It’s nearly time for an injection of that familiar festival feeling, a precursor for the summer, a warm up for what’s to come; Outlines Festival is just around the corner (3rd & 4th March) and Amelia Lancaster has gathered up 8 local bands for you to check out.
Blood Sport
Saturday 4th//The Harley//10:15pm
As ‘premier ambassadors of Sheffield aggro-beat’, trio Blood Sport create a warped mixture of high energy electronics & afro-beat. There are two guitars, one of them a baritone, a drum kit and vocals which are put through an effects pedal. The music is noisy, but heavily rhythm based. Meeting at Uni in Sheffield, Alex, Nick and Sam are promoting their new album Axe to the Root, which is available here on vinyl.
Alvarez Kings
Friday 3rd//Plug//7:30pm
Four lads from Sheffield summoning pop power through timeless analog synth and guitar magic. The quartet has quietly built up an international buzz since their 2012 formation. BBC Radio proclaimed “No Resolve” the “Single of the Year,” while they impressed audiences at Isle of Wight and O2 Wireless. The boys who are renowned for energetic live shows and melodic indie tracks, have just finished a European tour and are keeping the momentum going by returning to their hometown.
Liberty Ship
Saturday 4th//The Leadmill//4pm
Hailing from the Sheffield suburbs which have produced some of the city’s most exciting bands, four-piece rock and roll band Liberty Ship have toured with the likes of King Charles and Reverend and The Makers, played their own sold out home-town shows and were chosen from over 1500 applicants to open the main stage at 2015’s Tramlines Festival. Widely tipped as ones to watch for 2017, last year they played some of the UK’s most prestigious festivals including Isle of Wight, Kendal Calling, Y Not and Leeds Fest. Go and see what all the fuss is about.
Floodhounds
Saturday 4th//The Harley//12:15pm
Sheffield three-piece FloodHounds hit you like a British Black Keys or White Stripes, inspired by the likes of Band of Skulls, with just a hint of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. ‘A&E’, from FloodHounds latest EP – Look What You’ve Started – has gathered strong reviews and was recently ranked as one of the region’s top indie tracks in BBC Introducing Sheffield’s best 50 songs of 2016. With live sessions, a fresh batch of new music and gigs across London and the North under their belts; FloodHounds are roaming the UK, playing the kind of music that prompted “It’s All Indie” blog to say: “it might be 10am on a Sunday morning, but listening to FloodHounds makes me feel like it’s 10pm on a Friday night.”
KONG
Friday 3rd//Plug Room 2//7pm
Indie-punk band KONG received plenty of acclaim on their debut EPs, with an energetic live show that regularly sells out local venues. The hotly-tipped band were also prestigious winners of Exposed Mag’s ‘Best Unsigned Band Award’ in 2016, and are now well established as one of the most popular unsigned bands in the city. With their endearing racket ballsy bass, gritty guitar and dynamic drums, this band have acquired an army of loyal fans around the Steel City.
Matic Mouth
Saturday 4th//Plug//7pm
A jack of all trades, and evidently a master of many, you may have seen Matic Mouth pop up in the most unexpected of places, from working with more urban-orientated artists in the form of Toddla T, Coco, Sticky Blood to the other end of the scale with artists such as Steve Edwards and Reverend & The Makers. Influenced by early 90s hip-hop, the rap, grime and electro master is set to bring a fresh sound in the midst of all the indie goodness.
SHEAFS
Saturday 4th// Leadmill//1pm
SHEAFS are a five-piece indie-rock band who formed at the back-end of 2015 and have been described as a “punk Babyshambles live” by BBC Introducing Sheffield’s Christian Carlisle. The band’s debut single ‘Punchline’ was released in March 2016, receiving airplay from Steve Lamacq on 6 Music amongst others. They released their debut four track EP Nobody’s Watching in November 2016, with Lamacq making the band the featured artist on his BBC6 Recommends show and Carlisle stating that it was one of the best EPs he’d received in 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq1PT2sVqSE
The Seamonsters
Friday 3rd//Plug Room 2//6pm
Returning for a second year to Outlines, the six piece indie-techno-pop girl band’s sound combines catchy guitar riffs with angelic vocals and interesting drum beats. Having all met at a drama group, the group formed in 2013 and have played Tramlines along with a number of headline and support gigs in the city. Expect much more to come in 2017.
Tickets for Outlines Festival (now on final release) are still available here.
