Sensoria is our homegrown festival of music, film and digital arts, which prides itself on providing a series of unique experiences ranging from exhibitions in unconventional places to showcasing cutting-edge music technology. If you caught a glimpse of our preview last month, you might have been enticed by one or more of these events. However, just in case anything slipped your notice, Mark Perkins, a self-professed Sensoria festival enthusiast, has compiled a summary for your convenience.
Nordic Giants are a band I missed the last time they played Sheffield, and I have long wanted to put that right. How to review a band that is often said to ‘defy description’? Well, it certainly didn’t disappoint as it was like very little else I’ve ever seen. They played a selection of instruments in semi-darkness, primarily based around Roka’s drumming, with Loki stage left on keyboards. Not that you could tell for sure who they were, as they were both dressed in bizarre costumes and bathed in all different light colours. Behind them, films were projected on screens, which enhanced the music so that everything became a fully integrated, distinctly different immersive experience. Sensoria often focuses on the intersection of music and visual images, so an act like Nordic Giants were always destined to go down a treat.
Nordic Giants at Sheffield Drama Studio. Photo: Tracey Welch
Sensoria Pro is a whole day where the festival organisers provide opportunities for composers, filmmakers, music publishers and supervisors, games developers and just about anyone with an interest in music and film to spend a day together. Throughout the day there were chances to do things like chat with the team behind the new Full Monty series or listen to Will Gregory and Adrian Utley from Goldfrapp and Portishead being interviewed, amongst other intriguing bits and bobs. As usual, the much anticipated soundtracking competition punctuated the afternoon, and the day was all capped off in the evening with a trek up to the University Drama Studio for an event called High Scores – three performances showcasing how the electronic music of video games has had such an impact on past and present culture.
We Are Not Devo are a Sheffield-based five-piece, who, it will come as no surprise to learn, play music comprising entirely of songs from the back catalogue of 70s new wave band Devo. A bit of a niche event you might think, and perhaps it was, but such was the enthusiasm and musicianship of the players that everyone, fans and newcomers alike, were carried along in the fun during a hugely enjoyable evening.
We Are Not Devo. Photo: Tracey Welch
Sandwiched in the midst of all this is the annual meetup of synth heads and devotees of all things that have tiny flashing lights on them: Synthfest. Sound On Sound magazine, in partnership with Sensoria, organise an event where both large companies and individual makers, all cram into the Octagon to show off their wares – including a guy who’s there every year with his original, looks-like-a-telephone-exchange Moog synthesiser. Myself, knowing very little about any such devices, was happy just to be allowed to do a bit of knob-twiddling, but the big draws are the talks and demonstrations. Even with my rudimentary knowledge of such things, I was in awe of the chance to hear a talk and performance by Lydia Kavina, herself a renowned theremin player, who has not only met Bob Moog but is the granddaughter of Leon Theremin himself, and who was taught by him to play that absolute zenith of all electronic musical devices.
Personally, the most memorable part of Sensoria 2023 was the chance to finally go inside the Moore Street Electricity Substation to see the My Brutal Life exhibition. For those unfamiliar, the building stands as a monument to brutalist architecture, situated opposite Waitrose as you make your way into town. Designed and constructed in 1968 by Jefferson Sheard, it obtained Grade II-listed status a decade ago. It’s long been illuminated at night, highlighting its stark beauty, and is a building I absolutely love, symbolising the regeneration of Sheffield after its centre was all but destroyed in the war.
Inside the iconic Moore Street Substation for ‘My Brutal Life’. Photo: Laura Merrill
The event brought together work by photographers, artists and musicians, all displayed in the cavernous and atmospheric space at the top of the building. Entry was restricted in numbers and the experience was time-limited, so I felt very privileged to be there. One of the installations had music by The Black Dog, who themselves played at the Drama Studio for the final night of Sensoria’s live events. Much as they had in the exhibition, they launched their new album by performing a live AV set, with each piece of music accompanied by a film, all of them fascinating in their own ways. It was a superb night of electronic musicianship and the perfect way to close a festival which celebrates creativity and technical innovation.
