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Articles by Daniel Atherton
Chloe Michelle Howarth "Socially, Ireland has undergone a sort of metamorphosis – the differences are night and day"
"The representation of queer characters is so important to me": Chloe Michelle Howarth. Erin Hall. Set in 1960s rural Ireland, Chloe Michelle Howarth’s second novel, Heap Earth Upon It, is a story of sapphic longing and obsession, told through siblings in a multi-perspective style as they navigate a fresh start while living with grief and the weight of secrets.
A fresh charm: The Gentle Spring at Hallamshire Hotel
Michael Hiscock, the co-founder of legendary indie-pop group The Field Mice, returns with new musical partners Emilie Guillaumot on vocals and keyboard and Jeremie Orsel on guitar. With a new album, Looking Back at the World, that will satisfy fans of The Field Mice’s softer and emotional sound, The Gentle Spring played the Hallamshire Hotel, an excellent gig venue with a seventies disco feel, full of glistening lights.
Beloved and besotted: The Deep Blue at Yellow Arch Studios
“We think you could be the best crowd yet.” A strong prediction, and high praise that The Deep Blue have placed on the Sheffield crowd at Yellow Arch Studios. The four-piece indie-folk band are at the halfway mark of their winter UK tour, and they’ve pretty much filled the 200 capacity venue on a cold and wet Sunday evening. The support act is Harriet Rose, a multi-instrumentalist who performs a stripped-back set that still fully showcases her unique indie-meets-Americana sound.
"There's a gap in history that hasn't been recorded": Aniefiok Ekpoudom at Off The Shelf festival
Aniefiok Ekpoudom opens his new book Where We Come From by reading a “Sheffield specific extract” from a chapter titled ‘Middle England’. This chapter starts in the small ex-industrial town of Darlaston in the West Midlands, with a man named Ryan navigating early adulthood at the start of the millennium. “Here, as he was coming of age among the ruins of these once-booming industrial heartlands, towns like Darlaston were withering. Smoke fading into dust, dust holding the ghost of what once was.
Holly Williams - "It feels like open season for mocking people or judging them for the type of relationship they choose to be in"
Set in and around Manchester and Sheffield, Holly Williams’ second novel tells ten individual stories focusing on love, connection and identity, all tied together by a longing for intimacy. These overlapping tales explore progressive relationships and challenging dynamics, as characters navigate modern dating and their own evolving feelings. We sat down with Holly to talk to her about what inspired the book and the reception its received.
Yorkshire rose: English Teacher at the Foundry
Since releasing their debut album last month, English Teacher have gathered momentum as one of the most talked-about British bands of 2024. Given their deserved exposure on 6 Music and recent Glastonbury announcement, it’s not surprising to hear they sold out Sheffield’s Foundry. This Could Be Texas has already been billed as one of the albums of the year, and having built off the success of 2022 EP Polyawkward, the 1,300-strong crowd inside were brimming with anticipation.
Intense yet optimistic: Gnoomes at Delicious Clam
Hailing from Perm in Russia, the touring two-piece duo of Masha and Sasha Piankova make up Gnoomes. The Slovenia-based band use the term ‘stargaze’ to describe their mix of shoegaze and techno, and their first visit to Sheffield is met with a sold-out crowd at Delicious Clam, a collectively-run independent label and venue in the centre of town. Dearthworms were the main support act, a five-piece experimental post-punk band originating from Sheffield.
Gnoomes - “It felt like a therapeutic journey with your own thoughts and subconscious mind”
Hailing from Perm in Russia, Gnoomes combine their loves of shoegaze and techno to produce music which is pulsating and atmospheric. The Slovenia-based four-piece use the term 'stargaze' to describe their blend of kraut techno and kosmische pop. Originally a four-piece but currently touring as a duo, Sasha and Masha Piankova are heading to Delicious Clam in Sheffield on 6 April as part of their UK tour.
Swirling sound: Bleach Lab at Sidney & Matilda
Bleach Lab are a dynamic quartet coming off the back of a big 2023 where they released their debut album Lost in a Rush of Emptiness to critical acclaim. Music magazine Dork named the album in their top 20 of the year and 2024 promises to be even bigger, with a number of festival appearances already booked in including a return to Sheffield at Tramlines this summer.
Back-to-back brilliance: Sheffield Beatles Project at the Octagon
“Every album we’ve performed has been a humbling and joyous experience, but even after seven years, this is the most excited I’ve been about a Sheffield Beatles Project concert.” Ben Eckersley, musical director for the 30-piece Sheffield supergroup Sheffield Beatles Project, is excited about the band’s decision to create history by playing The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the album that helped inspire it, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, together for the first time ever.
A clamorous climax: Slow Readers Club at Leadmill
The Slow Readers Club have gone fairly under the radar since their first studio album in 2011. Their sound is recognisable and has a familiar feel to it, probably due to their later material bearing comparison to Manchester neighbours New Order. But they begun their latest tour this side of the Pennines, playing to a packed crowd at the Leadmill.
Since bursting onto the music scene over a decade ago, Liz Lawrence has released three critically-acclaimed albums and several singles showcasing her wonderfully varied work. Her first headline show in Sheffield is long overdue and a strong crowd turned out to see the dangerously underrated artist. The fuzzy basslines in opener ‘Down For Fun’ and psychedelic grooves of ‘Saturated’ feel like the mark of a new sound from Lawrence, both taken from 2021’s synth-inspired album The Avalanche.
Goan Dogs
Following on from their debut album Call Your Mum, Goan Dogs embark on a UK tour starting in Sheffield. Opening up the evening with a trimmed back set were The Verdis, consisting of just lead singer Rowan Yaxley for this particular gig. Playing songs off their debut EP Streetlight Fables, Rowan’s voice is soothingly effortless with an element of escapism. The second support band, Smallprint, also played a stripped-back set.
Dead Slow Hoot - A Kinder Kind
Sheffield/London based four-piece Dead Slow Hoot have followed up their critically-acclaimed debut No Reunions with epic seven-song EP A Kinder Kind. With a strong theme of dark indie and post-punk throughout, the tracks are deeply personal and openly discuss the struggles the band members have experienced over the past few years. ‘Dark Pockets’ is a gentle opener. The tender, folky track is something you could listen to while gazing out of a train window at surrounding green fields.
Surreal Appeal - Gently Deranged
Surreal Appeal are a three-piece all-female group from Sheffield featuring two former members of The Cuckoo Clocks – Tracy Deakin and Sophie Toes – along with their erstwhile live and recording engineer, Grace Griffin. It’s been a rollercoaster couple of years for the group, who’ve had life-changing situations including the birth of a baby and a transgender epiphany, which has enabled the band’s evolution.
The Cathode Sea - True Stories from the Cathode Sea
The Cathode Sea are a music collective from Sheffield who describe their songs as a “reflection on the psychology of cults, dark television nostalgia and the digital mess of modern life.” Beautiful songs are in abundance and appear to come effortlessly to this band – their ability to transition from lo-fi indie folk to hard-hitting distorted anthems is almost frightening.
halçyon days - Palisades
Combining influences spanning from eighties indie to sixties acid rock, the EP has a familiar feel after just a couple of listens. Consisting of Brady, Luke, Archer and Baz, the Sheffield-born lads have released an empathically gripping record. The first whinnies of the title track ‘Palisades’ sound beautifully hazy with punchy undertones. This serves as a dynamic opener, full of tantalising shimmers.
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