Despite being the Steel City, I’d argue that if you were to ask anyone the first thing they think of when asked about Sheffield, most of the time they’d say Arctic Monkeys. Or Pulp. Or just Jarvis Cocker. Music is as important to the cultural identity of Sheffield these days as the steel industry was previously. The Leadmill is consistently ranked as one of the best music venues in the country, where playing is a ‘rite of passage for any band worth their salt’, as Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand fame told the members of Arcade Fire. Tramlines is one of the most popular festivals in the UK. I assumed that such a rich music culture would produce a music scene to rival that of Manchester and other major cities.
However, after interviewing various bands and performers from around the city, I realised my assumption was wrong. Despite producing some of the most talented British acts of the last 40 years, Sheffield itself seems apathetic to most musicians. An overbearing and unsympathetic council, a festival which shirks its ties to the city and a lack of proper, different sized venues has generated a creative diaspora, where any talent from Sheffield is moving away to better prospects elsewhere.
I spoke to four local artists to get their assessment on Sheffield as a city, and what is going wrong with its music scene.
Has the city of Sheffield had much of an influence on you, either musically or just in general? Is it good here for a musician?
Femur: Sheffield is a weird one. Not in a bad way, there’s definitely such a good environment here for music, but it’s just not us. Our style of music definitely lacks an audience in Sheffield. The people here are still very supportive, but it feels like sometimes people come not because they’re fans of us in particular but more because we’re a local band.
Oh Papa: We’re a classic Sheffield band, like we all have weird connections with each other, from school and stuff, and we were very centred in Sheffield when starting out. But we don’t like pigeon-holing ourselves, or other bands, by location. We’re proud of being from Sheffield but it’s not the only thing that makes us as a band.
Before Breakfast: The music scene here is very different to other big cities. I love the supportive nature of many of the musicians, but I hate that Sheffield can often be missed off of tours as Leeds and Nottingham are so close. I think that there’s a lot to be said for delving into Sheffield’s scene and taking your time. You find the most interesting stuff that way.
Anya Lace: I love Sheffield and I’m proud of being from here but the music scene here isn’t as good as it used to be, especially for open mics and stuff.
What would you think about the venues in Sheffield? Are there any in particular that you love?
Femur: We’ve definitely outgrown the venues in the city. Sheffield lacks a proper mid-sized venue- there are multiple small ones, but after that there’s not a lot of choice. We feel, with our sort of music especially, apart from a few venues, most just want the same sort of music on- there isn’t a lot of trust in bands. However, there are some gems; The Washington has been consistently good for us, we love it there. The crowd is always great, and we like playing those small, sweatbox gigs. As a band, we think it’s important to break down that barrier between us and the audience. Record Junkee also put on really good shows, that’s one venue specifically I think we have a lot of optimism for.
Oh Papa: I think Sheffield has really struggled for venues since the Boardwalk closed. Obviously, it was such a historically important place, with Arctic Monkeys playing there loads and stuff. There are still some really great venues around, like The Washington is always great, it has a good community feel; Yellow Arch Studios and Picture House Social are doing amazing. Against all odds they’re getting quite big touring acts to play there, and they’re also absolutely lovely inside. But there is still a real lack of venues, especially mid-sized venues like Leeds has with the Brudenell. Crookes Social Club seems to be doing quite well recently, so hopefully that attitude of reutilising old building like working men’s clubs spreads. But bands need different options in order to succeed, as at the moment bands in Sheffield are stuck at a limited number, some of which employ quite exploitative tactics like pay-to-play. A lack of proper venues will just mean bands lack the tools to create their music, and it’s important to remember that venues aren’t just for music; they’re creative spaces, and the fact so many places are shutting down in Sheffield is just resulting in a real creative diaspora.
Before Breakfast: We adore venues like Yellow Arch, Sidney and Matilda and Picture House but there’s a lack of venues. It’s great to see Crookes Social Club coming up with shows similar to Leeds Brudenell. They have Villagers on soon. Sidney and Matilda are doing absolutely amazing things in supporting new talent and Picture House is a gorgeous venue to play but isn’t your typical gig space as it’s fully seated. They don’t however have shows in the deepest winter as it’s quite cold. We have our album launch at Yellow Arch and that’s a great space too. But, apart from Crookes Social Club they are all 200 cap and after that the jump is big. I think the council must draw upon the historic music scene and grow it/shout about it.
Anya Lace: Like everyone else said, there’s a real lack of venues and stuff. I tend to do a lot of open-mic nights, but hardly any venues offer them anymore. You get the odd few; the Red Deer and the Green Room have really good open-mics, as well as the Closed Shop in Crookes. The best gig I ever did was probably at the Red Deer, it’s such a nice pub and works really well as a small venue. But I am having to do loads of private gigs at the moment, at Weddings and such, due to the lack of venues in Sheffield who seem to want live music.
Do you think there’s a good support system in place for bands and young artists? Is there a collective attitude towards music in the city?
Femur: It actually lacks a decent support system to be honest, in terms of venues and stuff like magazines who focus on smaller bands. There are a lot of small independent organisations and groups who will put people on but there’s not really many mid-to-big sized ones. There isn’t really a way to network properly at that size. Hopefully that changes, with places like Yellow Arch and Sidney & Matilda getting bigger, but at the moment not so much. The biggest issue in Sheffield is that you can reach a certain size as a band, and then just stagnate due to the lack of progression here. Without enough mid-sized venues, bands just start playing other cities which have those sort of venues, meaning all these great acts are leaving the city. However there is a good collective atmosphere amongst the musicians in the city, we have a lot of interaction. The band Blackwater’s record label Jarred Up has been specifically helpful.
Oh Papa: There’s definitely help for small bands and stuff, especially from individuals like Paul Tuffs who’s done sound for probably every act in Sheffield, to Christian Carlisle over at BBC Introducing Sheffield giving exposure to small talent. However, with the lack of venues, there’s no proper progression for bands after a certain point. The community itself is fantastic, however; we collaborated with Before Breakfast, who are just amazing, for a song ‘Magnetic’, and we are constantly interacting with other bands and stuff. There is very much a community-feel in Sheffield.
Before Breakfast: There are lots of collaborations happening whether it’s musical or otherwise. We all love sharing contacts and giving each other the platform to meet like-minded people. I think people have their go to musicians and creators and it’s great that everyone in a roundabout way knows everyone on the scene. We loved collaborating with Oh Papa for ‘Magnetic’, and Phil from Oh Papa is all over our album; I even took their recent press photos!
Anya Lace: I think there is some support there; Christian Carlisle at BBC Introducing Sheffield has been extremely helpful with me and giving loads of support and stuff, but BBC Introducing alone isn’t enough. Even things like busking are a lot harder now; the council is unsympathetic to it, and you just get loads of abuse from people on the street. I started to come up in the music scene at the end of a real ‘golden period’ for Sheffield, when the sort of ‘creative diaspora’ started, so since then it’s been very difficult. And obviously Covid has only made that harder, as interaction is obviously so much more difficult.
Are you hopeful about the future of Sheffield’s music scene? What do you think can be done to improve the music scene in the city, to make things better creatively for the musicians in a city?
Femur: There can definitely still be a music scene in Sheffield despite the variation in sounds- in fact, that’s what makes Sheffield so good and unique. Sheffield will probably never have a music scene that’s so tied to one single genre, but if it leans into the variation then it could become something special. However, that won’t happen until more venues pop up, as for now the music in Sheffield, in terms of the performers, are bigger than the venues.
Oh Papa: There’s a golden time coming for Sheffield’s music scene, especially due to the variation within the sound of the city’s musicians. However, for this to happen properly, and for the music scene to really develop, the city need’s more venues, specifically venues like the Brudenell; mid-sized places which double as creative spaces and let musicians and artists naturally progress. As mentioned, placed like Sidney & Matilda’s, Picture House and Yellow Arch are all doing this really well, but we need more of them, and venues which are even bigger. As long as bands and other musicians have different options which give them the tools to create what they want, Sheffield’s creative scene should boom.
Before Breakfast: We like to make a big effort in the city in youth music, and I know this is very important to the future of the city. Making spaces that smaller acts can play and being creative in ways to support them is also so important. We of course feel strongly about making safe spaces for women to flourish. I would love to see a more diverse gigging scene in Sheffield and have loved working with August Charles, Franz Von and Tenn in youth projects/session work recently etc as the city is bursting with talent.
Anya Lace: Sheffield definitely has the makings of having a really good music; it has historic venues, a good music history and there is just so much variation here that a really cool scene is guaranteed. But that’s obviously only if it’s allowed to grow. I am actually moving to Belfast, mainly because I love it there and am very inspired by the music in Belfast, but the lack of opportunities for small artists here has definitely also had an effect on my decision. I’d be more inclined to stay in Sheffield if there was more happening for small independent artists here. But there are definitely some positives; the growth in Kelham Island, with venues like Yellow Arch, gives me a lot of hope for Sheffield.