★★★★☆
Daniel Dylan Wray is telling us about a cult. That’s par for the course for an Off The Shelf event, but definitely more surprising when you realise this talk is about Sheffield’s musical history.
The Sheffield music and culture journalist tracks the bands and clubs of the city from 1960 to 2021 in his book ‘Groovy, Laidback and Nasty: A History of Independent Music in Sheffield’. Wray makes sure to explain that he means “independent” as an ethos rather than the genre. In the book, he winds a thread through the disparate and eclectic sounds of the Steel City. It goes to show that the city’s music stories are much more than just a list of bands and venues, but fascinating, funny and at times, bizarre.
Walking down towards the Showroom Cinema, I know I’m in the right place when I find myself in a sea of middle aged men in sensible jackets and Doctor Marten’s boots. That said, I’m pleasantly surprised to find a diverse range of attendees at the talk (including my first year flatmate and her friends – hi Molly!). Reflecting on a podcast clip where the hosts were bemoaning Sheffield’s own lack of reflection on its musical past, could Wray’s book be the impulse we need for Sheffield to at last look back?
A last minute venue upgrade tells me there is an undeniably strong demand for these stories.
With his trademark little hat and pint of Guinness, Wray sits down with Terri White to discuss writing his book about his favourites of the 150 or so interviews he did and the future of Sheffield’s scene.
I’m struck by Wray’s response to being asked what his biggest coup was out of everyone he interviewed. After highlighting some notable rejections (Alex Turner may not be the greatest subject to interview, but “his name would have looked great on the front of the book”), Wray identifies one of Pulp’s ex-bassists as his favourite interviewee. He says his main goal was to amplify the underappreciated voice, rather than only focusing on the really famous talent that emerges from Sheffield.
There’s a couple of reasons this book didn’t happen earlier. For one, there were concerns about a lack of interest outside of the city. Wray describes meeting with a London agent in 2018 who clearly could not care less about the book, and walking away incredibly dispirited. He didn’t start work on the book again until 2022. The second factor is the humility of many of the musicians, promoters and DJs from Sheffield. After all, the pride is in the work, not in the talking about the work, and unfortunately this makes getting interviews difficult – but I get the sense that Wray has a knack for getting people to relax enough so that they’re willing to talk about themselves.
Wray is a compelling speaker, funny and inspirational, with a genuinely interesting take on how you write a book about a city’s musical heritage. White also was a wonderful host, allowing the conversation to meander through several topics, each of them fascinating enough to earn their own hour-long talks. Overall, I was put in the mind of having a chat with some mates over a pint, and getting the bus home from outside the soon-to-reopen O2 Academy, my thoughts naturally turned to the future for Sheffield and its music. I think it’s looking pretty groovy.
Image Credits: Off The Shelf
