The latest from 'Live at the Arcade'

Pascal Gravante, Photo: V. Krebs
Pascal Gravante, Photo: V. Krebs
By Maria Halkias
12 February 2014

Located in the heart of Geneva, ICV Arcade is ICV's public venue, where different social, artistic and musical networks interact in a mutually enriching environment. It hosts ICV's info and help desk for non-French speaking migrants. Jewellery from different African countries is exhibited and for sale. Documentation on ICV's activities is available as well. On Wednesdays and Thursdays evenings, the space transforms into a venue for performing arts
 we have been organizing evenings of readings, live music, film projection and poetry since January of last year.

Live at the Arcade takes place each Thursday evening. The range of musical styles and line-ups has been to-date incredibly wide-ranging. Rock, folk, blues, world-music, Brazilian, Celtic, Appalachian – you name it, you’ll see it sooner or later at ICV Arcade – this huge variety of style bringing to life Geneva’s multi-talented voices and multicultural feel. If life, as ICV’s logo tells us, is ‘hands-on’ then ICV Arcade is living proof: real musicians playing real live music and in doing so, building real communities!

In March, the Arcade promises Celtic, Country, Namibian and contemporary rock! And week by week the range of snacks expands steadily with even tropical drinks served at our bar.

The band Tape Trade is joining our program in February to bring along a “trendy 70s” flair that sound like Rush for Dummies or bring to mind a Canadian Hold Steady. As if all that is not enough, brand-new, contemporary, Geneva-based Filipino band, 5-Year Theory, will be joining us in March with their mix of rock covers and own compositions. Do check out our 2014 calendar for the latest updates.

As for the big scoop to new developments at the Arcade, well there is a prelude to the FĂȘte de la Musique experience right here on our stage. A special evening with 15-minutes of fame slots given over to original singers/songwriters. One musician already described the Arcade as “unique” claiming, “there aren’t many intimate gigs like this left in Geneva”. Music program coordinator Keith Stimpson describes ICV’s Arcade as both “welcoming and intimate, created to serve the local community”. The Arcade’s relatively small stage creates an intimate and convivial connection with the public generating and encouraging performers to interact creatively with the crowd. It’s striking just how many bands contact ICV Arcade requesting to play again, so enjoyable was their gig!

The Canettes Blues Band, who played at Montreux last summer, returned to our stages in early February for the fourth time since ICV Arcade has opened for live performance. Functad too has returned to ICV Arcade playing classic rock covers alongside their own creations. The Nearlies will return end of February to transform Arcade’s famously described “atmosphere of a jazz cafĂ© without the jazz” into a moody French cafĂ© or evoking a still from a Tarantino film. 

Other upcoming activities of the Arcade include poetry and literary evenings, GreenVoice children workshops, Mexican cinema night, photographic encounters and more. 

Want to read more about the ICV Arcade? Check out the dedicated website and discover the full schedule of upcoming events please visit www.icvarcade.org.

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