Recently, Sheffield has been generously granted the odd glimpse of spring. The sun has been out, shorts have been on, and people as unfortunate as myself have acquired their first sunburn of the year. For the crowd at Yellow Arch – though the ground was damp and the breeze like ice – it was Rio, and it was Carnival.
Funky Drummer, Phonetics and La Rumba put on their second Carnival night on Friday 13 March, rivalling or even surpassing their first. Where last year focused on Brazil, this year brought artists and influences from across Latin America and the Caribbean, partly inspired by Peter Usher of Funky Drummer and Roman Rocha of La Rumba’s travels through Colombia and Brazil during Carnival season.
Pete explained why the theme means so much to him: “Carnival is such an inspiration because it represents freedom of expression and shared joy.”
The event took over all three main rooms of Yellow Arch and spilled out into the courtyard, where the University of Sheffield Samba Band performed. Having missed them at Brazilian Carnival last year, I was ecstatic to catch them this time. Samba pulls people together like nothing else, and the band played a huge part in making the night feel like a true Carnival rather than just a great club night.
In a move that underlined the event’s authenticity, DJ The Busy Twist was flown in directly from Colombian Carnival, delivering a killer underground set blending Afro-Caribbean, Latin and UK sounds that you couldn’t help but shake your hips to.
Favourites from last year, Gustavo Andrade and The Brasukas also made a return, the 11-piece Brazilian big band getting the venue quite literally bouncing. The energy in the main room when these guys came on is why I will never miss an event put on by Funky Drummer, Phonetics, and La Rumba – everyone was grooving to the fullest, everyone was smiling, and the feeling was one of unrestrained celebration.
Personally, I will always gravitate more towards a live set, but I was thoroughly captivated by La Rumba’s warehouse DJ set earlier on in the evening, and it became one of the highlights of my night. Fast paced and flirtatious, it was the pinnacle of Latin club music; the kind that’s so percussively exciting that it gets you focusing on your footwork.
Roman said: “The whole concept of carnival is magical – from the people to the music, pageantry, and craziness whichever way you turn, that raw energy is something we all wanted to bring to Sheffield.”
If I had the space I’d write an article singing the praises of each performer. Both Funky Drummer and Phonetics delivered their iconic individual sets, with Funky Drummer finishing the night with ‘The Sea’ by Morcheeba, which had the whole audience going in for hugs. This highlighted for me what makes these events so special: it’s the people. The environment is one of pure joy.
The evening was a riot of sound and colour, much of which was a credit to Pete’s dad on the lighting, who always gets it bang-on and doesn’t miss a trick with a disco ball. I have unlimited praise for the night, and the absolutely killer line-up that they curated. The collaboration of these three organisers is an absolute asset to Sheffield, and I’m yet to attend another club night that comes close to the vibrancy and spirit of their Carnival.
