“This gives people hope!” – Sheffield gears up for the MOBO Awards with special fringe events

The MOBO Awards, renowned as the UK’s premier celebration of black music and culture, will be bringing its annual ceremony and live music extravaganza to the Steel City next month.

Now in its 26th edition, one of Europe’s biggest music awards is scheduled to take place on 7 February at the Utilita Arena Sheffield. Breaking new ground, it will mark the first time the MOBOs have ever been hosted in the city.

“The impact of MOBO coming to Sheffield is massive,” says Shane Spence, Campaign Manager at Sheffield City Council. “Firstly, it puts us in our rightful place in the spotlight on a national stage; secondly, it gives a voice and inspiration to the younger generation, seeing artists who look like them and are from similar backgrounds on the main stage.”

The MOBO Awards 2024 will take place on 7 Feb at Utilita Arena Sheffield. Credit: Ashley Verse

Leading the nominations with four each are acclaimed artists Little Simz and Stormzy, the latter having already clinched a record-breaking six MOBO Awards. Simz, previously a joint winner in the Album of the Year category, seeks recognition in Best Female Act, Album of the Year, Video of The Year and Best Hip Hop Act.

Central Cee, J Hus, PinkPantheress, and RAYE closely follow with three nominations each, demonstrating the breadth of talent in the UK music scene. The Best African Act category recognises emerging acts like Tyla, Rema and Ayra Starr, while the Best Dance/Electronic Act is dominated by female artists.

Firstly, it puts us in our rightful place in the spotlight on a national stage; secondly, it gives a voice and inspiration to the younger generation

Speaking to Exposed Magazine last month, local artist Massai Dearlove believes that the much-respected event’s imminent arrival could help to shine a light on the talent and diverse offering of music available in the city.

“The MOBOs being in Sheffield is more impactful than it may seem to the majority of people watching or attending,” he explains. “A vast amount of people don’t realise there are great Sheffield artists with lots of variation in song styles and sounds. This gives people hope! With not being seen as a large music hub, [the MOBOs] gives Sheffield a drive and aspiration to be great, and to show if you knock on the door loud enough, they will always hear. But if they don’t hear, then rip the hinges off!” 

It’s shamefully true that in a city still associated closely with indie music and guitar bands, a space often dominated by white males, the up-and-coming artists representing genres such as rap, hip-hop, grime and R&B can often be overlooked in terms of coverage. 

In recent years, a number of events and organisations have been doing incredible work in providing spaces for developing urban artists. Hosted at The Leadmill, Slambarz is an emerging live performance series that spotlights the best rappers and lyricists aged 14-25 from the region. Serving as a hub for developing talents, it provides a safe space for musical expression while fostering connections with fellow creatives, communities, industry professionals and venues in the scene.

“Having the opportunity to host the MOBOs on our doorstep is a historic moment,” Slambarz founder Dom Heslop tells Exposed. “We’re celebrating the creative essence of black culture through creative mediums, and our community is thrilled to showcase our art and build this legacy.”

To celebrate and raise further awareness, Sheffield will host a series of special music-centric events in the city centre. MOBO Awards Sheffield – The Fringe, organised by Sheffield City Council in collaboration with MOBO and members of the local community, will take place in the run-up to the awards show.

Talent development programme Pattern + Push will be joining forces with Slambarz on 5 February to host some of the city’s finest talent at The Crucible Theatre, including artists, DJs and local dance groups. 

‘Showcase’ will be promoting some of the best musical talent on our doorstep.

Sheffield City Hall will play host to an insightful industry panel event and live performance showcase on 6 February, with leading players from the UK’s black music scene offering insight to local talent. Hosted in association with Sheffield-based artist manager and developer Omar Khan, It’s Time to MOBOLISE will hear from experts leading the way in the UK scene and host some extra special live performances.  

Speaking to Exposed last month, Omar provided an insight into the objectives of the event: “We were inspired to organise this event to celebrate the MOBOs coming to our city. We aim to educate developing creatives of diverse backgrounds with industry insights from respected and experienced leaders in UK black music. We’ve had major success in recent years, with our artists hitting the national and international charts, but we’re still lacking music infrastructure for fresh talent in comparison to other cities like London and Manchester. The MOBOs coming to town has brought our music community closer together. It’s our job to work together, keep up the momentum and continue to grow.”

There’s an impressive lineup of industry speakers heading to the Sheffield City Hall as part of the ‘It’s Time to MOBOLISE’ event.

On the day of the awards itself, there will be a celebration of African and Caribbean heritage in Sheffield as part of the Spotlight in the Winter Garden, with over 25 stalls and music acts helping residents warm up for the main event. 

Elsewhere, local schools will also be getting involved in the action, exploring the impact of black music and culture through a range of educational activities. 

Eve Massad, Director of Marketing at Sheffield-based music college Waterbear, tells us that she believes that the MOBO’s arrival perfectly complements the stellar work being done by a wide range of people promoting music of black origin across the city. 

“Historically the city oozes a strong musical culture and a diehard community supporting its city. Up until recently, however, despite the abundance of talent and music of black origin in Sheffield, it didn’t seem that musically Sheffield was known or celebrated for this,” says Eve. 

“Uncovering the extent of the scene in Sheffield moved me to ensure we became an active part in supporting this scene, hence our first citywide partnerships being with Pattern and Push and Slambarz CIC who have so significantly changed the musical canvas of Sheffield; their mission and achievements on this to date are beyond inspiring. 

“The MOBOs coming to Sheffield feels like the final piece of the puzzle – really putting the city on the map for the abundance of absolutely insane talent and music of black origin.”

Tickets for the MOBO awards are available now at utilitaarenasheffield.co.uk. See below for a list of fringe events taking place this month.