Skip to main content
A Magazine for Sheffield

Live Picks (Sept '19): Gig Listings by Sam Gregory

631 1567083366
Hatch

Sheffield's DIY scene is under attack. Our fragile ecosystem of creative spaces and not-for-profit venues is at risk of collapsing completely, under pressure from NIMBY neighbours and authorities indifferent to ventures that don't exist to make money.

Lughole have been hit repeatedly with extra charges and costly new requirements in their quest to find a new home, while community-led venue Gut Level has been shot down before it even got off the ground. The landlord has stopped the place from hosting any events in an effort to prevent 'disturbances'. In a light industrial area. In Attercliffe.

Down on the otherwise deserted Exchange Street, Plot 22 were also forced to close due to noise complaints and have had to raise over £6,000 to soundproof the space. Most recently, veteran venue Hatch have announced they will cease operations for a month for similar reasons. These venues are under sustained attack and they need our support before a scene is lost completely.

GROUNDWORK

5-6 Sept | Shakespeares/TBC | Free / £5

The Groundwork crew celebrate their debut release as a label by local producer Porter Brook with a two-part party. On Thursday it's their usual free-entry shindig at the Shakey, with a guest set from Porter Brook. This is followed on Friday by an all-night party at a city centre space, with tickets for a fiver.

Sarah Jay

Sun 8 Sept | Dorothy Pax | £10

Massive Attack collaborator Sarah Jay performs Mythical Kings and Iguanas, the confessional cult LP by American songwriter Dory Previn, in full. The album was a formative influence for Jay, who recalls how Previn "sings of her quest for love, intimacy and spiritual connection moving through different stages of a woman's journey in life."

Bobtail

Wed 11 Sept | Lescar | £9

Headed by baritone saxophonist and composer Alicia Gardener-Trejo, this eleven-strong group gathers all the leading lights of the Birmingham jazz scene in one expansive ensemble. Compositions inspired by the rhythmic work of Stravinsky leave room for improvisation and free expression from singer and violinist Faith Brackenbury.

Patawawa

Thu 19 Sept | Leadmill | £9.90

The title of the most recent EP from this DIY disco trio, Paris, London, New York, Matlock, gives an indication of their unlikely origins. Complementing their glitterball grooves are support band Tungz, a Bristol-based four piece who deliver shimmering love songs with a distinctly yacht rock sheen.

Barringtone

Thu 19 Sept | Cafe Totem | £8.85 (£6.76 concs)

Buds & Spawn is a new outfit aiming to present music that's "complex and melodic". Think anything from Deerhoof to Zappa. Former Clor frontman Barry Dobbin kicks things off with a new electro-pop outfit Barringtone, with support from disco duo ShaSh, aka Celestial Broccoli and Bifidus Digestivum.

Robbie Thompson

Fri 20 Sept | Bishops House | £5.50

Robbie Thompson's first single for the Pigeon Hands label, 'Above Us All the Devil Is Laughing', finds the guitarist searching for meaning amid the smoking ruins of late capitalism. He's joined at this launch party by labelmate R.Loomes, a dark-folk sorcerer from Nottingham. BYOB.

Planet Zogg

Fri 20 Sept | Yellow Arch | £9.10

Zogg celebrate their nineteenth year of mind-warping dance with a birthday bash at Yellow Arch. In the main room, Neill Moore of Liquid Records makes his Zogg debut with support from tech trance legend Oberon, while funky grooves hold sway in the Disco of Doom. Resistance is futile.

Castlegate ESCape 2019

Sat 21 Sept| Exchange Street | Free

Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the canal, this street party on the city's founding site brings together RiteTrax, Plot 22 and Delicious Clam, plus a host of spoken word poets and DJs. There'll also be live art and talks, plus food and stalls from your favourite independent traders.

Manu Delago Ensemble

Thu 26 Sept | Abbeydale Picture House | £18.87 (£16.65 concs)

The Austrian Hang drum master makes his Sheffield debut with a nine-piece orchestra, playing from forthcoming album, Circadian. The record takes the listener through the cycle of sleep stages. Björk's percussionist-of-choice Delago will be supplemented by woodwind, brass and strings, as well as energetic orchestral beats.

Sammartino

Fri 27 Sept | Bishops House | £5

It's another outing for Now Then's favourite covert crooner, singing vocoder-drenched love songs through a Mexican wrestlers' mask. This time, his tag team consists of Outdoor Scene and A Paranoid King, two purveyors of wonky lo-fi pop. As ever at the sixteenth-century Bishops House, it's BYOB.

Helena Hauff & Rebekah

Sat 28 Sept | Hope Works | £16.90

The most exciting DJ in the world right now returns to shake Hope Works to its foundations with her monumental electro and pinpoint mixing. She's joined by Birmingham-born techno selector Rebekah and CPU star 96 Back for this No Bounds Festival warm-up party.

Next article in issue 138

Porter Brook GROUNDWORK 01

Groundwork's first outing as a record label is an intelligent, edgy and eclectic affair courtesy of yet another emerging homegrown…

More Music

More Music