The Sheffield Scenester

It was the first Soundclash since before Christmas and by the look of the busy Plug small room, it was eagerly anticipated!

Mark Nichols kicked off the night with an acoustic song called ‘Shooting Stars’, and I like his style....he played an atmospheric instrumental and seemed to wait until everyone in the room gave him his full attention before he began to sing. The rest of the band came on stage after that and were politely introduced - the bass player being the most popular! Their second track ‘Closed Doors’ reminded me a little of Cliff Richard and The Shadows – with a ‘Summer Holiday’ style (even Mark was wearing three quarter trousers and flip flops in the middle of January!) The guitar skill just oozed from the musicians and became quite diverse, especially with their next track ‘Gentle’, their Shadowy sound disappeared in favour of a more Kooks style. This track was my favourite one of the set and I found myself singing away to the chorus almost instantly. The set also included a cover of a John Mayer track ‘Waiting on the world to Change’, which sounded good too (although I must admit I’m not overly familiar with his work) and a track Mark wrote when he was 16 called ‘Remember’. Mark and the band finished the set off in style with ‘Peace Of Mind’ – a tasty cocktail of an acoustic beginning, with a catchy rhythm and an electric twist.

The next band up was Scoundrel, who we’ve had the pleasure of seeing play live before. The duet start with ‘Shows You What’ gave a bit of a Beautiful South-esque style to the set, which in turn received lots of cheers. Their second song of the set ‘Come Back’ really encouraged the crowd to sing along and instantly warmed up the set. I loved the song ‘Lie To Me’ which was only written the day before apparently, I found it very listenable and I even joined in with chorus. With Megan taking the occasional turn on keyboards it gave their performance a greater depth than your standard four piece - girl up front band. Scoundrel finished their set with ‘Night to Remember’ to the sound of some booing...not because they are rubbish...on the contrary...the crowd booed because it was their last song and the crowd could have quite happily listened to them all night!

Whiskey Cove began their set with an unusual drum beat in their opening track ‘Surrey St’, which despite its folk/country roots was a lot more up tempo than the previous two acts. Singer Jonathon Taylor was without doubt the most charismatic performer of the night, throwing himself into every song with relentless energy. The best song of the set, in my opinion was called ‘Searching For Peter Troy’ (which is currently available on ITunes) it’s about a famous Australian surfer, and also questions how people can achieve the dreams that lead them to succeed in life without leaving behind the people and places who originally helped them. Another good track which really impressed the crowd was called ‘Stories’, it had the most interesting Instrumental arrangement with good/clear vocals. Whiskey Cove closed their set with a track called ‘River Song’ which was dedicated to everyone who came down and showed their support – which concluded the set brilliantly.

Feelix took to the stage to a magnificent welcome and ploughed straight into ‘As The Rain’, combining guitar and keyboards to great effect and backed by the steady pulse of bass and drums, singer Kat Eaton’s velvet tones drifted out over the audience. Evoking memories of New York jazz clubs, smoke filled basements and bourbon on ice I was instantly transfixed, this was unlike any music I’d ever heard at a Soundclash before. The audience, who admittedly were more of a more mature age by now, certainly appreciated it as every song was greeted with rapturous applause. Watching the keyboard players amazing skill on two sets of keys, hands racing back and forth, was entertainment in itself and justly received a round of applause but this was nothing in comparison to guitarists Nick Atkinson’s solo on the last track (encore excluded of course) ‘Scared Of A Feeling’. Harking back to the days when a guitar took centre stage we were treated to an amazing solo that even Eric Clapton would be proud of, and as tradition would have it each band member had their turn in the spotlight showcasing their individual talents, once more to great applause. Throughout the set Kat’s voice carried every tune beautifully, with range and passion in every song you knew this was heartfelt emotion, I could of listened all night. It may seem petty but at times I would have loved a saxophone to echo the soulful ambience of Feelix’s delicate sounds but beggars can’t be choosers!!

All in all a more relaxed Soundclash and probably appreciated more by a slightly older crowd than usual, but it just proves that there is more to Sheffield than Arctic Monkey wannabes, all you have to do is look beyond the ample supply of indie guitars to find it - a journey I am more than willing to take if this is the level of talent on display!!!

Words & Photos By Gail & Geoff Buckthorpe