Is there anyone as truly ‘Sheffield’ as Richard Hawley? Sure, he might not have had the worldwide success experienced by, say, Alex Turner, but if there is one man who truly embodies the spirit of the Steel City, it’s Richard Hawley. The man bleeds Hendo’s. He’s best mates with Pete McKee. He’s still a Wednesday fan. Richard Hawley is Sheffield.
So when he announced he would be doing what was originally a 2-day (but later, due to the insane popularity of the event, extended to a 4-day) residency at The Leadmill, the most holy of all Sheffield music venues, I knew it would be a gig I just couldn’t miss. Especially as Hawley promised to bring out a special guest each night.
Thankfully, I managed to get tickets to see him on Tuesday 9th August.
Providing support on the Tuesday was the fantastic Ed Cosens, who’s more well-known as the guitarist from Reverend and the Makers. I must admit, before the gig I had no idea Cosens had ventured out on his own, but after his tremendous set I made sure to download his 2021 album ‘Fortunes Favour’. Cosens’ performance was fantastic; on top of his usual talent for guitar, he really surprised me with just how good his voice is, sounding almost like a South Yorkshire Michael Stipe. With some incredibly beautiful lyrics, I was just really impressed with Ed Cosens in general. It was a really great performance.
Then, after a brief intermission, Richard Hawley took to the stage. Jumping in straight away with the brilliant ‘Off My Mind’, Hawley really demonstrated why he’s such a musical influence and idol to people like Alex Turner. The whole set was a wonderful mixture of rockabilly and ballads, and Hawley was absolutely in his element. After ‘Off My Mind’ came ‘Alone’, then ‘Further’. Interspersed between each song was Hawley’s interaction with the audience, with one memorable interaction being getting the band to sing ‘happy birthday’ to a young fan who had just turned 18.
After having called him a ‘sad fuck’ for coming to see this gig instead of ‘getting pissed, drinking in dev green and necking off with girls, or lads’.
And the crowd loved it. Even when he was insulting Rotherham. It felt less like we were watching an artist perform and more like we were watching an old friend, or family member, on that stage.
Throughout all the interactions he had with the crowd, and all the introductions he gave to each song, you could really see just how proud Richard Hawley is of being from Sheffield, and how much the city means to him. This was less a gig, and more a night of celebration for Sheffield.
Performing fan-favourites ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’ and ‘Coles Corner’ back-to-back, Hawley really demonstrated his talent as a performer, especially with the latter song. The raw lyrics and slow music created a feeling of melancholic beauty across the crowd. I really do think, despite his rockabilly sensibilities, this is when Hawley is at his best: slow, powerful songs which really portray his proficiency at songwriting. My only criticism of the whole performance is that there was only one song from the Coles Corner album.
Then came time for the ‘special guest’ which had been advertised. The night before, Richard Hawley brought out Self Esteem herself, Rebecca Lucy Taylor. This only increased the excitement- who could it be? It had to be someone famous from Sheffield right? Jon McClure? Phil Oakley?
It wasn’t either of them.
It was Jarvis Cocker.
I couldn’t believe it, it was (a version of) Pulp practically before my eyes. What had promised to already be one of the most Sheffield nights in existence had just become even more Sheffield. The crowd went mental, everyone was cheering and screaming and clapping as he walked on to the stage, embracing Richard and waving hello.
Jarvis, in his typical eloquent fashion, addressed the crowd, talking in support of The Leadmill:
“It’s more than this building and this stage, it’s something that’s grown over the years and it’s a feeling”. He continued, “they [the landlords] might own the bricks and mortar, but they don’t own the spirit of the Leadmill.”
Jarvis and Richard then began to play a song they had both written together “many moons ago”, but had never actually performed. Hawley warned the crowd that “if it’s shit, don’t blame us!”. However, Hawley had nothing to worry about. The song, called ‘A Sunset’, was beautiful, showcasing both Sheffield legends at their absolute musical best. Why it was never recorded or released remains a mystery to me, because the song was absolutely incredible. Afterward, Jarvis spoke about how the next song they were going to play was one that he and Richard “had spent many nights in The Leadmill dancing too”, and with that they launched into a fantastic rendition of ‘White Light, White Heat’ by The Velvet Underground. Seeing the pair of them singing together was just so wonderful, and the cover was fantastic; Jarvis Cocker as Lou Reed is a concept I had never thought about in my head, but weirdly I feel is actually quite obvious. After finishing the song, Jarvis departed the stage, leaving Richard to finish the night off.
This was easily one of the best gigs I have ever been too. Without a shadow of the doubt. Richard Hawley is just incredible, and even if you are not a fan of his music I still think you’d be thoroughly entertained by his shows. And having Jarvis Cocker of all people make an appearance is just perfect.
However, I can’t forget the reason Richard Hawley did these gigs in the first place, and the subject of Jarvis’ amazing speech. The Leadmill is still at risk of shutting down, despite the amazing actions of people like Richard Hawley. We cannot let such an important, iconic venue, not just for Sheffield but for UK music in general, be shut down. Please sign this petition and help ensure we save The Leadmill.
Rating: 5/5