It’s safe to say one of the key things we’ve missed since Covid restrictions arrived is live music, especially of the big outdoors event variety. So you can imagine the excitement when Get Together, a brand new two-day Sheffield festival, announced it was heading our way for a big ol’ do this summer.Taking place at The University of Sheffield Students’ Union, the inaugural event will take place on 7–8 August.
The impressive line-up is jampacked with some of the most exciting artists on the UK music scene today, showcasing a wide range of genres and ensuring there’s something for everyone to get down to. In fact, this *could* be our first opportunity to experience live music and festivals without any restrictions here in Sheff. Sounds good to us. Here’s just a taster of what we can look forward to…
Catching the headliners
Brighton four-piece BLACK HONEY will headline the Saturday of Get Together, having recently reached no. 7 in the album charts with their latest release Written and Directed. The band are well trained in smashing big gigs, having toured with Queens of the Stone Age and gracing the stages of Glastonbury. Expect Lana Del Rey-style pop ballads blended with pacy surf rock and a cinematic Tarantino ambience – all uniting for an unforgettable live experience.
Closing the festival on Sunday 8th August is Steel City favourite SELF ESTEEM (Rebecca Lucy Taylor). Having played in practically every venue across the city and toured the world with South Yorkshire duo Slow Club, Rebecca fired up the solo project burners and unveiled debut album Compliments Please in 2019 – a critically acclaimed record loaded with bombastic pop bangers. Self Esteem has made a welcome return this year with new single ‘I Do This All The Time’, resulting in a prime time slot on Later With Jools Holland and a highly anticipated UK-wide tour.
Black Honey Photo credit: Laura Allard Fleischl
Finally getting to dance again…
Remember dancing about with yer pals? Yeah, we miss it too. And no band knows more about bringing the boogie than IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE. With their jubilant mix of disco and 80s electro that mixes Ibibio (the Nigerian language which inspires their name) with upbeat lyrical delivery, this party-starting outfit are driven by hypnotic percussion, groove and having a whole lotta fun.
THE ORIELLES will keep you nicely warmed up and throwing shapes, too. The Halifax indie-pop trio released second album Disco Volador into the stratosphere in February 2020.
Cosmic, warped disco singles like ‘Bobbi’s Second World’, which channels Talking Heads at their funkiest, as well as the disco bopping ‘Space Samba (Disco Volador Theme)’ have positioned the band as one of the most danceable UK guitar acts to emerge in recent years.
Singing along with Tim Burgess…
Charlatan’s frontman, record shop expert and all-round lovely bloke Tim Burgess also joins the Get Together line-up this year. Despite not being able to gig, Tim kept himself busy in this past year with all manner of projects; If he wasn’t keeping the nation sane by hosting his Twitter Listening parties virtually every night, or supporting grassroots music venues feeling the pressure, he could be found in the studio (socially distanced, of course), popping out the odd album or two.
The fruits of those studio sessions became his latest solo record ‘I Love The New Sky’, which came out on Bella Union to huge critical acclaim. Given he has been instrumental in so many great records over the years, always bringing enthusiasm, positivity and diversity of influence it comes as no surprise the album is yet another banger. Tim’s posi-tive vibes were a shining beacon of optimism during a difficult year and now he’s bringing the feelgood factor back in the flesh and on a live stage. Expect to hear music from his latest record alongside legendary anthems from his time at the forefront of Britpop with The Charlatans.
See you down at the front, yeah?
Discovering something new…
One thing we love about festivals is stumbling across your new favourite artist by complete chance, and you’ll struggle to find a fresh band to love with the strength of this impressive lineup.
Want a tip? Check out L’Objectif. Their urgent and raw debut single ‘Drive in Mind’ turned plenty heads and it didn’t take long for the word to travel over from Leeds that they’re ones to watch this year.
If you haven’t already had the pleasure, we’d also recommend checking out Martha Hill – an outstanding songwriter and performer from the North East. Her tunes cover everything from relationship troublesto grilled cheese sandwiches and she’s one of the most exciting alt-pop artists on the scene today.
You also won’t want to miss Silvertwin. The band smooth vocal harmonies and melodies remind us of ELO and The Beach Boys. What could be better to vibe out to on a summer’s day?
But the best way to fall in love with all these amazing new artists is to go out and discover them for yourself. If you want to get a chance to check them out before the festival, then follow Get Together on Spotify – they’ve put together an ace playlist with something from all the bands that are playing.
Get the latest updates and news by following @GetTogetherFest or @SomewherePresents on socials. Tickets are available from £25 from SomewherePresents.com.
