The Sheffield Scenester

The Boardwalk Review
Words/Photos by Paul Handley

With another Soundclash event taking place at the Academy on the same night, it was interesting to see how many people would turn up at the Boardwalk.

The audience was very small when The Wynells took to the stage but the band made light of it and didn't let it phase them. With a confident and consistent performance from singer James Whitworth, strong bass lines and intricate guitar work from Chris Ellis and Chris Mason respectively, it wasn't long before I began to think that The Wynells deserved to be playing to a bigger audience.

'Moving On' had a Franz Ferdinand vibe about it and I'm quite sure everyone would have been dancing along had the the audience been bigger. Check them out at the Leadmill next week and see if I'm right.
'Dying Along with the Day' is equally as appealing, with an almost spoken verse followed by the rest of the band, including drummer Simon Ellis, joining in on the chorus.

James proudly pointed out that 'Dying Along with the Day' had recently been played on BBC Sheffield's Raw Talent. Speaking of which, DJ Iain Hodgson popped in for a while to help provide a few tunes in between bands.
'Do You Want More', with it's rousing introduction as James and Simon repeated the title over and over, was incredibly catchy and showed the potential the band has to produce radio friendly songs and gain a bigger following.
A cover of The Beatles' 'Hey Bulldog' was well received by those who weren't familiar with the original material, and the band seemed to enjoy putting a heavier twist on a classic song. Spot on.

'Twenty Eight Thousand Days' was another fine example of interplay between bass and guitar, which, when combined with a rebellions vocal, reminded me of The Clash. Good stuff.

Definitely a performance the band can be proud of, and I'd recommend heading down to the Leadmill on the 14th.

Leeds band, The Pablos brought a faster pace to proceedings, with singer Mitch Cameron wearing his guitar high and thrashing away as if his life depended on it. Clearly well rehearsed, everything seemed to flow quite nicely, even if the band where winging it somewhat and picking the songs as they went. Perhaps the best of the lot was 'The Preacher', an impressive, old-school blues track with an emotional vocal and an intense and extended dueling-of-guitars ending.
Mitch's guitar combined with that of lead guitarist Andy Steingold had something of a rock 'n' roll jive feel to it. Andy also displayed his ability to multi-task on occasion with a spot of harmonica.

Previously championed by the lovely Lauren Lavern on BBC 6 Music, The Pablos deserve plenty of air play in future and could quite easily go on to bigger things.

The Last Standing had brought a decent following with them and everyone took notice when they walked on stage. Singer/guitarist Andy Holmes seemed to take great delight in instructing everyone to move closer and the band seemed rather confident. Quite right too, as every song in their set was well crafted and strong, each one showcasing how tight the band are. Guitarist Casey Ward provided delicate riffs which complimented Andy's melodies perfectly, most notably during 'I Want Never Gets'. By contrast, 'The Grind' was introduced by Hendrix-style, wah-infused guitar, followed by a driving beat from drummer Jim Loukes.

I would assume that the band have a variety of influences, perhaps ranging from more obscure acts to some who would be classed as more radio friendly, and the latter style was evident in 'Where I'm Gonna Go' and 'At My Door', as everyone sang along.

The band took a moment to offer free badges and demos to the audience before Andy, Casey and bassist Chris Skelton retreated towards the back of the stage to rock along with Jim, as they brought the set to an energetic close. An interesting and exciting performance, hopefully to be duplicated both at the Frog and Parrot, and West Street Live later this month.

I'm now almost ashamed to say that I hadn't heard of Cut Your Wings before, and feel like I need to make up for lost time.

They had that old-school rock band look about them - long hair, tattoos, amps cranked up high - and I wondered if the music would quite match the look. It did, and then some!

Guitarist Matt Turner strolled onto the stage and proceeded to hit us with a wall of feedback as a way of introducing the first song, with singer Rob Armin joining the rest of the band just in time to sing the opening lines.
With only a single guitarist, Cut Your Wings may keep the personnel to a minimum, but they don't hold back when it comes to sheer power and volume. If you happen to be searching for something you can head bang and go crazy to, this is it! Indeed, I almost got a bit too involved, planted myself right in front of the speakers, and nearly forgot about the review! Fair play though, it's surely a sign that Cut Your Wings are onto a winner with their sound if they can get someone's attention within seconds.

What got my attention most was how Matt sounded as though he was playing about seven guitars at once, and drummer Mark Flaherty pretty much assaulted his kit from start to finish.

The controlled and comparatively calm input from bassist Nick Wainwright seemed to be the only thing stopping the performance from descending into sheer chaos, such was the energy amongst the band members. All that was missing was a Nirnava-esque destruction of guitars at the end!

It wasn't hard to spot the influence of The Black Keys, and not just because Mark was sporting one of their T-shirts, but they put a heavier spin on it and it's a style which suits them perfectly.

Mark, shirtless and smiling throughout - even when Rob spat water at him! - introduced 'Lonesome Man' with a steady drum beat before Matt chipped in with some frenzied guitar.

'Broken Island Blues' is, as the title may suggest, a little more relaxed, although it wasn't too long before Matt ripped into another blistering riff.

'So High' seemed a little more complex in comparison, as bass and guitar linked together to mimic Rob's vocal, which on occasion, sounded like a finely tuned instrument in itself.

The band never slowed down and the pace was pretty relentless. The audience matched that with an equal amount of enthusiasm and got quite involved when Rob decided to jump off the stage.

The enthusiasm perhaps got the better of Mark as he counted in the the last song, doing so before everybody else was ready. I don't think I can print what Matt shouted in response, but it was all in good fun.

Closing with 'Cut Your Wings', the band left the stage in the same way they came; in a storm of energy and almost overloading the speakers with a barrage of feedback. Brilliant!

I couldn't fault this performance at all, and I'd suggest checking them out at either the Academy or Soyo next month.

02 Academy Review/Mini Interviews
Words by Billie Turner Photos by Michael Riley

It was absolutely pitch black when I walked in...and if it was to create a specific mood, then it worked a treat! In fact I had to stand by the wall while my eyes adjusted so I could take in my surroundings. A very ecliptic mix of people as always, with a definite vibe of energy. The room was perfectly filled, enough people to fill it....but not so many so you’d bump into people whichever way you go!

When Burden came on the stage I almost jumped and screamed for joy. An old time classic ‘All The Small Things’ was their first choice of song. I must’ve been their age (if not younger!) when this was released, and they must’ve been little kids. And I have to say, they didn’t kill it like some others I could mention! Next up was an artic monkeys track, which I’m sure was played to a faster tempo, and it worked well....very well! Then another great classic American Idiot. Once again I asked myself....how do they know these songs even exist? This song was quickly followed by one of their own songs ‘Fail To See’ and I was definitely not disappointed, because this one turned out to be a bit of a smoothie! Their comical personalities showed through after this. They even got the crowed clapping in sync. Towards the end I started to think they sound a little bit like Placebo. Some people might not like cover songs, but I must say they performed them very well and their own songs are definitely something I recommend everyone should listen to as well....and to say they have only been together a year…!

Mini Interview with the band!

Who are they?

Burden = A young band of 16 year olds from Barnsley with a great mix of wacky personalities. Our influences are Foo Fighters, Libertines and Muse.

SS: Describe the band in one-word…
Burden: Glasses!

SS: Pick a colour for your band…
Burden: Yellow, red....

SS: What do you like to drink?..
Burden: Flavoured water

SS: If you were to be seen in any car…
Burden: Cinquecento...

SS: What makes you unique?
Burden: Young and talented (and confident)!

(P.s And don’t worry Ma, I’m sure they’ll get you your bungalow lol)