The Sheffield Scenester

It’s seems quite a while since the last time I saw people queuing outside a venue before it actually opens, especially in this really cold spell. So it was a reasonable sized crowd who welcomed the Pirouettes to the small stage as they kicked off with the catchy ‘Peter Paul Simon and John’. Unfortunately the set was dogged with quite a bit of ‘feedback’ - which was quite ear piercing at times! but the Hope Valley four piece battled through and played as well as they could in the circumstances. Their third track ‘Nature vs. Nurture’ was my favourite track of the set because of its interesting circus/merrygoround-esque introduction which comfortably and melodically changed into a pop/indie style of sound, with some exciting guitar skills. During their set I heard a mixture of influences i.e. Joy Division and The Cure, and the vocals from Thom was very in keeping with their sound and became very listenable as the sound system settled. Their last song ‘Mutual Friends’ ended the set to quite a high standard and in return received generous applause.

It was The Salvo’s turn to enter the stage to quite a raucous welcome. They obviously had quite a following and I’m sure I’ve seen this lot before too...because their music sounded so familiar. I didn’t spend time writing many notes because the set was so absorbing, and unfortunately I didn’t really catch any song titles either....But I have to say, the togetherness of Jack, Luke and James in particular was so mesmerising, their guitar skills really impressing everyone in the crowd. The Salvo’s dancy melodic sounds (which have similar characteristics to The Maccabees and The Cribs) really whipped the crowd into a bouncy frenzy ready for Twisted Wheel. I must admit...after seeing The Salvo I am constantly going onto their MySpace page to listen to their tracks because they are so listenable and catchy. I’ll be looking out for The Salvo, because I’d definitely see those again.

It was now time for the headliners; Twisted Wheel who’s entrance was so anticipated...the crowd welcomed them with the usual chanting - as the sounds of the notable drums and chords of ‘She’s A Weapon’ bellowed around them. The crowd directly in front of the stage were so manic they kept shoving the amps over the guitar pedals...which had the sound/stage men scrabbling about on stage to replace them every time they threatened to ruin the sound. I have to say...to me, Jonny’s vocals sounded exceptional as usual which encouraged pretty much everyone to join in. However, you could tell something wasn’t quite right, this guy is obviously a perfectionist...unfortunately it seemed like the sound issues were sullying the set yet again. I think the fans were too engrossed in the music and singing along to this punk/indie rock extravaganza, to notice any distortion at all. Twisted Wheel continued as much as they possibly could with their crowd pleaser packed set list and stirred up the crowd into even more mayhem when ‘You Stole The Sun’ was played....a multitude of hands trying to grasp Jonny as he sang...even more amps accidently being shoved forward....crowd surfing by someone old enough to be my dad...the flashing of cameras...all gave the excellent atmosphere you would expect from a Twisted wheel gig. However, their final song did seem to come around too quickly and with the set appearing to lack an encore - it did unfortunately disappoint some fans...but there was a reason for that....their hour and 20 minute originally planned set, was reduced to an hour because of the sound system issues. After the gig Jonny did express his disappointment because the band had to shorten their set. I have to say many of the fans will easily forgive that, because the hour in which they did play was as brilliant as they could possibly make it - and obviously the most enthusiastic fans of the band will also realise that even with set/sound issues (which are beyond the control of the band), know that Twisted Wheel will always put in blood sweat and tears to deliver a set worthy for their dedicated followers.

Words/Photos by Gail Buckthorpe

Another review By Tom Rappitt (15) Sheffield

The Leadmill was full to the brim with people of all ages standing waiting for the arrival of Twisted Wheel wearing their trusted Mod uniforms. The atmosphere was incredible and filled with expectancy.

Soon enough the lights dimmed and the venue overflowed with chants
of "wheel, wheel, wheel" echoing around the room for all to hear. Out stormed Jonny Brown shortly followed by Rick Lees and Adam Clarke. They didn't fail to excite, kicking straight into their first ever single, a gritty rock and roll anthem 'She's a Weapon' sending the fans into an uncontrollable 'mosh pit'. This was followed by 'Lucy The Castle' and 'Racket' which were equally as crowd pleasing and frantic. They powered through a collection of hits and a few new additions . Rick and Adam left the stage for Jonny to sing the acoustic 'Bouncing Bomb'. The crowd sang along with every word making this song sound so epic and touching but soon the other members rejoined to power through more punk infused hits including 'One Night On The Streets' and 'Bad Candy'. Soon enough the end was approaching and they set into everyone's favourite 'You Stole the Sun' sending the crowd into a frenzy. Its moments like this that make me wonder why this trio are not selling platinum albums and arenas nationwide. They then played 'Oh What Have You' which plays such a special part in the bands set. The band finally finish the night on their latest single 'We Are Us' which was one of my favourite tracks of the night.

The band played with passion in their hearts causing a raucous yet seamless set with every song seeming to send the crowd wild. It's fair to say tonight was unforgettable and probably the hottest gig I've seen in a long while. I would recommend this band to anyone and I know we shall be seeing this band many times in what shall be a golden future.