On the Manor
This touching 1986 documentary takes a close look at the infamous Sheffield housing estate, exploring all areas of life in the local community and focusing on the dreams and despairs of its residents during the hour-long programme. It’s a sobering insight into the harsh realities of life for the city’s working class during the 80s, while also managing to retain plenty of warm charm and humour – mostly thanks to the engaging characters introduced throughout.
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Exposed: In Session
Our video series showcasing some of the Steel City’s finest musical talent has been going for over eight years now, and in that time we’ve featured some incredible artists. Milburn, Slow Club, Dead Sons, Kate Jackson, Screaming Maldini, Bromheads, The Crookes, High Hazels, Steve Edwards – all of that and much, much more can be found amongst hours of live tunes filmed in interesting locations.
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Made In Sheffield: The Birth of Electronic Pop
This documentary by Eve Wood delves into the city’s booming synthpop scene of the early 80s, a period of music which produced huge bands such as Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, Heaven 17 and ABC amongst other more localised legends such as Artery, The Extras and 2.3. The film explores how the bleak economic landscape led to much-needed fresh pursuits of creativity by the youth, inspired by the beating steel factories working throughout the night and socialising at iconic venues such as The Limit. One of the best insights into Sheffield’s cultural heritage available online and simply a must-watch for any local music fan worth their salt.
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Sheffield: City on the Move
Immortalised in the opening credits for The Full Monty, this 1970s film was the brainchild of Sheffield City Council’s first publicity officer, Peter Wigley, who wanted to change wider opinions of the city from a barren northern wasteland to a thriving centre of commerce. It wasn’t far off the mark either: between the late-60s to mid-70s the city’s steel industry was booming and jobs were plentiful. But just a few years later the steel and coal industries were decimated, leading to the formation of a much different landscape that would last for decades.
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No Sleep ’Til Sheffield
If you don’t have access to the most recent Pulp documentary, ‘Pulp: A Story about Life, Death and Supermarkets’, this 1995 BBC feature is free to watch on YouTube and follows Jarvis and the band following their huge leap in fame after the release of ‘Common People’. It provides exclusive interview and behind-the-scenes footage of the band’’s 1995 tour of Britain, culminating in a homecoming gig at Sheffield City Hall.
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It’s Bass Up North
A short 20-min documentary by Dazed that takes a journey into the genesis of innovative bass music genres which swept across British industrial cities. This episode focuses on the niche and bassline movements, for which Sheffield served as a spiritual home, and speaks to well-known local producers and artists such as Toddla T, t2 and Paleface.
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