Sheffield Council has confirmed that all 24 of their residential tower blocks will be fitted with sprinkler systems following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The council also said exterior cladding used to refurbish council-owned tower blocks was “fireproof and complies with building and planning regulations”. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
The chief executive of South Yorkshire Housing Association, Tony Stacey, has told Sheffield Live! that building regulations must change following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Stacey, recently awarded an OBE for 35 years of service to social housing, confirmed that all SYHA properties are fitted with sprinklers as a matter of policy. This report from Simon Thake.
The more of these pop-punk gigs I attend at Corporation, the more madly I fall in the love with the genre and all of the wonderful things it has to offer.
Having only listened to Patent Pending in passing previously, I entered the room without any expectations. I sometimes find this is the best method when I’ll be writing a review because it means I don’t wander in already thinking “I am bound to enjoy this.”
Each track encouraged movement and a great sense of ‘togetherness’ flooded the room. The group even covered the theme tune from The Big Bang Theory (originally by the Barenaked Ladies) which went down an absolute treat.
The showmanship was unsurpassable, with heaps of audience interaction (including a crowd swimming competition with Joe Ragosta and his younger brother!) and jokes rolling one after the other, it was such an enthralling atmosphere and there was not a single second I did not feel captivated and excited.
There are very few things that are comparable to the sense of community and belonging at a pop-punk concert with a band like Patent Pending. They speak from the heart and deliver messages that are meaningful and have purpose, that does not mean to say that they are serious – these guys are anything but – however, they are genuine guys who never stray from this which can be so easy to do once you find yourself in the limelight.
Please please follow the guys on Twitter @PTPGOfficial and as always a huge thanks and shout out to my favourite alternative venue in Sheffield Corporation.
It’s a brand new year and what better way to start it off than by travelling back over a decade to see an old favourite play a sell out show at Sheffield’s biggest alternative venue, Corporation?
Playing through their platinum (US) selling album ANThology, this was a nostalgia party that everybody was invited to.
Corp immediately became a swarming hive of activity fuelled by the previous performances by the wonderful Dirty Youth and INME. Passionate and eager, we were psyched up and ready for AAF to arrive on stage.
The performance given by Mitchell, Cosgrove, Corso and Peugh was nothing short of how I would have imagined it when I first heard “Movies” on Kerrang TV. Feeling somewhat sentimental and ecstatic in unison, I think I can speak for most people who attended that evening when I say that this gig was something pretty special.
The crowd were absolutely insatiable throughout the entire set and the showmanship was simply incredible, from track 1 all the way to 14, and what better way to close the show than by playing their hugely successful cover of Michael Jacksons’ “Smooth Criminal.”
The band were truly on form and performed to an exceptional level, I’m sure this experience will be a memorable one that will stay with people for a long time.
Follow Corporation nightclub on Twitter for event updates! – @Corpsheffield
It all started with a perfect opening: Turncoat gave everyone an immediate rush of energy that possessed every person in the room for the entire show.
Anti-Flag have now (for twenty years or more) laboured to build and be part of a conscious community whose eyes are open to the world around them. Fully fuelled by activist political opinion, the group send a positive message to all to be respectful and live life to its full potential. The set list included Die For Your Government and War Sucks, Let’s Party to name a few of their more obvious political songs.
The gig was enthralling, people became united and threw their fists in the air and belted the band’s lyrics right back at them with passion. The crowd was encouraged to make some noise, jump and dance with all they had. This is one of the first gigs I’ve been to where the audience interaction was so consistent, short speeches and opinions on world affairs left people clapping and cheering in agreement.
The icing on the cake for me personally, was the moment Chris #2 (bass guitar, vocals) joined us in the crowd to finish up, it truly broke down the walls between performer and audience and was spectacular to see. Anti-Flag were bringing out positive activist records when I was less than ten years old and they have not lost a single spark of devotion for what they believe in.
The new album American Spring contains higher elements of pop in contrast to some of their earlier music, this is not to say however, that the band have lost of their initial hard hitting edginess. Whether the punk scene is your thing or not, it is difficult to argue with positive messages against racism and hate. It is a close knit community that goes deeper than just the music, and I was delighted to be part of it for an evening.
Over the weekend I had the pleasure of receiving an EP from five-piece One Year Dead complete with three tracks.Friday the 13th of March, androgynous alternative rock ensemble Placebo returned to Sheffield’s O2 Academy to celebrate their 20th year of remarkable music making.
Completely sold out, the gig’s crowd filled the Academy from front to back. Pure Morning played softly while the band prepared behind the scenes. It was gratifying to see fans young and old attending the gig, reminding us that music is something that stays close to us regardless of age.
The show started with the brilliant B3 and continued with songs from newer albums Loud Like Love and Battle For The Sun. Next up, perhaps the most popular Every You, Every Me, from the 1999 film Cruel Intentions.
For me, I would have been keen to have heard more from the group’s previous albums but it seemed although the show was marketed to celebrate 20 years of hard work, it really only focused on their newer material. This meant that in a sense we were denied some of the best work that Placebo have produced as they have dipped into different styles and mastered them all.
Space Monkey was the song of the evening in my opinion, well delivered and just incredible to hear live, it certainly packed a punch and displayed Molko’s vocal talents perfectly.
Brian Molko looked and sounded beautiful and gave a stunning performance, however overall I do wish they had given us a little more from their outstanding back catalogue.
Inherit the Stars (who played at Corporation on 7 February 2015) are one of the few reasons that make me proud to be watching local bands in Sheffield at this time, writes Jade Knox. The tracks they play have been nurtured and practiced until perfect. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, a band that is true to the music that influences them and can avoid the slippery indie slope that Sheffield bands are so eager to fall down, are always a plus in my book.
Songs with heavy riffs or with pop twists ensure that the group don’t alienate themselves from other genres which leads to a wider and more varied fan base that they certainly deserve. It is clear that Inherit the Stars have gained extreme popularity as evident by the hectic dance floor antics and soul-felt singalongs. It’s no secret that the group have found themselves friends and not just fans.
Sounds similar to those of Enter Shikari and less well known I Set My Friends On Fire, reminded me of why I used to be so heavily involved in this music scene as an older teen. It is a fantastic crowd to be part of and a band I’d like to see go even further than they have already.
A solid performance from all four members, a true pleasure to watch.
Despite not being the only big name from the Madchester music scene in the 1980s and 90s, Oldham’s own Inspiral Carpets are veterans to the alternative rock scene of the time, having links with the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses, they are truly influential British legends.
Their Leadmill gig on 6th December saw fans young and old gather together to celebrate an extraordinary act. It was a flawless gig with a killer combination of old and new tracks, giving everybody something to love.
After seeing the Happy Mondays a year ago this month, there was a distinctive contrast between the two groups despite coming from just around the corner from each other. It was very evident throughout the Mondays gig that these guys had hit it hard over the last 30 years. In contrast, no spark had been lost from the Inspirals, a perfect sound and charismatic performance that sounded as enthused and energetic as I imagine it had done the first time they were on stage.
An unbeatable blending of dance and indie that made standing still impossible. The new single Spitfire should be purchased by anybody with any taste immediately.
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.