The Sheffield Scenester

We saw this band at the beginning of April as part of a Soundclash and although their set consisted of several covers, they did play a few of their own and what we heard was quite impressive. So to showcase their talent and diversity they’ve released a three track EP.

It opens with the track ‘Break That’, an instantly catchy metal riff, not just any metal but thoroughbred 70’s classic metal. The sort of sound the likes of UFO and Thin Lizzy would churn out in their sleep, but back then they were veterans, whereas these are just starting out and already producing songs of that calibre. With outstanding guitar work courtesy of Moz – who it has to said is a visually impressive exponent of fret laden mayhem – this is more than evident as the final minute of this track is given over to an exhilarating solo as we are sung out, amazingly enough by Moz as well.

The second track is an altogether proposition with influences as far flung as Nirvana, with its sprawling grunge and growling lyrical approach, to early Sabbath, with their self pitying drug fuelled slant on life layered over a Tony Iommi styled slice of six string genius. Oddly enough this is my favourite track despite its talk of a spiralling cocaine induced existence, maybe it’s the Nirvana fan in me but I love the desperation in Moz’s voice throughout, the near pathetic pleading as he screams against the pitiful lifestyle that he just can’t escape. Reaching the solo driven climatic finale only re-enforces this group’s song writing merits. Amazingly enough whilst I could listen to it all day, it still seems longer than its actual running time of just under four minutes.

The final track is another total contrast, sounding more like a tribute to Chuck Berry with its rock and roll based blues riff. It relates the tale, albeit with tongue blatantly in cheek, about playing live at The Boardwalk for the first time, and all done in a storyboard type format. Talking about; meeting other bands, doing the sound check, getting nervous, and generally waiting around for things to happen. This was one of the most popular tracks when we saw them play live and it doesn’t lose any of its charm on the EP, rollicking along at a steady pace you can’t help but love it!

So despite the contrast in musical styles on display here, it definitely is an EP worth getting for more than anything else it does demonstrate their obvious talent for a good show. This level of diversity may alienate some people but on the whole it should gain them a solid reputation as an entertaining, confident and accomplished band.

Comprising of brothers Scott and Lee Nickson and fronted by singer Kirstie Kinrade, Uneedsubtitles are a Sheffield group who, having spent most of their time writing and recording, are now in the process of getting noticed around the South Yorkshire area! With a few gigs lined up and an EP ready – recorded and self produced at home – we wanted to find out more!

The first track on offer is ‘Bruised’, an emotionally strained cry for help, opening with a delicate pulse on guitar while Kirstie almost whispers the opening lines. Conjuring up an image of abandonment and near pitiful rejection I found myself longing to hear more and this was before the first line of the chorus had kicked in. At this point the music powers up to complement Kirstie’s heart-rending outpourings, fluctuating throughout the duration of the song this tirade of emotional blackmail is quite a force to be reckoned with.

Following this is a catchier and more rock stylised track, as straight away we are hit be a pumping guitar riff that sweeps you up from the opening chord. With the title ‘Stupid’, this is a slightly different perspective on the pitiful wretch that spoke to us in ‘Bruised’; this is about a woman who’s living a life of regret. Yet again Kirstie is pleading for a chance to start again as the loneliness around her just gets more and more desperate, they may not be the most cheerful subjects going but they are both done with genuine passion.

Finally we have ‘Betrayal Is The easy Way Out’ , and what you notice about this recording , more than anything else, is that for some reason Kirstie’s vocals don’t come through as strongly as they did in the other songs. Whether this is intentional or not, I couldn’t say, but she has a voice which can emotionally translate, so why waste it. With a raunchy guitar almost drowning out the vocals at times, this track comes across as both scuzzy and dirty in execution. Naturally it seems to be about a broken relationship; or at the very least a dead and buried one, so slots in nicely with the two previous tracks.
With Kirstie’s vocals a definite strong point for this band, the EP has not only raw emotion on display but grinding musical talent to back it. True, lyrically the subject matter does at times sound depressing, but trust me when I say you’re not going to be suicidal after an earful of this, and whilst I might have preferred a solo or two thrown into the mix, it still made for good listening, so if you want to see them live they will be at the Dickens Bar in Rotherham on May 14th.

photographs by [not6sun]