The Sheffield Scenester

Originally advertised as being held at The Boardwalk, this gig along with numerous others had to be shifted about to alternative venues due to its unforeseen closure (albeit temporary)! Also on top of this Driftrun had to drop out due to an injury (don't worry he's getting better - and will be back playing soon!) As well as other issues occurring on the night!

Despite this quite a small crowd had gathered for tonight’s show which I was pleasantly surprised about since a majority of the paying public had lost a good weeks Xmas shopping due to the weather, so it was good to see their enthusiasm for good music hadn’t waned!

Opening up tonight was Sleepwalker, a band who over the last couple of times we’ve seen them, seem to have turned their whole act around into a much heavier juggernaut of sound with crashing drums and screaming guitars, that’s without mentioning the intensity of lead singer Jack Greenwood’s occasionally manic lyrical delivery. Tonight they did not disappoint as drummer Skinny flew into a barrage of skin beating (that would do any classic rock act proud!) with their opening track, ‘Get Away’, which was faithful to their recent change of direction, just bleeding pure adrenalin at full throttle, can’t fault it! The second song, a new one called ‘Leaves’ which Jack respectfully announced was “about wind”, at least I’m sure that was what he said…but since he carries quite a cheeky grin throughout the set its hard to tell if he ‘s being serious or not! ‘The Start’ was a much gentler affair with Skinny appearing at times to almost caress his kit, while a delicate guitar drifted out across the audience; inevitably it rose in intensity as well as tempo which only served to increase my respect for their level of diversity. Employing a healthy dose of feedback amongst the mayhem of ‘White Over’ just enhanced it’s more back to basics metal approach, leaving the listener with a slightly more angry and raw edge to its sound. They wound their set up with the slightly retro feel of ‘Part Of The Book’, from the first chord all I could think of was Led Zep, it almost came across as a homage to them…but at the end of the day it was their best song of the night. Last time I saw them play this Jack finished off the track by thrashing about on the stage floor whilst still attacking his guitar, not tonight unfortunately…but it was still a great show, and I look forward to see how they develop in the new year!

The night was really shaping up to be one to remember, and next up were Durban, who simply walked on and introduced themselves with the line “Evening all, we’re Durban!” From the opening song they just seemed to grab you by the b*lls with no chance of letting go! Despite the almost simplistic rhythm of their material it was catchy as hell and with quite an accomplished solo thrown into the mix, you couldn’t help but love these guys! The crowd had grown quite respectfully at this point and with tracks like ‘You Never Know’ it was hardly surprising, this one had more of a blues riff driving it along cheekily laid over a pumping bass rhythm that oddly enough reminded me of ‘Hit The Road Jack!’ As the set progressed the thumping tunes and accomplished solos just seemed to get better and better, all the while they were being captured on video as they appeared to have brought their own film crew along, so expect to see some of tonight’s show on YouTube soon. They eventually slowed things down a bit with the song ‘In Need Of Somebody’, it was almost as if this was their answer to a power ballad, at this point it was the longest song of the set, even the guitar solo had been upgraded from the short, sharp ones of earlier tracks to one with more of a G’n’R ‘November Rain’ feel to it! The final track of their set was the song ‘Recognize’ which brought us full circle as we were once more treated to the thumping rhythm and thrashing tempo that they opened with. A very good set with plenty of boom, bang and more bang, all strung together with the odd little dose of harmony to give it credibility. The lead singer did try and use a megaphone during this final song but it just didn’t seem to work, never mind it was a great finish to a highly accomplished set!

With the prospect of The Wynells about to take to the stage the crowd had really swelled to near capacity and they were not to be disappointed. Arriving on stage The Wynells were festively decked out in tree garlands and Santa hats, but the real icing on the cake was the fact that they were all wearing Xmas sweaters…not quite as bad as Colin Firth in ‘Brigitte Jones Diary’, but a close second! Then in the true spirit of Xmas they opened with a simple stomp-along of a number that for arguments sake we’ll call ‘Wynells Xmas Party!’ The perfect start, in my books as the whole crowd bounced along to it, incidentally they were all decked out in Xmas gear as well, yes the festive sprit was definitely in the room tonight! Once they began their ‘real’ songs, it was obvious where they were coming from, this is the same school of thought as The Fratellis, then again as they proclaim on their MySpace it’s “Music to drink lager to……!” Everything is a good natured stomper of an anthem that can be easily picked up and sang a long to without too much thought, they may not be the major groundbreaking act of all time…but close, they are bloody entertaining…and I mean bloody entertaining! Singer James Whitworth said a thank you to Durban and Sleepwalker then said “I guess we’re the last, soz!”, the crowd didn’t seem to perturbed by this as they were happy to stomp along with what ever the band could throw at them. James dedicated the song ‘Picking Up The Pieces’ (not an Alvarez Kings cover, in fact it was slightly more upbeat and catchy!) to his girlfriend who took him to see Courteeners the previous night at Manchester. When it came to a new song he pointed out that they’d had a couple of months off and this was all they could do, no need to worry as it seemed to go down a storm with their fans. Talking of their fans, they really were a good natured bunch just dancing along at the front of the stage, whilst everyone else sang a long to anything and everything. Their best and catchiest song of the night was the chant ‘Do You Want More’, in fact it was that good I’m surprised it hasn’t made it to the Premier league terraces, it has the same feel as ‘Tom Hark’ but then again the nearest Premier team is………..? During the encore they played a slower track for a change, every band has at least one of these up its sleeve, can’t say it was a cheery affair as one line in particular stuck in my head, “Giving hand jobs in the taxi cab” but at least it proves they’re not a one trick pony. When they did finish the crowd still begged for more….but unfortunately they couldn’t play forever, mind you I would have been happy for them to continue all night, but all good things must come to an end!

So after three top bands I was well and truly satisfied….but as Comsat Angels were playing in the room next door I felt obliged to nip in and take a look. Comsat Angels have been together since 1979 and with the odd change of line up have been touring off and on ever since, earning them the accolade of being one of Sheffield’s most under-rated bands. As we entered the room for the first time in a while it felt good to fall beneath the average age, nevertheless the room was packed, but oddly enough the majority were motionless, just happy to be in the presence of such musical royalty. Occasionally an anarchistic dancer would pop up, but the majority were happy just to wallow in the sound. The music itself wasn’t loud, it wasn’t driving or thrashing, as their post punk genre might suggest, instead it had more of a pulsating effect interspersed with the odd drum solo to kick it into life. To be honest after the audio barrage I’d received next door this was quite a welcome change of pace and the crowd seemed to love everything about them. For the length of their set I just relaxed and switched off while the music enveloped me like a warm blanket, the perfect wind down to end a perfect night of good music!

Words by Geoff and Gail Buckthorpe

Photos by Mickelmas Youngus

Editors note: We'd like to thank everyone who played and those who came along and showed their support. Especially Joolz - who under difficult circumstances made sure the gig still went ahead :-)

Editorial note:
"Geoff the Sleepwalker songs about WEED not WIND...wash your ears out...honestly can't get the staff these days..."