The Sheffield Scenester

Located just over the road from West Street, the Xray Horse night at The Harley pub/hotel is in stark contrast to the bars and clubs up and down its opposing avenue. Whilst other venues are ingesting weekend warriors with the sole aim of taking their money and leaving them legless, The Harley provides an air of relaxed seriousness, the sort where you can unwind with a couple of pints safe in the knowledge that the sounds entering your eardrums will be some of the best Sheffield has to offer. The event itself opened at 8pm with the first band, punk rockers The Superlatives, kicking things off 8.30. Looking like 3 blokes going down the pub their casual demeanour gave little hint of the underlying talent they were ready to unleash upon the half-packed Harley. The lead singer/guitarist took the middle microphone, with the bassist on his right and the drummer behind. A short introduction “alright, we’re The Superlatives”, and they ripped into their first song, CN73. Power chord combinations tore out of the amps and across the room with the lead singer declaring “I’m not a name, I’m a number” with all the prowess of a man on a mission. The chorus was reminiscent of the first verse of Maximo Park’s “Our Velocity”, except with the feeling that if you go too close it’ll bite your head off.

“Cameras Don’t Lie, Captions Do” continued the onslaught followed by the delightfully titled “Chicken Shit”. If by the end of these songs you hadn’t been sucked in to the energy emanating from this three piece then you’re probably not human. The guitars belted out riff after riff, the drums pounded with foot-stomping ferocity and the vocals less drew attention than grabbed you by the throat and demanded you listen. There was a brief rest bite as the bassist broke a string and had to borrow another band’s guitar, however it was soon business as usual. “Dot”, “Rainy Day” and new song “One Thing to the Next” followed and as the set went on it became clear to see that these were not just a band belting out power chords and catchy aggression, they had real musical talent. Some of the guitar solos were sublime, the bass riffs hit their spot exactly and both were excellently complimented by some fine drumming. It was fitting therefore that the last song showcased all these talents. Beginning with a steady drum beat before being joined by the bass and guitar in a Blur-esque vibe, the song eventually settled down into a lively bass line with vocals poured over the top, the guitar and drums livened up and the song progressed until the bassist put down his guitar, went behind the drummer and started beating a separate drum whilst the lead singer/guitarist wailed out a solo and the drummer smashed his kit repeatedly. The words “anti-climatic” certainly have no place here, this is a band who knows how to go out in style. The last page of my notes says “dancey, catchy but too dirty and drenched in aggression to ever be thought of as pop-rock, The Enemy with an incredible knack for guitar solos and more menacing lyrics“.

A much needed short break was taken whilst the next band, Proper Dogs, set up their equipment. A four piece band, they were dressed in shirts and blazers with skinny jeans and smart shoes, except from the drummer who stood out in a white shirt. The two guitarists took the middle and left microphone, and the bassist took the right. It was to be a set of two halves. Appearance aside they were remarkably different from The Superlatives, but this isn’t to say they weren’t equally adept at creating the same lose-yourself-rock-n’-roll atmosphere. The first half of their set demonstrated this perfectly, with the two guitarists assuming vocal responsibilities, howling like Caleb out of Kings of Leon over heavy blues interjections whilst the drummer crashed away on his symbols like a man possessed. By the end of the first song it became clear that the microphones were going to struggle against the backdrop of two guitars battling it out leading to difficulties construing much from the vocals except for the general rhythm. Luckily the strength of this band lies in their instrumental profligacy and the vocals taking a back seat directed attention to the brilliance of the band’s blues fuelled pulse which beat in the heart of each of their songs.

It was the sixth song in their set which first hinted at a small change in style. The band announced “this is a song the bassist wrote” and with that the bassist swapped positions and instruments with the guitarist in the middle and got his song underway. A heavy bass line thundered along as the vocals came over deeper and darker than any of the previous numbers. Instead of long blues runs from the lead guitarist on the left there were instead a few sparing shots here and there. Then there was the chorus involving all 3 microphones being howled into creating a fantastically anthemic vibe. After the chorus a wild blues solo made an appearance before settling back down into the rhythm of the song. The seventh song involved the bassist returning to his post and the left hand guitarist coming into the middle. Opening chords were strummed out and, the solo excluded, there were no real blues runs, it sounded much more like something that would be played on the radio. Next up was “Deadbeat”. starting with a heavy bass line before dancing with wailing guitar licks before delivering a chorus of high pitched shouting perfection which would make The Hives proud. They finished off their set with “Midnight Circus”, a manic high energy combustion of fast paced vocals, surging bass lines, hard hitting drumming and rampant guitar licks.

Next up were The Hope Explosion. By this point quite a crowd was forming, they weren’t pushing up to the stage just yet but you got the feeling it wouldn’t be long.

Wearing black t-shirts with blazers they took the stage. The lead singer wielding his guitar bathed in green light whilst the bassist and guitarist either side of him were highlighted in a red hue. They kicked things off with a couple of crashes from the drummer before launching in full throttle with guitars blaring and all three front members singing into their microphones. Unlike the bands on before the bass line found its way into the to the forefront of the song over the guitars and really felt like it was providing the direction. After a short breakdown to just guitars the chorus swept over and delivered the first signs that this band were going to be one of the highlights of the night followed by a heavy mix of smashed drums and wailing blues. This could easily have been a smash n’ grab opener, plenty of energy whilst showcasing the ability of the members but instead it took another direction. Instead of providing a short sharp ending the guitars became quieter, an echo effect came into play creating a sense of calm, which of course, preluded the storm of crashing symbols and distorted guitars bringing an end to the opening journey. They quickly moved on to “Pin Down the Detail”, opening with a riff which could be forgiven for sounding like “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire. It’s a riff that continues throughout the song and enables the singer to showcase the full extent of his vocal abilities, changing from high pitched drawn out notes to a deeper snarl almost effortlessly, he still manages to hit home despite the continuing struggle of the microphone against the guitars. It doesn’t meander as wildly as the previous effort but the underlying guitar work fits perfectly with the vocals to lift what could potentially be monotonous song to a new and exciting level. Their next song, the attention grabbing “Talk is Cheap” went down a treat with the bassist on the right providing the harmonic “oo oo” sound layering the track. It has a pop feel about it but just lingers on the right side of catchy.

When listening to the recorded version of “Gone” the guitars seem very secondary to the vocals, however as they burst into this powerhouse the deep heavy notes give way to a high pitched squeal, think Lost Prophets “We Are Godzilla You are Japan” type guitar work, not the most original but it gives a good kick in the teeth. Much like the first song it petered out into a soft acoustic type vibe, however instead of exploding into a wall of noise it suitably built up to a rhythm different from the rest of the song before releasing the original guitar riff for an emphatic ending.

It wasn’t the next song, but the song after that which really confirmed my original hypothesis about the quality of this band. It started with a strummed intro, but soon fizzed with heavy riffs, if you closed your eyes you could imagine Josh Homme abusing his strings at the front of Queens of the Stone Age. It was energetic, a song which would surely feature on one of the many “best driving songs ever!” compilations if justice was to be had. Afterwards they kicked into their final song. Starting with a good ol’ fashioned rock n’ roll riff before entering into a “Black Hole Sun” type breakdown for the verse. The guitars came back up for the chorus with vigour before toning down again for the chorus. The song ended with fits of aggression mixed with harmony, before ending with an explosion of noise.

During the 10 minute break before The Neat came on the crowd had become significantly more filled out and excited. They were pushed right up to the front of the stage. Two drunk girls stood, pints in hand, right in the middle, eagerly anticipating the next set.......They didn’t have to wait too long before the band took their positions. The lead singer wearing an open shirt with a t-shirt underneath was right at the forefront. It was clear to see that this would be the first band of the night with a front man free from the burden of an instrument. There are two types of stand-alone front men: those who stand at the mic stand, swaying and feeling every word, and those who take the mic in their hand, dance around the stage and get the crowd going. This man was definitely the latter. With the bassist on his right and the guitarist on his left the first song got underway. It was a good mix of bass lines and solid guitar work, which suitably fitted the “indie-punk” label which has been thrown around when reviewers attempt a definition. Immediately it was evident why the crowd had got so excited over this band. The music was pulsating with the lead singer, throwing himself around the stage screaming his lyrics like a madman, yet still keeping in tune and perfectly timed with the rest of the band. They felt like the first band to properly go out of their way to excite their audience, and the first band to really feel like they were just losing themselves in their own music.

As the set went on this feeling only increased. The lead singer leaned right out over the audience, reaching up his hand and supporting himself on the low hanging ceiling beam which held the stage lighting. The crowd’s excitement escalated producing a visible buzz about them. Meanwhile the band was busting out a blend of indie guitar hooks and funky bass lines. The most notable of this combination came in the penultimate song, wherein the bass pumped out a line so danceable and bouncy it could have been written by Flea himself. The potential energy was converted to kinetic immediately as the combination of the speakers, the crowd and the band combined to form a bombardment of intense liveliness throughout the entirety of the venue.

The last song, I caught as “You Feel Us” (apologies if I‘ve got this wrong). Starting with a mix of drums and bass (not drum n’ bass - for the record) which then transforms in to a delectable bass line with high pitch guitar chords harmonically coming in over the top. The chorus is powerful and followed up by an even more intense section. The singer holds his hand in the air, leaning over the front of stage to the point where he might as well be amongst the crowd. Then it ends. Loud claps come from the audience and whistles pierce through the air amongst shouts of “more”. Unfortunately that was our lot but it was enough to give a true indication of just how outstanding their performance was. With that it was time for the final band, Fallen Trees. The strange thing was that although they were billed as the headliners, it felt like the band who had just left the stage filled that role. The crowd appeared to feel like this too, as they had taken a few steps back from the stage and took a few songs to get warmed up. The lead singer, Paul Littlewood, a Frank Turner look-a-like, wore a t-shirt and jeans combination, as did Dave Timmons (the drummer). The bassist seemed slightly out of place in a yellow short sleeved hoody. The first song was like a journey through 70’s music. Brimming with psychedelic chimes which hang hauntingly in the air, the guitars and drums sharply cut through as the chorus bullys its way through. Screeching vocals reminiscent of Robert Plant but less whiny. Appropriately the band then kicks into a Led Zeppelin type heavy blues riff which swept across the room infecting each member of the watching audience. With that there was no argument that they hadn’t earned their position as headliners.

Building upon their momentum the next number entered with the bassist plucking away before crashing drums and screaming guitars accompanied his lonely bass line. The vocals came over whilst the instruments quietened down, allowing a short scream of lyrics which gave way to another onslaught from the instruments. The chorus again harked back to the 70’s heyday, with the end fusing heavy guitar riffs and manic soloing. Now this statement may be contentious, but I fully believe the next song was the highlight of the night. Entitled “Little Pain” It starts with an irresistibly catchy “woah oh, woah o-ah oh”, intersected with a guitar riff and a foot-stomping beat. Suitably the guitars take over from the vocals and add some real meat into the song, following the tune set by the vocals. Although not as energetic as the previous band, it is again the front man who draws all the attention. The band carried on in a similar vein, it was always going to be difficult to improve on that performance but with a mixture of heavy blues, charismatic singing and pounding drums they still fulfilled their promise of delivering a set packed with frenzied substance.

It was a long night of music but the atmosphere was fantastic, the venue was inviting and the talent on show was incredible. If you get a chance to see any of these bands I would fully recommend taking it.

Review by Nick Rains and Photos by Dean Stead