The Sheffield Scenester

It was quite a steady start to the evening at The Boardwalk, with the usual friendly atmosphere and customary anticipation for the night’s entertainment...and that’s when we realised that Decode was in fact Friends Of Heroes...so we chatted for a little while to Vocalist Daniel Jeffery about the new name etc....

SS: so how long have you been Decode?

Daniel Jeffery: We've been decode since today the single launch (13/8/10). That was our kind of second coming as a band.

SS: So why change the name?

Daniel Jeffery: We changed the name as our musical style and sound just never suited the name we had. FOH implied kind of light hearted happy pop music. We are certainly not that.

SS: Tell us about the change in line-up.

Daniel Jeffery: Well....we haven’t had our old bassist Ash for a year now. He didn’t really have time for the band...so it was decided on both parties’ he should leave. Our drummer left to pursue his musical career on another front.
Then enter Daniel Greasely....he formerly played for The Grins. He's brilliant and brings a much more powerful dynamic to the band.

SS: What’s different about the new band?

Daniel Jeffery: Differences...we've grown up. Our sound is more mature and our ability to craft music and songs has come a long way.... and so has our confidence with what we do. We've got more commercially aware and fan friendly, but not left our heavy roots.

SS: What has Decode got in the 'pipeline'?

Daniel Jeffery: For the next few months it’s all about recording. Doing a song a month and releasing a 5-6 track EP at Christmas. Then off down to London to record 4 singles with The Animal Farm. Plus the single we released 'Fingertips' will have its video up about early November. So lots of stuff going on from now till the end of the year. We're focusing on our growing fanbase and really hoping to break out in 2011.

SS: Where do you get your influences from?

Daniel Jeffery: Our influences are... Biffy Clyro. Fightstar. Muse. Deftones. Enter Shikari. Lostprophets. Kids In Glass Houses. Godsmack. Jimmy Eat World. The Little Million. Laruso. Foo Fighters. Nirvana.

SS: What’s your opinion on the local music scene?

Daniel Jeffery: I think the music scene in Sheffield at the moment is probably one of the best in the country. Definitely one of the forerunners for unsigned talent. From solo acts to DJ's and Bands...and magazines like this are a massive help and promotions such as Soundclash really help bands get out there.

So with that and then being given their single to review he went off to prepare for the gig.

As Joolz and Russ spun some top tracks; Hacienda (the first band) placed their very computerised instruments on the stage...this obviously caused some interest and encouraged people to approached the stage with some curiosity. Their opening track called ‘Wolf’ was a very multi-layered, atmospheric song with an amazing electronic drum beat which I think impressed pretty much everyone. It has to be said at times during the set the trio reminded me of an automaton...but it reached the desired effect...the band obviously work together well and the complexity of the music they were playing really needed their full concentration! As the set continued (which I think is mainly due to their uniqueness) the crowd kept inching forward to see their well ordered execution of music. Their second track ‘Balloon Ride’ had a great undertone of percussion which really emphasised the smooth haunting vocals. As well as the electronic instruments...it was quite interesting to see the more unusual use of a wind chime as part of their repertoire....well if you need a certain jangle sound, there’s only one way to get it! Their set finished with ‘Think Of More’...and as the crowd became familiar with their multi-layered offerings, they received generous applause and cheers. I’d like to share with you their MySpace/Facebook, but unfortunately I’m unable to find them.

Next up was 4 Kicks...and it has to be said they were running extremely late (they rushed in just as the first band was about to start)....but they still managed to get set up quickly. I think the people who noticed them run in late, wondered what their set was going to be like....after all they didn’t have time to sound check! But to everyone’s surprise their kick off was confident and very energetic. Their first song ‘Time of your life’ received instant cheers....so the adrenalin from running late was put to good use! Their sound was very rich with a depth that almost hits the bottom of an ocean and then drills deeper....I suppose with the three guitars and a bass that’s what you’re going to get, especially when they are so in sync with each other too. Although that wasn’t the case when they came to another track (which I think was called ‘Les’), this one showed a different side to the band with what appeared to be a more stripped down set with a single guitar...this was an interesting twist to their skills as they then moved straight into their final track of the set ‘Shifty Disco’ with its racy and raucous edge...this was definitely a great climax to their set as people clapped and cheered loudly. I must admit I really enjoyed this set too, and despite their earlier rush, I don’t think you could fault them at all.

Sola City was the next band to take to the stage....their melodic start really captured everyone’s attention...especially when Luke Maddison started playing the harmonica. I found their opening track to be very Bob Dylan-esque...and it also reminded me of Jack and the Beanstalks. It has to be said their sound was a real winner, but I do think they need to work a little more on their stage presence. They are only a young band though...so with time/experience that will surely improve. The versatility of Luke’s vocals was quite interesting and obviously had a decent vocal range, at times he even sounded like an English Mike Stipe! My favourite track of the set was ‘Runnin’, which incidentally turned out to be their last track of the set...the sound became more of a throbbing resonance (similar to Doctor & The Medics intro to ‘Spirit In The Sky’ – but with less Pop), although I must admit the set seemed to finish quite abruptly because towards the end of the song Luke put his coat on and walked off stage....leaving the rest of the band to finish off.

It was now Darke Horse’s turn to take to the stage....and I must admit I was really looking forward to seeing a proper Darke Horse gig again...it must be over a year since we last saw the full band strut their stuff! It was as if they’d never been away; the set started with the intro to ‘Over and Over’ and their famous pyrotechnics...as well as seeing purple dots before my eyes yet again (due to the explosive kick off), it was also great to see Simon Kaviani and Chris Gill getting up to their old synchronised guitar showmanship antics. The look of enjoyment on all the faces of the band was really quite contagious and ensured everyone in the crowd shared their sentiments. The band obviously haven’t been sat ‘twiddling their thumbs’ since the last time we saw them....the set was a good mix of newer material as well as some crowd favourites. Also I loved the way the lighting really brought out every member of the band...especially when Jonno did his thing on the drums....the cheers and applause was almost deafening! ‘Had It Made’ started off with a slower pace...the lyrics were sang with real clarity which ensured every ear in the Boardwalk was on Simon. Another unforgettable moment was during ‘Fools Rush In’ when the crowd swung their arms from side to side....all they needed were lighters then we would have had the full effect! ‘Jacks My Friend’ I think, will always be a favourite of mine. Everyone joined in and sang...another good moment...in fact this one received the loudest cheer of the night! Their finale being the usual ‘Flat Screen Suicide’ nearly brought the house down...with more pyros! I have to say seeing Darke Horse was the tonic I needed....and whilst it can’t be said that Darke Horse are a quiet unassuming band, especially with their retro 70’s rock which certainly delivers on all levels.....BUT this was nothing when compared to the mayhem that headline act, Decode, were about to unleash!

Having set themselves up on stage, lead singer Daniel Jeffrey screamed at the audience to step forward, whether they obeyed out of sheer fear or plain curiosity is irrelevant but obey they did! Shakespeare once wrote ‘Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war’, somehow it seemed quite apt as Decode thrashed out their intro whilst throwing themselves about the stage. This was loud, this was fast, this was hard, heavy and relentless, it may not be what the doctor ordered....but yet again it certainly is my kind of tonic! As they went straight into the opening song ‘Enemies’, a couple of fans tried moshing it up, but the rest of the crowd didn’t seem impressed, so that idea kind of turned into a damp squib. During the second song ’Mirrors’, Daniel took it upon himself to teach the audience to sing the chorus, after a couple of practise runs he was happy and restarted, but this time with backing vocals - thanks to the audience! So despite the entire guitar thrashing bedlam that ensued on stage and Daniel’s insistence on injecting the odd scream into his songs, the crowd began to warm to Decode’s riff fuelled pandemonium, they willingly clapped along to ‘Waiting For Yesterday’ and even did arm swaying to ‘Far Too Late’! Having got the crowd just where he wanted them....Daniel went on to organise a mosh pit (that has got to be some kind of grammatical double negative if ever there was one) and for a while it worked, but not being seasoned vets to this they soon gave up! Playing the song ‘Our Black Star’ was easily the highlight for me as it has been one of my favourites even when they were Friends of Heroes, he also dedicated this to Joolz as a thank you for the night. They played out their set with the new single ‘Fingertips’ which in a way took me by surprise as it seemed a lot more melodic, almost mainstream in its structure.

We received a copy of the single and whilst it isn’t as riotous as most of the material they played on stage, for a start you won’t find much in the way of screaming or thrashing guitars, not even a climatic maelstrom to round it off. Having said that I still felt an underlying menace brewing in the background which gives it that extra bite, whether this is down to the lyrics...I’m not sure. At times you get lyrical references to some kind of mentally disturbed issues surrounding a relationship of sorts, ok so it’s not all fun and games....but it does make for a great tune. Another aspect of this track is that towards the end it develops into quite a harmonious finale, with an unusual layered vocal harmony. Not only a refreshing change of direction, but quite a brave choice that works well....this, as well as an acoustic version of my favourite track ‘Our Dark Star’ makes for a quality disc!

Words & Photos by Gail & Geoff Buckthorpe