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Review: Kids in Glass Houses at Corporation

The main room at Sheffield’s finest alternative nightclub was filled to the brim for Kids in Glass Houses on the 12th October.  The silence broke and a familiar yet unusual tune began to play. It was “Non, je ne regrette rien” by Edith Piaf – and it halted every conversation in the room. The tension skyrocketed after the classic had come to an end and there was a brief silence before the excited cheers and squeals of fans.

On came Kids in Glass Houses and began one of the most fun gigs I have attended in quite some time. Aled Phillips (lead singer) addressed the audience and kicked things off with Artbreaker I from the 2010 album Dirt. I was surprised and elated at the pure talent he possessed singing live with each track sounding like a recording taken from a studio perfected album.

I was wooed by impressive showmanship, Aled climbed on stage equipment and hung on to metal bars. There was absolutely no barrier between audience and performer as he responded to peoples’ shouts and made jokes with the crowd. When Aled pointed the microphone towards us, the entire room sang back, it was truly delightful. There was a perfect mix of songs from old to new as the group conjured up a near perfect set list containing songs from four studio albums.

Not once did it look as if performing that night looked like a chore and in return the crowd reciprocated the same passion and energy, when the band said bounce, the room moved in unison. It was an extraordinarily exciting gig, upon arrival I wouldn’t have expected myself to have been dancing and shouting lyrics along with everybody else but it was irresistible. It was clear that the band and the audience had the same agenda – to have a great time, and this was exactly what happened.

Towards the middle of the night, the group slowed it down a little for an acoustic song which promoted a sea of waving arms and a couple of cheeky lighters in the air, then things exploded to finish on a wonderfully high note. It is a huge shame that this will be the last time that Kids in Glass Houses will be playing with the announcement of a breakup in February 2014. These guys are not normally my cup of tea musically but if I left every gig I went to with that same level of happiness and excitement the world would be a better place.

 

PCC Candidates at Sheffield hustings

The four Police and Crime Commissioner candidates were invited to speak at a hustings event held at the Central United Reform Church on Norfolk Street, and jointly organised by Sheffield for Democracy and South Yorkshire Neighbourhood Watch.

Conservative candidate Ian Walker, English Democrat candidate David Allen, Labour candidate Alan Billings, and UKIP candidate Jack Clarkson all had the chance to speak for five minutes, followed by questions from the audience.

Vicky Seddon, co-ordinator of Sheffield For Democracy said: ‘Rotherham has shown how supposedly democratic structures can fail. This is certainly true of the Police and Crime Commissioner post, and if we have to have this official in this way then we need to be careful who we choose.’

The election takes place on Thursday 30 October, with the count on Friday 31 October.

Kathryn Smiles was at the PCC hustings event, reporting here for Sheffield Live.

Chris Ramsey Show reviewed

Chris Ramsey: Sunday 19th October – Sheffield City Hall

There is a very good chance that, in the last few years , Chris Ramsey will have popped up on your radar. After his starring role as Jack Pearson in BBC Two’s Hebburn, and his appearances on numerous TV shows such as Mock the Week and Celebrity Juice, this cheeky Northerner is nothing short of hilarious. However, he has primarily made waves within the stand-up circuit.

Born and raised in South Shields, he left his film degree at the University of Sunderland to pursue a career in stand-up. After being compere to an open-mic night in Newcastle, and being nominated for a Chortle award, he took his first solo show on the road four years ago, and has been successful ever since.

This performance at the City Hall was a testament to Ramsey’s success. It wasn’t the first time I had seen him live – that happened as part of his previous stand-up offering ‘Feeling Lucky’. But, after such a side-splittingly funny show last time, I knew that this offering – ‘The Most Dangerous Man on Saturday Morning Television’ – would be no different.

He even had the same support act, in the shape of fellow comedian Carl Hutchinson. He was hysterical last time, and after hearing Chris introducing him, I knew the show would get off to a flying start. With highlights including McDonald’s clever marketing in Manchester, to forming his new group ‘The Chipped Tooth Brothers’ whilst swapping stories in the gym, his humour-driven take on the nuances of his life was a fantastic start to the show. This man is definitely one to watch.

After the interval, it was Chris’s turn. After a condiment-filled introduction (a story involving confusion with a Subway order), he launched into his material. The show was mainly about the incident which spawned the title, (without spoiling things too much, it involved an unfortunate faux pas on Soccer AM). However, Chris punctuates the story with side-splitting asides and tangents, such as his displeasure of people’s preferences when disposing of toilet roll, and his attempts to channel his inner James Bond whilst on holiday with a girl – and left the audience (including myself) in stitches.

In short, both comedians were energetic, quick-witted and genuinely nice guys (they both stayed at the end to sign merchandise and pose for photos) – and it was a pleasure seeing them the second time around.

Reviewed by Jenny Newton for Sheffield Live!

Radiographers ask for fair pay

Radiographers went on strike for the first time in over 30 years.  The half day strike is the latest in a number of stoppages by NHS workers to get a one percent pay rise this year.  NHS workers have only had one increase in the last 5 years.

Sheffield Design Awards

The winners of the Sheffield Design Awards were announced at the start of Urban design week.The awards are given to local building projects which demonstrate the best design.  Ten buildings including, residential properties were short listed.  The people’s choice was won by Sum Studios in Heeley while best building went to Sellers Wheel in the centre of town.

Stop the traffic

A local fair trade social enterprise is making jewellery and raising money for a total of six charities that are working to support women who are being trafficked.

 

Outdoor activities help economic growth

The European Outdoor Summit is going to be held in Sheffield next year. This announcement comes as the same time as  research carried out by Sheffield Hallam University,  shows that outdoor activities such as climbing, walking and biking are all contributing to the economic growth of the City.  The research estimates that outdoor activities bring £53 million pounds to Sheffield.