The Sheffield Scenester

The Hudares are a 4-piece indie rock band from Sheffield and since the band formed in the summer of 2008, they have been getting themselves out and about, showing the city what they can do. Their new 3-track EP, “Furnace Hill” was recorded at the G2 studios and was released on the 11th July. This coincided with their performance at the Frog and Parrot for the Tramlines festival.

The first track is the self-titled “Furnace Hill,” which is named after the street at West Bar where the band’s practice rooms are. I am hearing elements of bands like The Cribs and Hard Fi in there with the band’s rasping vocal lines and the definitive style Brit guitar licks. The throbbing bass line and the heavy drum beats work together to create a classic indie sound; similar to the early Oasis stuff and they wouldn’t look out of place as a band in the late 80’s because it does definitely have that classic rock feel.

“Chasing Luck” is the next track and it begins with an instrumental sound that would totally fit into the idea of the old school Madchester music scene. The throbbing guitars and the pounding drum beats fit that idea perfectly. When the raw vocals come in, the track just hits you and you have to prick your ears up and listen.

The last track is “Last Time Again,” which sounds a little bit different from the other two. It sounds like a more modern indie rock tune rather than the classic sounding stuff. I think this is my favourite one of the EP because it sounds more summery and cheerful than the other two and it has quite a catchy chorus. It would be easy to say that this band are not very original and they are quite similar to their influences, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Hudares are very good at what they do and they are enjoying being part of the Sheffield music scene, so I’d say: go for it.

Words by Shirley Bell