The Sheffield Scenester

The nights are slowly drawing in, and with temperatures just a bit cooler…I donned my Jackson Caged T shirt and headed down to the O2 Academy. Tonight was going to be nothing but metal and grunge as Soundclash and Sheffield Scenester got together for Fretdeath 2…the long overdue sequel to last years Fretdeath. That one was held at The Boardwalk, a venue many of us miss, but with two of those bands returning (Double Yellas were called Poxy Reason back then) and the line-up boosted by the inclusion of Cut Your Wings and Sleepwalker, it was looking to be a good night.

I hooked up with some mates from work outside the door and just chatted away….while a steady flow of people drifted in, the good thing about metal fans is they are more than happy to watch an entire gig rather than just see the band they know, so a lot of them arriving to see Double Yellas had probably never even heard of them before. Now Double Yellas opened the night with the track ‘Sweet Devotion’ and straight away their Sabbath-esque grunge hit you full force drowning out any memory of the slight chill in the air that night. With an opening act of this quality grinding away before your very eyes and a good crowd to reap the benefits, this was shaping up to be one hell of an evening! Aside from their music….an everlasting memory I have of Double Yellas set was the fact that lead singer Jason Burton was sporting a rather colourful Animal T shirt which somehow seemed to fit the occasion. Although they did seem to rush through every song…although we were informed near the end of the set that they wanted to get in as many tracks as possible!!! Eight songs in a half hour set is pretty good going for a rock band. With the crowd deservedly battered, bruised and left for dead…they then finished with a thunderous rendition of their classic set closer ‘The Drop’, with a torrential pummeling of drums combined with the screaming rasp on guitar and bass it was the perfect end to an outstanding set.

Sleepwalker and their self proclaimed ‘stoner-grunge’ were next to hit the stage and by now the final few groups of people had made their way in, grabbed a drink and were ready for the rest of the night. Opening with ‘Leaves’ they hit the ground running, a little too fast as it happens as guitarist Jack broke a string and bolted off stage at the end of this song to get his replacement guitar. Not sure…but I think it was drummer skinny that suggested “He’d gone off to vomit!” which got a good laugh, but back he came fully functional guitar in hand just in time to plough through their newest song ‘Green High, White Rush’. As expected their set was fast and furious, with Skinny’s drums leading the onslaught while Greenie on vocals, lead guitar and demonic possession… an interesting job title but someone’s gotta do it! Greenie had in fact dreadlocked his hair and with the red light s behind him it gave him an even more deranged look than normal.. but it all added to the entertainment. With plenty of support from the crowd and a fistful of loud and powerful songs, they set the stage perfectly for the following act Cut You Wings.

With white lights piercing the darkness, Cut Your Wings began with ‘Rolling Free’, a truly awesome set opener as it draws you in before blowing you away with a mind-blowing wall of power and sound! It’s this that separates the men from the boys and it’s this concept that Cut Your Wings have taken to heart, when they play, you don’t forget them. Usually it’s Mark’s drums that dominate proceedings when these guys perform….but somehow tonight Matt on guitar seemed to be the driving force tonight as he ground out track after track. It may have only been a half hour set, but you were left completely breathless by the end of it. Even when they played a new track ‘Wounds To Heal’, which was probably the most mainstream of their set, the full brute force of this raw blues grunge was hard to resist. Russ on vocals bellowed and hollered his way through each song, in fact the only band member that seemed to hold any composure was Nick on bass, but as ever he had their backs covered all the same.

Now Jackson Caged who headlined the first Fretdeath were back to do the honours once more, but now with a record deal, an album as well as another video under their belt…they had a forty five minute slot. Opening with ‘Welcome To The Show’, as they inevitably do, pretty much staked their claim to the headline spot. What Cut Your Wings gave in raw energy, these guys more than matched with a polished and entertaining set, and pound for pound the volume and attitude was all there! Rich, on guitar was as mobile as ever, straddling the barrier on virtually every solo, but it was Fraz who seems to have upped his game. He was a lot more interactive with the crowd….true, he probably knew most of them….but since they were up against the barrier he did more than just talk to (or take the p*ss out of) them, he actually went along the barrier shaking hands, something I’ve never seen him do before! At the back Mike and Woody on drums and bass, held the fort while Fraz and Rich just got on with it. Along with numerous album tracks, they did the classic cover of ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, a song which actually lets the audience see what Fraz can really do with his voice, as well as a Rage Against The Machine medley which seemed to fit perfectly with their own material! Despite the obvious familiarity with their EP tracks, ‘Jaws’, ‘Everyfall’ and ‘Pardon Me Miss’, the newer material still keeps you focused, then again if you heard the lyrics to ‘Pornstar’ it’s hardly surprising!

Without doubt an outstanding evening of metal, blues and grunge, all in varying portions…but perfectly mixed, and a special mention as well goes to Phil Goodwin & Eric M iller(Elephant Keys) who DJ-ed for the night. All said and done, hard guitars, thundering drums and rasping lyrics were on the menu that night…….and what a menu it was!
Roll on Fretdeath 3!

Words & Photos By Geoff Buckthorpe