The Sheffield Scenester

I was really worried at first, it was so quiet. And after the Wynells fairly small audience last week, I was hoping they were not first on this time. After a sigh of relief, that responsibility rested with The Old Whores Of San Pedro, who came on stage first. It has to be said...Who Cares Promotions did put a short delay on at the beginning of the gig...so the venue could fill up abit more before the music started...and it wasn’t long before the place was heaving.

The Old Whores were also playing the next day at the Boardwalk too, so they are busy bunch! They’re also catchy and mellow, music to tap your foot to....which is definitely a good start! Their best song was a vibrant offering called ‘Matador’, which had me clapping my hands along to the music within seconds. I was actually quite surprised to see a woman (Laura), in the band. It seemed the members list I had was slightly out of date, so I’m really chuffed to find that she’s a permanent addition to the band!

The Old Whores Of San Pedro got together in 2006 and formed their name from a Bob Dylan lyric, who also see The Beatles and Brit pop as important influences to them. Don’t worry if you missed them tonight as they are also playing at The Grapes on Sept 3rd.
Mini interview:

SS: Describe your band in one word…
TOWOSP: Fun!

SS: What’s your favourite drink…?
TOWOSP: Yellow booze!

SS: A good colour for the band…
TOWOSP: Orangey red....(Moroccan feel?)

SS: If you were going to be seen in any car…
TOWOSP: Ford Capri....

Jukebox Memory Loss had a strong vibe from start to finish on their set. Ramsey has a voice so powerful, yet sounds similar (but not influenced by) Jack Black. Andy’s fingers was strumming away, but the rest of him seemed to be so casually laid back....he was even chewing gum! In fact the whole band looked quite like a laid back and chilled out sort of group. ‘Sanyo Baby’ was a good song for them to finish on, as the crowd began holding up their pints to them!

Jukebox Memory Loss are a band from Chesterfield (with the exception of merk); with influences like The Doors, The Kinks and The Who, they like to describe themselves as experimental rock. They are definitely experimental...as they have only been together and doing gigs a couple of months, but really enjoy playing to a Sheffield audience....so take that as your cue to see them next at The Boardwalk on 27th Sept.
Mini Interview:

SS: Describe band in one word
JBML: Naughty!

SS: What do you like to drink?
JBML: Real ale, but whiskey if you want to get them a prezzy!

SS: Most embarrassing moment?
JBML: Had socks thrown at them.....(is that still classed as underwear?)

SS: Who is your Sanyo Baby?
JBML: VCR....(oh)

Well, at least The Wynells have more of an audience this week....and I can’t believe people have missed their ESP, as they have even been on BBC Radio Raw Talent recently. It’s so busy this time....justice prevails, Karma comes round and they get the cheers they deserve! What’s this, beach balls? Hmmmmm....Where did they come from? Also it’s great to see people up and dancing in front of the stage...random people joining in. The crowd’s favourite was ‘Do You Want More?’ and I found myself chanting it within seconds. It flips in tempo and definitely sticks like glue to your memory. In fact the band had to play this twice thanks to the crowd’s enthusiastic chant of “we want more”! They are definitely a good band to watch, and for once the drummers good to watch to...as he happily looks round the room with a smirk on his face while at work. With the band all dressed smartly in varied but matching set of shirts, waist jackets and ties.

Their influences include: Oasis, Reggae and Indie. With a busy diary coming up they are playing with The Lines on 2nd Oct, but if you want to hear this formation of 23 – 28 yr olds you can get them on MySpace.

SS: Describe band in one word...
The Wynells: Buzzing!

SS: Most embarrassing moment on stage?
The Wynells: His trousers just ripped......

Now it was time for the grand finale with The Salvo. I wasn’t sure what to expect to be honest...so their set definitely took me by surprise. Salvo translates to be a spirited verbal attack....and this probably is the best way to describe them. Starting off with a voice recorded intro mentioning “there is not a catalyst for change”....the crowd cheered before they even got on stage! The crowd was mental from the start, definitely from some fans at the front, so much so the band make a dedication to a fan called Nick. It’s all madness, complete madness. And I’m sure it’s contagious. There’s people ripping their shirts of and flinging them at the stage....No girls flinging their knickers though! It’s good to see the band talking to the audience and they even play us a new song only 10 hrs old....how special do we feel? This song has an amazing stopping and starting effect, how did they play it so well, with so little time to rehearse it? Well done lads...no mistakes noticed at all! Due to the audiences request they get up on the speaker box and do some crowd surfing. I’m definitely going home with tinnitus tonight!

These young lads (21 – 24 year olds) have only been together a year, but they match everything in sync, their clothes and their on stage presence. They are playing next at the Frog and Parrot on 30th August as part of the venues Frogstock, but you shouldn’t wait till then to hear them....make sure you get on their mailing list (on their MySpace) and get some free tracks! I’m not going to make any suggestions or say what the crowds favourite are, as they were all great and popular throughout the whole performance.

SS: Embarrassing moment on stage…

Salvo: Once, the lead singer knocked the microphone off the stand and thought it was still there so ended up singing without sound for the rest of the night. Whoops.

All in all a brilliant night at The Leadmill, and I’d definitely see all of them again...soon!

Words by Billie Turner
Photos by Liam Farrelly