Years ago when I was working at DDB London, we created a brand platform for a client that saw us build a VW Type 2 Bulli as an intimate performance venue. The brand doesn't matter but the concept did - creating a confined staging environment that would minimise production and leave artists to showcase their raw talent and deliver an arrangement that would be both authentic and a more vulnerable performance for fans.
More than fifty, predominantly UK indie acts squeezed through the doors of the venerable bulli - Franz Ferdinand, The Courteeners, Sam Smith, Tricky. The first act to play were The Guillemots. Their frontman, Fyfe Dangerfield, has perfect pitch, and I was left in awe at how he held 'Get Over It'. He is probably best known for 'She's Always a Woman to Me' these days. But there’s just something about witnessing that level of raw musical talent that just stops you in your tracks. We launched in June 2008 but had been working on the project since March or thereabouts. The first Tiny Desk was released in April 2008. I'd like to think we inspired each other but it would be fairer to say that we were all influenced by MTV Unplugged.
If you've never encountered a Tiny Desk concert, they're a live video performance for the NPR Music series hosted in a working office at their headquarters in Washington DC. Architectural Digest recently did a behind the scenes tour of the office and Associated Press's piece: ‘NPR is cool!’ How Tiny Desk Concerts became a pop culture phenomenon charts the history and evolution of the show. The concept ultimately originated with Bob Boilen who approached this with a similar ethos to us - pared back format, simple production and ensuring the focus remains on the music and the artists themselves.
Vulture compiled a list of the The 50 Best NPR Tiny Desks and as is always the case with 'best of' lists, they're subjective and personal but like mix tapes and playlists, you might just discover your new favourite artist or be exposed to a brilliant new arrangement of a song you already know. With more than 1,200 Tiny Desk shows to date featuring numerous high-profile acts, the success of the format naturally raises the question: who’s next? I can think of a number of artists who I'd like to see behind the desk, some on that list have already appeared but Tracy Chapman would be my white whale.
On that basis, I offer some of my favourites and in no particular order. I've included the Lion King because it captures the raw emotion and emotional contagion that can only manifest in live music and in this kind of format.
