Sheffield News

Crowds treated to exciting finish for cycle race

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Cyclists take to the streets in the Claremont Sheffield Grand Prix. Image: velouk.net

Cyclists take to the streets in the Claremont Sheffield Grand Prix. Image: velouk.net

Sheffield played host to the “best professional cycle race in the country” after the Claremont Sheffield Grand Prix – a major professional cycling event – returned to the city centre on Wednesday night.

The free event saw the final round of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Race Series and also incorporated the Browns British Cycling Women’s National Road Race Series.

Rotherham’s Dean Downing, a professional cyclist with the Madison Genesis team, took the men’s title after a thrilling sprint finish, with Graham Briggs second. Third was British champion (and Dean’s brother), Russell Downing.

Dean Downing commented “I’m a bit stunned that I’ve won…I’ve dreamed of winning the Sheffield Grand Prix since being 14 or 15…to win here in front of my family and friends is a great honour.” Listen to Dean, here:

Kona's Helen Wyman (Image: Andy Jones)

Kona's Helen Wyman (Image: Andy Jones)

In the women’s race, Helen Wyman, Kona won by 17 seconds after breaking free from the peloton in the closing stages. Newly crowned national Circuit Race champion, Hannah Barnes, MG Maxifuel won the bunch sprint for second with Eileen Roe claiming third for her Breast Cancer Care team.

The race took place on a fast 1.4 kilometre city centre circuit, featuring tight corners and a cobbled climb up Norfolk street.

Claremont Hospital Director Andy Davey said, “We were thrilled to lend our support once again as the city played host to world class cycling for the watching public.

“We have treated Dean at Claremont previously when he broke his collar bone and he was back on his cycle within weeks.

“So it was great to see him back at peak fitness and demonstrating that strength of determination and spirit – not to mention for a local lad to take the title at this fantastic event.”

The Claremont Sheffield Grand Prix is run by the organisational team of Sheffrec Cycling Club headed by Marc Etches and Mark Barry and was supported by other local organisations including Sheffield City Council; Harrison Cameras; Browns Bar and Brasserie; Bickerton Skoda and Bikebox.

Event organiser Marc Etches said: “This event is now regarded as the best professional cycle race in the country – and after this week’s event it’s not hard to see why!”

Marc told Sheffield Live, “I was blown away by the support from the people of Sheffield who came to cheer on the competitors – it makes the months of hard work beforehand so worthwhile.”

Sheffield Live picks from ‘best ever’ Tramlines

Tramlines (photo courtesy of Tramlines organisers)

Tramlines (photo: Tramlines organisers)

Thousands of music lovers from inside and outside Sheffield enjoyed a lineup of over five hundred performers at this weekend’s fifth Tramlines festival.

And Sheffield Live presenters and volunteers got stuck into Tramlines – through advance interviews, performing at and organising gigs, and getting along to enjoy and to interview, artists performing at the three day festival held across outdoor stages and over 60 venues throughout Sheffield.

The music extravaganza, formerly free to attend, this year introduced charges (£6 per day or £15 for the whole weekend) for access to the main stages, to cover reductions in council funding and falls in sponsorship. But the festival, which cost around £390,000 to organise in 2012, continued to offer a huge amount of free venues – including a large stage in the Peace Gardens.

DJ Cardiac, presenter of Sheffield Live!’s Drop the Funk Drop the Bass show (every Sunday, 1-3pm), said: “a good weekend and nice to see the whole of Sheffield out and coming together for good music and good vibes.” Check out DJ Cardiac’s new Tramlines Jungle & D&B Mix here.

Graham Marshall, co-presenter of Spirit of the Wapentake (Wednesdays, 5-7pm), said: “Jungle Lion in the Peace Gardens absolutely nailed it – we had a good old boogie to them. Firesuite at the Dove and Rainbow, and the Everly Pregnant Brothers playing the crowd at the Fat Cat were my highlights too.”

Payroll Union (photo: Jamie Veitch)

Payroll Union

Jamie Veitch commented “The Folk Forest at Endcliffe Park – organised for Tramlines by co-operative Regather – had a brilliant and family friendly vibe. The arts and crafts workshops and independent stalls added to the atmosphere.

“Weston Park, programmed by Big Live Event, was packed with families enjoying music, stalls and funfair rides too. Our Folk Forest and Weston Park highlights were Neil McSweeney, See Emily Play, Barrule and Payroll Union – all utterly superb.

“Sad to miss Wolf Alice, Jim Jones Revue and David J. Roch – but the downside of Tramlines is you can’t be in two places at once!”

See Emily Play: Emily Ireland & the Stannington Brass Band (photo: Jamie Veitch)

Emily Ireland & the Stannington Brass Band (photo: Jamie Veitch)

Emily Ireland (See Emily Play) played on Saturday afternoon in the bandstand at Weston Park with the Stannington Brass Band (and treated the audience to a solo singing and piano playing encore).

Emily told Jamie after her performance:

“Tramlines is one of my favourite weekends of the whole year…everybody comes together and there’s a real feeling of community and everybody is part of making it awesome – and it’s so nice to play to.”

Neil McSweeney, who has played every Tramlines, told Jamie Veitch “I thought it was great…I’ve done Tramlines every year but I’ve never played the Folk Forest before and I’ve always wanted to because I’ve come down here and really enjoyed the vibe…and I really enjoyed doing it…to come down and play with a whole bunch of people was a nice thing to do.”

Carl Watkins, of Dimond Ranks (one of several bands in which Spirit of the Wapentake‘s co-presenter Sinead Rankin performs) and Jungle Lion, did 2 gigs on Saturday. Carl told Jamie that “the crowd just went absolutely wild, really good atmosphere…the stage was running really smoothly, the sound was really good…absolutely fantastic…really good Tramlines…I felt the vibe everywhere.”

Dale Le Fevre – playful advocate of New Games, and presenter of the Max Chance Show (Tuesdays, 5pm) – ran four New Games sessions as part of the activities within the Folk Forest. Dale said, “this year was fantastic and better than last year with many adults and children keen to participate in the New Games sessions.”

John Smith (photo: Jamie Veitch)

John Smith

Max Munday, presenter of Mouthpiece on Sheffield Live every Wednesday, 9-11am, commented: “There was a massive network of free gigs from pubs and bars to empty warehouses and even a ‘forest’! I spent a lovely hour bathed in the haunting vocals of John Smith, a singer/songwriter from Devon who headlined the Endcliffe Park, ‘Folk Forest’ stage on Sunday evening.

“My highlight though was an incredible audio and visual installation piece in the Millennium Gallery, titled ‘Sleep Walk City’ that combined the epic electronic talents of 65 Days Of Static with projected imagery exploring the city and the political currents of repression and protest that inhabit public spaces. Music from the installation will appear on the Sheffield band’s forthcoming album when it is released in November.”

Max interviewed John Smith for Mouthpiece – listen to it this Wednesday, 24th July at 930am on 93.2fm or through our livestream, or get the podcast afterwards here (24/07/2013 / 9am edition).

Young Music‘s Natalie and Oli (co-presenters on the Local Talent Show – Fridays 4-5pm) organised a special invite-only gig for under 19s as part of the Virtual Community Network. They put 3 young bands forward: Trust Within; The Indigos; and The Yellow Van Man Band. Streamed live online (and available here) with Tramlines branding, this was a fantastic opportunity for the young bands – who had a great time.

Oli’s other Tramlines top pics were Counting Coins in the Bowery (“absolutely loved them”), Scrim and Drop Dead Angus who played at West Street Live, and DJ Seb Wildblood.

South Yorkshire Police praised the tens of thousands of visitors to the festival after the weekend passed off without trouble. Superintendent Shaun Morley said “Thanks to the help of everyone in Sheffield this weekend, we have seen a reduction in an average weekend’s alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and fewer overall incidents of criminality.”

It’s estimated that this year’s Tramlines attracted an additional 70,000 visitors to the city.

Tramlines Festival Director Sarah Nulty said: “A huge thank you to everyone who attended and made it a truly wonderful event. The fantastic weather on Friday set everyone in a great mood which lasted across the site all weekend. Musically it was a great year for Tramlines with so many talented artists on the bill. Through Tramlines we get to showcase exactly what Sheffield has to offer and we’re very proud of it.”

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Sheffield Wellbeing Festival

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Wellbing Festival 2013 Flyer (click to download pdf)

Wellbing Festival 2013 Flyer (click to download pdf)

Sheffield Wellbeing Festival – part of the Sheffield Mental Health Week Initiative – is back for its fifth year.

Friday 26th July will see Fargate filled with stalls, activities, games and even a film screening. Two months ahead of World Mental Health Day, organisations and charities from across the city will join in a celebration of wellbeing.

The Festival will also promote the steps we can all take to enhance and safeguard our own mental health and wellbeing – “just as important as getting your 5-a-day,” according to co-ordinator Sara Hill.

Sara spoke on today’s Communities Live show on Sheffield Live, telling presenter Dale Le Fevre that, “one in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point and so the services that support people in those times are vitally important.”

However all too often these services are unsung – hence this Festival.

The festival will see Fargate brimming with stalls from organisations offering information on their services, volunteering opportunities and more.

Free taster sessions for fun, healthy activities that the whole family can enjoy from Zumba to parachute games will be available from 11am, as well as stilt walkers and a free facepainter for the young, and young at heart.

And don’t miss Madame Zucchini who will provide her unique, vegetable-based entertainment in a performance at 3pm.

Sheffield City Council’s Little Library will be offering children’s activities and workshops throughout the day.

Councillor Mary Lea, Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Independent Living, said: “We are really pleased to be supporting the Wellbeing Festival and it is important that it is focusing on mental health. For many years people often found it difficult to talk about mental health problems even though it is something that affects many people and impacts greatly on overall health and wellbeing. Thankfully, here in Sheffield there is a lot of support for people – this day really will show how people can get help and show they are not alone. There will be so much going on during the day and anyone can get involved  – we hope it is a real success and that many people will benefit.”

What next?

  • Get along to the Festival this Friday on Fargate
  • Listen to Sara Hill talking with Dale Le Fevre on today’s Communities Live show. Sara’s interview starts at 32:45.
  • Sheffield Mental Health Week on twitter
  • Sheffield Mental Health Week and World Mental Health Day will still be celebrated in October with a week of varied events promoting mental health and wellbeing. For more information please contact Sara Hill on
 0114 438 0737 or mentalhealthweek@sheffieldmind.co.uk

Tramlines is here! Alex Deadman interviews and more…

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It’s Friday, it’s hot…it’s time for Tramlines.

Sheffield’s huge city music festival is back for its fifth year, with a brilliant programme and hundreds of artists spread out over 70+ venues.

There’s a massive lineup of music – with a small (£6) daily door charge to access the main stages and music venues – and loads of free areas like Weston Park, The Folk Forest, The Cathedral too.

And there’s even a free Buskers Bus to help get around the city.

Graham Marshall, co-presenter of Sheffield Live!’s Spirit of the Wapentake rock show, recently interviewed Tramlines’ Alex Deadman. You can listen to Graham’s interview with Alex on the Spirit of the Wapentake show here and it’s also here with a special Audio Guide to Tramlines.

And Alex was also a guest on last week’s Saturday Soundclash – listen to the podcast of the show here.

Alex also featured (he’s been working hard…) in Communities Live last week talking with Laurence. Podcast here.

Tomorrow in another Saturday Soundclash Tramlines special we’ll have Clubs And Spades in the building for a chat about the new LP & more.

Wishing you all a great Tramlines…and remember your water and sunscreen!

  • Today’s Local Talent Show was a Tramlines special too…check it out.
  • We have more Tramlines content within Sheffield Live! shows this weekend – as well as serving up our normal weekend feast of great music, film reviews from Slam Dunk Cinema and much, much more…tune in and listen on 93.2fm / livestream via www.sheffieldlive.org
  • Tramlines website (make sure you read the FAQs)
  • Tramlines on Facebook

Keynote Club hits hundredth note

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Bob Hall

Bob Hall

Every week on The Keynote Club, Bob Hall – one of Britain’s finest blues and boogie pianists – treats listeners to an hour of the best and the rarest in blues and rhythm ‘n’ blues, interspersed with quirky humour from his vast personal collection.

This week Bob marked a milestone with the 100th episode of the programme.

Bob commented: “It’s a pleasure and a privilege to share my personal taste in blues and R&B with our radio audience, and I’ve been grateful to many collectors for the use of their rare recordings.  It also helps to blow the dust off my own collection and provides an excuse for spending so much time in second-hand junk stores!”

Acknowledged as Britain’s finest blues and boogie pianist, Bob’s award-winning, elegant piano style and song-writing have influenced generations of piano players and he’s been described as “surely the finest of the British blues and boogie pianists – with a flair for imaginative lyrics” by Blues and Rhythm.

We’re thrilled to have Bob’s programme on Sheffield Live – here’s to the next 100!

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2Weeks 2Make It video competition winners

2WEEKS 2MAKE IT – a groundbreaking music video competition that takes place in the UK each year – has announced its 2013 Winners.

Rob Speranza excited about announcing the winners

Rob Speranza, excited about announcing the winners

Co-organiser and founder, Rob Speranza, said:

“We have been very impressed with the quality of entries this year, and think the material is a true testament to the quality of filmmakers and musicians we have up North.

“We feel that this may be the strongest year ever for music for 2W2MI, with songs by Bang Bang Romeo, Early Cartographers, Captives on the Carousel, Brett Lee (and many others) that are immediately attention-grabbing and memorable potential singles.”

GRAND PRIZE: Sea Monster Eyes/Robert Gravenor: ‘Boat I Row’

AUDIENCE AWARD: Ham Pocket (Feat. 50 Sniffs) /Yella Belly Films: ‘Fine Line Between Love and Crime’

RUNNER-UP AWARD: Captives on the Carousel/ PyroFilm: ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’

There was also a special prize this year from the Cheap Thrills Film Festival which was awarded the video which had gripped their interest all the way through: Sea Monster Eyes.

Winning filmmaker Rob Gravenor, a first-time participant in the competition, commented:

“Sea Monster Eyes and I are absolutely thrilled to be the winners of 2W2MI 2013. I had so much fun during the shoot and the edit. I couldn’t have wished for a better band to work with – talented musicians and awesome actors. They also doubled as my production team working until early hours of the morning on a zero budget, in a small rehearsal room and on location in the Peak District. Despite the challenges nobody lost enthusiasm and it was a fantastic collaboration yielding a result we’re all proud of.

 

“I’m a former dancer and have years of experience in theatre, however the 2W2MI competition has been totally new terrain. It’s my first music video, first directing experience, first screening and first video award! I’d like to thank Rob Speranza and the SYFN for providing me with this debut opportunity, for passionately rallying all filmmakers and for inspiring us to be creative. Both the initial pre-production launch event at Electric Works and the screening of 2W2MI at the Showroom Cinema were superb.  It was a pleasure to see the other videos whose standards were very high and diverse. This is a great competition and I would recommend any ambitious filmmaker or musician to take part in the future. I hope that 2W2MI and the SYFN continue for many years to come.”

The Audience Award, given to nearly 200-strong audience’s favourite video of the night, went to the hysterically funny and creative team of band Ham Pocket and Know Media Ltd. Their video for ‘Fine Line Between Love and Crime’ really had the audience roaring with laughter and was a perfect film to end the screening with. Chris Arnold of Ham Pocket said:

“Fantastic idea for a competition and fantastically put together. We bonded instantly with our filmmakers in Know Media and during the post production period we’re already chatting about potential  future collaborations. It feels absolutely brilliant to win the Audience Award – the people’s choice!”

What next?

  • The winning video, Sea Monster Eyes
  • Audience award, Ham Pocket
  • Runner up award, Captives on the Carousel
  • You can see all fifteen of the competition videos including the winners on the 2Weeks 2Make It YouTube channel
  • Stills from the Awards Ceremony and Launch party are online on the 2W 2MI Facebook page
  • The winning videos, plus a ‘Making Of’ doc are here

Sun shines on Sharrow Festival

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Sheffield Live at Sharrow Festival 2013

Thousands flocked to Mount Pleasant Park on Saturday to enjoy live music, fun activities, entertainment and visit stalls – including a Sheffield Live! outside broadcast stall – in glorious sunshine for the Sharrow Festival.

The Festival is a flagship event for Sharrow which celebrates the culture and diversity of the area and has been running since 1988. This year’s event attracted over 6000 visitors according to an estimate by Alan Deadman, one of the festival organisers.

Sheffield Live! presenters and team including Lee Price (Vancouver Manoeuvre), Paul Gregory, Kevin Risley (Communities Live!) broadcast live from the festival between 1 and 6pm, with Sangita Basudev in the studio looking after the broadcast of the live feed.

Rust performing at Sharrow Festival 2013 (photo: Jamie Veitch)

Rust performing on the main stage

Sangita commented “it was fantastic that so many people attended this year’s Sharrow Festival – and to get such a great response from listeners to our live broadcasts. It’s a special event for Sheffield Live – the festival is a wonderful, welcoming, diverse and inclusive event, with music, entertainment and activities for all. And Sheffield Live originally started as a two-day broadcast project from Sharrow Festival, before securing our FM broadcast license nearly 6 years ago. We’re all thrilled that there was a record turnout for the Festival this year.”

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Bowie Jane interview

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Bowie Jane and Andy Cooper [Photo: Jamie Veitch]

Bowie Jane & Andy Cooper (photo: Jamie Veitch)

Singer / songwriter Bowie Jane joined us in the Sheffield Live! studio last week for an interview with Communities Live! presenter Andy Cooper.

The London-based Australian musician has been living a double life: by day, a “mild-mannered” criminal lawyer, but by night a musician performing live 5 or 6 evenings per week and developing a successful musical career.

Bowie Jane’s secret double life captured the world’s interest earlier this year with TV, radio and press attention leading to more than 10,000 hits a day on her YouTube site.

Her lyrics tell the story of real-life situations with honest grit and candor, but with a sharper edge:  “I write about things that aren’t normally talked about, looking at things from the perspective that you’d probably ‘think’ about, but wouldn’t feel confident to ‘voice’.”

The interview coincides with the release of Bowie Jane’s new single, “Bad Boy” which “points the finger at celebrity bad boys with a reputation.”

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British Bouldering Championships 2013 at Cliffhanger

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Shauna Coxsey at the British Bouldering Championships

Shauna Coxsey at the British Bouldering Championships

The 2013 British Bouldering Championships took place at this weekend’s Cliffhanger event in Sheffield.

Bouldering – a branch of rock climbing which involves attempting to ascend short, but physically and technically demanding ‘problems’ usually above crashmats – has dramatically increased in popularity over recent years.

Shauna Coxsey and Dave Barrans both successfully defended their titles at the British Bouldering Championships, and became national champions for the second year running.

The bouldering competition – one of the highlights of the Cliffhanger event – was held in a special big top marquee, which was packed with spectators shouting encouragement. The scorching heat made the conditions particularly testing for the competitors.

And the win for Shauna Coxsey came after recovering from a broken leg in 2012.

Co-organiser Matt Heason described women’s champion Shauna as “a world class athlete whose performance demonstrated why she’s ranked so highly.”

The men’s competition was closely fought: had 16 year old Dom Burns from Northern Ireland managed to complete his last climb, he would have won. Alas for Dom he didn’t, so in the final points rankings he came 5th. Dave Barrans climbed strongly to clinch the win.

2013 British Bouldering Championship Results

Women:

1. Shauna Coxsey; 2. Mina Leslie-Wujastyk; 3. Alex Puccio; 4. Leah Crane; 5. Gill Peet; 6. Jennifer Wood

Men:

1. Dave Barrans; 2. James Garden; 3. Ben West; 4. Jon Partridge; 5. Dominic Burns; 6. Stewart Watson

The Extreme Mountain Biking Show at Cliffhanger 2013

The Extreme Mountain Biking Show at Cliffhanger 2013

Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger – billed as the UK’s “biggest outdoor festival for outdoor folk”  – aims both to inspire and to involve attendees. The event also featured orienteering, cycle speedway, artificial climbing walls and caves, slacklining, mountain bike “timber trails”, stunt demonstrations and racing, and more.

What next?

Sheffield Doc/Fest reviewed

Van Connor

Van Connor

Van Connor presents Slam Dunk Cinema, Sheffield’s flagship film programme, which broadcasts live every Saturday from noon to 1pm on Sheffield Live.

Last month Van attended Sheffield Doc/Fest which “brings the international documentary family together to celebrate the art and business of documentary making for five intense days in June.”

Over to Van for his commentary on this year’s Doc/Fest:

Launching with the usual fanfare, Doc/Fest returned to Sheffield this month with a veritable bevy of docs covering every possible taste. Continuing the trend of previous years, the festival seemed to have evolved more in scale than anything else; meaning it was impossible for any one person to have seen everything on offer, somewhat of a shame but we’d all agree it’s better to have too much choice than too little.

Shockingly, this was the twentieth year for the festival and saw less of a focus on the fashionably artsy content – don’t be alarmed fanboys, there was still at least one film about an Eastern European mining community – and more of an easygoing vibe to the selections.

Comedy seemed to be the added ingredient this time around. One particular doc, the utterly superb climate change film Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science, was downright hilarious in places; let down only by its bizarre relegation to the Library Theatre, which it still managed to fill to capacity.

Meanwhile, over in the Crucible, Adam Buxton popped along with a live edition of his ongoing internet series Bug, adding a much-needed stand-up style of brevity that never felt out of place with the rest of the festival.

The guest speakers in some regard lacked the “cool factor” of previous years (not having Adam Curtis in attendance feels like Christmas without your wacky uncle), but the festival managed to hold its own with the attendance of Walter Murch (ostensibly, the godfather of contemporary editing); who made his presence felt in every room in which he even peered and managed to evoke the nostalgia of every great director with whom he’d ever collaborated (and believe me, that’s a hell of a list).

Cherry on top

Also for the Hollywood fanbase was Celluloid Screams’ contribution to proceedings, a double bill of The Fear Of God: 25 Years Of The Exorcist, followed by The Exorcist itself and wrapped around a Q&A with the BBC’s Mark Kermode and director Nick Jones. An evening of tremendous enjoyment with a great atmosphere and top notch guests (Kermode never fails to elicit the requisite five laughs), the Exorcist evening was the playful cherry on top for this year’s Doc/Fest and the perfect example of the fine work Celluloid Screams have pulled off in their (surprisingly) short time on the local film scene.

Horrific, haunting insight…

Another documentary worth singling out was the superb (Channel 4 commissioned) hour long The Hunt For Britain’s Sex Gangs, an horrific yet terribly haunting insight into the police investigation of one of the biggest child sex abuse cases in the UK. A very precise and focused story, its director Anna Hall was able to address several people in attendance who were directly affected by events similar to those depicted, and did so with tremendous poise – until the event was spoilt by the bizarre onstage presence of Hardeep Singh Kohli, who saw it as the ideal platform to make presumably hilarious remarks about Channel 4 and crack jokes about Daily Mail readers in a fashion usually reserved for the sort of lazy comedians you find in working men’s clubs. Without fail, there is always one swaggering blowhard at Doc/Fest each year, and it’s safe to say Kohli took it to crescendo for this year.

Seduced by great selection of films…

Overall, the festival was a solid effort. Sure, the food was rather poor and overpriced, the delegates’ desk sat atop the narrowest staircase known to man (and, thanks to the crowds, took about fifteen minutes to climb every single time), and the festival’s increasingly massive spread saw most of us hauling our way across Sheffield City Centre at full speed once every two hours; but in the end, that’s part of the charm of Doc/Fest – a seduction built upon a great selection of films and leaving you fulfilled enough to return again the following year.

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