The Sheffield Scenester

The Boardwalk seemed to be a very popular place tonight because when I got there, a throng of teenage girls gathered around outside, in anticipation of what was to come. When we were finally allowed inside the venue, smiley faces were drawn on our hands and we crowded round the stage, eager to see the first act of the night.

Chloe-Jade Simmons was first to take to the stage. She began her acoustic set with a cover of the number one single, ‘Crazy’, by Gnarls Barkley. Quite a big audience had already gathered which was pretty impressive and they seemed to be enjoying Chloe’s performance. Her soft, sweet voice gave the track a slightly more haunting feel than the original, which sounded really beautiful live. The soulful pop song named ‘Sitting in my Knickers’ sounded quite gentle in its content, considering it was written when her friends commented on the fact that she sits around in her pants at home. Her third track, ‘Wanting to Be Found’, sounded very thoughtful and spiritual with carefully blended lyrics and ‘Take a Picture’ appeared to be a very emotional song. I could almost relate to some of the lyrics as I know what it feels like to pretend you are happy when really you’re not, I think everybody does. Her cover of Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’ was very effective and certainly performed well. Her last song, ‘I’ll Let You Know’, was a delightful end to a fantastic performance.

Tivoli bassist, Russ Frisby was the DJ tonight, spinning some tunes between sets which got the crowd hyped up for what was to come. I quite enjoyed his DJ sets actually because he played a lot of songs by local bands which were pretty good and I found myself singing along.

I got a chance to meet The Youbeauties backstage and they seemed like really nice guys so I was interested to hear what their music was like. They entered the stage like professionals and I couldn’t help but be fascinated by frontman, Chris Washington’s unique image. He told the audience that it was his aim to infuse music and comedy and they certainly did that, as between songs, he came out with random comments that made us all laugh. The band’s indie sounding music was so catchy that it got most of the crowd dancing around. Apparently the band does not name their songs, which is a pretty cool thing to do, but it sort of makes it hard to distinguish as to which song is which. Nevertheless, this band sure knows how to put on a good show. Chris’s dancing was definitely a lot of fun to watch. The band’s energy, without doubt, was infectious (in a good way) as the crowd couldn’t help but join in, even f they didn’t know the songs. The guys appeared to make ordinary topics such as break-ups and loneliness seem out of the ordinary with their interesting lyrics. When they played their penultimate track, ‘Regretful and Forgetful’ (from back in the day when they used to name their songs), Chris made a play on forgetting his words half way through (or did he really forget the words?) adding to the comedy element, which just made for a great show.

The next band up was Searching for Evidence. They opened their set with ‘Time’, which attracted at least 30 young girls and boys to cram the stage edge, screaming and shouting really loud, giving the band a massive amount of support. You could definitely see that they had an enormous fan base. The track ‘Get Out’ was a real crowd pleaser, showing that they are a very talented bunch of lads. Considering that they are only aged between 14 -15 and have only been together for 18 months, they show signs of real maturity. The next track, ‘Walk of Shame’ played host to an inspiring guitar solo by Jack Eddison, proving he really has talent. Lead vocalist, Lewis Hancock played to his ever screaming fans below, who by now were ear shatteringly screaming. They were being watched by eager parents in the background, willing them to do well, which evidently they did, by the appreciation of their adoring fans. Even the newer track, ‘Silly Little Girl’ got the crowd shouting their praises. They finished their set with ‘Girl @ the Spar’, and left the stage to an enormous applause. All in all, this was a very enjoyable performance. These guys can go a long way.

The Lines were one of the first bands I was introduced to when I began to listen to BBC radio Sheffield’s Raw Talent in 2008 when they released their debut single, ‘Domino Effect’. I have to admit that I have not heard much music from them recently so I was interested to see what they’d been up to. As the band entered, I was amazed by their great stage presence. Sounding similar to bands such as Little Man Tate and The Maccabees, they seem to have a polished indie style which works really well live. I didn’t catch the names of the tracks but, from what I hear, they are definitely causing a stir around Sheffield’s live venues, and rightfully so because they are a pretty impressive bunch of guys.

I knew Arkham Karvers were going to put on a great show because they really impressed me last time I saw them at the Plug. With copies of their new EP flying off the shelf and an enormous crowd gathering round the stage, they had to put on a good headline show and they definitely did that. Opening their set with ‘Arkham’, which got almost everybody tapping their feet to the beat. I love their ska infused sound, mixing reggae guitar riffs with indie vocals. ‘Alaska’ was a definite crowd pleaser, getting everyone to hum or sing along to the chorus because it is so catchy. Frontman, Dave Gash’s poignant lyrics just worked so well tonight, giving almost an acoustic sound to some of the songs, especially, the track ‘Powercut’, which always sounds beautiful. I was surprised how this song isn’t on the EP, as it is my favourite track of theirs. Hopefully it will be on another EP in the future *hint hint.* ‘Leaches and Fingernails’ was a great sounding track too, giving Dave the chance to use his unique prop, the megaphone. I really do think that this band just ooze talent and can go a long way in the music business. I liked this band when I first went to see them live and they sounded even better tonight. They have definitely put their stamp on the Sheffield music scene.

Words by Shirley Bell and Malcolm White
Photos by Malcolm White