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The Rusbies review

Sheffields’ own rock and roll group The Rusbies styled one of our best loved live music venues, The Plug, on 22 August.

The very first thing I noticed was that The Rusbies have a wonderful supportive following who would chant and scream which gave the atmosphere an exciting edge: when they threw out a free t-shirt to the crowd it went down a treat – I wouldn’t have minded one myself!

There was one point during the gig where a slightly inebriated gentleman was given permission to come on stage as it was allegedly the fella’s birthday. I don’t know if was a relative or close friend and although some people in the crowd seemed to love the gimmick, for me it really took away some of the shine from the performance.

Despite this interesting interruption it there were many wonderful things about this gig including the vocals. These were spot on sounding very Doherty-esque – emphasised perhaps by lead singer Nathan Keeble having a few beverages previously.

The band also threw out a cover of Tainted Love and they did a superb job of this! The drumming was excellent and it was clear that the group have a passion for what they do, and that others share the passion with them.

At the moment they’re a very rough and ready group who are incredibly down to earth and more than happy to interact with a crowd, destroying any barrier between audience and performer, which is one of the reasons local groups can grow to be so popular.

Missed this gig? Not to worry! The Rusbies will also be playing local venue The Rocking Chair on November 28th.

The Sonik Seeds review

This four pieced performed beautifully (at The Leadmill, 16/08/14) with just the right amount of modesty and showmanship which made them very charming and endearing.

It was a short but superb set but it certainly left the audience wanting more. These guys have a delightful raw rock and roll sound with a sixties vibe. It is remarkably refreshing seeing bands explore older sounds from previous generations and give them a new lease of life, and this has been executed perfectly by The Sonik Seeds.

You may have already heard the band, either featuring on a video for popular cosmetic brand Rimmel with Georgia Jagger, or after they had their first play live on BBC Sheffield Introducing… with their single Shine On. They play as beautifully live and have a chemistry together which is rare and wonderful.

Once again Sheffield and the surrounding areas have done us proud. I firmly believe we are still trying to make our voices heard in Sheffield, being a smaller city than our neighbours Leeds and Manchester and not always being first choice with bigger artists, but with bands like these coming off our Sheffield streets and on to the stage people have no choice but to hear us.

Sheffield to host Special Olympics 2017

Sheffield has won its bid to host Special Olympics GB, the UK’s biggest disability sports event to be held in 2017.

Special Olympics 2017 will be the tenth Special Olympics GB, for children and adults with learning disabilities, and the second time the event has been held in Sheffield. It will take place from 7 August to 11 August 2017 in sports venues around Sheffield including Sheffield Hallam University City Athletics Stadium, Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and Hillsborough Leisure Centre

Councillor Julie Dore, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Sheffield has been selected to host the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games in three years’ time.

“This is another opportunity for our communities to get involved in a wonderful celebration of all things sporting. We estimate the economic benefit hosting the games in Sheffield will be in the region of £1.5m.”

Karen Wallin, Special Olympics GB’s CEO, said: “We are thrilled to be heading back to Sheffield”.

Megan Hattersley who is hoping to compete in the swimming events in three years time said: “It’s a great sport and anybody can take part in it no matter what their background or where they come from”.

Rolo Tomassi at Tramlines – review

Returning to Sheffield for their first live performance of 2014, Rolo Tomassi tore up Corporation for the Tramlines festival.

The show follows a period of creative hiatus for the band as they have locked themselves away writing their fourth album, four years since their first, Hysteric (2008).

Eve Spence and the band did not disappoint, playing with true exertion and energy to a crowd of dedicated and surviving festival goers on the third and final day of Tramlines.

Rolo Tomassi played their half-hour midday set like they were headlining the bigger rock festivals such as Download and after thanking fans for their continued support they indulged the audience by playing a few new unreleased tracks during the set, unfortunately due to the sheer energy of the crowd (not at all a complaint) I was unable to hear the titles.

These new tracks followed the same winning Tomassi formula as their previous work, using a mixture of vocal registers with complimenting heavy instrumental thrashing and softer building up pieces.

The songs weren’t the only new things Rolo Tomassi had to offer either: mid-set the band introduced a new member, drummer Tom Pitts, to the group noting it was his first show with them. Something a casual listener might have overlooked as the band played with a united harmony as if they were still all the original members from when they formed in 2005.

Looking back at the previous Tramlines that Rolo Tomassi have been involved in one thing is always a guarantee for their shows and that is the energetic crowds. Whilst the scene might have been different in the dark Corporation main room from their sunlight shows in front of City Hall, the ‘pit’ emerged loyally again in front of the band.

Not many bands evoke audience participation in the way Rolo Tomassi does. There’s a sense of passive adrenaline that comes with the sight of all those bodies being thrown about to beat of their music. With the crowd being constantly combed over by an intense industrial light display, and the strobe lighting flashing in unison to the music, you can’t help but feel energised and pumped even if you daren’t enter the ‘pit’ yourself. During ‘the scales of balance’ the movement in the crowd was so electric there was a moment I almost forgot what I’d come to see, the band or the crowd.

Sadly there are currently no more confirmed shows for the rest of this year although Eve ended the set with a very promising and exciting “see you guys later in the year.” Personally I hope to see them again next year at Tramlines, as it’s become some sort of a ritual for me. Rolo Tomassi were followed onstage by London’s instrumental trio Three Trapped Tigers (Sunday’s Corporation Headliners), who brought their own unique captivating noise to round off the show – and round off Corporation’s live contribution to the festival.

The Jezabels at The Plug: review

I’d not heard of The Jezabels until relatively recently when I stumbled upon a huge poster in the city centre advertising their new album The Brink; later the same evening I decided to stick it on Spotify and have not looked back!

Quite often I need to hear an album in its entirety several times to be able to make what I believe would be an informed opinion but it became evident immediately that new release was completely saturated in magic.  Much to my delight I was notified that the group were soon to play the new release at one of Sheffield’s renowned live music venues – The Plug. With regret, on this occasion I was unable to attend in time to see the support act Shermer however, I keep my fingers crossed that I will catch them on another occasion.

The Jezabels were outstanding, and there were so many factors that contributed to it being such a wondrous evening. At this point I feel that I must confess (if it has not been evident already) that I am very fond of most music that involves a keyboard, so having Heather Shannon looking beautiful beside one gave them a slight advantage.

After reading that they had described themselves as “intensindie” I was curious to find out what this meant. I think those who see themselves as ‘serious’ music critics could  perhaps cast this off as just another pop group but to see them perform I think it’s evident they have a lot of depth.

Hayley Mary has such haunting vocals, she possesses a voice that seems to get inside your head as well as your ears, and there is a particular element of ‘moodiness’ that seems to hold genuine emotion.

I particularly enjoyed the aesthetics of the band, all in dark clothing which made them eerie in the best possible way, I was especially happy to see the women fully dressed and looking smart which for me helps me to take them more seriously. It’s clear they care more for the art of their music than taking the route a lot of female musicians do by wearing as little as possible to sell records.

It was plain to see that the band were serious about what they do and that showed with the pure emotion that came from all of the members, Hayley especially, who was dancing with genuine emotion along with the crowd. The band manifested a breath-taking atmosphere and I would happily see them over and over again.

Doncaster makes shortlist

Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam, has offered support in a bid to secure a new college in South Yorkshire.

The College would offer apprenticeships to young people and give them skills to help build the planned HS2 high speed rail line. The line would connect London Euston station to the Midlands, North West England and Yorkshire, almost halving commute times from Sheffield to London. The bid, from Doncaster, has been short-listed by the government as one of four possible locations for the HS2 college alongside Derby, Birmingham and Manchester.

If Doncaster bid was successful, the college would be equipped with cutting-edge technology and state of the art facilities. It would also provide training courses for the specific requirements of the rail project, which is expected to generate more than 2,000 apprenticeships.

As a Sheffield MP, Nick Clegg has written to the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills to outline his support for the bid.  In his letter, Nick Clegg MP states that the region – in particular Doncaster – is the “spiritual home of British railways” with the Flying Scotsman, Sir Nigel Gresley and The Mallard all being built there in 1923, 1937 and 1938 respectively.

The high speed service would have trains running from London St Pancras twice a day with a commute time of 1 hour 09 minutes.

New fire safety campaign

By Alice Rose

A fire service campaign which intends to make people aware of the danger of electrical chargers has won European backing.

The campaign was started up by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue following a house fire in which five members of the same family sadly lost their lives.

It is thought that the fire was probably caused by a faulty charger.

Linda McAvan, MEP for Yorkshire and Humber, is backing the campaign to help stop fires, such as the one in Netheredge, from happening again.

“We are doing all that we can to reduce fires in the home at a European level. MEPS have legislated to standardise chargers for mobile devices to both reduce environmental waste and to save you money.”

The legislation was voted on by MEPS in March this year and was approved by ministers in April.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Station Manager Darren Perrott, said:“Most people probably have several electrical chargers lying around at home at any given time, but all we’re asking for is a little bit of common sense when charging them.” Mr Perrot continued “What we’re particularly concerned about is unbranded chargers which can be bought cheaply over the internet. You should only buy chargers which are compatible with the device you are charging, and never leave things charging overnight.”

Heavy Duck EP Review

Heavy Duck EP – Who the Duck!?

I have been fortunate enough to have once again been given new music to take home and listen to . This time it is the brand new EP from Sheffield’s own Heavy Duck, Who The Duck!?

When I first listened to the EP in its entirety it struck me that within seven tracks the group have very cleverly managed to use everything in their itinerary to showcase the range of genres and sounds they are capable of.

If I’m honest there were points where the vocals seemed almost a little foreign to the music, as if two totally different bands were performing together and lyrically there is room for improvement. The song Big Balls performed by a growling Slimmbob was a significant contrast to the rest of the EP and proved that for Heavy Duck although music is about being deep and meaningful, a little bit of humour never hurts.

I found it really difficult to pin Heavy Duck down within a particular genre as they clearly have taken so many wide influences from rock, indie and punk bands and mixed them together. Combining genres in this way is certainly a courageous act and can produce wonderful pieces of music, however, it is a double edged sword and can be a very risky move.

People do tend to purchase music based on the genre, often other things follow from this choice of a particular sound of music for example the way somebody may choose to dress. Having a band that doesn’t seem to have found its sound yet is both a wonderful thing as they have so many options they can take and will excel in any direction they go in; I just believe a direction needs to be decided on.

I’m very excited, not only to see what the band come up with next, but finally to get to see them perform live.

What next?

  • Heavy Duck are playing The Hop on the 23rd July and The Royal Standard at Tramlines on the 27th July
  • You can download their Who the Duck!? EP from their Bandcamp page

Sheffield businesses can go global and meet worldwide export reps

Representatives from Chile, Columbia, Mexico, Philippines, Romania, Slovakia and Singapore will visit Sheffield next week to discuss exports from the city region.

South Yorkshire International Trade Centre (SYITC) is organising a secondv – free to attend – ‘Meet and Build’ event on July 18, to offer businesses in the Sheffield City Region an opportunity to discuss exports to these countries through the Overseas Business Network (OBN) initiative.

Nick Patrick, head of international trade at SYITC, told Sheffield Live: “We have agreements with 41 representative organisations around the world and it is our intention to get as many of those as possible to visit Sheffield to speak with businesses in the region.

“The events are designed to introduce personal contacts in specific target markets to help guide businesses through the exports process. The international visitors are very keen to help businesses in the Sheffield City Region of all sizes, from all sectors.  
 
“They will be in Sheffield to provide specific market sector information, help find agents, distributors or direct links to future customers. Our inaugural event was a great success and this is the second of many we hope to run in the future to boost exports from the region.”

SYITC, which is part of the Sheffield Chamber, offers broad support for local businesses to grow their global market, including assisting exporters throughout the process of completing the documentation; from choosing the correct documents to ensuring that they are completed correctly.

Nick Patrick will discuss the Overseas Business Network – and give tips to businesses wanting to export – our Business Live show on Friday 11 July, from 9am-10am. Tune in on 93.2fm or through our livestream, or access the podcast afterwards.

To attend the ‘Meet and Build’ event (at the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce office on Savile Street) please book online at www.syitc.com/events/meet-build-overseas-business-network

SheffEX: film and radio interviews

The inaugural SheffEX business exhibition took place on Monday 3rd June at Ponds Forge, designed “as a place to do business by Sheffield City Region businesses people for Sheffield City Region businesses people.”

And it was a great success – with exhibition stands sold out, over 1000 delegates, and, in the words of co-organiser Tony Carroll, the venue “absolutely buzzing with people making contacts, doing deals and forming new partnerships.”

Sheffield Live interviewed Tony Carroll on our Business Live radio programme on Friday 2nd May to talk about the plans for the event.

And we went along to SheffEX on the 2nd of June to interview exhibitors, delegates and speakers. We broadcast these interviews on the Business Live radio programme on Sheffield Live on Friday 6th June.

You can listen to the interviews here:

SheffEX – 1:

SheffEX – 2:

Who is in the interviews?

In the first set of interviews (SheffEX 1) you can hear:

1. David Watkins, FORTAY Media
2. Faye Smith, Keep Your Fork
3. David Robinson BDO Accountants
4. Amanda Drake, Sheffield Chamber
5. Nic Rotton, Sterling Capital Reserve
6. Joel Kruithof, Osborne Translation Services
7. Austin Macauley, Real Ale Trails
8. Mick Heard, Business Crime Reduction Centre
9. Jess Culbert, You Say Social
10. Sam Cook, Cathedral Archer Project
11. Mark McCormick, SheffEX & Cafe Moco

In the second set of interviews (SheffEX 2) you can hear:

1. Becky, Magna
2. David Toft, Westfield Health
3. Andy Hanselman
4. Claire Thompson, Mercury Taxis
5. Kiley Tan, Wosskow Brown
6. Carla Davis, Hart Shaw (in an extended interview with advice on international trade)
7. Nigel Short, VOOT
8. Donna Wingell, Accountability
9. Martin Abonyi, Sugarcane
10. Martin Ross, HR Media
11. Catherine Beatty, Aizlewood Business Centre
12. John Baddeley, Wake Smith Solicitors
13. Sarah Brown Inspire2Aspire
14. Tony Carroll, SheffEX (in an extended interview talking about the organisation of the event)

The SheffEX organisers and their partners Fortay Media and Fish Eagle Films have also recently released a film with interviews with a number of SheffEX exhibitors: