As a fog crawled across Sheffield at around 7:30pm, I made my way through the atmospheric gloom to Yellow Arch Studios for a night of psychedelic punk rock music with a Halloween spin.
The dull weather set the scene perfectly for the Buzzbomb Halloween special, set to launch local band Femur’s newest album People Parts– with the help of a few other bands. My excitement peaked as I stepped onto the damp pavement outside of Yellow Arch Studios, thinking of musical legends who used it as their local haunt. The venue is most well-known for being the birthplace of Arctic Monkeys, who happen to be one of my favourite bands of all time, so the sight of the yellow paint made me eager to get inside.
When I got inside the venue, I had a short wait until doors opened. I was pleasantly surprised at the venue’s interior, bursting with colour from the kaleidoscope of visuals plastered on every wall. The lighting was very effective, creating a psychedelic feel from the get-go. It was difficult not to feel slightly hypnotized.
This trippy feeling was amplified when the music started. The Sleazoids kicked off the event, filling in last minute for Dead Horse. You wouldn’t have guessed that they’d had little time to prepare for their performance; the energy they brought to the room was immense. They were followed by Galloping Dick who amplified the buzzing atmosphere, drawing in more spectators who matched the band’s energy by whooping at the end of every song and raising a tongue-in-cheek toast ‘for dick’.
By this point, the crowd was building, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Femur. The band’s entrance did not disappoint. In an almost ritual-like manner they walked onto the stage holding candles, their heads adorned with flower crowns. Music pulsed as they took their positions in front of a cheering crowd. After putting out their candles with bare fingers, they launched into their first number.
The band immediately adapted the energy of the room, bringing an aspect of eccentricity so unique I can’t quite describe it. The lead singer’s delivery of the songs was mesmerising, with his distinctive vocals accompanied by carefree arm movements in a style not completely dissimilar to Morrissey when fronting The Smiths. He certainly had a lot of stage presence.
The crowd seemed to be as drawn in by the vocalist’s magnetism as I was, reaching out to touch his guitar and going crazy when he entered the audience to dance with the fans to his bandmates’ skilful instrumentals. It is clear that the band members have each mastered their instruments, the energy from the guitars and drums thrumming through the room, especially during ‘Transatlantic’. I especially enjoyed hearing this song live as I think that the change in tempo is a touch of genius, making it easy for the audience to dance and get lost in the psychedelic rock music.
I was especially excited to hear the song ‘I Don’t Like’ live. This song is my personal favourite from Femur’s new album, which seems to be a popular opinion, with it being their highest-ranking song on Spotify currently. From the first listen of the song, I picked up on influences from the Sex Pistols, the vocal delivery feeling particularly Johnny Rotten-esque. It feels perfectly balanced between said influences from Punk royalty, and the band’s unique sound, a difficult equilibrium to achieve. As expected, I really enjoyed hearing this song live, the passionate atmosphere peaking once again. However, I did feel that the song lost some of its structure slightly, and certain parts of the song felt very different to the studio version, which is not uncommon with live versions of songs, but I personally would’ve preferred the song to have sounded more similar to the recording; especially with the gig being a launch for these new songs. Furthermore, it did sound as if the instruments drowned out some of the vocals at times, causing the lyrics to lose some of their fierceness, which is an aspect I particularly love about the song, so this was a shame.
The performances of the songs were encapsulating, with colourful visuals projecting onto the screen behind the band, including images from The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. I loved the psychedelic and hedonistic, yet at times melancholy feel to the performances, the music drawing from multiple genres and sub-genres.
The chemistry between the band members was brilliantly raw and natural, with a few kisses being shared between them during certain intervals in the set. Their instruments meshed very well, and they gave the feeling of a team, in consistency with their uniform of stylish dresses.
Overall, the performance was very memorable and enjoyable. The band are clearly skilful with their instruments and know exactly where they want to go with their unique sound and brand. Their music is a breath of fresh air, providing such depth and diversity to the modern music scene. They hold a unique quality and I feel that, especially with a little more structure and refinement with the delivery of the songs, the band could go far.
