SHEAFS SHEAFS SHEAFS tour tour tour!
A force field new rock band, SHEAFS will hit Cardiff, Bristol, London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Liverpool, on tour, like a comet of noisy fun.
September 2017 07 Cardiff Transport Club 08 Bristol The Mothers Ruin 09 London Nambucca 15 Birmingham Sunflower Lounge 16 Sheffield Rocking Chair 29 Liverpool Zanzibar Club
A "feisty fracker of a show" (thezineuk), "this band needs your attention" (northern exposure) Tickets and line ups via This Feeling http://seetickets.com/tour/this-feeling
If you crave audible urgency, treat yourself to the britpunk throbbing under radar, right now. A key component, mosh-a-long, chant along, grin-bringers, SHEAFS are here to ENTERTAIN you. (above picture; candidly papped on a roof top, August 2017 at Virgin Radio FreshFest. More about that in a bit...)
Five "summers ago, Arctic Monkeys played the Olympic Opening Ceremony, an indication that there is no glass ceiling on what guitar music can achieve. Six months after that highlight, the real world ended as predicted. That would explain 2017. Modern times have never needed exciting escapist music and musicians as much as right now.
SHEAFS are in the vanguard of newer wave thrills coming to the attention of excited fans and the gig going public, like ourselves. If that is you, you won't be disappointed if you catch their tour (on a no filler, ones-to-watch bill every night). Do it. Get a ticket. Take the ride!
SHEAFS revealed their first video, 'Nobody's Watching' at the start of the year. It is the sound of a band hitting the ground running. It reeled TheZineUK in, and we landed at their first London show. It wouldn't be the last. Fast forward to summer. Somebody is definitely watching now. At very least, a few more followers with every show, in fact. Pollute your mind for a bit, the best possible way, with their second video; 'Mind Pollution' (by newer wave documentarian, Nasty Man Creations)
This Spring, SHEAFS were the first band to win the Virgin Radio FreshFest - an event which introduces new music (with a genuine buzz and credibility) to a wider audience. It's perfect timing that airplay of all kinds (including BBC Radio, Amazing Radio, and a plethora of sussed independents) is supporting. Showcasing the best genre clashes of music movement, in decades is bearing fruit. Deseervedly so, people work so hard to make their mark. In through the ears, backed up by visual evidence of their prowess for those that want to investigate more, straight to the heart..
(image; SHEAFS return to Virgin Radio FreshFest for a show with Tom Grennan, and the second winner, Jordan Allen)
Since last year, SHEAFS have been making an increasing impression on the festival circuit. The resulting opportunities are the kind of thing that rock n roll dreams are made of. Whatever is happening right now in new music, you couldn't make it up, so you just have to go with the magic's flow.
In March 2017, they won the inaugural Virgin Radio FreshFest. on the 1st April 2017 the band played a live stream session with the UK's innovative musician champions and technological impresario presenting the theatric sound of energy of new music, Pirate Studios at their Sheffield studio, with over 7,000 views so far. A cross between punky swagger and main stage rock music suss, comes across from this quintet's delivery. Britain can deliver brand new classic sounds, this century. Keep watching and listening, world.
Going with music magic's flow is exactly what we do when we (Caffy from TheZineUK and Rachel from Northern Exposure) do, when we find ourselves on top of the world. Well, in a roof garden, courtesy of Mikey This Feeling). The surreal tropical paradise of Kensington Roof Gardens, complete with flamingos! It's as lush, posh and absolutely fabulous, darling, as a video location for 1980s pop band, Duran Duran, famed for that lifestyle.
Virgin Radio are presenting FreshFest 2. The winner is Jordan Allen (like all of this evening's bill, winning sell-out shows and praise galore from fans and critics). Main support is powervox, Tom Grennan, who we both recently caught live at the first episode of This Feeling TV).
Virgin Radio presenter, Edith Bowman interviews the artists, in advance of their shows, with inciteful grace. I would like to say that I do the same, but nah. Had a pint of cider in the pub up the road before we came. Then some lager. Didn't mean to mix drinks, but just fancied a red wine when we got to the roof garden. Then another. So when, after their show, SHEAFS kindly did a quick interview with Rachel (filming, talking eloquently), and myself (having a brain, meet words, meet tongue - please - moment, ha ha) it's best to transcribe some, than show the interview! But first a few pictorial souvenirs of a great evening.
Pre-gig interviews. psst, thank you Virgin Radio for the hospitality, from drinks and BBQ, to sweets and sweet sounds... Below, I grab a quick shot of SHEAF's lead singer, Lawrence, while he waits for the rest of the band to join Edith Bowman for their interview. "Ooh, he's like a young Mick Jagger" says a nice lady, nearb
Above, Edith Bowman and Tom Grennan. Below, SHEAFS soundcheck before the show begins, then totally bring it, live.
Gotta say that it was a brilliant night out. Sometimes it can be a bit awkward at a filmed and recorded event, especially in such surroundings, but to be honest, the music and company take you on a journey in your head.
We were all in a state of some elation after that. Thank you Virgin Radio FreshFest.
We went outside and took a walk around ponds (nobody fell in) and past flamingoes, in the dark to find a spot to chat. Because of the band doing so much this year, I dived straight in with the questions;
TheZineUK: "Can you remember what you've been doing since the first Virgin FreshFest?"
SHEAFS: "Mental" 'It's been a rollercoaster. It's been quite busy for us, we just keep going forward. When we first started, our main aim was trying to get out of Sheffield (gigs) and trying to take anything we can. Then huge support from This Feeling has helped us spread out a bit, get away from just playing local gigs to places that we've never been before."
This included shows in Leeds with The Strawberries which they recall fondly as "was wicked", and in Southampton (where they first met Jordan Allen).
As previously mentioned, there is a definitive fellowship between the new crop of young guitar bands. Positivity and unity pulsing, far from the madding brexit crowd's division. SHEAFS have worked hard, off their own back, to get their music and name heard. They must be dong something right to be here. Is this evening a bit unreal for a new band?
SHEAFS : "It is surreal moments like this, obviously for a band of our size, trying to get out of the blocks"
"The same day we got told we made the final for the last one (FreshFest) was when we got our first offer of different dates round the country, so it felt like a big day, that day.
Playing all those dates, it sort of snowballed from there, and then they invited us back to play tonight. Ever since then we've had festivals. We've been really busy lately. It seems a bit strange for us. To get just one festival is massive. We thought we'd get maybe one.
We've had a few big performances, in our eyes. Isle of Wight was pretty decent for us. That was our first taste. Then Y Not? Festival, Tramlines in Sheffield (where we played a bigger stage than we did last year). We said that was the best we'd ever done. Then the week after, at Y Not? we got put on a stage and we played to around two thousand people. Incredible."
Below, at Isle Of Wight Festival (Jack Rocks This Feeling Stage) in June.
SHEAFS are still buzzing from the experience, and told their social media friends; "From pushing wheelbarrows last year, to playing the Allotment Stage for This Feeling, to playing a surprise set 45 minutes later at The Quarry, in front of 2,000 people just before Lethal Bizzle, Example and Idris Elba"
Northern Exposure: "Is that the biggest crowd that you've played to?"
SHEAFS : "Yes. It was a strange one, they were expecting a rapper (Nadia Rose), then we came on".
The band walked on, soundchecking, to shouts of "who are yer? who are yer?" from the crowd, and during the first song Lawrence got hit with a full can in the shoulder, but... "After that, it went alright!"
It went more than alright! Jeez, in 67 seconds why you need to be at one of these September tour dates!
"Your own compositions and performancesthat have got you hereThis is your DIY real life."
SHEAFS: "It doesn't feel like it sometimes!" "As a band you've got to work hard. I think we've all worked our arses off. In terms of festivals, printing out a thousand business cards, everything is done off our own back. We just plough into everything, trying to do the best we can."
SHEAFS, we assure you that you are doing a brilliant job, on and off stage. Double loving from Northern Exposure and TheZineUK teams.
It's not just the artists of the newer wave music scenes/anti-scenes that are coming together, it's all of us - promoters, writers, photographers, film makers, audiences, arts of every kind - united, just when we are supposed to be divided. fuck that, lets ROCK) Join in at facebook.com/sheafsband and twitter.com/SHEAFSBand
Lads, where you playing again? (5 out of 7 of these towns are completely new, first time SHEAFS shows!) Readers, where are you going again? Click with the mighty This Feeling for Tickets: SHEAFS SHEAFS SHEAFS!
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