I am one half of safe + sound is an audio collective formed by myself and Kit Callin. We run sonic open mic nights, lead workshops on audio making, and install immersive sound experiences at festivals.
At HearSay Festival 2026, we fulfilled our lifelong dream of creating an audio installation in a pub.
Pubs are places that can be extremely social or spaces of solitude. Some use them to meet familiar and new faces, some use them to be alone. At the safe + sound pub, we catered for everyone’s needs. For a whiskey, patrons were given an mp3 player and headphones playing a selection of pieces on Solitude. For two glasses of wine, couples were given an mp3 player loaded with pieces on Romance, with a headphone splitter and two sets of headphones. For a pint, patrons were sent to a section of the pub to listen collectively to audio on the theme of community, played out of speakers. n/a options were available of course.
We sold caps and postcards too, managing to raise a few hundred pounds for Trans Harm Reduction.
Huge thanks to Pat McGrath for trusting us behind his bar. Read more about safe + sound here.
JESSE LAWSON 