Live Picks (Dec '18): Our Recommended Gigs in December
In the eighties, London's club and sauna owners actively encouraged the breakup of the bigger gay rights movement with the rationale that unhappy gay men would be more likely to drown their sorrows in these establishments. Things haven't gotten much better since, with most venues aimed at LGBT people oozing a queasy blend of cynicism and commercialism.
Fortunately in recent years, grassroots parties like Chapter 10 in London, Kiss Me Again in Manchester and Club Rush in Sheffield have offered dazzling alternatives for the discerning queer clubber, often at a fraction of the price. The music is infinitely more imaginative, without the status-obsessed culture that blights a mainstream scene driven by the so-called 'pink pound'. Club Rush, which is taking a temporary hiatus, packs out every night, surely a demonstration of the desire across the community for nightlife that reflects the values of its members. Come back soon.
Thu 6 Dec | Firth Hall | £24.20
Joined by a full band, Irish folk queen Cara Dillon presents Upon A Winter's Night, her acclaimed Christmas album from 2016. Whether written recently or passed down the centuries, her songs have a beguiling quality enhanced by luxurious production values.
Fri 7 Dec | Audacious Art Experiment | £5
A chance to enjoy a final fling with the Club Rush crew before they take a brief sojourn. Joining the usual residents will be queer collective Love Muscle from Leeds, one of the brightest points of light in the LGBT North. It's farewell, not goodbye.
Fri 7 Dec | Yellow Arch | £9.77
Sheffield's very own Bison are bowing out after 14 years of ska-rock raucousness and wry lyrical invention. They've assembled a circle of friends for the send-off, including funk from I Set The Sea On Fire and the infamous absurdity of Captain Hotknives, as well as new singer-songwriter JONO.
Tue 11 Dec | Upper Chapel | £20 (£14 concessions, £5 under 35s)
Ensemble 360 round off 2018 with a trio of piano quartets from late Romantic composers. There's a 'Piano Quartet in A' from both Brahms and the lesser-known Czech Josef Suk, plus the romantic swell of Mahler's 'Piano Quartet in A minor', best known recently from Shutter Island.
Mango Juice Presents Queer Prom
Fri 14 Dec | DINA | £5.10
A collaboration between Mango Disco and Fruit n Juice, this seductive soiree is raising money for Lesbian Asylum Support Sheffield, as well as next year's Pride. Expect everything from house, funk and disco to hip-hop, R&B and ballroom from the Sourdough crew, as well as dressing up boxes and burlesque spectaculars.
Fri 14 Dec | Night Kitchen | £11.10
Decibel's debut dish served up at the Night Kitchen brings together Studio Barnhus boss Kornél Kovács and Rinse FM resident DJ Haus for an all-night cookout. It's in support of the latter's new compilation, DJ Haus Enters The Unknown Vol. 2, just released on his Unknown To The Unknown imprint.
Sheffield Techno Institute 8th Birthday
Sat 15 Dec | Southbank Warehouse | £11.10
Never ones to avoid a knees-up, the STI crew have found a kindred spirit in Glasgow party-starter Nightwave, whose rough and ready mixing is just as likely to incorporate breakbeat hardcore as it is black t-shirt techno. Further guests to be confirmed for the first STI bash in a while.
Sun 16 Dec | Greystones | £15.40
An ensemble cast present an exquisite selection box of folky Christmas classics, lead by singer Jade Rhiannon and fiddle player Katriona Gilmore. They're joined by Jamie Roberts and Ben Savage on guitar and Hannah Sanders on autoharp.
Sat 22 Dec | Corporation | £19.50
The veteran hair metal outfit show off their eleventh album, White Trash Blues, a collection of covers including takes on Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Classic headbanger 'Hey You' is bound to feature too.
Sat 22 Dec | Gardeners Rest | Free
Gemma Gray hails from Sheffield but her sound is firmly rooted in the deep south - of America, that is. Her fingerpicking guitar style is shown to full effect on first single 'My Joshua Tree', and it's a melancholy sound perfectly suited to the intimate surroundings of the city's first community-owned pub.
Mon 31 Dec | Shakespeares | Free
An easy afternoon with the ever-innovative Groundwork crew, followed by a full club throw-down as the clock nears midnight. As suggested in Headsup this month Groundwork don't go for big headliners, but regulars treat Oliver Heaviside like one, with his fast blend of take-no-prisoners techno.
