The Sheffield Scenester

This gig has been on the boil for a while and in many peoples’ diaries...in fact back in January was the official photo shoot to help promote the event...back then we were all stood about in our woolly hats and thick coats...but as the event day arrives the commonest attire is jeans and t-shirts. The doors weren’t due to open until 5.00pm...however the day started much earlier for the bands etc....and because The Sheffield Scenester has always been a great supporter of Soundclash, we were pleased to be exclusively invited to come along to the soundchecks to have a chat to all the bands and watch how an event of this size is co-ordinated and geared up for the big night...We arrived at the 02 in the middle of The Tivoli’s soundcheck...the sound was totally amazing and we were quite taken back at the state of the venue when it’s not officially in action or open....the large ramp to the stage was bigger than my drive....odd bits of equipment lying in various places...discarded drink cartons and fast food wrappers in various places around the vast space...lights constantly being turned on and off or twisted in position...the sound sometimes so deafening you had to stop and put your hands over your ears...the bustle of staff in various states of preparation was quite a sight. I suppose seeing all this underlined the anticipation for everyone. Although, the day didn’t all go according to plan...a few days before...the drama of the Iceland volcano eruption which cancelled all flights into Great Britain had an effect...poor Lewis Hancock (Vocalist/guitarist of Searching 4 evidence) was stranded in Spain. Lewis didn’t let that stop him however and pretty much lived his own ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ moment....in fact I think the Lewis family should sell their story to a film maker and make it into a sequel of the 1987 film! After various worrying moments and setbacks (which would test the patience of a saint) Lewis arrived at the 02 just in time to soundcheck....I have to say many people wouldn’t have bothered to try and get back...but that just proves his dedication for performing.

Anyway as the bands were busily soundchecking we went around and asked Joolz and all the bands a few questions....

Scenester – So what is S1 all about?

Joolz - basically it’s about rewarding some the bands that have been on Soundclash gigs, a lot of them have said can we have a main do at the main stage at academy and that’s where we are now. They’ve done absolutely brilliant, they’ve sold loads of tickets, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them, its just giving the local bands a taste of what the big touring acts do really. I remember the first official one I did, about 18 months ago, had Stainless, Playground Mafia and J1 and from there the Soundclash gigs have just snowballed

Scenester – where does soundclash go from here?

Joolz – I don’t know, it’s hard to beat this one! The build up to this one has been amazing, everybody is buzzing for it so much. I think what it is for the Soundclash now is that it is bringing the community spirit back for the bands cos what I’ve done with the soundclash gigs...is that any band that appears in one...I’ve offered guest list to any other soundclash gigs. You know the Alvarez Kings soundclash at The Plug in March, well five or six bands text me to get guest list and I said “Yeah no problem”, so it’s really nice to see bands coming to watch other bands. Even tonight the guest list is gonna be massive with a lot of the bands that have played on previous Soundclashes coming down, so you don’t know do you..? I mean from tonight there are going to be bands out there that are going to be saying “Yeah I want a piece of this”, so you never know the next stop could be Magna!

Scenester – So are you looking forward to tonight?

Iain Hodgson – Yeah it’s quite epic really with six unsigned bands on the main stage at The Academy, I mean it’s a big room, a lot of tickets have been sold so there’s a lot of anticipation about tonight. What a great opportunity for the younger bands to play in front of an audience like that, shame about the DJ’s really!
Culprits – Definitely, it gives us the chance to play on a massive stage, there have been world famous bands play on there and soon after we get to play on the same stage...it’s amazing!
Chatfield – It’s obviously a nice privilege to play here tonight, it’s gonna be a good night, we’ve sold about a hundred tickets.
Searching 4 Evidence – Oh yeah!
Century Kids – Can’t wait, it’s the biggest gig we’ve ever played, bar LMT, isn’t it..? it’s gonna be good. We’ve done about 150 tickets but people will turn up on the door as usual so can’t wait.
Ratells – Yeah, it’s just been building up, ever since we got the gig it’s been like “I can’t wait for this one”, obviously it’s like a really big event with a 1000 plus people coming, I’m excited really.
Tivoli – Very much so, it’s going to be amazing I think, for us...it's the biggest headline slot ever!

Scenester - So how do you think Soundclash has been shaping local talent?

Culprits – Every time we play with Soundclash it just gets better and better, last time we played on the Academy 2 stage and now we’re up on the main stage. When we first started we had a couple of songs, but after playing a couple of times you build up a bit of a following...so it really does give you a chance to do something.
Chatfield – Pretty good, its given us the chance to play at venues we normally wouldn’t get into.
Searching 4 Evidence – We just love Soundclash cos they get loads of different bands in, everyone one is right sound with each other.
Century Kids – I think it gives unsigned bands across Sheffield a chance to play decent venues with good sound. Unless you’ve got management and a label you’ll never get a chance to play a venue like this, so it’s brilliant to play a stage like this, Soundclash is doing quality things for Sheffield!
Ratells – It’s given bands the chance to get better by giving them the chance to play at better venues. If you’re new as well he’ll give you a chance to play at a decent venue, so it’s built up a good circle of bands that all know each other.
Tivoli – Soundclash has given bands the chance to get on stage and give them a purpose for being in a band. You don’t get these kind of gigs off your own back, so it’s great that someone is out there who’s prepared to finance it and get it promoted for you.

Scenester – What do you think about the music scene in Sheffield/Who are your favourite bands?

Culprits – Definitely Alvarez Kings, there’s always the famous ones like Milburn and Little Man Tate, but it’s the unsigned bands that we look up to most cos that’s what we’re trying to do with ourselves, something to aspire to.
Chatfield – Soundclash has given people the chance to play at better venues, which gives us more inspiration to get better.
Searching 4 Evidence – We love the music scene in Sheffield, it’s the best place for it right now. I love it when we go and see Arkham Karvers cos I think they’re amazing.
Century Kids – There are easily a lot more bands about and it’s good to see bands rise as well. I mean we’ve been around a bit longer than The Ratells and they’ve just shot up through doing the Soundclash events.
Ratells – Soundclash has definitely helped it get bigger and more well known, I mean without Soundclash I think we wouldn’t be where we are now.
Tivoli – Soundclash is getting bigger and the name itself means a lot more, people in the media, especially outside Sheffield are starting to take an interest. No disrespect but when you’re starting in a band you’ve got the smaller venues to play in, you start bringing a crowd in....but the acoustics and the PA don’t do you any favours for the amount of work you put in. A gig like that where the sound is not great can sometimes do you more harm than good, so this is giving bands like that the chance to play at the bigger venues, like Academy, The Plug and Boardwalk, which is good since once bands get on them sort of venues its inspiring. Plus the bands are coming down to listen to each other, like a kind of community, usually you get caught up in what your own band is doing rather than see what is happening around you.