M AY 2 0 2 2
A love letter to the Leadmill PROUDLY SUPPORTING
PAYING TRIBUTE TO SHEFFIELD’S LONGEST-RUNNING MUSIC VENUE
INSIDE: PETE MCKEE // OTIS MENSAH // SHEFFIELD FC SHEFFIELD FOOD FESTIVAL // 5TARA // EXPOSED AWARDS!
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CONTENTS 37
22
6 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
46
68
37: COVER STORY WHY WE CAN’T LOSE THE LEADMILL We hear from celebs, Leadmill staff and look at some of the best moments from the iconic Sheffield venue.
22: MCKEES-Y DOES IT
Sheffield comic art legend Pete Mckee talks about the perilious place of social media, cultural hubs like The Leadmill and why he needs to be challenged.
27: HELPING HANDS
We unpick some of the institutions and individuals doing good things to make Sheffield a far nicer, shinier space.
46: KEEPING IT KELHAM
From brunch to lunch and drinking to dancing, here’s our helpful guide to how best to spend the weekend in Sheffield’s hippest district..
68: MY LIFE IN MUSIC
Ahead of his new single release, Otis Mensah tells us about the music and memories that formed the musician he is today.
REGULARS
16: CITY VIEWS 54: FOOD & DRINK 65: MUSIC 79: NIGHTLIFE 78: LGBTQ+ 81: COMEDY 85: FILM 86: CULTURE
M AY 2 0 2 2
FEATURES
When it comes to the Leadmill, it seems that pretty much every Sheffielder has a story. In this office alone we’ve heard titillating tales of colleagues taking to the famous sticky dancefloor with a young Kings of Leon, sharing a stage with the Arctic Monkeys as the whole country started to believe the hype, and none other than Noel Gallagher commenting on one member of staff ’s sorry state of inebriation. Outside of Exposed HQ, we’ve heard stories of life-changing proposals, breakups, hookups, life-affirming gigs, mind-blowing club nights, and all manner of memorable scrapes taking beneath the famous neon sign. I feel a bit in the minority here as I don’t have a particularly interesting Leadmill anecdote to regale you with – despite the usual student antics (they had a night called SHAG, ha!) and plenty of top, top gigs which I don’t have the word count to list here. However, I still feel immensely proud of the place. I love how it’s one thing that many people across the country, particularly gig-goers across the north, are familiar with; I love its commitment to bringing in a varied roster of bigger touring bands while also providing a vital stage for local up-and-coming artists to hone their craft; I love its history of humble beginnings and Jarvis Cocker-produced pantomimes, hosting some of the biggest names in Britpop during the 90s, then becoming a hotspot of the mid-noughties indie boom that defined much of my teens. Whenever I get off the train coming home, I walk up towards Howard Street and always glance left to take in the iconic sign before crossing. In a city filled with contentious buildings, it’s one thing that unites us: Sheffield loves The Leadmill. Therefore, we felt it was our duty to dedicate this issue to the venue. The bid to evict the current staff seems to be a fairly callous attempt to profit from someone else’s hard work and the illustrious history of a city institution. We’re happy to keep raising awareness of this issue and hope a more suitable course of action can be agreed between The Leadmill and the building’s landlord. While on the topic of local legends, we’ve also spoken to renowned artist Pete McKee ahead of the Sheffield leg of his new exhibition ‘Wish You Were Here’ on page 22. That’ll certainly be my pick of the month, but throughout this mag we’ve got a smorgasbord of events, new openings and all round top shouts to kick off your summer in style. I’ll leave you to get stuck in. JF
A love letter to the Leadmill PROUDLY SUPPORTING
PAYING TRIBUTE TO SHEFFIELD’S LONGEST-RUNNING MUSIC VENUE
INSIDE: PETE MCKEE // OTIS MENSAH // SHEFFIELD FC SHEFFIELD FOOD FESTIVAL //5TARA // EXPOSED AWARDS!
GAFFERS
Phil Turner (MD) phil@ exposedmagazine. co.uk Nick Hallam (Sales Director) nick@ exposedmagazine. co.uk
FINANCE
Lis Ellis (Accounts) accounts@ exposedmagazine. co.uk
GRAFTERS
Joe Food (Editor) joe@exposedmagazine. co.uk Ash Birch (Online Editor) ash@exposedmagazine. co.uk
GI’ US A HAND PLZ Heather Paterson, Cal Reid, Mark Perkins, Eve Cowlishaw, Hannah Foster, Jamie Lei-Roberts
THE BUSINESS STUFF
EXPOSED IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY BLIND MICE MEDIA LTD UNIT 1B RIALTO 2 KELHAM SQUARE KELHAM RIVERSIDE SHEFFIELD S3 8SD The views contained herein are not necessarily those of Blind Mice Media Ltd and while every effort is made to ensure information throughout Exposed is correct, changes prior to distribution may take place which can affect the accuracy of copy, therefore Blind Mice Media Ltd cannot take responsibility for contributors’ views or specific entertainment listings.
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UPFRONT
400
AVE. NUMBER OF EVENTS TAKING PLACE EACH YEAR INCLUDING GIGS, CLUB NIGHTS, LIVE COMEDY, CINEMA SCREENINGS, QUIZZES & MORE.
IS THIS THE END OF THE LEADMILL?
1982
THE YEAR JARVIS COCKER WROTE & DIRECTED A PANTO AT THE VENUE, STARRING 50 MUSICIANS FROM LOCAL BANDS.
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SIGNATURES ON THE OFFICIAL PETITION, WITH 100K NEEDED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT. *
Is it the last year of the Leadmill? The iconic venue announced last month that it is facing closure following an eviction notice from the building’s landlord. The Leadmill opened in 1980, making it Sheffield’s longest running live music venue, and the news has been met by resistance from musicians and fans on social media across the country, with an official petition launched calling for the government to suspend Section 25 of the Landlord and Tenant Act. * At time of going to press. WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 9
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EXPOSED AWARDS 2022: SHORTLIST REVEALED! The top 5 in each category have been revealed this year’s Exposed Awards!
Following six weeks of voting and consultation with our panel of judges, the finalists in the 2022 Exposed Awards sponsored by IPM Group have been revealed. Here’s the list in full... Best Bar Church Gatsby Molly Malones Picture House Social Public
Best Vegan / Vegetarian Church Donner Summer Make No Bones South Street Kitchen V or V
Best Café Gaard Grind Marmadukes Steam Yard Tamper
Best Club Code Hope Works Leadmill Network The Foundry
Best New Bar The Bear Factory Floor Heist Pangolin Two Thirds
Best Sustainable Brand Bare Alternative Beanies Food Works The Nook Unwrapped
Best Indie Retailer Bear Tree Records Freshmans Glass Onion Miss Sams Vulgar
Best Food Hall & Courtyard Cutlery Works Dyson Place Hagglers Corner Kommune Sheffield Plate
Best Traditional Pub Broadfield Fat Cat Millowners Arms Rutland Arms Shakespeares
Best Cultural Experience Kelham Island Museum Millennium Galleries Sheffield Theatres Theatre Deli Weston Park Museum
Made in Sheffield Birdhouse Tea Bullion Khoos Hot Sauce Our Cow Molly Sheffield FC
Best Band / Musician Before Breakfast BlackWaters Matilda Shakes Otis Mensah Sunset Collective
Best Restaurant Ashoka Domo Joro La Mama Nam Song
Best Event DocFest Peddler Market Pollen Market Sheffield Beer Week Sheffield Music Trails
Best Brewery Abbeydale Heist Saint Mars of the Desert Triple Point True North
Best New Restaurant 5Tara Bench Cornerstone Orange Bird Urban Pizza Co
Outdoor City Award Cliffhanger Climbing Works Cycling Sheffield Heeley City Farm Whirlow Hall Farm
Best Live Venue Delicious Clam Leadmill Record Junkee Sidney and Matilda Yellow Arch
In a nutshell… Exposed Awards 2022 May 19th Peddler Warehouse £40 seated // £20 standing nick@exposedmagazine. co.uk // 0114 2757709 THE EXPOSED AWARDS 2022 IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR VOTING PARTNERS MR WILSON’S AND CUBANA TAPAS BAR WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 11
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UPFRONT 2.The biggest job you have as a label owner is to be a fan
First and foremost, if you aren’t into the music you put out, you won’t want to shout about it and support it wholeheartedly. You can have all the technical knowledge in the world but if you don’t love the bands you work with, the customers and fans won’t buy into it either. When we started, we didn’t really have any experience, so the only way we managed to convince the first couple of artists to work with us was by being genuinely passionate about their band. The rest kind of falls into place as you don’t mind putting in the hours to learn more.
3. Musicians aren’t scary!
THINGS YOU ONLY KNOW IF YOU WORK FOR AN
INDIE RECORD LABEL 1. The record label community is really supportive
There are no rivalries like you would find in most business sectors, most people are in it for the same reason: to support music they believe in. The contracts we use for our artists were given as editable drafts by Tom at Repose Records (another Sheffield label) and on our first release we were put forward to a vinyl subscription service by Joe at Beth Shalom Records in London; they bought 150 copies outright which allowed us to actually make profit. We are also on a forum called Other Record labels and any question big or small is met with responses by label owners around the world. It’s lovely, really.
We felt a little imposter syndrome at first when we started approaching bands. We don’t come from particularly musical backgrounds so always saw bands as this mysterious entity who are “too cool” to chat to. We are yet to come across a musician or band who haven’t been absolute sweethearts. The same goes for the whole scene, in fact, and when people know you are in it for the right reasons, you are accepted entirely. We have been lucky enough to make some good friends directly off the back of this label in a relatively short amount of time, and now we are, like, *way* too cool to chat to.
4. It won’t make you rich
While I would consider Elephant Arch to be a success in terms of what we have achieved/who we have worked with so far, etc., we are yet to take a penny out of it for ourselves and any income we do make, usually goes straight into the next project. We believe in paying collaborators as well as possible and always take the lowest cut from events/releases. People buy into it for their talent, not ours. That’s not to say there aren’t any perks – a few beers on the business account here, guestlist to a gig or festival there. It’s worth every minute. Who knows, one day we might get a local band to number one and buy a lovely big house up in Ranmoor. I won’t hold my breath though!
5. It’s important to schedule in quiet periods
Running a label is a lot of fun, but it can also be quite a thankless job. For every 50 emails you send to publications (with the exception of the lovely Joe at Exposed, of course!) you probably only ever hear back from two or three. Creating marketing strategies on a small budget can take a long time, and on a small budget you can’t afford to outsource. On this note, I’m really lucky to have Alastair, a full-time designer/illustrator, as my partner in crime. Taking a step back after a successful gig or release and just enjoying the moment is so important and helps avoid burnout. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t fit running a label around another job and if you put too much onto your plate, you can burn out fast, and burning out on something you love is never an easy mental space to get over. Ben Ward is the label owner at Sheffieldbased record label Elephant Arch Records. Find out more about what they do at elephantarchrecords.com. WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 13
UPFRONT
Sheffield Food Festival returns for Jubilee
Following a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sheffield’s annual city centre Food Festival is set to return for its 10th instalment on 2 – 5 June. WORDS BY ASH BIRCH PHOTOGRAPHY: BEN HARRISON AND MATT CROWDER
Taking place across several city centre areas including Peace Gardens, Pinstone Street, Town Hall Square, Winter Gardens, Millennium Square and St Pauls Parade, Sheffield Food Festival attracts over 50,000 visitors across the weekend and this year promises to be a right royal feast across the Jubilee bank holiday. With over 90 per cent of the traders hailing from the Steel City, the event showcases the great local produce, talented chefs, mouth-watering street food and outstanding brewers and distillers we have to offer. Event manager Ellie Murphy, of festival organiser Events Collective, said: “I think it is really beneficial that our tenth anniversary falls on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend, prior to that it was supposed to be in 2020. “It’s great for us as this means the whole city can all get together and celebrate not only amazing local food but that our Queen is marking 70 years on the throne. “From day one we wanted Sheffield Food Festival to be a place where not only people from the city but from the surrounding towns, such as Chesterfield and as far away as Wakefield, could come along and sample the local produce, taste food from local traders, drink, shop and dine all in one place. “It is a showcase for all of Sheffield and South Yorkshire’s food scene which we know is changing 14 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
constantly with all the latest trends.” This year’s festival includes four key sections to visit, starting with the traditional market. There you can expect food producers and businesses sharing their expertise and tasters of everything from home-made preserves to unusual gins, olives, pies, decadent brownies or toffee vodka. No self-respecting dining event would be without a street food section. At this year’s Sheffield Food Festival there will be a spectacular selection of ready-to-eat treats, from paella to Pakistani cuisine, cooked live for diners. Some of the well-known Sheffield food traders signed up to take part include vegan favourite Icarus and Apollo, who will be dishing out their popular plant based options, and Moss Valley Fine Meats, famed for their premium bacon and sausages. Another Sheffield name involved in the festival this year is Justin Rowntree, the former owner of city restaurant Silversmiths. Now a hospitality consultant and a key player at Blend Kitchen, he will be coordinating the programme for the festival’s chef demonstrations. These are always an entertaining way to discover new recipes and cooking tips from some of the best chefs, local celebrities and food-lovers working in Sheffield. This year for the first time the demo stage will be located in the Eats, Beats and Treats village, inside the Peace Gardens. Music from bands and DJs, including many home-grown creatives, will rock the village stage and local breweries will
serve up their brews. The festival team have secured another coup for the village this year with an exclusive offering from Mexican artisan brand Devino Maguey. Festival visitors will be able to sample their range of specialist spirits and even take them home. Sustainability is one of the biggest challenges facing the food industry today. In the festival’s Green Village, anchored by Heeley City Farm, there will be a collection of local organisations working on sustainable, organic and environmentally friendly products or techniques. Visitors will be able to discover how to use up leftover produce thanks to the farm’s expertise and with help from city allotment groups. The entire festival will take place across Sheffield’s Peace Gardens, St Paul’s Parade, Millennium Square, Town Hall Square and Pinstone Street with a kids’ activity hub based in the Winter Gardens. A later opening until 10pm for the hugely popular Eats, Beats and Treats village will also help to tap into efforts to refresh the city centre as an after-hours destination. While some of the details of the festival
will remain under wraps until closer to the date, it goes without saying there will be a special nod to Queen Elizabeth II. A selection of puddings fit for a queen – scone with jam and cream, anyone? – and activities that tie in with the national The Big Jubilee Lunch are already confirmed. It is hoped this year’s festival will inspire not just adult food lovers but also the next generation. Ellie added: “We want to appeal to people who are interested in different foods – we are an extremely diverse city. “We have such a huge variety of different cuisines lined up but also we have catered to families so they can not only come and try different foods but there will be a huge range of activities they can try. “I am hoping this creates a close knit camaraderie between everyone who does attend.” The festival will run from 10am until 6pm between June 2-5 2022, with the Eats, Beats and Treats festival village open until 10pm each day. instagram.com/sheffoodfest WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 15
At the grand old age of 18 I’d decided that Sheffield was boring. Living just on the border of the city, I’d southerners). However, it’s safe to say that I spent plenty of nights getting stuck to the floor quickly felt a little alienated. Every ‘get to know of Corp and plenty of days trawling Division each other’ session in freshers week repeated Street for something to make me look cool the same format: “So, where’s everyone from?” “London.” for under a tenner. “London.” Apparently that meant I’d “Milton Keynes.” explored all the Steel City “London.” had to offer. “Southampton” So, when it came to “Um… Sheffield.” picking a uni, whilst my Half of them stared at mates were thinking of “OTHER CITIES me confused, like I was staying in Sheffield or SHOUT THEIR referring to some elvish moving to a nearby city woodland realm from the like Leeds or Manchester, ACHIEVEMENTS Lord of the Rings, whilst I was eager to put plenty FROM THE the other half gave me a of miles between me ROOFTOPS AND pitying look as if to say, and my hometown. In TELL YOU THAT “Gosh, at what age were the end, I decided to move further north, to a THEY’RE DEFINITELY you allowed to leave the pit?” One guy genuinely city which has recently THE COOL PLACE asked me how hard become synonymous with TO BE SEEN; IN Thatcher’s pit closures had a certain chief advisor, a SHEFFIELD, PEOPLE hit my family. My favourite certain 25-minute drive to test eyesight and a certain ARE QUIETLY LIVING response came from a girl, resignation. Believe it REMARKABLE LIVES. who, in an effort to break the awkward silence, or not, there was life in IT’S A CITY FULL yelled out, “Oh I know Durham before Dominic OF TRULY HIDDEN Sheffield, it’s where the Cummings and I thought GEMS.” Arctic Gorillas are from!” it was the place for me. It didn’t take long for Now, I’m not me to realise that I actually exaggerating (too much) when I say that Durham’s student population, had a very big chip on my shoulder for a city I despite being based in the north, must have had once shunned as a little dull. Another culture clash came in a pub during an average hometown of somewhere around Luton. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing first year. The familiar rasp of Jarvis Cocker wrong with a southerner (some of the people seeped through the speakers. I hummed I love most in the world are self-proclaimed the opening verse of ‘Common People’ to
BY MEL RAWSON
MELANIE RAWSON IS A RECENT JOURNALISM GRADUATE WHO IS WORKING FREELANCE AS A JOURNALIST WHILST GROWING HER NAIL TECH BUSINESS (@NAH.THEN.NAILS) 16 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
myself and memories of drunken Leadmill nights filled me with an unexpected sense of nostalgia. That’s when it happened, like the part in a horror film when the protagonist realises they’re not alone. A pub full of students sporting accents which, pre-Durham, I’d believed were only the work of Americans doing awful impersonations of British aristocracy belted out “I wanna live like common people! I wanna do whatever common people do!” The irony was deafening. I chuckled under my breath, staring at my flatmate waiting for her to realise the comedy of it all. But she didn’t understand, she just smiled and held my hand. After just under a year of homesickness I was back home, hit by the realisation that life away from Sheffield might not actually be for me. I was a little confused as to what I wanted and where I was going to go until an advert for the UK’s highest rated journalism degree popped up on my newsfeed. In Sheffield? Surely not? How did I not know this? A couple of months later and I was on the way to my first local patch news story of the semester. I headed into the world of local news with some trepidation. The first series of Ricky Gervais’ After Life had just come out and its depiction of a humble regional newspaper dying a slow, painful death wasn’t exactly the hot-shot career I was looking for. However, instead of banal stories about out-of-date scotch eggs, I found local news opened me up to the real heart of Sheffield – beautiful people quietly sitting on beautiful stories. The sort of people who you sit down for a 30-minute chat with and end up staying for three hours, four cups of tea and five back-to-back episodes of The Chase. As I discovered new stories, I discovered new parts of a city that I thought I knew like the back of my hand. In Gleadless, I met a woman who was making threecourse meals for any neighbour who was struggling to make ends meet. In Sharrow, I met a man who had set up a festival full of music and colour to celebrate his diverse community. I can think of a dozen times I’ve smugly covered a local story for my degree and thought to myself, “How has this not been picked up by major news channels first?” That’s what, to this day, feels different about Sheffield. Other cities shout their achievements from the rooftops and tell you that they’re definitely the cool place to be seen; in Sheffield, people are quietly living remarkable lives. It’s a city full of truly hidden gems. My uni mates joke that I’ll never leave. I’ll be a crazed old woman attacking teenagers with my walking stick when, like I did decades ago, they berate Sheffield as boring. Maybe it’s because it’s my home or maybe there’s just something in that sweet, sweet Yorkshire tap water. Either way, for now at least, I’m here to stay. WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 17
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UPFRONT: GIVE IT A GO
Join the Club!
Exposed popped down to watch Sheffield’s – and indeed, the world’s – oldest football club take on Stocksbridge Park Steels in a hotly-contested fixture last month. Here’s the verdict on our day out at Sheffield FC… WORDS BY JOSEPH FOOD MATCH PHOTOGRPAHY: JOE SMART
Supporting your local non-league teams feels more significant than ever at the moment – a time when the professional game is blighted by talks of breakaway super leagues, moulded to the whims of hectic Sky programming schedules and increasingly falling deeper and deeper into king’s ransom territory when it comes to cost. Watching the grassroots brings you a bit closer to the soul of the sport itself – sans the distraction of shiny seated stadia and live-action replays on big screens. Smaller crowds mean a tighter sense of heartfelt community amongst supporters, while cheering on players who aren’t earning more in a week than you’ll earn all year naturally creates a different fan/player dynamic. Namely one not borne out of a toxic mixture of unhealthy adoration and deep-seated jealousy. Any Sheffielder worth their salt will know that the beautiful game’s roots are firmly embedded in the Steel City – ‘ere, right on the family patch. I won’t delve too deep into a history lesson, as it would take a far more generous word count to do it justice, but the key notes are thus: in 1855, members of a local cricket club organised a series of informal kickabouts, which in 1857 led to regular attendees Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest setting up the first official football club (that’s Sheffield FC, for those not keeping up at the back). A year later in 1858, they drew up the ‘Sheffield Rules’ to govern their matches, the first detailed set of rules published by a club; and just three years after their formation they found their first rival in Hallam FC, who subsequently became the world’s second-oldest football club. It’s been an intriguing, nomadic history for ‘The Club’ since. We’ve been detailing snippets of this 20 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
in a monthly column for Exposed Magazine, so keep an eye out for next month’s update (and get the full historical lowdown at sheffieldfc.com), but in a nutshell, the team have played at no less than 11 different venues during their 165-year existence. Today they can be found at The Home of Football Stadium in Dronfield situated (quite ideally) just behind the Thornbridge Brewery-owned Coach and Horses pub – though plans are currently to move the club back into city boundaries at a new site in Meadowhead. Once this happens, we’re told they’re planning on setting up shop for good, settled nicely back in their spiritual home. Watch this space, dear reader. That said, we didn’t mind the journey out. It was a beautiful Bank Holiday Monday and the 43 bus took less than 20 minutes to take us from Chesterfield Road to the ground. Once disembarked we made a beeline for the bustling public house to lap up a bit of early afternoon sun, after which, with Thornbridge bevvies in hand, we wandered over to get a pitchside view. With a capacity of just over 2,000, The Home of Football Stadium has two covered stands, plus on-site refreshments and a club shop. Over 900 supporters had made the journey out despite a difficult season which saw the home team needing a result to stave off possible relegation. The first half was a frustratingly cagey affair, not helped by a bobbly pitch which meant nothing stuck for the home team moving forward. Following such a disjointed start, it was fitting that the opening goal was equally scrappy: a speculative shot from the Stocksbridge striker bobbling over the home keeper in the 25th minute. The remainder of the half passed by in a similar fashion as both teams struggled to gain a foothold in proceedings, although the away
side looked a tad more menacing on the break. The second half saw a rejuvenated Sheffield FC take to the pitch. Playmaker Baxendale started getting on the ball more and the home team began utilising their pace out wide via Modest and the ever-tricky Kianga. It wasn’t long before Modest was pulled down while bursting into the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Skipper Marc Newsham slotted home confidently and Club went in search of a vital three points. Despite plenty of encouragement from the home support, plus a couple of halfchances and nervy goalmouth scrambles, Stocksbridge defended stoically and saw the game out well. The result left Sheff FC in 17th going into their final game of the season against Pontefract Collieries. If the table stays the same, they’ll risk a relegation play-off game, but three points – fingers crossed – should be enough to keep them up! So, the result wasn’t what we were looking for; but the day out was undeniably a cracker. As someone who regularly hands over £40 at Bramall Lane (for what is all too regularly a disappointing experience), I’m
the last person who can lecture others about tearing out the IV drip of greed-dominated, corruption-saturated, supporter-exploiting professional football. However, I would certainly urge anyone interested in the beautiful game and/or local history to pay a visit to Sheffield FC if they get a chance; every ticket, membership and merch sale counts when it comes to ensuring the world’s oldest club sticks around for another 165+ years. Become part of that story and join the club. sheffieldfc.com
BE PART OF FOOTBALL HISTORY SCAN THE QR CODE TO JOIN THE WORLD’S FIRST FOOTBALL CLUB AND RECEIVE REWARDS.
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the leadmill is as sheffield as henderson’s relish and cutlery and steel. if these guys taking it over want a nightclub, get a warehouse and build one!
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DON’T ADJUST YOUR
MINDSET Ahead of the opening of his first major exhibition since 2018, cherished Sheffield artist Pete McKee speaks to Joe Food about the eclectic nature of social media, the vital significance of cultural hubs such as The Leadmill to the city’s identity and the importance of avoiding comfort zones as a creative.
WORDS BY: JOE FOOD
It’s great to see a McKee show returning to Sheffield. How were the seeds first sown for this exhibition? I was originally working on an idea for a show based on nostalgia and how we often perceive things in the past as better. I wanted to look at whether that was true or was it all rose-tinted spectacles? Then Covid came and that show was cancelled. In the time between then and now, my thought process changed: lockdown meant a lot turning to social media for comfort or enlightenment, so looking at the world through that one rarefied lens got me thinking about how society perceives itself through social media, how objectifying it is, and how we, as a society, are polarised. The title ‘Don’t Adjust Your Mindset’ is a reference to how we’re so ingrained in our world views – whether that’s Brexit or vaccines or whatever else divides us today.
the information process, and more so prior to social media being so popular, but now you’ve got this direct link with people you know are interested in your work. It’s important to keep generating content and promoting that relationship with your followers. I certainly can’t diss social media too much because I’m very much part of that machine on both a social and business level.
There has been discussion about social media intensifying opinions on either side of the fence, meaning the middle ground or ability to engage in honest debate has been eroded. Is that a fair take? Well, you can basically design your social media feed to reflect your stance on a topic, and that means almost every view you get is a polarised one as well. It often just serves to reinforce your views. Of course, sometimes we might not be able to see or engage with the other side because some stances are just bat-shit crazy! But social media does provide a vehicle for polarisation: if you’ve got an opinion, it usually gets backed up by everyone you choose to follow.
It’s impossible to come down on one side of the good vs bad argument, isn’t it? As mentioned, it doesn’t often lend itself to reasoned debate and there are many well-documented issues with social media culture and its relationship to body image and mental health, particularly for the younger generation. Of course. I can see how it can be damaging for people suffering from mental health issues. Monday mornings are particularly bad times to look at social media, as it’s scrapings of the weekend’s news and everyone is on a downer; even something like that can really have an impact. The idea of the show is not just to look at the polarisation you find on social media, however, but also the plethora of things you can see within the space of minutes. You can quickly go from a bombing in Ukraine to someone telling you that the climate is screwed, then to a funny meme or video of someone falling over. The human brain can’t handle all of that in such a short space of time – it’s unnatural. So, the show in itself reflects that by being deliberately eclectic, kind of like a scroll on social media.
What is your personal relationship with social media like? I’m very active on Twitter and my business is very active on Facebook and Instagram. It’s a massive tool to promote work as an artist. Magazines like yourself are a vital part of
I guess from an artist’s view, it really removes the wall between the artist and people who consume your art, too? There’s no prism that you might get from a magazine or newspaper article, for example.
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It’s certainly a no-holds-barred process, especially on Twitter when I’m just throwing out stupid things that come into my head. I could speak for an hour to a journalist but if they have a 600-word deadline to hit, then a lot of what’s been said will get left out and certain nuances could be missed. So, as an artist, social media allows you to take control of that, too. A particularly exciting aspect about DAYM is the mixed media element, with it being touted as one of your biggest creative shifts to date. What inspired this shift and what does it allow you to say that you were unable to previously? I think because this show is very current in many respects, I’ve had to change how I approach it. I think some of the new styles – as well as some of the older ones that people will already know – helped me tackle some of those new subjects. I think because social media is so eclectic, I could be quite eclectic with how I approached each subject. For example, there’s a piece about trickle-down economics for which I brought in a sculptor to create a sculpture from a drawing I did. It was nice to go to craftspeople I know and respect and ask them to help bring an idea to life. In other shows, I’ve asked artists and poets to provide pieces because I like the idea of using different mediums and mixing things up to engage people in different ways. In your typical McKee show, you’ll find traces of darker themes but often heavily weighted against ideas of hope, humour and of course nostalgia. Would you say those darker undertones are a bit more prevalent in this exhibition? I would say the darker undertones are a bit more obvious now, whereas before they were more subtle, almost like a cryptic crossword clue. This time I just thought, ‘This is what needs to be said and this is how I want to say it.’ So, in a sense, it’s more direct, but there is also humour in the show; there are LOLs as well as some political tubthumping. I think considering the timing of our chat today, it’d be folly not to touch on the current situation taking place with The Leadmill. As an artist and music lover, just what does that venue mean to you? It played a massive part in my development – as a human, really. Many of the great social moments in my life happened at The Leadmill. I’m old enough to have gone to The Limit, another alternative venue in Sheffield, and then The Leadmill came about and became more of the go-to live venue, whereas The Limit was, for me, more of a place to dance and meet girls. The bands that came about and played
there when I was 18 to 22 really signified my formative years in music, so my record collection today was largely influenced by The Leadmill. So, not only is it a hugely important place for me personally, but it is so vital for Sheffield that it continues to exist. Bands have come from all over the world to play The Leadmill, many huge ones in their formative years who still speak fondly of it now. If we lose The Leadmill, we lose another piece of Sheffield on the world stage and therefore lose some of our identity, plus a massive part of our tourism and history. It really can’t happen. The Leadmill is as Sheffield as Henderson’s Relish and cutlery and steel. If these guys taking it over want a nightclub, get a warehouse and build one! Your hometown shows are always hugely important to you, but following the rollercoaster of the last two years, does this one take on a bit of added significance? Absolutely. Sheffield audiences are vital to what I do, and I choose to exhibit in Sheffield because it’s very important to me personally. That said, with the show going down to London as well, I’ve had to approach it in a more universal sense,
which has made me choose some slightly different subject matter. It’s been cathartic to go down this particular process, and what my next show will be kind of hinges on how people perceive this one. It’s interesting – and also vital – for an artist to push that creative barrier, otherwise you can end up down a cul-de-sac of one style, one subject. I don’t want that to happen, so I wanted the ability to express different views in different mediums for my own creative good, really. I think the fact that this is quite different from my last shows is what I’m most excited about, mixed in with a little trepidation as well. I’ve nudged out of my comfort zone with this one, but there are so many things that I want to do with my career as an artist and this show is a great vessel to keep things moving forward.
DID YOU KNOW? 10,000 people in total visited This Class Works, Pete’s most recent Steel City exhibition.
Don’t Adjust Your Mindset is showing at Millennium Gallery 13th–22nd May. Free Entry. WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 25
We shine a light on just some of the many forces for good in Sheffield: local charities, social initiatives and – more generally – anyone striving to make our fair city a better, fairer place to live. We spoke to some of the people behind the organisations to find out more about what they do and how others can get involved.
REGATHER Lucy Jeczalik – Marketing Officer “We’ve had many different lives, from brewing our own beer to a short stint as a record label.”
Doing Their Bit Regather started as a group of people passionate about our wonderful city and the power of community. We’ve had many different lives, from brewing our own beer to a short stint as a record label. Over time we homed in on advocating for better, more resilient food systems, rooted in our organic veg box scheme. With the establishment of the Regather Farm in the Moss Valley three years ago, our commitment to sustainable growing really flourished. The Regather Organic Fruit and Veg Box brings local, organic goodness to the people of Sheffield year-round, including from our organic farm. We run lots of community projects such as the annual Little Sheffield Feast (a free street feast), Lansdowne Estate Community Gardening Club, community apple pressing, and more! It is a hugely important for a lot of reasons (in my opinion), but here are the headlines: organic farming is a vital tool in addressing the climate crisis; organically farmed soil stores up to 25% more carbon in the long-term; buying from local growers and makers keeps money in the local economy, making Sheffield more resilient as a result. People can show their support by checking out our veg box and hampers – they’re full of local treats and gifts! In the coming months we will be re-launching our membership offer so you can get involved in Regather’s journey. Follow us on Instagram @regathercooperative, Twitter @ regathercoop and Facebook @RegatherCooperative to keep up with our goings on. @regathercooperative
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Doing Their Bit
MOTION EXERCISE Ella & Zeezy – founders of Motion “Unfortunately, there are lots of barriers and challenges for older adults across the UK becoming both physically and socially active...”
Motion Exercise was started by friends, Ella and Zeezy, while at the University of Sheffield. We identified that there’s a lack of opportunities for older adults to engage in physical activity and interact with others, so we developed an intervention that brought older adults together to take part in exercise and we’ve had the pleasure of working with over 400 individuals since, hearing incredible stories and making lifelong memories! During the pandemic we had to stop delivering our sessions, but we worked closely with staff in care homes to pivot the delivery online, offering live streaming sessions to care home lounges. We are a social enterprise that designs and delivers inclusive and interactive exercise programmes to older adults. When a care home signs up, we work with them to create a tailored programme for their residents (who we call ‘Motioners’!) and then deliver sessions weekly. We buddy up care homes with a motivator (instructor), to ensure they can get to know one-another. Unfortunately, there are lots of barriers and challenges for older adults across the UK becoming both physically and socially active, which negatively impacts physical and mental wellbeing. We don’t think this has to be the reality; we’re driven to empower older adults to live happier and healthier lives. To help out, people can follow us on social media (@motionexercise) and share our details with care homes or older adults you know personally. We’ve also launched a pilot ‘Community Programme’ in April at Goodwin Sports Centre, so if you know anyone that would be interested they can get in touch via our website (motionexercise.co.uk) or directly: info@wearemotion.org. 07543858684.
Sheffield Flourish Josie Soutar – Managing Director Sheffield Flourish was founded in 2012 by a group of people with a shared drive to make a difference to mental health in Sheffield. Some had their own experience of mental health issues, while others had spent their lives working in the field. Through these experiences, they recognised the massive untapped potential of local people affected by mental health. We use a blended model for our work, combining our community activity with digital support. Our community activity includes Open Door Music (music production, singing and jamming sessions); Brunsmeer Awareness FC (men and women’s football teams); Flippin Mental Theatre; and Oasis gardening. On the
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digital side we run four websites, including the online directory and the Sheffield Mental Health Guide. Sheffield Flourish aims to support people living with mental-ill health to use their skills, ideas and talent to build the lives they wish to lead. Our vision is to work together to cocreate a city in which the identities, expertise, insights, aspirations and abilities of people living with mental health conditions are valued and supported, and where communities and organisations are mental health friendly. To get involved in any of our activities, volunteer or even donate (!), visit sheffieldflourish.co.uk or follow us on socials @sheffieldflourish.
“Sheffield Flourish aims to support people living with mentalill health to use their skills, ideas and talent to build the lives they wish to lead.”
Doing Their Bit
THE ARCHER PROJECT Tim Renshaw – CEO “Our aim is to give every person who suffers from homeless ness the chance of a different life.”
The Archer Project started in the eighties when Sheffield was in a decade of decline and homelessness was clearly a visible concern. Members of the cathedral’s congregation provided tea and toast for those who came inside for shelter. That service became a full breakfast for people who were homeless and over the years it has turned into what it is today. Our aim is to give every person who suffers from homelessness the chance of a different life. That means investing lots of time in building trusted relationships. People who are homeless on the street are there for a reason; nearly all experienced levels of trauma in their childhood that has led to chronic levels of distrust. Once we have trust we start to see different people who have hope, self-belief and a
desire to be involved in good things. We run some social enterprises like our printing company (printedbyus.org), which offers the chance of paid employment and eventually we see people who have the confidence to deal with life’s difficulties head on. That’s resilience. Nobody ‘chooses’ a life on the street. People end up there and we should help them to end up with better opportunities, better homes and better lives. We’re a charity so donating money helps us change lives. But we also survive by having good volunteers who can cope in a challenging environment. I would also ask people to check out our website archerproject.org.uk and listen to the stories of people who have been homeless and survived. archerproject.org.uk
Nature Recovery Sheffield Megan Carroll – Nature Recovery Community Engagement Officer FOOD WORKS SHEFFIELD MJo Hercberg Director, Communications and Partnershops “Over 30% of food produced never reaches our plates...”
Food Works started in 2015 as a campaign to raise awareness of food waste and to build a movement in Sheffield to tackle it. Our small staff team facilitates the work of hundreds of local volunteers to save, share and upcycle food via our cafés, market, ‘Just Meals’ frozen ready meals, and to grow food on our farm. Food waste is still a huge problem for the environment and for society. Over 30% of food produced never reaches our plates, which is a scandal considering the increasing levels of poverty and the climate crisis around the world. Every week we save over 10 tonnes of food from going to waste and over 5000 people a month eat or shop with us. In Sheffield and beyond, we’re working
hard to ensure food doesn’t go to waste whilst also building a fair food system that offers sustainable, affordable food to everyone. People can join our movement by becoming a volunteer in one of our many roles – check out thefoodworks. org/volunteer – as well as by shopping or eating with us! Our services are available to anyone and everyone on a ‘pay what you can afford’ basis with a min £1.00 contribution. Giving generously helps us to keep things affordable across Sheffield. We’re always grateful for donations, too; we’re a non-profit social enterprise and 100% of donations go into furthering our work. More on this at thefoodworks.org/productcategory/donations.
Nature Recovery Sheffield is a call to action for individuals, families, local businesses, organisations, schools and colleges. We all rely on nature, so we can all take action to help. As well as a climate crisis, our wildlife is facing a critical emergency. More than 1 in 10 of over 8,000 species assessed in the 2019 State of Nature Report are at risk of extinction and 41% of species in the UK are in decline. We’ve seen an incredible response to Nature Recovery Sheffield so far, with over 1,200 people and 34 organisations signed up, plus public support from the leaders of Sheffield’s Green Party, Liberal Democrat and Labour groups and Olivia Blake MP. On 16th June 2021, a motion on the nature emergency was carried by Sheffield City Council, including commitments to declare a nature emergency and to deliver a Nature Emergency Action Plan. We are continuing our campaign for action this year, and we’re asking you – as an individual or organisation – to join us by signing up to Nature Recovery Sheffield. Our newsletter and social media will keep you up to date with our activities and help you network with like-minded people. We’re also working to find out and share with you the things people are already doing to help nature in Sheffield. Anyone can sign up by visiting wildsheffield.com/getinvolved, or contact naturesheffield@wildsheffield.com. #NatureSheffield.
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Doing Their Bit
GOOD GYM Lack of activity and social isolation are two huge issues in modern society and Good Gym helps to address both!
Good Gym Sheffield was established in Oct 2016. It started in London with the founder, Ivo, running to an elderly, isolated family friend (Ivo’s coach) with the paper and a pint of milk to have a chat. It was a mutually beneficial relationship giving both parties something to look forward to and keep healthy both physically and mentally. The charity was born from this ethos of ‘get fit, do good’. As well as the above (now called ‘coach runs’), our main run is on a Monday eve from The Showroom Cinema at 6.30pm. This is a group run where a big bunch of us run to a local charity or community organisation and help them with a physical task – from painting walls to gardening, or perhaps filling skips, and all things in between. On the way back we have a quick fitness session or challenge and come back to the Showroom for around 8.15pm, stretch off and head inside for a pint. Lovely stuff! Lack of activity and social isolation are two huge issues in modern society and Good Gym helps to address both! It’s good for our runners, our coaches and the local community we work with, not only for physical wellbeing but also mentally and socially. We all need connection and community. So, sign up and run with us! Visit our website at goodgym.org/areas/sheffield for more details – we’d love to welcome more runners! goodgym.org
Gut Level Hannah Beres – Co-founder The idea to create Gut Level started at the beginning of 2019 as a response to the lack of economically accessible venues in Sheffield that prioritise electronic music and late-night events. Another driving force was the absence of a music venue and community space that has women and queer people at the forefront of it. Our first space located in Attercliffe under a disused railway arch was found by Katie and we moved in Summer 2019. We stayed here for around a year and left due to not being able to run events and pay rent over lockdown. We now run a multi-use space that currently prioritises hosting late-night electronic music events. Our overall aim is to provide a spot for marginalised communities who have previously felt unwelcome or uncomfortable in mainstream club spaces. Aside from Gut Level events, we run 30 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
“Our overall aim is to provide a spot for marginalised communities who have previously felt unwelcome or uncomfortable in mainstream club spaces. ”
a community garden in our courtyard called Wet Patch and host a bi-monthly DJ workshop at Dina for women/queer/LGBT+ people called Flaw and Working Them’s Club. Our general ethos is believing in the importance of providing space for the community, particularly in an ever-increasingly individualistic world. There is a desperate need for space and facilities for people to meet each other that doesn’t revolve entirely around spending money. If you’d like to get to know more about us, check out our website at www.gutlevel.co.uk or follow us on instagram @gutlevelsheffield. All our late-night events are posted on here. For the DJ workshops follow @flawcollective & @working_ thems_club. Finally for the garden, check out @ wetpatchsheffield.
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Doing Their Bit
A MIND APART Jodie Marshall – Managing Director “A Mind Apart uses performing arts to engage with children, young people and adults, using it as a way to support development, social skills, confidence and selfesteem with all those we work with.”
I founded Mind Apart during my time at Lincoln University studying performing arts. Now 14 years old, the idea for the company came about whilst taking part in a practical module where I had to create a theatre company and put in a fake Arts Council application. A Mind Apart uses performing arts to engage with children, young people and adults, using it as a way to support development, social skills, confidence and self-esteem with all those we work with. We deliver a wide range of services from dramatherapy to evening performing arts classes, and specialise in being fully inclusive, providing a safe space for all individuals to learn and have social interactions with others, whilst learning skills and in many cases developing performances. All of our sessions are accessible to those with Special Educational Needs as well as those without. Our work includes intervention work with schools, social care and local authorities; working with some of the most vulnerable and at risk children and young people in the city, delivering wellbeing and personal development sessions that support them to re-engage with education longer term, and in some cases progress to college where they otherwise thought they never could. As part of this work, we deliver the Arts Award Qualification that enables them to achieve something and have a positive experience of completing a qualification. Our classes and sessions are inclusive and create a space for individuals to be who they want to be, whilst also learning how to respect others and be a part of a group – often with mixed abilities and needs. This is particularly critical to a child’s and young person’s development and in learning how to be a part of society in a positive and safe way. In addition to this, we use techniques from performing arts to support participants in combating
loneliness, mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression and other health and wellbeing issues, teaching conflict management and soft skills that can be used throughout life. For those that want to take performing arts further, we have options for them to increase their skills and understand more about the industry. Although it is starting to change, for years the performing arts industry has been exclusive and not considerate to those with needs or from other vulnerable groups. It is still very behind other sectors, but our work is a critical part of preparing those that otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunities in the industry to be a part of it and to be able to manage the mental challenges they will face, in what can be a very critical and harsh industry. We are always in need of support, and our work is regularly underfunded. You can support us by signing yourself or your child up to one of our classes, which take place in the evenings and are available for children, teenagers and adults. If this doesn’t quite sound like something you are interested in but value our work and want to support us, we have a crowdfund that we are currently seeking support for, which is helping us to recover from Covid. Please head to localgiving.org/appeal/ amindapartcovidrecovery/ to make a donation. You can find further details of what we do on our website at www.amindapart.org.uk. Finally, much of those we work with come to us via word of mouth, so please visit our social media pages at @amindapart and share more about our work with those you know or work with. We would also value you sharing our crowdfunder so that we can hit our target, which will help us to make sure that our work can continue. www.amindapart.org.uk.
Chilypep
Lesley Pollard – Chief Executive Officer During the first lockdown, Chilypep asked young people what would help them most. Alongside having someone to talk to and online group activities to reduce isolation, providing financial help and ways to support their wellbeing were top priorities. The Young People’s support fund was set up by Chilypep as part of a big Lottery funded COVID-19 Response. The fund gives young people the chance to decide what will support them the most. The Connections Hub team worked with young people to develop a straightforward process for applying to make the fund as accessible as possible. It’s exciting to give young people
the freedom to choose what they know will support them – we’ve supported over 100 young people so far! COVID-19 hit young people hard, especially refugee and asylum-seeking young people, those who are affected by mental health conditions or who are from the most deprived communities and the effects are long-lasting. Young people are still struggling and need the help the fund can offer but funding for the project has almost run out. You can help by making a small donation, sharing our work or fundraising for us so that we can keep the fund going as long as possible! Contact us at: info@chilypep.org.uk.
“Sheffield Flourish aims to support people living with mentalill health to use their skills, ideas and talent to build the lives they wish to lead.”
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2022 Artists’ studios will be open on 30 April 1 – 2 May 7 – 8 May
Go to the website https://openupsheffield.co.uk/ For further information email: info@openupsheffield.co.uk
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LEADMILL Special
WE CAN’T LOSE THE LEADMILL One of the most troubling elements borne out of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic was a tangible threat to our cherished institutions. Our live entertainment venues, so long a key part of the city’s social and cultural fabric, were forced to close their doors for months on end and, during the darkest depths of national lockdown, many questioned whether they’d open again. After navigating these tricky waters, iconic Sheffield music venue The Leadmill got back to doing what they do best: serving up an eclectic programme of live music, comedy, club nights and performing arts. The famous neon sign flickered back to life, queues were again seen snaking down Leadmill Road, and the dancefloor was once more bedewed by Red Stripe as it appeared to be a case of ‘as you were’ for the city’s longest-running music spot. That was until last month when news broke that the building’s landlord, Electric Group, had served staff with an eviction notice and plan to take over the running of the venue in a year’s time. The London-based music group – which runs other music venues in the UK including Electric Brixton, SWX Bristol and the former Newcastle O2 Academy (to be reopened this year as NX) – has said it intends to keep The Leadmill as a live music venue; but large numbers of outraged staff members, musicians, politicians and gig-goers in Sheffield and across the country have rallied against the decision, denouncing it as a ‘smash and grab’ move that puts jobs at risk, profits from the hard work of others, and could see the famous brand leave the city for good. A hashtag #WeCantLoseTheLeadmill has continued to
THE VENUE CURRENTLY RUNS 100 LIVE GIGS, 150 CLUB NIGHTS, 50 COMEDY SHOWS AND 50 OTHER EVENTS SUCH AS CINEMA SCREENINGS, QUIZZES AND TALKS EVERY YEAR.
highlight mass condemnation of the move, while the venue announced an official e-petition which aims to prevent landlords from evicting long-standing tenants for their own financial gain. They hope that suspending Section 25 of the Landlord and Tenant Act (Grounds C to G) can help to protect vulnerable businesses who lease the buildings from which they operate, especially considering that 93% of grassroots music venues in the UK do not own the buildings that they operate within. A Leadmill spokesperson said of the planned eviction: “This is an appalling attempt to shut down and evict The Leadmill by an unscrupulous landlord and is likely to continue happening to others unless we can get this changed in law.” We at Exposed Magazine simply cannot envisage a Sheffield without The Leadmill. Over the years, there have been literally hundreds of gig reviews, interviews with both local and touring musicians, and memorable moments committed to print have been made possible thanks to this special place. Our gaffer reviewed a young Arctic Monkeys there; our web editor supported a young Arctic Monkeys there; our sales manager shared a post-gig dancefloor with a young Kings of Leon there; our magazine editor has zero cool indie band cred but repeatedly embarrassed himself as a young student there (and I’d do it all again!). In an ever-changing city landscape, The Leadmill has remained a constant for over four decades. We’re proud to get behind this wonderful piece of Sheffield history and will do all we can to keep awareness raised around this ongoing situation – because, simply put, we can’t lose The Leadmill.
Sign the official e-petition here:
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LEADMILL Special
HAWLEY SHOWS LEADMILL SUPPORT
SCOTTISH ROCKERS FRANZ FERDINAND ONCE TOLD THE ARCADE FIRE THAT PLAYING THE LEADMILL WAS SEEN AS A “RITE OF PASSAGE”.
Richard Hawley last month unveiled details of two Leadmill shows to help support the Sheffield venue. These will be Hawley’s first headline shows at the Leadmill since he toured Cole’s Corner back in 2005. Hawley, who had previously shared his support for the venue after the news was shared, said in a statement: “Richard first played the Leadmill in 1984 with his then band Treebound Story. In the following decades he has played the venue more times than probably any other musician. Now to our horror The Leadmill is under threat from new landlords who have issued eviction orders after 42 years. “As a mark of support and love for this legendary and unique venue Richard is proud to announce two shows at The Leadmill on August 8th and 9th.” “These will be his most intimate Sheffield shows in a long time, so we suggest setting your alarms to avoid disappointment.” The shows will take place on 8 and 9 August and tickets for the gigs are available from leadmill.co.uk.
CATHERINE BOHART: THIS ISN’T FOR YOU
May 3, 7pm. £13.50 As seen and heard on The Mash Report, Immaculate (Comedy Special) on Amazon Prime Video, A League Of Their Own, Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Roast Battle, The Stand Up Sketch Show, Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier, The News Quiz and The Guilty Feminist Podcast. ‘Destined for stardom’ (The Evening Standard)
RICH HALL
May 11, 7pm. £17 Rich’s acclaimed BBC4 documentaries (most recently Rich Hall’s Red Menace) and his Radio 4 series Election Breakdown have established a whole new legion of followers. He’s also a stalwart of QI and Have I Got News For You. But seeing the Hoedown is a whole different experience. Gut-busting, rib-tickling, toe-tapping, and shit-kicking, Rich Hall’s Hoedown Deluxe covers the full anatomical spectrum. “Vital and incredulously angry. Hilarious.” (THE SCOTSMAN) 38 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
JAMES BAY May 13, 7.30pm. £25 Joining The Leadmill for a very special intimate show is BRIT award-winning songwriter James Bay for a showcase of his sensational back catalogue.
STONE PLUS ELI SMART
May 22, 7.30pm. £9 Quickly making a name for themselves as one of the UK’s stand-out post-punk acts, ferocious Liverpool quartet STONE make their Sheffield debut this May.
THE BIG MOON
May 25, 7.30pm. £15 London-based indie quartet The Big Moon venture out on their first headline tour in two years, performing tracks from their brilliant album Walking Like We Do.
LEADMILL Special
EMILY DUFF - BAR STAFF AT THE LEADMILL The Leadmill was the first venue I ever visited when I moved to Sheffield. With a bunch of people from my University course I’d never met and in the middle of pandemic lockdowns and rules, we sat at a table drinking to the soundtrack of 2010 and that’s where I met one of my now best friends. As a young adult at University in Sheffield, the Leadmill took me on in a city I’d never worked before, during a pandemic, and helped me to further grow the experience in promotions that had been taken from me back home as well as in journalism, bartending and communications - constantly offering me work they knew I’d love and excel at, proving to me that I have a chance to start a career once I graduate. To have this jeopardised is a scary feeling. There’s few places in Sheffield that would offer me the same range of chances while allowing me to be flexible around University. To lose the jobs and team of new friends I’ve made here for the second time around is insane and I hope that we can stop this from happening to countless other venues around the UK.
BEN HARTLEY - LIVE PROMOTER Finding The Leadmill as a teenager changed my life and magnified my passion for music. It showed me why I needed this to be my career, created a gateway to work with other venues and fuelled a love for the spirit of independence that Sheffield brings. They believed in me early on, and I had the pleasure of being the stage manager for over five years. I worked with some of the world’s best bands before becoming the venue’s Live Promoter, which was a complete honour. I have the privilege of working alongside the most wonderful, progressive and hard-working staff I could have ever wished for, all of us driven by a love of the experiences we’re creating together. It’s crucial that this can’t end, and that the team we’ve built continues to be sustained by (and provide opportunities for) passionate young people for years to come.
ROSE WILCOX - HEAD OF PROGRAMMING My journey with The Leadmill began 15 years ago, when I was at school in Sheffield and desperate to be involved in the music industry. I hired the venue, promoted some friends bands from school whilst scouring Myspace for up and coming artists that I wanted to book! The Leadmill offered me the opportunity and experience to learn and educate myself at a place that me, my peers and my family all loved. I will forever be grateful for the platform that The Leadmill offered me - the trust and time that was given to me, to be able to gain invaluable experience. I left The Leadmill during my twenties, but returned a few years ago. I think everyone that experiences The Leadmill carries a part of it with them wherever they go - the ethos, the memories, the feeling of togetherness. There’s nothing that can replace it.
ADAM MORLEY RESIDENT DJ OF 32 YEARS
I first went to The Leadmill in 1986 to see The Housemartins I instantly felt at home, like minded people dressing as they please to “Escape the uptown apocalypse” which was the strapline back then. I became a regular gig / club goer thereafter, becoming the resident DJ In 1990 and so proud to be still there 32 years later. I’ve seen many artists over the years including: Arctic Monkeys, Amy Winehouse, Killers, Strokes, Muse, Coldplay, Pulp none of whom would have succeeded without venues like The Leadmill giving them their first break, built up over 42 years by people who have a passion to nurture & develop. Sheffield is snonymous with great music and you can track all it’s famous exponents back to The Leadmill, we need to preserve that for the next generations to succeed.
DAN CAMPBELL - SOUND ENGINEER I first started working at The Leadmill 8 years ago on a university placement year. I’d never lived in Sheffield before, but immediately felt like I belonged, and moved here permanently after graduating. It’s brought me to where I now call home, and set me off on my career in the industry that I love. I’ve worked with countless bands, comedians, artists and amazing professionals that I’m proud to call my peers and friends. I’ve gone from a nervous and inexperienced lighting tech to a confident sound engineer working with touring acts and local bands alike. I love what I do. To potentially have this taken away is so painful, and to think that others like me may no longer have this amazing opportunity is unthinkable. Over 8 years it’s been so clear to me, that while the Leadmill is a brilliant venue and building, it’s always been the people that make it. Take that away, and there’s nothing left. WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 39
LEADMILL Special
PLENTY OF FAMOUS FACES HAVE PARTIED IN THE VENUE, INCLUDING POSH & BECKS – WHO KNOCKED BACK A COUPLE OF RED STRIPES WHILE WATCHING MEL C’S SHOW 1999.
WHAT THEY SAID
A number of famous musicians, artists and MPs had their say on the matter last month… BILLY BRAGG: ‘This is awful news for Sheffield and for up and coming artists looking to build an audience. The Leadmill is crucial to both #WeCantLoseLeadmill’ LOUISE HAIGH MP: ‘The Leadmill can’t be replaced. It’s not a building, it’s an ethos. It was made by Sheffield for Sheffield.’ PETE MCKEE: ‘Saying the @Leadmill will still remain a music venue is like changing the name of @HendoRelish, adding anchovies and saying it’s still a relish.’ DAN JARVIS: ‘The loss of @Leadmill would be devastating to the cultural landscape of Sheffield and South Yorkshire. It’s a truly iconic venue that’s been a part of our community for
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SUPPORTING ARCTIC MONKEYS FOR THAT GIG
It’s Sunday 22 January 2006, our pals and occasional sparring partners have released their debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ and its crash landed in at the top of the album charts! To celebrate the release, they’ve organised a hometown show at the Leadmill, pulling together some of the leading names of the flourishing Sheffield scene, including Milburn, Revered and the Makers and us, Harrisons. North West Sheffield is running riot in the Leaders! I can’t remember much about our set, and same goes for Milburn and Rev. Tonight wasn’t really about us though. From the minute High Green’s least likely looking rock stars skulked on stage to Warren G’s Regulate people fully lost their shit. From the vantage of side of stage, it was remarkable. I’ve never seen a venue then or since bouncing so completely in unison. There was no chin stroking appreciation, simply limbs and broken bodies. Compared to the scenes out front, backstage was a far more sterilised affair. Full of industry, press and hangers on. At least until my best mate nicked a couple of bottles of their celebratory champagne and sprayed it all over our dressing room. Never did see that jumper again! Ash Birch, ex-Harrisons bassist and Exposed Magazine online editor
more than 40 years. I’ll do whatever I can to help ensure its survival.’ EDDIE IZZARD: ‘The Leadmill started when I was at Uni in Sheffield. It was a great venue then and remains a great beacon for new bands and rock music in Sheffield and South Yorkshire’ LUCY SPRAGGAN: This venue is iconic. An historical part of so many artist’s careers. An historical part of Sheffield. We really can’t lose it. JOE LYCETT: ‘This would be a terrible loss to culture in the UK.#WeCantLoseTheLeadmill’ ROLO TOMASSI: I grew up going to this venue. I wouldn’t be making music if it wasn’t for the experiences I had at those gigs. Really gutted to hear this. SLEAFORD MODS: ‘Sad news. Sheffield Leadmill is up there as one of those classic pit stops for any self-respecting band since the dawn of time.
JARVIS COCKER: ‘THIS HAD BETTER BE AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE.’
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LEADMILL Special
a stroll down leadmill lane
“JUST BEHIND THE STATION, BEFORE YOU REACH THE TRAFFIC ISLAND, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH’ A CONCRETE CHANNEL. I TOOK YOU THERE ONCE; I THINK IT WAS AFTER THE LEADMILL.” PULP – WICKERMAN (2001)
1994
Green Day’s Billie Joe playing (with a broken leg) on the band’s Dookie tour.
1982
The fabled Christmas pantomime organised by Jarvis Cocker takes place featuring around 50 musicians from South Yorkshire bands.
1988
1994
Prince Charles pops along to see what all the fuss is about.
1980
The Leadmill opens to the public, transforming what was an old flour mill in a neglected area of the city. During a period of damaging Thatcherite policies, the venue aimed to discredit the widespread idea of ‘no future no hope’; it held free or discounted events for miners during the strikes, reduced rates for the unemployed and created a safe haven for the young and marginalised.
Britpop vagabonds Oasis play their first Sheffield show.
1989
The venue undergoes a huge refurbishment; The Leadmill we recognise today takes shape.
1980
The first gig sees a line-up of largely local talent take to the stage on 16th August: Artery, Flying Alphonso Brothers, Scarborough Antelopes, Repulsive Alien, Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor, Station 4 and Pulp.
1988
Pulp enjoyed one of their many Leadmill performances.
LEADMILL Special
2015
Sheffield artist and rapper Kid Acne created artwork for the entryway, encapsulating artists who have performed at The Leadmill with their iconic lyrics.
2007
Arctic Monkeys play a secret gig to launch their follow-up album Favourite Worst Nightmare.
2010
A few months after the artist’s second Mercury Prize nomination, a 20-year-old Laura Marling takes to the stage.
2005
Ahead of the release of Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Arctic Monkeys sell out the venue than any other band.
2006
The NME New Music Tour sees hometown favourites The Long Blondes returning to The Leadmill for a memorable show, sharing a bill with Boy Kill Boy and The Automatic.
2011
Mick Jones of The Clash and Richard Hawley play as part of the Justice Tonight Band for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.
2011
The venue hosts a live art show from local artist Geo Law in 2011. The large-scale piece took a day to create and was displayed in the main area until 2016.
2021
Bring Me The Horizon play a FREE gig to promote latest album Sempiternal. As you can imagine, it sells out pretty sharpish…
2019
Leadmill hosts a street party welcoming 2,000 festivalgoers over Tramlines weekend.
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21 Rotating Craft Keg Lines // Wines Spirits & Non-Alcoholic Beers Venue Available for Hire 85 Sidney Street, Sheffield, S1 4RG // 0114 303 9390 Follow us @industrytapsheffield
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Now with a new opening time of 3pm, every Saturday La Mama will be serving you a fun style Latin Bottomless Brunch. Is your friend’s brunch ending at 3pm? Well, we’re just getting starting!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS @ LAMAMATAPASBAR 238 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield, S7 1FL Tel: 0114 327 9597 www.lamamalatin.co.uk
A WEEKEND IN KELHAM ISLAND
48 hours in Sheffield’s most popular district
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Breakfast/brunch To kick off the weekend in tasteh style, you’re going to want to find the perfect breakfast (for you early risers), or brunch spot (if you’ve treated yourself to a lie in) and there’s plenty of top venues in Kelham for some early morning fuel. Chief amongst them is (1) The Grind café, a stalwart of the area on Green Lane, they serve up a daily array of classic breakfast fodder. Their full English/Vegetarian/Vegan option, and breakfast sarnies are perfect if you’re after a hearty start to the day, but they’ve also got you covered for a slightly lighter bite, with granola and porridge options, as well as eggs pretty much any way you want them, toasted sourdough, pancakes of the day, and a nod to a Sheffield staple – Henderson’s Relish Rarebit. At the weekends, from 11am, they also serve Bloody Mary and bottomless Prosecco, if you’re starting on the booze early-doors. Across the river, on Burton Road, you’ll find (2) Gaard, a vegan café with vegetarian options. At this cosy,
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dog friendly venue, there’s plenty of space to eat in or take away any of their Maccies-inspired breakfast items, including ‘sausage’ breakfast muffins, hash brown bites and pancakes with ‘sausage’ patty and maple syrup, or grab a stuffed croissant and a bit of cake. On the drinks front, expect speciality roasted coffee from Foundation Coffee, loose leaf and bagged teas from Suki, and CBD Iced coffees. Back over at Kelham Island Museum you’ve got (3) Island Café. Run by independent operators, and ostensibly there to serve museum patrons, their coffee, breakfast and brunch menu is so good it’s worth making the effort even if you don’t fancy a mooch around the museum. A Bite to Eat Once that lots settled, thoughts will inevitably be turning to lunch and evening meal plans, and whether you’re after a casual bite for lunch or a full-on fine dining experience, Kelham Island has you covered in spades. The obvious place to start on any
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food tour of Kelham Island is (4) Cutlery Works, on Neepsend Lane. The city’s first food hall has an array of vendors, serving up everything from pizzas, tacos and fried chicken, to Indian, Chinese and Thai cuisine. They’ve even got bubble tea and Sheffield’s favourite bean-to-bar choclate makers Bullion in-house on dessert duties. Across the water from Cutlery Works, in Osborne Works, sits (5) Church – Temple
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PHOTO: ZAC TURNER
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and (8) Roku. The former is the sister restaurant of Broomhill’s popular Butcher and Catch and very much focuses on the butcher element of its elder sibling. They use an Argentinian asado BBQ chargrill to enhance the flavours of the meat over natural flames – a meat lovers paradise! Roku, on the other hand, is a new venture by experienced sushi chefs from Edo Sushi who are bringing the ‘next level’ of Japanese cuisine to Sheffield. Expect exciting sushi and Japanese-inspired dishes, set in the 92 Burton courtyard, which also houses Depot Bakery, Factory Floor, Donner Summer, and is of course the home of the ever-popular, monthly street food market, Peddler. Last, but by no means least, on this roundup of restaurants is (9) JÖRO. Based on the ground-floor of Krynkl, it’s difficult to heap more praise on this high flying restaurant. Operating out of a shipping container, it’s pretty astounding what they achieve and if you’re looking to add some vibe, look no further than (6) Domo, truly innovative dishes to your weekend in Little Kelham. This authentically around the island, then JÖRO is the Sardinian bistro has been wowing diners standout fine dining experience in Kelham, with its top-notch antipasto, pasta and and probably anywhere in the city. pizza dishes since 2019, and is currently in the process of moving onto the next chapter for the business, opening Kelu, their take on a Sardinian sky lounge atop Krynkl, coming this spring. A couple of recent additions to the Kelham food scene are (7) Chop Shop
Kelham Island is one of the city’s most exciting suburbs and with new things to see and do opening with arresting regularity you could spend the whole weekend down there and still have things left to do. Here’s a guide to some of the stuff you could be getting up to…
of Fun. Owned by Bring me the Horizon frontman Oli Sykes, this allvegan venue has all your plant-based junk food needs covered. Think big dirty burgers and loaded fries, as well as the recent addition of a Sunday Service, an all-vegan roast that includes, what are, for our money, the best vegan yorkies around. If you’re looking for something slightly more refined, that still retains a relaxed
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A WEEKEND IN KELHAM ISLAND
48 hours in Sheffield’s most popular district
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Cocktails and late-night fun It’s not just about eating in Kelham Island though, and if you’ve not over faced yourself with the snap, the party is just getting started. Mezcal mesters, (10) Pina, have got the Tommy’s Margaritas ready to kick things off and if you’re missing this party bar out on a weekend in Kelham you’re simply doing it wrong. As well as the DJ’s and cocktails, they’ve even got banging tacos, if you’ve still got room. Switching spirits from mezcal to rum, next up we’ve got another late-night hot spot and popular party bar, (11) Parrot Club. From the founders of Sheffield favourite O’Hara’s Spiced Rum, expect premium rums, great cocktails and pumping old school Hip Hop. A vibe. Sandwiched in between these two in Peddler’s courtyard is relative newcomer, (12) Factory Floor. The innovative venue is the UK’s first bar to combine the best in drip infusion cocktails (derived from a traditional Japanese Coffee Filtration
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method), tank beer (brewed on-site by Neepsend Brew Co.) and bespoke audiophile sound (proper banging speakers that make sure the sound quality literally follows you about the gaff!). Also, a vibe. But, if you’re looking for somewhere a little more chilled that still offers amazing cocktails, (13) Nook The Bar has you covered. A unique micro bar in Kelham, Nook offers a tailored artisan cocktail menu with an ever-changing seasonal menu, incorporating obscure spirits and ingredients from all corners of the world. Find them above Joro, on the first floor of Krynkl. Continuing the chilled-out vibe, (14) Grafters Bar is essentially a big ol’ beer garden that during the upcoming summer months is going to be absolutely banging. Expect a small selection of beers, with just three cask and two keg lines, alongside a broad selection of cans and bottles, as well as premium spirits, and don’t worry, if it gets a bit nippy, they’ve got some pretty heavy duty outside heaters,
making sure you stay nice and toasty. And if it’s courtyards you’re after, (15) Saw Grinders Union utilises its courtyard space in Globe Works expertly, recently launching a whole new event out of it - the extremely colourful Kelham Carnival. Keep your eyes peeled for more events in the coming months, or pop down anytime and enjoy one of their sensational cocktails, or a bit of snap.
27th, 28th 28th, & 29th May 2022
A WEEKEND IN KELHAM ISLAND
48 hours in Sheffield’s most popular district
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Sample the beers As well as its industrial heritage, Kelham Island also boasts a proud history of brewing and no weekend in Kelham would be complete without a tour of some of the best places to sample the local breweries on offer, as well as other beer-y treats from around the world. Situated in a former warehouse on Neepsend Lane, (16) Heist Brew Co are the latest Sheffield brewery to call Kelham Island home, and their epic brewery tap on Neepsend Lane boasts a bar chocka block with over 20 lines, shuffleboard and, randomly, 2p machines. The venue also houses the amazing lockdown success story and burger slingers, Slap and Pickle. Just next door to Heist is the more traditional, but no less quirky boozer, (17) The Gardeners Rest. Community owned and serving great beers on cask and keg, their tag line is ‘more than a pub, a community hub’, and for our money has one of the most enticing beer gardens overlooking the river that the area has to offer.
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Continuing the tour of traditional pub, (18) The Fat Cat and (19) Kelham Island Tavern both continue to punch well above their weight as trendier venues spring up around them. Both pubs are multiaward winning, both pride themselves on excellent beers, and both have excellent beer gardens. Just a stone’s throw away from each other, near Kelham Island Museum, you can very easily stumble from one to the other. Talking of the museum, here is probably a good time to mention that it also has its very own boozer, (20) The Millowners Arms. Originally created as an exhibition for the museum, the pub was somewhere you could read and learn about the history of beer in Sheffield, but you couldn’t actually buy a pint (most of the time, anyway). That all changed back in 2019 when the museum’s hospitality offering was revamped, and the Millowners Arms was transformed into a fully functioning tavern, becoming a lovely little hidden gem. Another hidden gem and
recommended pit stop is (21) Hymn To Ninkasi, a craft beer bottle shop and bar in the heart of Little Kelham. Taking its unusual name from a song of praise to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, and an ancient recipe for brewing, it boasts huge fridges packed with around 180 different lines of unique and exciting independent brews from both Sheffield and across the globe. A fitting tribute to Ninkasi, we think. No one was more excited than us to see (22) The Ship Inn set sail again. One of the oldest pubs in city, The Ship acts as a gateway to Kelham Island, but sadly closed in 2021 amidst the pandemic. New operators have restored it to its former glory, attempting to emulate the vibe of popular Camden boozer and Amy Winehouse haunt, The Hawley Arms and it once again offers somewhere to come as your first or last stop on a Kelham crawl, or a comfortable space to spend the day. Another river-view beer garden of note is (23) The Riverside, on Mowbray Street. Now part of the True North Brew Co. family, expect plenty of their signature beers as well as a proper good roast on a Sunday.
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weekend away and you could bump into anything from a Planet Zogg night to a gig by a local acoustic troubadour. If not, the courtyard bar is a decent place to spend a coupla hours in the sun. While you’ve got the listings out, check to see whether you’ve booked in for the first weekend of the month, as that’s when you’ll find the ridiculously popular (26) Peddler Market. The street food market, housed in a warehouse on Burton Road, is often credited with the area’s recent resurgence as a destination and the appeal of the event over the years hasn’t waned. So much so, that they now host an entirely veggie and vegan version of the event, called veg Out. On any Peddler
Fun stuff to do As well as the stacked food and drink scene, you’re gonna need some stuff to do while you’re here, and thankfully, there’s plenty of events and stuff to do to while away your weekend in Kelham Island. The most notable attraction is the eponymous (24) Kelham Island Museum that sits on the Island itself (yes, we know some of the places mentioned are actually Neepsend and Shalesmooor!). The industrial museum houses exhibitions on science and Sheffield industry, including examples of reconstructed little mesters’ workshops and England’s largest surviving Bessemer converter. The primary school trip favourite is a fun-packed and interesting nod to Sheffield’s industrial past for any age group and is a must for anyone visiting the area for the weekend. One of our other favourite haunts is (25) Yellow Arch Studios. Famed for its rehearsal spaces and recording studios to Sheffield’s great and good, the former nuts and bolts factory on Neepsend Lane is now a venue in its own right, putting on some of the most interesting acts around. Check out the listings before your
weekend, expect a top-notch array of food vendors, artisan makers, DJs and live acts. Where to stay With all this to do, you’re going to want somewhere comfy to get your head down for the night, and we recommend newbie hotel the (27) House of JÖRO. Coming from the owners of JÖRO restaurant, this boutique hotel of four beautifully designed rooms is located just a stone’s throw away from the restaurant and provides far flung visitors with a beautiful space to spend a foodie staycation in the heart of Kelham Island.
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OPENING EARLY SUMMER… From humble beginnings to the skies of Sheffield, we are immensely proud to have curated a truly unique experience where it all started for us, in Kelham Island. From the family that brought you Domo, we are proud to present our latest addition, Kelu - The Sardinian Sky Lounge. Born from the love of our home town in Sardinia, we hope to recreate the feelings, tastes, atmospheres & everything else that comes with our island nation. Join us and immerse yourself in the settings of good company, great drinks and outstanding food. Our traditional antipasti & stuzzichini, masterfully curated cocktails & exemplary selection of Italian wines promise an unrivalled experience. Whether you join us for Aperitivo as a prelude to dinner, spend the evening sipping through our cocktail list or finish your night with us over a nightcap, we can’t wait to see you. Alla salute!
KELU 294, Shalesmoor, Sheffield S3 8UL @ k_e_l_u
2022 in association with
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S A R D IN IA N S O U L F O O D I N T H E HE A RT O F L ITT L E K E L H A M We want you to experience the real Sardinian way of life. pics: @elliegracephotography
Whether you need coffee on the go, lunch with colleagues, after work drinks, feasts with the family, or cocktails at the weekend we serve up Sardinian tradition all day long.
A PE R IT I VO Join us from 5pm - 7pm, Monday - Thursday for £6 Italian Aperitivo cocktails!
EAGLE WORKS , 34-36 COT TON MILL WALK, LIT TLE KELHAM, S3 8DH T: 0114 3221020 // E: info@domorestaurant.co.uk// www.domorestaurant.co.uk
Nook is a unique micro bar in Kelham, offering a tailored artisan cocktail experience. The intimate space is warm and inviting with an ever-changing seasonal menu of cocktails, incorporating obscure spirits and ingredients from all corners of the world as well as a selection of awardwinning wines and beers. Get cosy in their nook, or have a boogie to classic disco vibes... you won’t be disappointed.
UNIT 1.7-1.8 KRYNKL BUILDING 294 SHALEMOOR S3 8UL @BAR_NOOK INSTA/FACEBOOK/TWITTER INFO@NOOKTHEBAR.CO.UK | WWW.NOOKTHEBAR.CO.UK | 07725808210 DESIGN MY NIGHT NOOK THE BAR
WALK INS AND BOOKING AVAILABLE
FOOD AND DRINK
ROXY BALL ROOM HEADS TO CITY Roxy Ball Room is soon set to open in Sheffield as part of the Heart of the City regeneration scheme. It’s the latest venue from Roxy Leisure – who are already established in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol. Known for its extensive series of competitive bar games including beer pong, pool and shuffleboard, the venue will also serve food and a long list of cocktails. It will be located on Wellington Street below the Telephone House carpark which has been recently refurbished, next to the recently opened restaurant and bar, The Furnace. Joel Mitchell, Brand Development Manager at Roxy Leisure says: “This is an incredible location and we can’t wait to bring the Roxy experience to the city very soon.” “Roxy and Sheffield are perfect for each other and we are very excited to finally come to a city that we have wanted to be in for a long time.” As mentioned, the venue will be part of the £470 million transformational development scheme in the city centre, which is
expected to create around 500 construction jobs, along with upwards of 5,500 jobs once the scheme is completed. Alex Hyams, Senior Leasing Manager at Queensberry – Strategic Development Partner on Heart of the City, told Exposed: “We’re delighted to be able to announce that Roxy Leisure has signed up and that they plan to open in the summer. They are a top-quality operator and their venues have a real sense of character and personality, which will definitely bring something new to the city centre.” “Heart of the City is taking the city centre’s social scene to new heights and Roxy, alongside the likes of The Furnace and the upcoming Cambridge Street Collective, will give the public and local businesses a leading social destination to enjoy in the day, after work and into the evening.”
SUSHI TO SAVOUR A new Sushi restaurant has opened in Kelham Island. Roku comes from the guys behind Edo Sushi and has joined Factory Floor, Donner Summer and Leaf + Shoot in the Peddler Warehouse courtyard. The unit, which formerly housed Sheffield Cheesemasters, has been transformed with the addition of a new kitchen and seated bar area boasting sleek, Asian-inspired interiors and ambient lighting creating a cosy, relaxed vibe in the evenings.
The food offering promises to bring the ‘next level’ of Asian cuisine to Sheffield and will focus on a small menu, using quality ingredients that you won’t find anywhere else in the city. Tomo Hasegawa, who co-owns the restaurant told us: “I want to offer customers new ingredients and tastes that they haven’t experienced before or are difficult to experience because you can only get them down in London, or very expensive places.”
MEET MR WILSON Owners of CODE nightclub and popular West Street Irish bar, Molly Malone’s, have confirmed that their latest venture Mr Wilson’s is all set to open on 6 May. The new two-floor West Street bar will combine both modern and classic looks, with a contemporary cocktail bar featuring luxury seating areas, indoor waterfall and a large island bar at ground level, while the basement transports guests back to 1920s prohibition era, with low ceilings, dramatic dark woods and plush upholstery. mrwilsons.co.uk
JUKE & C-LOE-SED roxyballroom.co.uk The owners of Michelin-recommended restaurant Juke & Loe recently announced the venue will be closing its doors next month. The popular Ecclesall Road spot, which recently received a glowing review from Guardian food critic Jay Rayner, has come to the end of its 5-year lease and the team were unable to agree on new terms with the landlord. The news was announced in a statement posted to Facebook by the owners. For more updates, keep an eye on the restaurant’s socials. instagram.com/ jukeandloe/ ‘RUDE STAFF & AWFUL SERVICE’ A pop-up dining experience promising rude staff and singing waiters opened on Sheffield’s Suffolk Street, in the city centre, last month. Karen’s Diner, which takes its name from the ‘Karen meme’, encourages guests to #bemorekaren and is described as an immersive, pop-up dining experience that is not to be missed, especially if you enjoy complaining. The 1950’s inspired diner with a twist comes to our shores from Australia and has received rave reviews over in Oz. A spokesperson for the diner said: “Expect turbulent service, singing waiters and regular guest appearances from the manager – the biggest Karen of them all!” Book your table: bemorekaren.com/sheffield
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cosy drinking space in the heart of neepsend, sheffield OPEN: FRIDAY 5PM-11PM & SATURDAY 1PM-11PM
@ graftersbar
FOOD AND DRINK
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED When it comes to good munch on Ecclesall Road, you’re increasingly spoilt for choice these days – and you can chalk up The Eagle’s new pub classics menu as another soaring success for S11’s food scene. Joining an already celebrated family of Thornbridge Taps dotted across South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, The Eagle on Ecclesall Road has built up a name for its laidback atmosphere and solid craft beer offering (the cocktails aren’t too shabby either!). Originally it was mostly pub snacks and pizzas for food, which are both still on offer, but the venue has recently launched two revamped menus: a tempting pub classics special filled with hearty fare and an extended traditional Sunday lunch offering which also includes hot roast sarnies.
The venue is a collaboration between Thornbridge Brewery and Brew Kitchen, the latter of which looks after next-door neighbour Graze Inn and the muchloved Cricket Inn – two well-known and respected names amongst the Sheffield foodie community. There’s a much more casual vibe to The Eagle, think more trendy pub hangout than posh meal out, but that doesn’t mean they’ve dropped any standards when it comes to the food. After popping down to try out the new menu last month, Exposed gorged on the pictured chorizo dough balls drenched in Henderson’s Relish gravy (£4), the
insanely good beef short rib cottage pie (£10) and a proper (but fancy) Sheffield fishcake (£10) – for the uninitiated, that’s fish sandwiched between two slices of potato and wrapped in crispy batter. Simple but sumptuous. The portion sizes for the prices were generous, to say the least, and we left with the full, fuzzy and truly satisfied feeling that only a good pub dinner can provide. Suffice to say the tapped Thornbridge beer provided perfect accompaniment when it came to washing it all down… You can pay The Eagle a visit at 315 Ecclesall Road, S11 8NX. @the.eagle.sheffield // eaglesheffield.co.uk
TURKISH DELIGHT Mavi Ruya, a huge new Turkish grill and restaurant is now open on Abbeydale Road, taking over the unit which formerly housed the My Local supermarket. The impressive venue is totally unrecognisable from its previous incarnation, complete with a whole new second floor, upstairs bar, conference and meeting rooms and space for well over 100 covers throughout the site – as well 65 outside, next to the river.
Managing Direcror Ismail Aslan, who has over 20 years experience in hospitality, including opening Istanbul on West Street, told Exposed: “Sheffield needs a good Turkish restaurant and we we did our best to create a good restaurant for Sheffield – something unusual. “We’re trying to keep it simple, but with this restaurant we are covering all of Turkey. You can find good starters from the south, or you can find starters from the west. With the charcoals we have
plain kebabs, and then we have marinades as well, with a bit of yoghurt and bit of sauce. We’re even doing Turkish-style pizzas, which are called Lahmacun, and are totally different from the Italian!” As well as the amazing sounding food, they also offer an extensive drinks menu, brimming with cocktails and wines, as well as specialised Turkish spirits, again trying to incorporate everything that is great about Turkish cuisine. instagram.com/maviruyaturkish/
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FOOD AND DRINK
ISLAND LIFE
Exposed Mag heads out with Kelham Island Food Tours to get a taste of the bakers, makers, breweries and indie retailers making up the thriving local scene.
It’s no big secret that the Kelham Island Quarter has gone from an eternally touted ‘up-and-coming area’ in Sheffield to very much ‘arrived’ as a food and drink haven. Each month it seems we’re devoting fresh column inches to a new restaurant, bar, cafe, or event that has taken up residence in the city’s former industrial powerhouse. Of course, it’s not just trendy new hangouts that have made the area of interest. Kelham Island is a key part of Sheffield’s proud manufacturing past, housing some of the many proficient steelworks, cutlery works, workshops and factories that gave us the Steel City moniker. That combination of rich history and modern-day innovation is what has come to define Kelham Island – and on a wider note, the city itself – which means there’s now an appetite (forgive the pun) for guided food and drink tours to combine the old and the new in a celebration of the neighbourhood. Sophie Barber set up Kelham Island Food Tours in 2019 to showcase the artisan food and drink businesses in the area. As the area’s offering grew, so did the tours. Today there are three different options available – Taste of Kelham Makers, Taste of Kelham Food Tour and Kelham Beer & Food Tour – while private tours are also on offer, which can be customised to suit the group’s tastes. We were invited on the Taste of Kelham Makers tour, taking place on Saturdays and including a visit to six venues, showcasing everything from an artisan chocolate factory to a subterranean bioponic farm. But first things first: good coffee and a sweet treat to kick things off. The tour began at Island Café, a modern dining space overlooked by the popular Kelham Island Museum, which serves specialty coffees, brunches, lunches, and divine vegan-friendly bakes by local company Scoffingtons. The latter’s sumptuous Oreo cakes were our first sample of the day before we took a stroll to our next destination via the achingly modern Little Kelham estate. Sophie was joined by tour guide in training, Peter, and as we followed the route through Kelham both served as fonts of interesting knowledge and 58 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
anecdotes about the area. For example, did you know that the River Don Steam Engine in Kelham Museum featured in the Titanic movie? Or that some of the steel used to build New York’s Brooklyn Bridge was pressed in Kelham? Perhaps you’ve heard of Lizzie the elephant who’d regularly be seen transporting machinery around the area in the early 20th century? Brimming with fresh local knowledge, we moved onto Burton Road’s Gaard Coffee and tucked into their very popular (you can see why) vegan sausage rolls. Next up was a short stroll to Sheffield’s first artisan chocolate factory, Bullion Chocolate, where their in-house chocolatier (legit job title) gave an insightful talk on the company’s story and the integral bean-to-bar process before we tried – with varying degrees of success – to successfully describe the tasting notes on several of the Bullion range. The visit was an impressive experience and served as a great example of what can be achieved when producers find an exciting niche and combine a strong ethos with some entrepreneurial spirit.
If you want a perfect example of the foodie culture in Kelham, head to Peddler Market on a Saturday. The place was bustling as we entered the courtyard; people of all ages were basking in the sunshine and sampling the various street food on offer. The rising popularity of the 92 Burton Road location has seen a number of eateries, producers and a bar take up residence in the space. Our next port of call was Factory Floor, an industrial drinks spot situated in a former spring factory and serving drip-infused cocktails and fresh tank beer from the adjacent Neepsend Brew Co. We whet our whistles with a drink or two from their unique menu, learning as we sipped about how they were the only place in the country currently doing drip cocktails, which essentially combines a large laboratory-like apparatus where the spirits rhythmically drip from above into the mixture below. There the mixture remains for several hours to infuse and extract maximum taste before being served. Our penultimate stop saw us crossing the courtyard to Leaf & Shoot, a vertical bioponic underground farm creating 100% organic and vegan produce. Owner Liam spoke passionately about how they combine traditional composting methods with hydroponics technology to sustainably produce nutrient-dense food. It was a thought-provoking glimpse into how farming is evolving – and a small underground vault in Kelham is leading the charge! An enjoyable afternoon was brought to a close with an unbeatable combo: burgers and beer. There’s not another place in the city that brings the two together in a more harmonious fashion than Heist Brewery. After a brief tour of the brewing kit, we settled down in the taproom for some of Slap & Pickle’s lauded smashed burgers alongside a trio of Heist’s finest beers to taste – a suitably indulgent end to the tour. A huge thank you to the KI Food Tours team for filling us up with knowledge and some of the finest local scran about. We’ll certainly be back for another visit soon! For more info and to book a tour, head to kelhamislandfoodtours.co.uk. Have a nosey at what they’ve been up to by following on socials @ kelhamislandfoodtours. WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 59
FOOD AND DRINK / REVIEW
5TARA SHEFFIELD
Exposed visits the Duke Street restaurant bringing an authentic taste of Punjab to Park Hill
You’ll find 5Tara tucked away to the side of the sprawling Park Hill complex, a former sandwich shop transformed by owners Aman and his partner Shivi into an inviting haven of Punjabi cuisine. Arriving on a sunny afternoon, the first we spotted was a drinks dispenser outside the restaurant offering a free chilled soft drink with recyclable cups to passers-by – that should give you a small idea as to the warmth of the welcome you’ll receive inside. Inspired by the Punjabi Dhabas, the roadside restaurants in India serving fresh food at affordable prices, 5Tara’s interior is both polished and engagingly busy. Long windows let in plenty of light while walls teem with plants and wildlife décor, a nod to the native farmland of North India, and you can’t help but marvel at the level of graft required in three weeks (they worked 12-13 hours a day) for the husbandand-wife team to turn the space into what it is today. Aman tells us he sees 5Tara as a fusion of their culture, religion and food 60 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
– “a perfect harmony,” as he calls it – and wants customers to see the restaurant as their second home. We certainly felt quickly settled as we took our seats and started browsing the menus, while Aman whipped us up some vegan-friendly lassis. The Food Lassi is a blended drink popular in northern India and usually made with yoghurt, ice and cardamom syrup. Like everything on the 5Tara menu, they’re made traditionally, which in this case means without added sugar, and they offer up to ten different flavours. We chose the Gulkand Paan and the Mango Kesar – both delicious, fragrant and hugely refreshing drinks.
From the street plates section, we chose the Gol Gappe, the traditional street snack of crunchy puris filled with smashed aloo, onions, chutney, and spices. You’re given a glass of sweet and spicy sauce which you pour into the chaat bombs and pop the whole thing into your mouth for, fittingly, an explosion of contrasting but nicely balanced flavours. We also shared a bowl of Bollywood Chilli Tofu, which was covered in a beautiful tangy masala chilli sauce that we simply couldn’t get enough of. It was, hands-down, the best tofu dish I’ve ever tried – and my vegan eating partner, far better versed in the ways of tofu than me, wholeheartedly agreed. Right, now
onto the mains and I had eyes for one thing only: the Sharabi Lamb Gosht Curry. Protected by a 96-year-old family recipe, Aman was naturally keen not to give much away other than the lamb had been slow-cooked for 48 hours. As such, it was insanely tender, spiced to perfection, wonderfully rich, and as is the case with all 5Tara dishes, containing no excess oil. I’m actually going to say it: in terms of pure taste value, it was the best curry I’ve ever had in Sheffield. How’s that for a compliment? The Verdict We’re incredibly lucky to have 5Tara. If you’re looking for probably the most authentic Indian cuisine in the city, truly unique served in a wonderfully hospitable setting, then I’d recommend getting yourself booked in soon. cups away, because they’ll look great.” 139-141 Duke St, Sheffield S2 5QL 5tara.co.uk 07440 620792
/ TAKE OUT / EXP N I LO INK RE R D CRAFT BEER BOTTLE SHOP & BAR LITTLE KELHAM 200+ Craft beers, small batch spirits and exclusive wines
HYMN TO NINKASI The Wedge 5 Cotton Mill Walk Little Kelham Sheffield S3 8DH
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the ship inn
draught / rotating cask / premium spirits live bt sport / live music open 7 days a week
free entry live music at the ship inn
28th may
sam scherdel
@shipinnkelham
312 shalesmoor, sheffield, s3 8ul
5तारा Sheffield KEEPING OUR ROOTS ALIVE
5TARA is the place where great cooking and fantastic vibes meet. Our food is nutritious, delicious and affordable, and we welcome diners young and old. Try it yourself—book your table or stop by today! We serve Cultural & Traditional and Punjabi Cuisine, focussed on our heritage of North India.
5Tara takes its name from the land of five rivers, Punjab, and also has its roots in Sikhism. The Guru Nanak appointed five devotees to spread the word of kindness and create a world where nobody sleeps on an empty stomach. We donate part of our profits to our hardworking farmers in India who strive endlessly to feed the masses.
2022 in association with
NOMINEE
Traditional & cultural Indian cuisine 139-141 Duke Street Sheffield S2 5QL 07440 620 792
5tara.co.uk
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MUSIC // TOP PICKS
KAE TEMPEST
The Octagon Centre//15th May//£25.43 Kae Tempest is a published playwright, poet and recording artist. Kae is also a two times slam winner at the prestigious Nu-Yorican poetry cafe in New York. They were named a Next Generation Poet by the Poetry Book Society and their new album, ‘The Line Is A Curve’ was released this April. ents24.com
THE BIG MOON
Leadmill//25th May//£15 Formed in 2014 by lead singer and songwriter Juliette Jackson, London-based indie quartet The Big Moon venture out on their first headline tour in two years. They will be performing tracks from their second album, Walking Like We Do, rich in tight-knit vocal harmonies and rolling grooves. leadmill.co.uk
GEORGIA VAN ETTEN
Greystones//29th May//£13 London based singer-songwriter Georgia van Etten, soulfully blends roots music with alt-pop to craft songs that stick. Originally hailing from Melbourne, Australia and recently signed to Canadian record label Birthday Cake, she continues to solidify her position on the international stage. mygreystones.co.uk
CRACK CLOUD
Yellow Arch//16th May//£13.20 Vancouver-based multimedia collective Crack Cloud utilize the combines talent of various artists, filmmakers, musicians, and designers to deliver striking visuals and a core band that straddles art-rock and post-punk. yellowarch.com
VIAGRA BOYS NUBIYAN TWIST
Peddler Warehouse//21st May//£18.40 Their 2021 album, ‘Freedom Fables’ effortlessly fuses different soul, jazz and global styles. A blend of virtuosic players, skilled producers and inspired composers join forces to create a unique, infectious sound drawing on jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, latin, soul, reggae and more. Expect ultra-tight musicianship and a raw, 10-piece, big band sound. skiddle.com
Foundry//14th May//£17.60 Stockholm’s finest are bringing their unique brand of post-punk anarchy to Sheffield’s Foundry this month, ahead of the July release of third album, Cave World. The album is the follow up to 2021’s Welfare Jazz and the first since the death of guitarist and founder member, Benjamin Valle. foundry.seetickets.com
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MUSIC
the
poly styrene
story
X-Ray Spex were a big deal in the late Seventies. If you mention their name to people who were around at the time, some of them might sing you a quick chorus of their biggest hit, ‘Oh Bondage! Up Yours!’, but more likely they’ll mention Poly Styrene, the band’s iconic lead singer. She was unusual not just in her appearance, but also because women just didn’t front punk bands in those days. Sheffield-based film company Tyke Films recently produced an award-winning documentary on the artist’s life entitled Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, and we couldn’t think of anyone better than our resident documentary addict and punk survivor Mark Perkins to chat to them about it. So, Mark popped to the leafy suburb of Nether Edge, where producer Rebecca MarkLawson was working on their latest project. I must admit, besides knowing that Poly Styrene was the lead singer with X-Ray Spex, and perhaps suspecting that it wasn’t her real name, I didn’t know much about her until I saw this film. It turns out she was born Marianne Elliott, grew up in Brixton, and after seeing the Sex Pistols perform in Hastings, decided to form a band. Could you fill in a few more details for our readers? She was an amazing woman and way ahead of her time. She still has a band of die-hard fans, who supported the film with crowdfunding, but she’s pretty much unknown outside the music she made in the late seventies. I didn’t know much about her until I started making this film. There have been exhibitions around her life, and there’s also a book, written by her daughter, Celeste Bell, which forms the basis for the film. She was a very talented and creative woman, and we worked with Celeste to tell her mother’s story.
Is that how the project started, with the book? Yes. Celeste was working with Zoe Howe, the co-writer of the film, who has a great deal of experience writing with music and bands. Director Paul Sng asked Zoe if she had any ideas for a project, and she mentioned working with Celeste on her book. They all met up and it sprang from there. The film and the book were supposed to come out at the same time, but it took a long time to make the film and to raise the finance, so the book came out first. Did it stem from Celeste going through her mother’s archives – because I know from the film that that was something she was initially reluctant to do? Yes, absolutely. That’s what triggered the book. We used that as a story structure. After her mother died in 2011, Celeste couldn’t come to terms with it at all. They had had quite a difficult relationship and they’d only just got back together. She wasn’t able to go through the things her mother had left behind for quite some time, but eventually she committed to it. It was then that she realised how interesting her mum was in terms of her writing. She had very forward-thinking views on a wide range of issues, all of which are still relevant today. She wrote about politics, green issues, feminism, identity and race. All these were reflected in her lyrics and other things she wrote. Celeste decided that it was a story that needed to be told.
Find out where to watch the film at polystyrenefilm.net // tykefilms.com
66 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Photo: Falcon Stuart It must have been very hard for her to survive, let alone succeed, in music in the late seventies. If you were a bi-racial, working-class woman, you were not represented in the charts at all – and nowhere else were you celebrated either. It was very easy to slip between the cracks when no one was hearing your voice. It’s only recently that anyone has championed female and black voices. She felt she never really fitted into the world she lived in. The film tells the story of her life up until her death, tragically young, in 2011. I imagine she was pigeon-holed as being the lead singer of X-Ray Specs, and people weren’t interested in anything else. Yes, it’s such a shame, as her work after she left the group is really interesting. Her first solo album is brilliant, but the music press destroyed it. They weren’t accepting of anything that didn’t echo her music with X-Ray Spex. Nowadays she would have been able to self-publish her music and get it out there, but in those days you needed the record company to champion your voice and your work. The punk movement really was dominated by white male performers and writers, so she had a hard time being taken seriously. It was a similar situation with the music press at that time. Looking back, I never really understood why she was called a punk. I think she just jumped on the back of that movement to get heard. What else can you tell us about Tyke Films? Tyke Films has been going since 2015. We do documentary, drama, film, TV and we’re also working on a VR project at the moment, Tell-Tale Rooms, which we’re showing at this year’s Sheffield DocFest. although it’s still a work in progress. Mainly we try to focus on people’s lives by telling true stories in documentarie, and filming dramas based on people’s experiences. We’ve also got a film, Irene’s Ghost, which is on Sky at the moment and doing really well. Can you tell us what are Tyke Films up to now? Well, we’re filming right now, outside Cafe #9 in Nether Edge actually, but it’s all a bit secret at the moment. Hopefully, we can announce more soon.
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OTIS MENSAH
Ahead of his headline gig at Network on May 7 alongside KOG, fromer Sheffield poet laureate Otis Mensah tells us about the formative moments from his musical past. THE FIRST RECORD I EVER BOUGHT... I think I recall the first record I ever purchased being Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) as a teenager, long before actually owning a record player. I was trying to turn my room into a bedroom-sized museum for Hip-Hop culture. MY FIRST GIG… The first live show I remember seeing was GZA from Wu-Tang at the O2 Academy in Sheffield at age sixteen; it felt blissful, I couldn’t believe he was there in the flesh. It stuffed my head with a world of inspiration as I started to pursue live performance for myself. THE FIRST SONG I PERFORMED... I can’t recall my first song. I wrote a series of albums as a teenager and began performing them from the age of 15, it’s all a bit blurry. A song that stands out in my mind during my journey is Day Dream which I wrote over my favourite J Dilla instrumental and performed at my first Berlin show after moving back home from music college and working as a pot-washer. I felt like performing that song pulled me out of a deep depression and opened my eyes to what was possible artistically. A SONG I WISH I’D WRITTEN... Souvenir from R.A.P. Ferreira formerly known as Milo. The song just encompasses such beautiful poetry that blooms vivid worlds and feels both powerful and calming. A SONG I WISH WAS NEVER MADE... I have plenty of disdain for some of my earlier work Aurora Borealis, Otis’ new single is out May 3. 68 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
prior to my mixtape Days Over Damson but I remind myself that it’s all part of the journeying and process of becoming an artist. I FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH MUSIC WHEN... A bright and shiny memory that sticks out is hearing Moment Of Truth by Gang Starr on one of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video games on PlayStation at like age 12; I’d just remember playing the song on constant repeat over and over again, completely zoning out from the actual game. It was one of the first songs that I memorized all the lyrics to and fell in love with.
ONE SONG THAT I CAN’T GET OUT OF MY HEAD AT THE MINUTE... I love Tré Burt’s You, Yeah, You album that came out last year. Some of my favourite songs ever written and the song Bout Now lives with me! A RECORD THAT REMINDS ME OF A SPECIFIC TIME AND PLACE... I Need to Start a Garden by Haley Heynderickx reminds me of summer 2018, playing shows in different cities across UK and Europe, visiting cafes and flea markets on Sundays, filling up a shelf full of records and feeling a little more content and care-free.
Gettin’ you t’ Exposed Awards Along for the ride.
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MUSIC // WET LEG REVIEW
REVIEW: WET LEG @ FOUNDRY The buzziest band of the moment slipped into Sheffield last week for a blink and you’ll miss it show at The Foundry and we’re here to tell you, DO believe the hype! Words: Ash Birch Photography: Mal Wichelow Following the release of their eponymous debut album, and just before it smashed into the album charts in top spot, Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg found time to sweep into Sheffield for a breathless, whistle-stop show. The band came to prominence in 2021 with viral sensation Chaise Longue and following the lifting of pandemic imposed restrictions have gone on to unveil more of their uniquely millennial sound, featuring snarky wordplay, deadpan delivery and post-punk sensibilities that everyone and their horny brother is banging on about. Against this backdrop of critical and commercial success, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers celebrated their newfound notoriety at the Foundry with an intimate Bear Tree Records show at a slightly unusual gig-going time. With a prompt 8pm kick off, offering barely enough time to slurp a pre-match pint, they ripped through their set in an efficiently snappy 30 minutes, leaving us feeling like they’d roughed us up a bit – and y’know what, I think we were all kinda fine with that! Despite the early start, the capacity crowd was full of anticipation pre-show – would the charm of bangers like Chaise Lounge and Wet
Dream hold up in a live setting? The answer is broadly, yes. Especially in the case of those two tracks. Chaise Lounge pounds along with glee at its own sardonic innuendo (‘I went to school and I got the big D’, ‘Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?’) and the unbearably catchy chorus is chanted back at the band hypnotically, becoming more insistent with every recycling. Wet Dream, which torpedoes the idea of being the object of masturbatory fantasies, gets the (half-pissed, I mean, it is early!) pogoing started, but there’s more to Wet Leg than low-key irreverent verses and exploding guitar riff-led choruses, with recent single Angelica, as well as Ur Mum and Supermarket showing a dynamism that bodes well for future releases. Teasdale and Chambers are captivating in a live setting, oozing cool girl charm and sneaking fleeting, knowing glances at each other throughout. There isn’t much in the way of audience interaction, other than when Teasdale thanks everyone for buying the records, and even that feels a little bit sneering. All this only adds to the mystique. Clearly, they’re tickled pink that, despite only learning to play guitar to write songs for Wet Leg, they’ve managed, in a very short time (and with a very short set), to capture pretty much everyone’s imagination. Live performances of this sort of quality will only serve to get more on board the already rammo hype train. Wet Leg’s eponymous debut album is out now. 71 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
NIGHTLIFE // TOP PICKS
MONRROE
Plot 22 // 14 May // £8-£12 Deep drum & bass pioneer Monrroe is set to make his hotly anticipated Sheffield debut headlining a night of bassline excellence, supported by the likes of Charla Green & Mr Dubz. A rare 2-hour set is sure to be an exemplary display of the producer’s DJ skills, allowing for an explosive introduction to the Sheffield underground scene. skiddle.com
BBQ BRUK OUT
Southbank Warehouse // 7 May // £12-£14 Summer vibes, bottomless rum punch and a festival feeling – BBQ Bruk Out is set to kickstart Sheffield’s summer party. The event is sure to be a sell-out as it stops in the Steel City for one night only, with the dancehall sound and electric atmosphere ensuring it’ll be a bash not to be missed. skiddle.com
JAGUAR PRESENTS: UTOPIA
Bal Fashions // 13 May // £5/£7/£9 A night at the eclectic Bal Fashions merged with the disco house utopian feel of BBC Radio 1’s Jaguar, this event will be an immersive and colourful descent into a musical trance. Joined by self-defined “obscure” DJ Kessler, Jaguar gets behind the decks for a night of non-stop dancefloor joy. skiddle.com
TALLULAH SOUNDSYTEM PRESENTS: DUBWIZE
Fewer Than One // 14 May // Free Entry Showcasing the uplifting summer sounds of reggae in a free courtyard event, Tallulah SoundSystem, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield reggae society, are out to start summer with a big one. The hosts are thrilled to provide a night of varied musical genres and free entry for all. facebook.com/fewerthanone
TEKKERS
Hope Works // 6 May // £10 Tekkers’ 5th birthday celebration is guaranteed to be a display of the very best acts that Sheffield’s underground scene and beyond have to offer, with highlights including Marcus Nasty, VAMOS and Cardiac. A true celebration of the city’s rave culture, hosted at an iconic local venue, the evening will be an ode to creative musical ambience, influence and culture. hope-works.co.uk
TTC BRING SUMMER VIBES
Next month will herald a grand return for The Tuesday Club Summer Carnival, featuring a number of exciting acts spread across four stages and serving up the finest in live DnB, house, jungle and beyond. Poised to return to the Steel City on June 7th, bringing with it a free-entry day party followed by an all-night long musical event, the evening bill boasts some of the best dance acts in the biz including Sub Focus, AC13 and Gray on the decks in the main room. Expect appearances from TTC royalty Andy H and multi-genre selectors La Rumba too. Heading up the day bash outside will be dub legends Iration Steppas, plus local talent in Sheff roots/reggae soundsystem Sinai Sound and the mighty Dub Shack. A free-entry garden party and all-day BBQ at Bar One will spill into a ticketed evening event at The Foundry, open to all ticketholders, student or otherwise. Expect true carnival vibes and the best end of academic year party in the city – kick your summer off in style! Where: Foundry, Sheffield SU Tickets: skiddle.com / free entry for day party/£11.25 for evening WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 73
NIGHTLIFE
A PUTT ABOVE THE REST Sheffield’s newest adults-only crazy golf venue is now open! Golf Fang is part of the Big Fang Collective whose venues across Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham and Glasgow currently include Golf Fang, Ghetto Golf and Birdies Bar. Last month’s Steel City opening is the latest addition to the collective and includes some of their most famous holes including The Teddy Picker, Blockbuster Video Store and Tunnel of Love alongside some unique Sheffield-inspired décor, with a few nods to its famous music and party scene. The 38,000 sq. ft warehouse venue on John Street is certainly an impressive sight, housing 18 holes of crazy golf action and decorated by local artists who have come together to spend hundreds of hours covering every inch of the space in imaginative street art. Fun fact: more than 3,000 cans of spray paint were used to bring the industrial party vibes to life. The Sheffield venue also boasts the addition of a multi-vendor food hall, bringing some of the biggest and best street food brands to the city. In addition, Big Fang’s tropical Birdies Bar will soon open later this year bringing its famous cocktails, beer and live music. Golf Fang’s co-founder, Kip Piper, said: “I usually say this about all of our venues, but the Sheffield venue really is our biggest and most spectacular venue yet. Our aim is to raise the bar within the hospitality and leisure sector by changing the way the UK enjoys itself and we are excited to see how our guests will interact with this incredible space we have created in the heart of Sheffield. It’s been a huge labour of love for us and we’re looking forward to the huge celebration when our doors open in April.” When Exposed popped down on opening night in April, we kept our cool on the course while sipping on a couple of bespoke cocktails – including personal faves Lethal Drizzle and Nuthin’ But a G Ting – whilst fuelling up on a mouth-watering mix of street food including jaw-droppingly good burgers, nachos, loaded fries and a whole selection of vegan options. The less said about our short game the better, mind you! Fancy a round? See what’s on offer and get booked in at golffang.co.uk. @golffangsheffield 74 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
NIGHTLIFE / NO BOUNDS
THE BEAT GOES ON Once again, award-winning electronic music and visual arts festival No Bounds is set to be held across various venues in the heart of Sheffield, taking place October 14-16, and last month saw the first acts and collabs announced for its 2022 event. Along with a stellar cast of artists who are breaking down the barriers and building new bridges through electronic music, No Bounds has also announced the Hope Works residents for 2022, exciting new commissions, partnerships with Sheffield Cathedral for its opening and closing concerts as well as more northern-focussed collaborations with organisations such as The Beatriarchy. Partnering this year with the Sheffield Cathedral, the landmark venue will be hosting the opening concert this year featuring unique live shows from Blawan, plus Manchester’s own Blackhaine, as well as a closing concert curated by Mark Fell. The festival has been given full access to utilise it in its entirety so participants will be able to explore the Cathedral’s unique spaces as well as its gothic and contemporary architecture. Hope Works will remain rave central, the home base for the weekend. Once again closing the road outside the venue for food trucks and a truly carnival feel to the site spread over 4 stages. No Bounds is honoured to be bringing together some never before seen b2bs from legends in the scene for sonic epiphanies on the dance floor. There will also be more satellite venues added this
year including DINA, The Dorothy Pax, Bal Fashions and Plot 22. Hosting live performances from dBridge, The Black Dog, Deena Abdelwahed, Lyzza and Grove at Hope Works. New and rare b2b’s such as SHERELLE b2b Kode 9, Batu b2b Skee Mask, plus a stellar raft of the scenes top DJs including Helena Hauff, Job Jobse, India Jordan, Saoirse, Scratchclart and TSVI. Breakthrough and upcoming talent are aplenty as always with a choice selection of the UK’s finest with Nia Archives, LCY, Tim Reaper, Tom Boogizm and Blasha & Allatt representing some of the most exciting angles the UK has to offer in 2022.
For tickets and more info, head to noboundsfestival.co.uk 76 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Hope Works & No Bounds once again announces a cast of local residents that stay true to its vision: 96 Back, Diessa, Gracie T, Lupini, Rian Treanor, Tim Reaper, Skari & Zeki – all boundarypushing electronic musicians and selectors in their own right, plus Pattern + Push winner, Sheffield rapper Sarinity Jones. The 2022 program leads with two major pieces of work exploring new technologies as well as cross-continental musical dialogues. It will revolve around using AI artists to explore a ritualist and spiritual dimension and ask, “CAN AI BE USED TO TRANSCEND ITSELF?”
Patterns In Between Intelligences – coding through dance “Patterns In Between Intelligences” is an interdisciplinary group of artists, consisting of the live coders Alex McLean and Lizzie Wilson, the e-Textile designer Mika Satomi and the performers Deva Schubert and Juan Felipe Amaya Gonzalez to create performative rituals. Improvisational practice is developed between live coding sounds and coding through dance, mediated and shaped by e-Textile costumes. Using machine learning and e-Textile sensors, human and non-human systems distribute intelligence based on the rhythmical live interaction of all agents and experienced live in an ecstatic soundscape. Intersymmetric Sequencer NNNB No Bounds is excited to continue their commissioned work with Mark Fell and Rian Treanor and the development of groundbreaking multiplayer music website, intersymmetric.xyz. After launching in 2021 as a commission from No Bounds, they went on to present their work at the Algorithmic Art Assembly in San Francisco, Mark and Rian are now working with Nyege Nyege Festival to make a new collaborative system for No Bounds 2022. This project will include a series of workshops held in Kampala and Rotherham linking together young people and children in both regions – a key focus being compatibility with mobile phones and tablets offering increased accessibility. It will launch with a performance featuring groups in both areas, outputting straight into the festival Sound System in real-time and uniting people through new musical dialogues and cross-continental collaboration. The Beatriarchy The Beatriarchy started off as an online tune share group for underrepresented artists to make connections during the Covid-19 lockdown. Two years later, it has now evolved into a collective championing talented creatives and amplifying the underrepresented voices of Black, Brown creatives, creatives of colour, queer, trans and non-binary creatives, femme and female-identifying creatives in the music scene and surrounding industries. They have since curated stages at No Bounds Festival 2021, Corsica Studios and regularly run open decks for new DJs to test their skills in a club environment. For No Bounds 2022, they will be running a full stage takeover at Hope Works, filled with northern talent, to create a different wildness to the forward-thinking, experimental music in the other rooms of the festival. More artists will be announced in phase 2, including even more killer b2b DJ sets along with all venues, daytime programme elements including the No Bounds trademark workshops, talks, panels, visual art, wellness strands and more commissioned works.
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LGBTQ+
QUEEN OF THE DRAGS It’s May already and drag fans will not be disappointed this month as we have more queens taking to Sheffield’s stages than you can shake a disco ball at. First up we have the season six winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bianca Del Rio [Mon 16 May] at City Hall. A self-proclaimed “clown in a dress” with a raw and racy edge, Bianca Del Rio is a costume designer and theatrical performer, as well as the familiar wisecracking artist that emerged on the New Orleans nightclub circuit in 1996. Bianca Del Rio continues to tour the world captivating fans with her sharp wit, dismembering humour, and perceptive commentary in a brash, metro kick to the ego—everything and everyone is her target. Step into her line of verbal fire for an unforgettable, humbling experience. Laugh. Malin Bridge Inn continue their line-up of drag cabaret with DJ Brooke [Fri 6 May] with her new regular slot for Fireball Fridays with non stop bops and hilarious comedy and the return of Tanya Minge [Fri 20 May] with her Disco Diva Party where she’ll be spinning the decks, dishing out the dirt and if you’re lucky, showing off her amazing powerhouse vocals. Trixie Lee is back at Hagglers Corner for their Drag Queen Bingo [Wed 18 May] with lots of prizes to be won and a big cash prize for the last game. Dressing up is optional but encouraged (there will be a cash prize for the best dressed so go big! )and food which will be served from The Bhaji Shop 5pm till 9pm. Table bookings are required so please book a table through the website. And following the success of their launch night, Anna Kissed returns to host KINK [Sat 28 May], an all-gender queer focussed fetish social at Spirit of Sheffield. Spirit will also be hosting Rainbow Blades [Sat 7 May], Sheffield United’s LGBT+ supporters club for their pre-match social before the home game against Fulham and LGBT Sheffield will be hosting their night Rockies [Sat 7 May] later that evening. Double Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominee and star of Live At The Apollo, Larry Dean [Wed 18 May] will be taking to the stage at Leadmill for his rescheduled show Fudnut. Like the rest of the city and beyond,
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we are all passionately behind saving Leadmill who are under threat of eviction. And Larry’s show is just one example of the many LGBT artists who have performed at the venue who host regular LGBT+ comedians, musicians and drag shows alongside their regular LGBT+ night No Shade. You may not also be aware that Leadmill also hosted SAYiT’s LGBTQ+ youth groups during Covid when they needed a larger space for social distancing and recently hosted their fabulous Alice in Wonderland themed queer youth prom. Their staff have also engaged in LGBTQ+ awareness training and they have always been both publicly and behind the scenes hugely supportive of Sheffield’s LGBTYQ+ communities and have our full support in return. Over at DINA we have the relaunch of their Queer Film Club [Wed 4 May] on the first Wednesday of each month showing a specially curated selection
of short films. ! This event is part of a programme of queer socials at DINA each Wednesday, including a comedy open mic, an art social, and a book club! And last but not least, it’s sadly not all glitter and rainbows as we have seen a huge increase in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in recent years alongside antiLGBTQ+ media and political campaigns. Sheffield Against Hate [Wed 25 May] will be bringing together LGBTQ+ and faith communities and allies for a demonstration at Sheffield Arena to say hate speech is not welcome here or anywhere else, as they host Franklin Graham who overturned the previous ban on appearing in the city due largely to his homophobia. That’s your lot for this month, as always keep an eye on the Sheffield LGBT+ events page on Facebook www.facebook. com/sheffieldlgbtevents for updates and announcements on the latest events and news.
Until next time, love and rainbows...
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COMEDY // TOP PICKS
CATHERINE BOHART
Leadmill// 3 May // £13.50 Catherine Bohart loves control, hates change and is a serial planner. It’s been an interesting couple of years… A fresh stand-up show filled with horrendous life advice, cheery nihilism and reluctant self-discovery from one of the UK and Ireland’s most exciting comics. leadmill.co.uk
ED BYRNE: IF I’M HONEST…
Sheffield City Hall // 25 May // £30.10 Since storming the Edinburgh Festival in 2019, this masterclass in observational comedy has been filling venues across the country. Join Ed as he takes a long hard look at himself and tries to decide if he has ANY traits that are worth passing on to his children. sheffieldcityhall.co.uk
DYLAN MORAN: WE GOT THIS
Sheffield City Hall // 29 May // Sold Out Enjoy the fruits of hurtling cognitive decline and your neighbour’s sprawling ghastliness, absence of humanity and so, so much more. We Got This is the new show from BAFTA and Perrier award winning comedian Dylan Moran. It promises to be a joyously furious romp through the frustration and folly of modern-day life. sheffieldcityhall.co.uk
GRACE PETRIE
Leadmill // 30 May // £15 Grace Petrie has a unique takes on life, love and politics, and the warmth and wit with which they are delivered, having won over an army of loyal fans across the alternative, folk, political and comedy scenes. A folk-singer and guitarist at heart, she has played Glastonbury every year since 2010. leadmill.co.uk
ARMANDO JOINS THE DEBATE Leadmill // 26 May // £12
Satirical genius Armando Iannucci comes to Sheffield this month in a headline slot for Festival of Debate 2022. Known for his writing, directing and producing of a vast amount of critically acclaimed films, television and revered British comedies such as Alan Partridge and The Thick Of It. Iannucci will delve into this razor-sharp epic, Pandemonium: Some Verses on the Current Predicament, born out of the emotional tempests and contradictions Covid-19 has forced upon us. Described as a “heavyweight of political satire”, his talk will be sure to take the powers-that-be to task in biting but hilarious fashion. This is just one of many events taking place at this year’s Festival of Debate, now in its eight instalments, which will take place 19th April –23rd June. Joining Iannucci on the bill will be the likes of writer and trans rights campaigner Shon Faye, feminist journalist Gloria Steinem, local government expert and online sensation Jackie Weaver, human rights activist Baroness Shami Chakrabarti and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, alongside a wideranging schedule of community events led by grassroots groups and individual citizens. For the full programme, head to festivalofdebate.com. WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 81
DANIEL INNISS
JUST FOR THE LAUGHS Like all live events, comedy is scrabbling to get back to where it once was as society recovers from the effects of various versions of lockdown. But hey, don’t you know Sheffield is now the epicentre of Yorkshire comedy? It’s a pretty bold claim, granted, but that’s precisely what local comedy promoter and stand-up comic Daniel Inniss told Mark Perkins when they spoke over a pint last month… OK. I’ll start with the obvious question and get it out of the way. Who are your biggest comedy influences? There are several of them, and they’ve all been a big influence on me. In no particular order, they are Bob Monkhouse, Lee Mack, Victoria Wood, Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. I think it’s important to acknowledge them and their influence on me. When lockdown first hit, just over two years ago, it devastated the stand-up comedy industry. I know of some comedians who decided to leave the business altogether, but now, comedy does seem to be getting back to where it once was, and I know you’ve been performing stand-up and also hosting your own comedy nights. Yes, Oli Clarke and myself now put on five comedy nights every month here in Sheffield. I put on shows at Hagglers Corner and The Millowners Arms, we jointly put on a show at Yellow Arch, and Oli runs the shows at Toolmakers Live and the Indie-Go bar. I think we’ve reached our ceiling for the time being. We both still want to gig, and we know people who can ‘guest-host’, just as we do for other people. There’s a sort of comedy family that has grown up, where we all look after each other. Things are going so well, that I can reveal a world exclusive for readers of Exposed: we’re working with Jules Wasley, who used to book the acts for the Lescar comedy nights, to organise a Yorkshire Comedy Festival, right here in Sheffield. That’s amazing news. You seem to have come quite a long way in quite a short space of time, as I know you’ve not been performing for that long, and there was a pandemic lockdown in the middle of it all. How did it all start? I suppose, like most comics, I had friends who said to me: “You’re funny. You’re always cracking jokes, so why don’t you do it on stage?” A friend of mine, Jordan Clayburn, said let’s do it; let’s go on stage to raise money for charity. So, we went on an eight-week course, run by Ultra Comedy, in support of cancer research. There was training from a professional comic, and at the end, we were supposedly ready to do seven minutes of stand-up, at Bramall Lane, in front of 197 people. It was also where I met my good friend Oli Clarke, who was doing the same as me. One whisky and two beers later, I was up on stage, and my seven minutes became fifteen. The crowd were loving it, and I was too. From that, Ellie Pollard offered my first ever gig at Sydney and Matilda. This was early 2019. No-one else gave us
a chance, as we’d never done it before, so I’ll always remain grateful to her. That was really the driver behind Oli and myself starting our own nights. I’d have to travel to Dewsbury, or Leeds, performing in front of three people and a dog, just to get five minutes on stage, and to try to hone my act. There was nothing in Sheffield. Two hours travelling for just five minutes on stage. We decided to do one night ourselves, here in Sheffield, at the Toolmakers. Oli was running the night, and the headline act had to pull out, so he asked me to go on. By chance there were a couple of promoters in, so following on from that, I started getting more bookings. So, you saw the potential of comedy nights in Sheffield and put on some others? Yes. At the start of 2019, I was gigging all over the place, but I didn’t start putting my own nights on until late 2019. The first one was the Millowners at Kelham Island, which is still the first Monday of every month. I inherited that from Kurt Lambert, who started it, but who didn’t want to do it anymore. He sent me a text saying you’re the only person I trust to carry this on, so if you want to do it, it’s yours. I’d never really thought about it before that. Oli was already running Toolmakers, so we had something for local comedians, and it just sort of snowballed from there. It’s a lovely intimate venue, and somehow we managed to shoehorn 60-odd people in, and we now use it as a development night. That led to doing a similar thing at Yellow Arch. That one is on the third Thursday of the month. Lots of acts get in touch, but I’ve always said if I’ve not seen someone I won’t book them. If they’re good, they can progress onto Yellow Arch and Hagglers. Oh, and I must give a quick mention to Tom Douglas’s monthly night at the Picture House Social, which is brilliant. It seems that you’re now really starting to make a real impact on the local comedy scene, making Sheffield a place for new and emerging comedy talent. I’m proud of the little bit that I’ve done to improve comedy in Sheffield. It used to be all Leeds, but now I think I can now say, hand on heart, that Sheffield is the epicentre of Yorkshire comedy. And it’s not just me who says that. When we first started, everyone wanted to go to Leeds. Now we get a lot of comics from Leeds, and other places around the North and the Midlands all coming here. A lot of those people have said Sheffield is the best place up north to perform comedy.
@danielinnisscomedy 82 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
i think i can now say, hand on heart, that sheffield is the epicentre of yorkshire comedy.
MONTHLY (FREE!) COMEDY NIGHTS
First Monday: Kelham Comedy Club @ Millowners Arms First Wednesday: Stand-up Comedy @ Hagglers Corner Third Thursday: Yellow Arch Comedy Club @ Yellow Arch Last Thursday: That’s Entertainment @ Indie-Go (Steelyard Kelham) Last Saturday: The Toolmakers Comedy Club @ Toolmakers Brewery WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 83
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THE NORTHMAN Subtle is the last word you’d apply to Robert Eggers’ Viking revenge saga, and by no means is that a negative. There is something eternally appealing about a simple revenge story, and the two genres that arguably facilitate it best are the Western and the historical epic. The Northman is by far and away the most conventional of Eggers’ efforts, but that hardly says much. Surreal dream sequences are abundant amongst the bone-crunching and limb-slicing violence, several of which border on pure horror. A blind Björk appears wearing a headdress made of wheat to prophesise the protagonist’s bloody destiny. Beautifully shot throughout Ireland, Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography brings to the table an otherworldly and expressionistic quality. Those that have seen The Witch and The Lighthouse will know Eggers’ talent for drawing out excellent performances from his cast, and The Northman is no exception. Alexander Skarsgård is the heart of the film, and it’s a mostly physical performance that manages to combine fearsome rage with subdued sensitivity. Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman and Claes Bang all match his energy and skill. The film will appeal especially to fans of Eggers, but there is a wider accessibility here which perhaps may not have been as present in his previous films. That being said, those expecting something along the lines of Gladiator or 300 may come away disappointed. Eggers and Skarsgård took great pains to input period authenticity, and aside from the heightened reality and dream sequences, there is no watered-down creative licence here to make the setting or characters more palatable. The most famous Viking films before this would arguably have to be The Vikings (1958) and The Long Ships (1964), and I know several who grew up with those movies found The Northman to be jarring and a little overwhelming; so be warned. 5/5
COMING SOON... Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Benedict Cumberbatch returns in this mind-bending adventure that continues from Spider-Man: No Way Home and teases a murderous Wanda as the villain amongst other surprises.
Classic review: Dr. No (1962) James Bond celebrates his 60th birthday this year, and to honour the occasion, cinemas across the UK are running screenings of the classic adventures in chronological order.
Dr. No often gets overlooked in comparison with Connery’s later films in the ‘60s – in particular Goldfinger, which is credited with implementing all the elements that made the franchise iconic, but I’d argue that Dr. No has the edge over those subsequent instalments by virtue of its freshness and energetic performance by the then-unknown Connery. It’s an impeccably paced film that doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it and begins as a glamorous, almost hard-boiled detective thriller that morphs seamlessly into a fantastical Cold War adventure in its latter half. Ken Adam’s design for the titular Eurasian’s secret base set the tone for all subsequent evil villain lairs – not just in the franchise, but in adventure and spy films in general. Connery’s unique package of charisma, charm and physical prowess is at its peak here, making him the perfect debut 007. Sadly, this did vanish after Goldfinger as the actor became increasingly frustrated by the limits imposed on him artistically by the role. Although it took time for author Ian Fleming to warm to Connery’s Bond, it was clear to any fan of the novels Connery had the perfect mix of unconventional (for the time) good looks and in-your-face sex appeal – more macho, even, than Brando.
4/5
Top Gun: Maverick After God knows how many delays, it appears May will finally see the arrival of the highly anticipated sequel to arguably the most iconic film of the 1980s. Firestarter Zac Efron stars in this new adaptation of Stephen King’s thriller, previously brought to the screen back in 1984.
WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 85
CULTURE // TOP PICKS
THE PARADIS FILES
Crucible Theatre // 11-12 May // £15-£25 An extraordinary blind musician. A family hell-bent on a cure. In the glittering salons of 18th-century Vienna, Maria-Theresia von Paradis is a star. Pianist, composer, touring musician; she has captivated Europe with her sensational talent. They call her The Blind Enchantress. Yet behind this dazzling success story there are darker forces at work. sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
LAVA
Studio Theatre // 11 May // £13 Boy meets girl. Boy can’t talk to girl. And a small asteroid has hit the capital city. It was ridiculous. Impossible. But it happened. As London adjusts to life after an unthinkable disaster, in a small town far away, a young man called Vin finds he can no longer speak. sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
HUMAN
Crucible Theatre//18-19 May//£15-£25 On a stage set with a trapeze, circus rope and set of drums, four performers start to tell stories from their lives, from their childhoods, and from the last 24 months. They talk about uncertainty, about times of big decisions and about getting through things together. sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
NOT WITHOUT MY GHOSTS: THE ARTIST AS MEDIUM
Millennium Gallery // Until 26 June //Free (Donations) The exhibition brings together paintings, works on paper, installation, video and animation by 25 international artists. For some, their work acts as evidence of another realm of existence, while others harness the power of the unseen and uncanny to explore the ambiguities of the world around them. museums-sheffield.org.uk
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GOOD POP, BAD POP
Celebrated Sheffield musician and broadcaster Jarvis Cocker returns to his roots, live in conversation at the Crucible Theatre on 30th May, ahead of the release of his new book Good Pop, Bad Pop. He’ll talk discuss his life as the frontman of iconic Britpop band Pulp, 20th century pop culture, along with the memorable times and the times he wishes weren’t so memorable. Good Pop, Bad Pop explores the idea that the things that we keep hidden say more about us than those we don’t. After rummaging round his loft, Cocker finds a catalogue of artefacts from his life. Objects that ask him some awkward questions. The exclusive UK tour will see the artist take us through the puzzle pieces of his life whilst unveiling his creative process: the writing, musicianship, performance, ambition, style and stagecraft that make up Jarvis Cocker. Tickets are available at sheffieldtheatres. co.uk
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