noise: Yes the first half was a nice ease into the set for sure, then as people started mingling it ramped up a bit. You had a few requests at some point from some fans in the audience!

Elise: Yeah we didn’t realise! But that was great we’ll take that. Throwing an original tune in there.

Liverpool Noise: Mother Shipton’s Cave right?

Sarah: Yes! Elise is from that way so was inspired from that.

Liverpool Noise: Amazing, so then with the Sofar sounds then you’re definitely used to this style of gig.

Sarah: Yes we do quite a mix of events and sometimes it can be quite passive, so we had some experience of that. If everyone had came in and it had been a sit down and listen type gig then we’d adjust!

We often get to Italy to perform, usually twice a year, where we’ll just book in these kooky gigs anywhere from North to South Italy and we’ll just book them in. Weird locations, maybe a barn in the north or maybe someone’s house in the south. They’re amazing and it’s very much this vibe. So you could say we’re just used to being in random rooms with people with the door locked!

Liverpool Noise: This is it now then? 50 capacity max from here on out? We’ll add it to your rider

Elise: Haha that’s it. This is definitely the highest we’ve ever been though! (looks precariously out of the 18th floor window).

Liverpool Noise: So we’re up in the Condo Suite of INNSiDE by Meliã with this collaboration with GigPig, have you used their platform before? Do you think it’s good for artists looking to get out and perform?

Elise: We think it’s great for artists, because you go on to the app they have, and it’ll let you know when and where someone needs gigs. It’s so reliable and more importantly, it pays well. To keep a musician going it’s one that I definitely recommend.

Sarah: Yeah it’s perfect, so simple to download and the most efficient booking system we’ve used. Very professional and takes a few minutes to set up and alter your profile. It’s secure too. Every week we get notifications and communications, there’s always someone you can speak to.

Elise: The venues we book in with communicate with us. But yeah, GigPig will always talk to us and see if there’s anything we need and just remind us where we need to be.

Liverpool Noise: It seems like it’s very much adapted to the gig world at the moment and is very inclusive.

Sarah: It opens you up to venues everywhere, so your profile is there and if people like you then it’s so simple.

Liverpool Noise: With a lot of traditional or smaller gig venues struggling putting on events or cutting back on live music, do you feel like these collaboration venues that are actively supporting live music offer a different platform and audience for live music?

Sarah: I think it’s the bread and butter gigs. These interesting gigs and venues that corporate companies organise have kept us alive and going. Music venues do struggle to pay artists and although it’s wonderful to play in these venues, most of the time there’s not much money in it. So these kind of venues do look after you.

Elise: I think the traditional way of asking a band to play and then wanting them to bring a certain amount of people… I always find it’s hard for them to compete. It’s different and I suppose it’s a different approach in terms of your audience. So in some instances they’re great, but a lot of people are going down this route to access a variety of audiences as you’ll be performing to new people. Every gig we do it’s a new and different to the last.

Sarah: It’s a different kettle of fish for sure. It keeps us going. With GigPig it’s paid so efficiently too and a good rate.

Liverpool Noise: So in terms of your duo, if people haven’t heard of Me + Deboe, give us a quick recap of how you came to realise that your musicality worked so well together?

Elise: Go on you do it.

Sarah: No I’m not doing it!

Elise: Go on you’re better than me…

Sarah: Well! We’ve been paying the taxman for about…[both laugh]… No, seriously, we’ve been together about 10+ years and then went into music directing about a year and a half ago. So we’ve been touring non stop.

Elise: It’s like a marriage you can’t divorce!

Sarah: We’ve been doing it for a long time trying to, I suppose represent who we are. Oh my gosh. I won’t do too many clichés – promise.

Liverpool Noise: And finally anything in the pipeline?

Elise: We are doing a production with Tmesis Theatre with the Everyman on 29 June to 1 July called Sealskin. So we’ve composed the music but we’re actually performing it live while they’re on stage! It’s like a physical theatre story. Starting at the Everyman it’s going to be touring. So that’s where our concentration is at the moment.

Sarah: We’re not dancing though.

Elise: No, definitely not.

Sarah: Then we’ve got Glasgow supporting Miles Hunt from The Wonderstuff then Cambridge Folk Festival! So plenty to get on with.

Elise: Or a hotel room somewhere. Who knows!

Liverpool Noise: Well brilliant gig, thanks so much and see you soon!

Follow ME and Deboe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.

To find out more about INNSide By Meliá Liverpool’s bedroom gigs, follow @innside_by_melia_uk on Instagram.