Ask people to name a band from Sheffield and I can pretty much guarantee they will say the Arctic Monkeys. Not without reason of course, as they quite clearly are one of the biggest acts to come from here. But sometimes you just want to hear some new music so I’ve been hunting around online and as a result have found a few new Sheffield based bands that I’d like to recommend.
And the best thing about new musicians is that their gigs are pretty much always at student friendly prices. Even Bastille only cost us £10, and they now all of a sudden have a number one album and single that beat the likes of Emile Sande and Bruno Mars. This makes it highly likely that their tickets will cost around triple the price by this time next year, so if you can get in there and see bands when they’re just starting out, you could save a lot.
Polkadodge
Polkadodge are a 4 piece band I recently discovered on Facebook. When searching local gig listings or venue pages looking for support acts, the name popped up a few times so I thought I’d have a listen.
The group of Sheffield lads have an easy listening, pop punk type sound and I’d say if you’re a fan of bands such as Kids in glass houses or All time low, then these are for you. Their catchy choruses and chants of woah oh oh oh’s in songs like ‘Catfish’, are sure to have you hooked and create a great atmosphere at a live gig.
They can often be found performing at various venues around Sheffield and are also supporting local band ‘Bromheads’ tomorrow night (25th April) at Leadmill, where tickets are just £8.
They are gathering a good following through social networking, and have recently been signed to Sound-Hub Records. They’ve posted a few songs on their Soundcloud page, and a clip of the bands latest recording called ‘Borderline’ can be heard there and pre-ordered now through their Facebook. So if you want to hear about their latest gigs and music keep an eye out on there too.
Liberty Ship
I was just browsing the Leadmill Facebook page when I spotted that these guys are currently on tour supporting King Charles and as a big fan of his I thought they might be worth checking out.
Turns out I was correct, as these guys, coming from Sheffield have a really great indie-pop sound to them. The first song I listened to, ‘Further’ is a slower one, but it still managed to draw me in straight away with the lead singer having one of those voices you could just listen to all day. They have a really refreshing and easy listening sound that could appeal to everyone. And without actually having many songs up online at the minute they have still managed to gather a huge fanbase on their Facebook and YouTube pages, most likely through the vast amount of gigs they’ve done all around the country.
If you like what you’ve heard, be sure to check them out on Facebook to hear about their gigs and new music.
Take The Seven
Take The Seven are a 5-piece alternative rock band based around Chesterfield, North Derbyshire and Sheffield.
On checking out Take The Seven’s soundcloud page, I found that although they might be slightly heavier than the other bands I’ve mentioned so far, they’ve actually done some really good covers of Adele and Taylor Swift. Their version of ‘Set fire to the rain’ exposed them to a huge audience and really showcases the vocalist’s talent.
They are also playing at Sheffield o2 Academy soon, tickets for which can be found here (and they’re only £6!) as well as various gigs around Chesterfield.
The Natterjacks
Ok, so I actually only first listened to these guys around an hour ago and I’m already hooked. As ‘Cold Sets In’ began playing I found myself instantly being reminded of Mumford and Sons, what with the acoustic but fast paced and catchy guitar intro. It could definitely be said that they maybe sound a bit too similar… but I’m sure they wouldn’t class that as an insult, and these guys can certainly pull it off as the vocals are amazing. It’s hard to believe that they started out doing pop punk covers before getting their inspiration from such a different style of music, but they definitely made the right choice as they suit it perfectly. They have a lot of songs up already on their soundcloud page, so have a listen.
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