This was our first ever experience in Sheffield and what an awesome place it is, full of friendly folk, quirky characters and most importantly for us eager gig-goers.
On a cold, windy Thursday night in February, you would not expect to be at capacity for a D.I.Y show, (no matter how small the venue) especially at a gig where there is only 1 hometown band. Never underestimate the power of Sheffield and keep your eyes open for awesome doom, stoner, heavy-psych gig-curators Holy Spider Promotions. They really know how to put on an awesome show.
Riverside Live is one of the more intriguing venues I have been in. It can actually boast being smaller that Maguires Pizza Bar and that is a real feat. It's free to book, the staff are friendly, the gig-room is great, the location on the water is beautiful, the food is spectacular and the atmosphere is chilled and friendly- you really couldn't ask for more.
On a cold, windy Thursday night in February, you would not expect to be at capacity for a D.I.Y show, (no matter how small the venue) especially at a gig where there is only 1 hometown band. Never underestimate the power of Sheffield and keep your eyes open for awesome doom, stoner, heavy-psych gig-curators Holy Spider Promotions. They really know how to put on an awesome show.
Riverside Live is one of the more intriguing venues I have been in. It can actually boast being smaller that Maguires Pizza Bar and that is a real feat. It's free to book, the staff are friendly, the gig-room is great, the location on the water is beautiful, the food is spectacular and the atmosphere is chilled and friendly- you really couldn't ask for more.
To the bands: First up was Sleep Terminal, they made it hard to believe that they were only playing their 2nd ever show. They purveyed an exhilarating level of controlled chaos that many bands find hard to harness. Brash, harsh and scathing with catchy, slurred vocals, whirring guitars and an ocean deep rhythm section, they give doom-rock a whole new angle. I will be definitely checking these guys out in the future, in fact, I'm listening to their Bandcamp right now. Check it out.
Springbok took to the stage next, at first appearing a little introverted, maybe even shy, most likely just hoping that everybody would quickly return from their fag break. But all that was blown away with the first scythe of guitar and pelt of snare, ears were rung, the room filled back up very quickly. 2 young lads absolutely slogging their guts out over their instruments, they turned their mistakes into fun elements of the set, they gurned at the cameraman, the headbanged at each other, they entered their own little world for 4-progressive, sludge, rock belters. If you like your music energetic and heavy, book this band.
Taking us past the halfway point of the night were Shrykull and this is where things really started to get cramped, the room was now stuffed, so much so that is took me about 2 minutes to clamber across the 15 feet of its length to get to the toilet, awesome. This band are seriously fun, they exude mania, psychosis and chaos. Each song seemed to be structured: Loud, hard, heavy, screeching, in no particular order and most of the time all at once. Such a good band to watch live, the drummer/singer looked as if he was exercising a demon throughout the set. They invited a special guest singer onto the stage for their last song and went out with an explosion. They hail from Nottingham, they are well worth summoning to a venue near you.
Last up, Witchsorrow, playing to a room that could have barely fit air in anymore. Witchsorrow are an extremely good trio of musicians, absolutely mastering everything they did, whether it be high-tempo metal or snail-paced doom. It was hard not to get lost in it all. I would go as far as to say they have solidified my interest in the doom-rock genre. They capped off an hellacious line-up with the most precise and vice-tight performance of the evening. A gruesomely good, powerhouse of a band.
4 rad bands made this an awesome experience for Yeah Buddy! and Sheffield is a place we will definitely be coming back to as soon as we can (Tramlines anyone). As the head promoter addressed the audience at the end of the night I think the delight that emanated from him summed things up perfectly. What a show!