For decades now, the students of Sheffield have had a seemingly innate fascination with alternative music. As a result, the city has developed one of the best underground music scenes in the world. In this new series Mad Sounds, I will be speaking with bands in the local area that I think you should be listening to.
This week, I sat down with indie alternative rock group Portobello Lane, one of the fastest growing bands in the local area. The group are due to headline The Washington in the coming weeks and are also set to release their debut single later next month. I had been looking forward to meeting with the band to discuss these exciting new developments. The interview opened with a brief discussion of the local scene itself and a conversation about the vital independent venues that make the scene possible.
CHARLIE: Being a band in Sheffield… it feels so much more attainable because there’s so many decent music venues that look after you. Washington. Sidney [and Matilda]. There’s lots of places around and you don’t really get that in many cities… It’s sort of the place to be for music, especially if you’re a band starting out.
ADAM: I’m from Manchester and the city’s been so welcoming to me. There are so many venues that are willing to put on smaller bands, that are willing to do so many things to help people make it… It feels like everyone’s on your side in the music scene. It’s great.
TOM: These venues, they’re just great to play. You drink there. You see your mates there. You look at the stage like; I want to get up there.
WILL: You’re comfortable there. You know what you’re going in for. It’s a satisfying feeling. Playing round your own town, getting to those places you’ve been to for the last few years… It feels like a home, like you’re meant to be there.
TOM: You write these songs, you do the rehearsal, then you get to be able to play it on a stage to people, and … see them all getting involved… and I think it’s just a great feeling.
As well as performing in many of Sheffield’s most iconic venues, the group have also started travelling further afield. Most recently, they performed a show at the Spinning Top in Stockport. Will and Adam spoke to me about what it was like to perform outside of Sheffield, and what it was like to finally perform in Adam’s hometown.
WILL: It makes you feel like you’re actually becoming what you’ve wanted to be for so long, it feels like you’ve broken in your new shoes and you’re not getting blisters on your heels anymore.
ADAM: I wasn’t nervous for the gig, but I was a little bit timid because I wanted it to be the best because of all those people from my hometown who came to see me. I wanted them to see the best of us.
The group are just weeks away from the release of their debut single ‘Always for Nothing.’ I asked them to tell me a bit about the song, and what made them choose it as their lead single.
CHARLIE: I had a different sort of creative spark in writing, and I wanted to write a song that would encapsulate what I thought it would feel like to play to a crowd because I’d not done it yet… And that’s what ‘Always for Nothing’ is about… It was our opener for most of our gigs at the start. We’ve sort of placed it a bit differently in the setlist now because it’s going to be a single… It’s got everything in it… the sort of punk influences and the drums and it’s got an indie melody. But I think especially in the instrumental, in the guitar, there’s a lot of old rock. Very driving, right? Especially in the chorus. There’s some really cool stuff.
TOM: It’s very important [to us] that the single sounds like we do live as well, keep the same energy, show them what we’re about! They come to the gigs, and it’s what they expect.
WILL: We want people to hear it and go like, oh, this isn’t just like a uni band or just a couple of young lads just trying to break out, these are people who have taken the time out… to make something that as an audience you can appreciate.
In speaking to the band, I came to know them as musicians with boundless energy and enthusiasm for their craft, who have a sincere creative vision going beyond naïve ambition. Their live performances are impeccable, and they are one of the most exciting bands working in Sheffield today. I thank them for coming to speak with me.
Always for Nothing is out on the 27th of October and Portobello Lane will be headlining at The Washington on 23rd of September and the 26th of October.
Image Credits: Knottsmedia
