Exposed Magazine May 2021

May 2021

We’re back !

CELEBRATING ALL THINGS SHEFF IN OUR FIRST ISSUE OF 2021

LEAH’S YARD // ED COSENS // SISTER WIVES // MATIC MOUTH // RUMBI TAURO // BRACKNALL // REYT GOOD ILLUSTRATION // PARK HILL + more inside!

TA PAS

R E STAU R A N T

&

CUBAN

BAR

WELCOME BACK...

Well, it is great to be back! We, like most places have been super busy since re-opening and would like to thank you all for your support.

Here is an update on how we’re going to be running things in the coming weeks.

FROM FRIDAY 16 APRIL TO SUNDAY 16 MAY

& > CUBANA AL FRESCO TA PAS

R E STAU R A N T

CUBAN

BAR

Up until Sunday 16 May Cubana will open 3 days per week on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Midday until 11pm.

During this period, you can indulge in a delicious mix of tapas and drinks on Cubana’s outdoor terrace or in our extended area complete with gazebo within Leopold Square. We have got our usual extensive selection of cocktails available, together with a reduced tapas snack menu for you to enjoy at your table – each sitting will be one hour and 45 minutes. You will not need to wait too much longer to sample our full tapas menu, which will be available as soon as we re-open indoors from 17 May.

A > Live Music Returns

FROM MONDAY 17 MAY TO SUNDAY 20 JUNE

From Monday 17 May we will be open 7 days per week – here’s what you can expect:

> Tapas & Drinks

Our team of chefs and waiting staff are ready to cook and serve you, a selection of over 40 mouth-watering dishes from our varied and authentic tapas menu.

Our bartenders are ready to prepare you our tasty, exotic cocktails and of course we’ll have our full range of wines from around the world, not to mention our 220 strong award-winning rum selection for you all to enjoy.

> Happy Tapas & Happy Drinks HAPPY TAPAS is still available now until 5pm SUNDAY TO FRIDAY. Call in and chill out at the end of a hard day (at home or at work or maybe both these days!!). Unwind and soak up our relaxed Latino vibe whilst enjoying our ‘Happy Tapas’ deals. All tables seated before or at 5pm may choose from ANY 2 tapas dishes for £9.95 or £5.00 off ANY of our tapas set menus.

HAPPY DRINKS! We’ve Happy Drinks offers available until 5pm, SUNDAY TO FRIDAY. All of our Classic & Signature cocktails for only £5.00. There’s also discounts on selected beers and house wines.

- every night!

It has been a long wait, but the show must go on and we’re delighted to confirm that from 17 May, live music will (as always), be an integral part of Cubana’s offering.

Enjoy a laid-back mix of smooth, easy listening live music vibes featuring many of Cubana’s resident performers every single evening.

We would like to show our support to the amazing musicians who have had a tough time of it lately and unable to work by hosting as many gigs as possible.

We’ll be mainly hosting solo artists and occasional duos. Get ready for plenty live Soul, Funk, Jazz, Blues, R&B, pop and more!

We cannot wait to get the rhythms flowing and finally get the show on the road again!

Call 01142 760475 FIND US AT... UNIT 4 LEOPOLD SQUARE, SHEFFIELD S1 2JG

WE’VE MISSSED YOu! > Bottomless Brunch – Cubana style

> Drinks-To-Go and Outside Drinking

Cubana Bottomless Brunch, NOW every Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoon.

We are waiting on further government guidance as to whether we will be permitted to reintroduce our ‘Drinks to Go’ service allowing customers to enjoy drinks outside within Leopold Square. Plan B will be to continue table service for drinks within our extended outside area and gazebo – please keep an eye out for a further announcement on this.

From Friday 21 May we will be bringing back our popular Bottomless Brunch offering.

There will be various sitting times starting at 11.30am through until 2.15pm. At Cubana, it’s so much more than just the fabulous selection of drinks!! We wanted to raise the bar with our unique BB offering and provide a package which includes a substantial selection of top quality food.

Our talented team of chefs have put together a delicious combination of Spanish and Latin brunch dishes for you all to enjoy alongside the usual on tap supply of Prosecco, Sangria, cocktails and more.

> Cubana vibes

One thing is for sure, we’ll continue to provide Sheffield with the unique Cubana experience, usual good vibes and warm Latino welcome you’ve come to expect.

Our fantastic Cubana team will take good care of you – we can’t wait to welcome you back!

Muchas gracias to all our customers for your ongoing and loyal support.

> Bookings For bookings, please complete the enquiry form on the following booking request link: www.cubanatapasbar.co.uk/request.php or call us on 01142 760475

> Opening Times

> Table Service

From 17 May Cubana will open 7 days per week

Table service for drinks will be available in our cocktail bar downstairs It will also be possible to pre-book tables at any time during the week and on Sundays. On Fridays and Saturdays we will also be taking bookings for drinks up until 8pm on Fridays and 4pm on Saturdays following which we will be operating a walk in service through to the end of the night and our usual closing time of 2am.

Monday to Wednesday Thursday Friday & Saturday Sunday

4pm – Midnight Midday – Midnight 11.30am – 2am 11.30am – Midnight

Last orders for tapas in the upstairs restaurant is at 9.30pm Sunday to Thursdays and 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays

C U B A N ATA P A S B A R . C O . U K facebook/cubanatapasbar

INSPIRED BY INDIA - MADE IN SHEFFIELD

TM

ASHOKA INDIAN RESTAURANT - WE SELL CURRY WWW.ASHOKA1967.COM #ReytGoodCurreh

MAY 2021

Contents

32: Cover Story

Andy Slater, founder of Reyt Good Illustration, takes us through his journey from being a frustrated staffer to one of the city’s most recognisable artists.

WE’RE BACK! CELEBRATING ALL THINGS SHEFF IN OUR FIRST ISSUE OF 2021

For all the latest news, reviews and previews from Sheffield, head over to www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

exposedmagsheff

expmagsheff

expmagsheff

LEAH’S YARD // ED COSENS // SISTER WIVES // MATIC MOUTH // RUMBI TAURO // BRACKNALL // REYT GOOD ILLUSTRATION // PARK HILL + MORE INSIDE!

laikin abaht Phil Turner (MD) phil@exposedmagazine.co.uk

Nick Hallam (Sales Director) nick@exposedmagazine.co.uk

michael johnson (Accounts) michael@exposedmagazine.co.uk

mucky tyke Joe Food (Editor) joe@exposedmagazine.co.uk

silly sod paul stimpson (web editor + design) paul@exposedmagazine.co.uk

deedahs Heather PAterson, Cal Reid, Frazar Mcdonald, suki broad, katie fisher, sarah howarth

the business stuff

20: leah’s yard

Exposed’s Suki Broad sits down with James O’Hara and Tom Wolfenden to get the skinny on the historic Leah’s Yard project.

58: rumbi tauro

Doncaster’s Rumbi Tauro looks to the future after winning the Hope Works-backed Pattern + Push competition.

56: gig economy

Ed Cosen’s takes us back to his formative years and the gigs that made him into the musician he is today.

on the regs 42: things to do 45: comedy 52: music 65: film 73: LGBTQ+ 74: culture

Exposed is published monthly

by Blind Mice Media Ltd Unit 1b 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.

Featured Articles: 26: urban splash 74: Open Up Sheffield

www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 7

Thank you! to all the Sheffield businesses putting in the hard work to re-open safely.

Let’s keep doing the right things so that we don’t have to go without haircuts ever again…

Get excited about re-opening at welcometoSheffield.co.uk/makeyourselfathome

@VisitSheffield

editor’s letter

A note from the editor collective mental health of having things to look forward to, whether that’s a weekend-long festival or simply a coffee with an old friend.

We were all forced back to seeking pleasure in the basics for a while, and for me, Sheffield, with its countless walks and woods and green space, rose to the occasion beautifully each time the comfort of nature was needed. The other side of this return to rudimentary entertainment, however, is that it caused you to reflect on how good we had it, how much the people and places within these seven hills mean to us all when they’re suddenly ripped away.

This morning I set off on my usual walk from the train station to the office, taking the elongated route to Kelham Island via Howard Street, stopping to read Andrew Motion’s wonderful poem ‘What If?...’ that runs down the side of the Adsetts building (for the first time ever, I’m ashamed to admit), and reached the following stirring lines: Pause now, and let the sight of this sheer cliff Become a priming-place which lifts you off To speculate What if..?

What if..?

What if..?

I’ll let you in on a secret: I’ve never been a fan of doing an editor’s letter. It’s probably because all too often they’re cobbled together as something of an afterthought on deadline days, hurriedly combining a perfunctory ‘thanks for picking this issue up’ message and a bit of ‘here’s what we’ve got in store for you’ guff in the quickest time possible so we can sign off and seek out a pub, pronto. I often find they end up serving as a glorified contents page, which probably has something to do with the aforementioned rushing to get them finished; not to mention that personally I don’t think I’m very good at them – which, come to think of it, has everything to do with the whole rushed-afterthought-whilethinking-of-pub-on-deadline-day approach I’ve been adopting.

But that’s all changed now. To be back in print following 12 months of rampant uncertainty is a wonderful feeling. So, when I say thank you on behalf of the Exposed team for picking this issue up and that it’s been a delight to put this month’s magazine together, I mean every single syllable. I also think, considering this is our comeback issue and the first of 2021, the oft hurried ed’s letter deserves a bit more care and consideration this time around; therefore, I’m sitting down to write this on the morning of 12th April, the day Sheffield begins to stir from a very long, unwelcome and unsettling kip.

To sum up – or even scratch at the surface – of the past year in just a few paragraphs would be pretty much impossible, so I’ll not delve too deep into lessons learned, but just from intermittently being back in the office and doing the catchup rounds with colleagues, a few common themes have cropped up: the deflating impact of not mixing with loved ones (and strangers, too); how much we missed the ‘simple things’, like nipping into our favourite pubs, cafes and shops; and the importance on our

“So, when I say thank you on behalf of the Exposed team for picking this issue up and that it’s been a delight to put this month’s magazine together, I mean every single syllable.”

Coupled with a sunny setting and the fact that the Exposed and Meze team were heading out for afternoon drinks and food later – the first time in almost 8 months, I might add – I felt a sudden surge of positivity that has lain dormant for a long time. The feeling only grew as I walked past shops opening shutters on Fargate, grabbed my customary coffee from the lovely folk at Albies and had a quick catch-up with Duncan from the Fat Cat while he was putting out the seating for later that day. It was all small but life-affirming stuff.

So, it’s good to be back. And as such we’ve tried to devote a huge slab of positivity and forward-thinking content to this issue. The loss of John Lewis may have dominated the headlines of late, but if you read this month’s articles on Leah’s Yard, Cambridge Street Collective and the latest phase of the Park Hill redevelopment, you’ll see that the city also has some exciting times on the horizon – led, as it should be, by unique independent businesses and local entrepreneurs with a genuine passion for Sheffield’s future.

Elsewhere, we’ve got the usual chats with talented musicians and artists, plus some cracking reads courtesy of our writing team, many of whom helped to keep things ticking over online with fresh content during the darker months of lockdown, while also helping to keep me sane through friendly email exchanges and catch-ups. Absolute gems. Finally, a big shoutout to Andy at Reyt Good Illustration for knocking us up a cover celebrating some of our favourite Steel City venues and institutions. Reyt Good’s store at Kelham Arcade is back open now and looks fantastic, so do go have a browse if you get the chance.

That’s it from me. I hope you all enjoy life being a bit more normal this month!

Joseph Food (joe@exposedmagazine.co.uk) www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 9

uPFRONT: tRAMLINES

Image: giles smith / FANATIC

GOOD TIMES AROUND THE HILLSBOROUGH CORNER

TRAMLINES FESTIVAL 2021 LINEUP ANNOUNCED! Tramlines, Sheffield’s biggest city-based music festival has announced the lineup for its 2021 event, taking place at the 35,000 capacity Hillsborough Park from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th July. Headliners have been revealed as The Streets, Royal Blood and Richard Ashcroft, plus over 35 more acts have been unveiled including The Kooks, DMA’s, Pale Waves, Little Simz, The Pigeon Detectives, Blossoms, The Sherlocks, Dizzee Rascal, Tom Walker, The Fratellis, Sundara Karma and more.

Tramlines 2021 takes place after a huge sell-out event in 2019 and an unplanned hiatus in 2020. Since humble beginnings in 2009 when the event launched as a free, multi-venue, inner-city festival, Tramlines is now a firm fixture on the UK festival circuit receiving many accolades including the UK Festival Award for Best Metropolitan Festival in 2019 and 2011. In keeping with the last two events, Tramlines Festival 2021 takes place in one greenfield site, Hillsborough Park, just a few miles North West of Sheffield City Centre and will feature five stages of music, comedy, performance, art, and handpicked food and craft ales.

The Friday night headliner for the 13th edition of Tramlines on ‘Sarah Nulty’s Main Stage’ will be The Streets whose enigmatic frontman Mike Skinner has performed exclusive DJ sets for Tramlines in the past but performs live for the first time providing a perfect start to the weekend’s festivities. Brit-Award winning Rock duo Royal Blood are the Saturday headliners, hot on the heels of their 3rd LP, ‘Typhoons’ whilst former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft takes the prestigious Sunday night slot.

Tramlines Festival Operations Director, Timm Cleasby said, “The pandemic has hit us all very hard in a million different ways but the support that Sheffield has already shown us is incredibly humbling for us all. We’re super excited to bring you what I feel is one of our strongest line ups. The 3 main headliners have been on my list for a good while now and we’ve got some brilliant returning friends as well. All this said we’re very serious about the public’s safety and take our responsibilities regarding COVID very seriously. We’re keeping a close eye on developments and will act accordingly should things change.

More information here: tramlines.org.uk/update-on-covid-19

Friday

The Streets The Kooks DMA’s Pale Waves The Pigeon Detectives Alfie Templeman The Blinders The Hara

Saturday

Royal Blood Blossoms Little Simz The Sherlocks The Lathums Georgia Lucy Spraggan The Magic Gang Vistas Lauran Hibberd Deco Abbie Ozard Everly Pregnant Bros

sunday

Richard Ashcroft Dizzee Rascal Tom Walker The Fratellis Sundara Karma The Big Moon Holly Humberstone The Snuts Fickle Friends The Reytons Baby Queen Image: eric aydin barberini / FANATIC www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 11

uPFRONT: news

State of the art

Cubo working space and Alto rooftop bar to open in Sheffield soon A new state-of-the-art co-working office scheme is set to open following a £3 million investment. Cubo, located at 38 Carver Street in Sheffield, will facilitate a multi-use site complementing the Heart of the City II Development.

Due for completion within the next few months, the new co-working space will also include a public rooftop bar, Alto. The venue, which will be opening in line with the Government guidelines and advice for pubs and restaurants, will house two bars and an external roof terrace affording views of the city centre skyline.

In addition to the roof terrace, Cubo are also working with the council and its strategic development partner Queensberry, to revive the inside of the five-storey, glass-fronted building, expanding the existing workspace from 26,000 to 32,000 sq. ft, offering 600+ desks in a variety of different office spaces. Cubo members also have 24/7 access to the building, enabling them to have the flexibility to work whenever they want or need to. cubowork.com

A milestone moment Plans for a new cultural hub in the heart of the city have been announced Sheffield’s The Milestone Group (The Milestone, Cutlery Works, Craft & Dough, INC.) has been chosen to run Cambridge Street Collective, a culturally diverse food destination that will form part of the Heart of the City development programme.

The new space will feature a contemporary food hall on the ground floor, a cookery school on the second-floor mezzanine and a fine dining experience from the team behind the highlyrated JÖRO on the top floor – as well as a rooftop bar and terrace area for visitors to enjoy.

Matt Bigland, founder of Milestone Group, told Exposed: “We are excited, humbled and ready to drive this project and the city centre into a new dining era.

“We believe a community is brought

12 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

together via food and socialising. The food must be authentic, cooked with passion and celebrated by families around a communal table.

Cambridge Street Collective is a clear reflection of this and will be open to all communities across the city.

“This is a not simply a food hall but a community hub – a destination of mixed-use spaces, combining everything from live events and cookery classes to culture and co-working – creating something that is unique to Sheffield.”

Further details about the Cambridge Street Collective, including an opening timeline, will be announced in the coming months.

uPFRONT: news

Join the conversation The programme has been released for 2021’s Festival of Debate

The programme for 2021’s Festival of Debate - the largest non-partisan politics festival in the UK - has been released.

This year’s festival features big name speakers including famed economist Yanis Varoufakis, Labour MP and Tribes author David Lammy, and writer Maya Goodfellow.

Other well-known figures featured at Festival of Debate 2021 include columnist and author Santham Sangera, former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, veteran politician David Blunkett, and Jackie Weaver, the parish council clerk who went viral earlier this year, who will host a ‘Festival of Debate Does Question Time’ event.

The festival also includes a diverse and exciting programme of community-led events exploring the most important social and political issues of our time. Launching today via a brand new website, the 2021 programme will include more than 40 live-streamed online events and short video commissions between 4 May and 6 June.

This year’s events will fall under four strands: Progressing Social Justice, Putting Citizens in the Lead, Solving Poverty and Acting on the Climate Crisis. Sitting alongside keynote events is a wide range of community-led events coordinated by local groups, charities, campaigners and ‘active

citizens’ after the festival put out a public call for collaborations. The programme of online events will include talks, panel discussions, workshops, film screenings and all events will have a ‘pay what you feel’ model which doesn’t exclude anyone from enjoying the programme, but also gives people the chance to support the festival if they can.

Joe Kriss, Programmer at Festival of Debate, told us: “Covid-19 has impacted our communities in so many ways we don’t yet understand, but it has also highlighted the inequalities in our society that have always existed. Moments of crisis create the possibility of change. We must take this opportunity to bring people together to discuss the kind of society we want to live in.”

Jackie Weaver, Chair of the Festival of Debate Does Question Time event, said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to chair what I trust will be a lively Question Time-style event aimed at increasing active citizenship and democratic engagement. The enormous value of local councils and the people who make them work is just not well enough recognised, so events like this are invaluable in highlighting this and encouraging engagement. I, for one, am looking forward to exercising my new authority as chair.”

For more information on this year’s event, head over to festivalofdebate.com.

save the date: 16th September!

The Exposed Awards are back! After a year or so off due to the, y’know, nasty virus that went around, This year, on the 16th September, we’re back doing what we do best: championing the city’s independents.

Keep an eye on exposedmagazine.co.uk for updates on when the voting opens.

www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 13

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL! Sheffield, we’ve missed you. Here’s an ode to the Steel City and ten things that we’ll never EVER take for granted again. In no particular order, this is just a small snippet of the stuff we can’t wait to do once restrictions are lifted…

Words: Joe Food

VISIT AN INDEPENDENT RETAILER We’ve finally reached a time when Saturday nights mean something other than your comfiest pair of joggers and Netflix. Soon we’ll be spending an afternoon browsing garms at city centre indies like Freshman’s, Vulgar, Thrifty Store, and Glass Onion to pull together an outfit for a *real-life* social occasion that 14 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

PEAK DISTRICT WALK (PUB CRAWL) “Why go on a fancy holiday when yer’ve got all this on yer doorstep?” generations of thrifty Sheff dads would oft cry on a family visit to Chatsworth.

To be fair, it is quite lovely out there in God’s Own Country. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and there’s even more reason to take your old man’s sage advice and stick local when it comes to sightseeing.

Top post-lockdown tip: combine a wholesome walk with some pub-based frivolity by strolling out to The Norfolk Arms in Ringinglow via Forge Dam, then nip over the old Roman Road to The Fox House (wrap up warm because it doesn’t half get blustery up there at times), before making a beeline for the bright lights of Hathersage to finish off. Once you’ve had your fill of the great outdoors, hop on a train back home for a welcome nightcap at The Sheff Tap.

pic: Michael Cummins

BREW AND A BAKE AT STEAM YARD If Picture this: you’re tucked away in a corner of a picturesque little café in the heart of the city, you’ve got some interesting reading material on the go, or perhaps you’re just milking the ambient sounds of daily human hustle and bustle for all it’s worth. The Steam Yard coffee is hitting the spot as per, but centre-facing is the main event – a fresh kronut about the size of a baby’s head. Time to settle down and bon appetit, mon amis.

doesn’t require a meeting ID. Honestly, it will happen. Afterwards you could swing by Bear Tree Records and Record Junkee for a flick through the latest vinyl releases or see what’s on offer from local artists and creatives at Bird’s Yard. Maybe a mooch down Abbeydale Road is more of a vibe, so after bagging a bargain at the Picture House flea market you can nip into Gravel Pit, have a natter with Danny and purchase a soul-nourishing post-lockdown plant to liven up your gaff. It’s warm in this prophetic vision, obviously, and as you leave you see groups of carefree people laughing and lounging outside the sun-kissed cafes and bars. Happy days.

pic: marc barker

VISIT A TRADITIONAL PUB If Sheffield does one thing well, it’s ‘proper’ old-school pubs – and for the love of Sean Bean have we missed them. What we’d do right now for a foaming pint of Guinness in the snug at Fagan’s, or an afternoon session in the Kennedy Room at The Grapes, or to be popping a couple of tunes on the Rutland Arms jukebox, tucking into a pork pie and Pale Rider combo at The Fat Cat, sampling the latest offerings on cask at The Bath Hotel… *Sighs*

Good Times! quiet reflection, a true oasis of history and culture. The refurbed Site Gallery will also be back with its brilliant on-site café Kollective Coffee & Kitchen, while up on Div Street Forum’s Artcade space look set to continue hosting installation pieces and artist showcases. Weston Park Museum, The National Videogame Museum, Kelham Island Museum, S1 Artspace – they’ll soon be back to provide us with a much-needed dose of culture.

Pic: james reilly

TRAMLINES Soon this city will reunite once more for a blissful weekend of music, art and live performance. We’ll sing together, dance into the wee hours, eat and drink ’til our hearts are content, discover new music, visit new venues, argue with our pals about who to see next, forget to book the Monday off work, suffer hugely the following week as a consequence – but most of all, we’ll tell each other just how much we’ve missed making lifelong memories at Sheffield’s biggest party. No, *you’re* crying.

VISIT THE THEATRE Even by their usually high standards, Sheffield Theatres were on one hell of a roll pre-pandemic. Innovative productions of Standing at Sky’s Edge, Coriolanus and Julius Caesarwowed sell-out crowds at The Crucible Theatre, while it was non-stop party time next door at the Lyceum with the award-winning Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Mamma Mia and Guys & Dolls taking centre-stage.

Down in the cosy confines of The Studio the smaller-budget plays were packing a punch, and biting social commentary from the likes of Steel, Chicken Soup and What We Wished For showcased exciting work from up-andcoming northern writers Chris Bush, Ray Castleton and Kieran Knowles.

Thankfully, the largest theatre complex outside of London has managed to weather the storm and will be there to welcome us back once they can safely reopen their doors.

Plenty of performance venues haven’t been so lucky, however, so make sure to check in on your local theatres too when restrictions are lifted.

HIT THE DANCEFLOOR “I bet that you look good on the dancefloor,” opined a raspy-voiced Alex Turner back in the days when sweaty nightclubs and late bars with banging tunes and DJ sets were very much a thing. Truth be told, we’re a little bit rusty on the ol’ moves, Al, but we’ll certainly be having a bash once our favourite spots reopen. Latenight boogies in the Gatsby and Washy, cheesy emo-pop classics at Firepit Rocks, schitbombs and Mustang Sally at WSL, red hot salsa at Cubana (“mind me toes, love”), jigging to the Irish Rover circa 2am in Molly Malone’s, raving in one of the city’s underground nightspots, drunken bog selfies at Picture House Social – it may all seem like a distant dream at the moment, but the sexy little swines of Sheffield will be getting on their dancing shoes again.

Better start working on those shapes now, we reckon...

EXPLORE AN EXHIBITION Ah, those lazy but insightful days strolling through the latest exhibitions at The Millennium Gallery. Remember it wasn’t too long ago we were ogling at some of Da Vinci’s drawings there? Just across the road Graves Gallery is always a fantastic spot for a bit of

DEMOLISH A PUB LUNCH The ol’ Sunday Yorkshire pud cravings have kicked in, so shall we head out to the Peaks for lunch with a view at Fox House? Or hit up the Broady and wash it down with a few choice ales – see if we can bag a booth for the afternoon? Can’t go far wrong with The Beer Engine or The Old House if you’re thinking more towards town. Either way, bring on the carbs and conversation and collective sense of post-roast contentment. Relax and take that belt down a notch. Don’t scrimp on the gravy, like.

SEE A GIG AT THE LEADMILL Remember gigs? Loud, joyous, wonderful live music and a merry sense of communal abandon. They’ll be back, dear reader, along with Sheffield’s most iconic live venue, not to mention many other beloved gig spots dotted around the city (we’re talking about you Picture House Social, Washy, Delicious Clam, Yellow Arch, Foundry, Corporation, Sidney&Matilda et al). Hang in there. We need ya. www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 15

Bird’s Yard: Chapel Walk’s Nest of Independent Talent Having started life in Leeds, established by Michelle Walton (or ‘Bird’, hence the shop’s name) in 2010, Bird’s Yard is now a collection of over 70 of the best independent businesses and designers sourced locally and globally, housed on the historic Chapel Walk in Sheffield city centre.

The shop offers a unique mix of products including jewellery, homewares, books, locally made preserves, t-shirts, artwork, skincare and babywear to name a few. Such an eclectic range has customers often remarking that it’s the perfect place to find a gift for that person who’s notoriously difficult to buy for. Sheffield features strongly too with a range of products inspired by the city; you can find candles, prints, keyrings, bags, and even rubber ducks with a local theme!

Alongside Michelle, who leads the shop team, some of the designers housed in Bird’s Yard help to run it, which is great for building relationships with customers. “It’s rewarding to be able to offer customers new and sometimes bespoke designs, and always have a changing variety of stock, as well as continuing favourites, to offer something different. It creates a really personal touch to shopping and customers love meeting the designer of their purchase, and likewise for the designers to meet them,” says Michelle.

They were thrilled to win the Championing Independents award in 2018 at the Shop Sheffield Awards, because that’s the main aim of Bird’s Yard: provide local creatives a place to establish and grow their business as well as connecting with a local audience. They are always on the hunt for exciting new talent too – details can be found on the website – to join their ever expanding team.

2020 has seen huge investment in the website and online presence, allowing Bird’s Yard to continue providing excellent face to face customer service for its loyal local following, while also being able to offer something for those farther afield, showcasing the full range of talent offered by Sheffield’s independent artists, makers, designers, and creatives. birdsyard.co.uk You can read about more of Sheffield’s finest independent businesses in ‘The Little Book of Sheffield’, available to purchase online at mezepublishing.co.uk.

Bird’s YArd 44 Chapel Wal S1 2PD birdsyard.co.uk 16 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

give it a go

photography: marc barker www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 17

Photograpjhy: MArc Barker

Spotlight on: the bare alternative

Waste Not Want Not A zero waste and refill shop bringing affordable, plastic-free options to Abbeydale Road and the surrounding areas, The Bare Alternative was established in November 2018 and soon outgrew its initial premises due to the popularity of its ethos, particularly in the local community around Abbeydale Road. Katie Fisher takes a closer look at Abbeydale Road’s sustainable retail haven.

In November 2020, The Bare Alternative moved to a new home in the same area, officially becoming Sheffield’s largest retailer of refill and eco-friendly products. The extra space has given the team an opportunity to add different product ranges and increase the range of refill items. Stocking up your pantry with the best quality produce of those harder to refill items is now possible, and staff always listening to customer feedback to provide more items that are hard to buy without large amounts of non-recyclable packaging.

One of the shop’s aims is to make packagingfree shopping accessible to all. It offers a wide selection of wholefoods and cooking ingredients for making healthy meals, alongside a range of natural cleaning products, everyday sustainable alternatives such as bamboo toothbrushes and steel straws, and much more, to help everyone reduce waste and live a more sustainable lifestyle. Everything is zero waste (free from packaging) so all shoppers need to do is remember to ‘BYOC’ – bring your own container!

Owner Mathew Reynolds told us: “With the known issues of plastic pollution in our rivers and oceans, it is so important that we look for ways of preventing this from happening.

At the end of our first year of trading, we helped the local community save just short of 4000kg of plastic waste, compared to buying pre-packaged, and we’ve been working hard to find new suppliers and products to increase that number.”

The Bare Alternative is founded on an ethical

18 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

and eco-friendly ethos, focused on creating ways to reduce waste and prevent the need for unnecessary packaging which is then sent to landfill or incinerators. Shopping this way also means you can buy only what you need, keeping costs down and reducing food waste too. The shop’s team put a lot of effort into researching the products they sell, ensuring that they fit within this ethos so customers can be confident they are making a difference. This approach helps to reduce every shopper’s environmental impact, and ultimately tackle the climate crisis with positive action. www.barealternative.co.uk

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Leah’s Yard

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD Exposed takes a peek at the upcoming Leah’s YArd project

Words: Suki Broad Images: Pedalo Photography

The recent loss of city centre retail giant John Lewis, a building remembered fondly as the iconic Coles Brothers department store, plus the resulting fallout from Covid-19 and continued boom in online retail has brought forward a debate on how Sheffield can reinvent its high street to offer something exciting and unique.

Step forward Leah’s Yard, a former 19th Century little mesters works and one of Sheffield’s most important heritage buildings, now preparing for an exciting new future that will both honour and celebrate its rich industrial heritage as part of the Heart of the City regeneration programme.

Following an extensive bidding process, Sheffield City Council has selected an impressive bid from Sheffield Science Park Company (SSPCo), who plans to transform the building into a new destination for local independent businesses, socialising and enterprising, combining a full mixed experience for visitors and users of the building. Plans also include creative workshops as well as creative spaces for Sheffield’s thriving independent business scene.

Tom Wolfenden, CEO of SSPCo, which manages the Cooper Buildings on Arundel Street, and James O’Hara of the Rockingham Group (Public, Picture House Social, Gatsby, Ambulo), have together realised a longstanding ambition to combine their extensive complementary experience on the new project.

Once fully refurbished, the revitalised Leah’s Yard will feature a collection of high-quality local traders within ground floor studios, offering everything from furniture and clothes to artisan foods and ales, with unique spaces on upper floors to accommodate the best of Sheffield’s small businesses. In addition to the creative spaces and shopfronts, the venue will host regular public-facing events, makers markets and themed evenings appealing to a diverse range of audiences.

We caught up with Tom and James last month to discuss the motivations behind this ambitious renovation and what the project aims to bring to central Sheffield.

I want to start off at the beginning by asking you how this collaboration came about. I know it started with a bidding process and eventually SSPCo was selected, but what set the gears in motion?

J: So, the genesis of it was quite a while ago.

Tom and I met on a train maybe four or five years ago. We just hit it off on the train really.

Tom was working at Showroom at the time and also managing Sheffield Technology Parks.

I was doing Tramlines, I had the Gatsby, and maybe Picture House had just started up too.

T: I think you were just opening it, because we were talking about how to make somewhere…

I don’t like using the word ‘cool’, but the Showroom bar used to be really vibrant and that was because of the tenant mix and the offer there.

And that’s how we got talking, wasn’t it?

Leah’s Yard “Sheffield is a city built on makers, creators and innovators; this building was a home to steelworkers and metal workers, so we want to modernise that idea by placing complementary businesses in there to create a community.”

J: And then Tom approached me last autumn, which was good timing because all my bars were shut and I had nothing else to do. He got in touch about Leah’s Yard and it just immediately sounded really exciting. And I think Tom and I had an awareness that our skillsets are different but complementary. Obviously, my background is kind of F&B – more customerfacing business and shop fronts – and Tom with his work at Tech Parks had incubated businesses over the years and… [to Tom] How many businesses have you got now?

T: We have 34 businesses, but I think we’ve got about 15 start-up businesses as well, and then quite a few co-workers that drop in. But yeah, it’s quite important to say that we couldn’t have done this individually; it was very much our complementary experiences that makes it work. I couldn’t have done what Jim’s been doing with the Yard, but I know that I can do what I do upstairs, so it just fitted together really nicely.

A not-for-profit angle makes the project stand out even more. Could you explain that side of things?

T: I think the interesting part of it is that we’re both very commercially aware and can run businesses, but the Science Park Company that runs the Technology Parks is a non-profit, limited by guarantee company. So, all the profit we make, we reinvest in our programmes, facilities or services or anything like that. We have a board of trustee directors effectively. Leah’s [Yard] is really tricky because it doesn’t stack up in a commercial property world, it’s a very expensive renovation, it’s Grade II* listed, and I spoke to a few commercial operators and they just weren’t interested. It wasn’t big enough for them, and the returns just weren’t there, or it was too much of a liability, too much of a headache. That’s really what makes it quite interesting because our bid – and I won’t get into the financials of it – but it’s favourable towards the commercials as well, because we’re not taking profit out of it – we’re in partnership with the council really.

J: Yeah, I think that’s key. Although me and Tom both have a commercial background, this project is very much about giving a platform to new businesses. No one needs to see my mug again, doing another thing that’s purely about me. There’s already too much of that.

T: We’ve always said at the Technology Parks that no one really knows what it is. It’s a

22 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

deliberately kind of anonymous brand, if you like. The interesting stuff isn’t really what we do, it’s what our tenants do, and that’s exactly how it’s going be with Leah’s.

It’s nice to see something motivated out of passion over profit these days.

T: Yeah, we’re doing this out of passion more than anything; we want it to be a really good place to for city to socialise and work in. It’s going to be an incredible place to work – we’ve already had so many enquiries.

Can you talk us through the initial vision for Leah’s Yard and how it can move forward while retaining its heritage?

J: I think ‘experiential’ is a key word – we’d already imagined what I would be like to walk through this beautiful heritage building, and that kind of articulated our bid. It’s not just going to be about slotting in businesses randomly, but more working out what they will bring to the overall feel of that square. It’s an amazing sort of rabbit warren of buildings in there. Sheffield is a city built on makers, creators and innovators; this building was a home to steelworkers and metal workers, so we want to modernise that idea by placing complementary businesses in there to create a community.

T: It was first built to host ‘little mesters’ – self-employed tradespeople who might rent a bench or bit of space to work in. It was basically multi-tenant occupancy, right? We want to bring that sense of its heritage back into the building. We’re also not just going to plant people in there and hope they’ll be okay. As we do at the Technology Parks, there’ll be business advisors and entrepreneurs on-site to help out businesses with everything from tax questions and sales strategies to building an online Ecommerce platform.

Do you already have a specific idea as to sort of businesses you’d like to get in there?

T: We’re looking for really interesting independent businesses that have got scope and ambition to grow. We’re giving people a shop window, an opportunity to have a retail space that is not too overwhelming. Some of the smaller spaces are really affordable, and that’s very important. For example, Sheffield still makes the finest cutlery, but we don’t really know where they are, as they’re out in workshops across the city. We want to bring in the highquality, high-value traders and help people get to that level as well.

J: That mentorship stuff is huge. It’s certainly something that I wish I’d have had when I started out.

When you do start your own business, you can spend years just sort of bumbling through and second-guessing yourself.

What do you hope will be the wider impact on the city centre as a whole from bringing together this community of start-ups and independents into the heart of the city?

J: It’s good that you brought up the heart of the city, because there’s obviously the elephant in the room, which is the John Lewis closure, and I imagine it was going to crop up in your questions. Shall we just get to it now?

Go right ahead.

J: That model of department store is obviously troubled, isn’t it? And UK High Streets and city centres have been in flux for quite a few years now.

I think covid basically sped up what was already happening. What Leah’s Yard aims to do – and it’s the same with what’s happening on Cambridge Street with the Cambridge Street Collective, the food hall and restaurant/bar venue who will be our neighbours – is help to reshape the city centre.

I think Sheffield has a good opportunity to build itself a really vibrant city, led by independent businesses.

T: I think there used to be five department stores in Sheffield centre, which has kind of whittled down to just Atkinson’s really. We hope that, since they’re a local independent brand that has been here forever, they can be the main department store for

Sheffield. There’s an opportunity now for smaller concessions in the city centre, and with Leah’s they’ll literally have a shop window and it will hopefully become an important part of our streetscape. It’s important to acknowledge that the loss of John Lewis – especially the jobs aspect – is heartbreaking, but we’ve got to dust ourselves down now and ask what’s next as a city.

There was a lot of emotional attachment with the John Lewis building. How do you set about replacing that with a project like Leah’s Yard?

J: I’m thinking that with John Lewis, a lot of the sadness is linked to memory, isn’t it? People have made memories there. A lot of the reaction was ‘I used to go in with my mum’, or ‘I used to go in with my grandmother’. My mum worked in the café at John Lewis, so I have a connection to that building too. But I think our job now is to create places that give people new memories, and I think that the commercial side of city centres has lost its way a little bit with that. It became more about commerce and transactional things and just going into a shop to buy something. Whereas all of my memories of Sheffield from when I were younger are like the smell of Castle Market or how imposing Redgates was when you wanted to get some toys – all these kind of magical things. I don’t remember what I bought, but I remember the memories. I think we have a good opportunity with Leah’s Yard, as do Cambridge Street Collective, to create a place where new memories can emerge.

T: I think from a heritage perspective, there’s a lot of historic interest and local heritage society interest in the building – it’s Grade II* listed for a reason, you know? Without sounding too aloof, we are going to be custodians of it. It’s not going to be ours to do what we want, so we’re going to try and be respectful towards its past.

Following the pandemic and a lot of retail moving online, there’s been a lot of conversation as to what city centres should look like these days – so it’s

perfect timing, in a way.

T: Yeah, and thank god we didn’t get a big Arndale or Bullring-style shopping centre 10 years ago, as was proposed by Hammerson, or that would’ve been empty and probably need knocking down. The council have been really good and really forward-thinking on it. They’re the lead developer through all of this, alongside Queensbury, so it’s not like it’s a private company running it. They’re building it but handing it over to local people and independents businesses they know will do a good job.

How do you think Leah’s Yard will combat the increasing popularity of online retail?

J: I think most independent businesses now are way ahead of it, if you think about how many in Sheffield have had to pivot over the last year.

A good example is Bench. I used to employ Jack and Ronnie at Public, who then went and opened their own place. But within three weeks of opening Bench, they had to close due to the lockdown. They pivoted into doing national deliveries within a week, set up an online shop, and now have thankfully reopened. Most independent businesses are well aware of the importance of online retail. What Leah’s Yard offers, though, is a shop window and a base in the centre. Of course, there are also products and experiences that you just can’t get online, which somewhere like Leah’s Yard can facilitate. For example, if I want a record, I go to Joe at Bear Tree because I want to talk to him and then I often come out and he’s recommended two more. That doesn’t happen online. If I go to see Jules at Hideout to buy some beers, she recommends three more that I’ve not tried before.

It’s the importance of that personal touch, isn’t it?

J: Yeah, a personal touch from the people behind these businesses. That’s still got value.

T: A lot of people start online and grow into a retail store. We want to make sure that the people who are currently trading on Etsy or similar platforms have the opportunity to come in. So, we’re talking about maybe having a shared store where there are several people’s different wares in the

retail unit and they share it, maybe on a timeshare or something like that, or we could look at offering a Leah’s Yard app where we can push things online.

You mentioned that you want to try to keep the focus away from you as individuals and firmly on the project and businesses, but personally what’s motivated you to get stuck into this?

J: Mine’s gonna sound so hippy-ish, but I’ll say it. I feel like I want to give something back to the city.

I’ve got my businesses here, I’ve spent a decade building up the bars, and when the opportunity came to work with Tom to do this, it felt like an opportunity to use what I learned to make the city that I love a better place. That’s my ambition for it, basically.

T: As we touched on earlier, in my work it’s not about what we do, it’s what our clients do. Our mission at Sheffield Technology Park is all about making Sheffield the best place to start and grow a digital business or locate a digital business. Leah’s is exactly the same. We can send our current team onto Leah’s without having to build a whole new management team and we can do it very efficiently.

And obviously with Jim’s skillset and his kind of passion, we just have an instinct it will be a good thing. It’s about helping to improve Sheffield. Not that it’s bad at the moment, just developing.

J: In an ideal world, once we’re near to opening, you’ll never hear from us again. That means we’ve done our jobs properly.

T: Yeah, hopefully you’ll be speaking to all the traders and businesses doing cool stuff inside Leah’s Yard. The most interesting part of Leah’s will be on that launch day and you see who’s there, how that community forges together. The hard work towards that starts now.

Preliminary structural and roof work on the Grade II* Listed building has been underway since September and will bring the derelict building back into a safe condition, with a view to opening the space in time for Christmas 2022. For more information on Sheffield Council’s Heart of the City development programme, head to heartofsheffield.co.uk.

www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 23

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A DESTINATION FOR THE CITY

“There is a responsibility to ensure the regeneration achieves tangible socio-economic benefits for the local area, protects Park Hill’s legacy long into the future and that we restore this iconic brutalist Grade II* listed structure as sensitively as possible.”

26 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

Park hill

With Phase 1 of the Park Hill development complete and Phase 2 scheduled to finish by the end of this year, we spoke to Urban Splash Development Manager Greg Ball for an update on plans for the iconic structure and its surrounding area.

How have you found taking on the challenge of redeveloping a Sheffield icon?

There is huge public interest in Park Hill, not just for local residents but for anyone that loves Sheffield, which means a responsibility to ensure the regeneration achieves tangible socioeconomic benefits for the local area, protects Park Hill’s legacy long into the future and that we restore this iconic Grade II* listed structure as sensitively as possible. There are huge challenges adapting an existing heritage structure to accommodate contemporary living spaces. However, we are meeting the challenge head on with a really talented team, many of whom have been working on this project since we started so know the place and understand the issues.

Where are we at with the development as things stand?

So, the redevelopment of Park Hill is being delivered by a joint-venture partnership between Urban Splash and Places for People. To start at the beginning, Phase 1 of Park Hill is complete and includes 260 homes – of which 96 are affordable homes and 28 shared equity homes on the Government Help to Buy scheme – plus 10 contemporary workspaces occupied with creative and digital businesses, the well-known WARP films, a recruitment agency, planning consultancy, wholesale gift supplier and the first café at Park Hill, South Street Kitchen, which has proved a great success with the local community. There’s also the local authority-run, purpose-built Grace Owen Nursery that has been based on-site since 1963 and relocated to their new premises in 2016.

Phase 1 of the redevelopment was recognised nationally by being nominated for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2013, which we’re naturally very proud of.

And the remaining redevelopment

of Park Hill is still split it into four phases – Phases 2 to 5?

Yes, architects Mikhail Riches were appointed to undertake the new designs for Phase 2 and it is due to complete in late 2021. It provides a further 195 homes that include 2 bedroom townhouses as well as 1, 2 and 3 bed apartments, plus 20,000 sq. ft of mixed-use commercial space for a variety of workspaces – as well as a new café, restaurant and terrace. The first release of apartments went on sale 29 February 2020 and 44 homes were sold in the first five months. Homes in Phase 2 continue to be released, with visits being done under covid restrictions and online.

To get some sense of scale, how many people are currently living and working at Park Hill and how is that projected to grow?

Over 800 people now live and work at Park Hill. It’s a mixed community that includes affordable housing, rented and owner-occupier – from young professionals to downsizers, as well as businesses and now students. This is set to increase to a diverse community of nearly 1,500 people by late 2021. Phase 3 is student accommodation with the block being configured into 4 and 8 bed townhouses, 2 and 4 bed apartments and classic studios for 356 students. The development partner is the Alumno Group and Places for People who have named it Béton House.

When university life returns to some form of normality, what are you hoping that a student population will bring to Park Hill?

Students add to the generational mix and also bring with them ideas and enthusiasm, which is already being felt. Whilst their numbers are obviously smaller than would be in

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“We wanted this side of the city to become an integral part of the wider city centre.”

Park hill

Moving forward, the plan is to continue working with local events organisers to bring more social opportunities to the area.

normal times, they are still very active.

Park Hill Residents Association has invited to take them on tours, we know how much they enjoy using South Street Kitchen, there will be hopefully be collaboration on events when they return, and feedback so far is that they like the location and access.

Importantly they add to the critical mass at Park Hill and also encourage more cafes, bars and restaurants to open that can be used by locals and visitors as well.

It says that Phase 4 and 5 will include provision for the already established S1 Artspace. Could you tell us a bit about that?

S1 Artspace had been based at the Scottish Queen on South Street for three years and moved into an interim home in the former Park Hill garage space in the heart of Park Hill in 2018. The garage has been converted into studios, admin offices and gallery space. S1 is working together with Urban Splash and other partners on plans to develop part of the Duke Street block into a major new art gallery and artist studios called Park Hill Art Space, providing a nationally significant arts and cultural centre for the city at Park Hill.

Alongside this there are plans for further residential housing on the upper floors.

What are the fundamental factors in building a strong mixed community around the area?

The vision for Park Hill was always to recreate the same strong sense of community it enjoyed when the scheme was first populated in the early 1960s.To achieve this, we want to attract a diverse range of people to live and work at Park Hill; it’s important to provide for existing local residents but also attract new people to the area. We don’t want Park Hill to turn its back on anyone; we want to provide a place for all generations, cultures and background to enjoy. We are delivering beautifully landscaped gardens for the community to gather and more amenities for the residents to enjoy. We’ve just added new urban street furniture and play pieces to the sculpture plinths – a collaboration with Sheffield-based company Create Partnerships. The café and nursery really add to

this and with the businesses and convenience store on the horizon it means there will be much more coming and going. The return of S1 Artspace with their rolling exhibition programme (hopefully back soon, restrictions allowing) and with artist studios on the site we’ll have so many more people from the wider Sheffield community and beyond visiting Park Hill. These elements all add to building a community and then of course there is the resident community itself. There is a Park Hill Residents Association (PHRA) who help to arrange plenty of activities and events for the community, so we’re regularly in contact with them. We wanted this side of the city to become an integral part of the wider city centre and we believe it has – not only becoming a nicer and safer place to be, but it’s also become somewhat of a destination and asset to the city. We hope that this can continue.

How would you like Park Hill to be seen in five years’ time?

As an example of how challenging heritage assets can be regenerated to provide vital high-quality homes and workspaces.

We also want Park Hill to be home to a thriving community who genuinely enjoy living and working here, a destination for the city, and to be part of more major events and festivals. We want the people who live and work there to continue to reflect the vibrant multi-cultural mix of the city, plus more community amenities with cafes, bars and shops alongside an evolving business hub representing the best of Sheffield’s entrepreneurial spirit.

There’s also the opportunity to play a part in adding significant value to the cultural credentials of Sheffield with Park Hill Artspace. That’s a good mix of goals there, I think.

For more information on Phase 2 of Park Hill, head to urbansplash.co.uk/park-hill.

Nick Bax of creative agency Human, which has been based at Park Hill since 2013.

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Cover

it’ll b’ reyt

We’d had Andy Slater, founder of Reyt Good Illustration, in our sights for a feature ever since he moved into new digs around the corner from Exposed HQ, taking up shop and studio at Kelham Arcade’s cosy hub of independents. This was around the beginning of 2020, and just as we were planning to contact Andy to see how we was settling in and whether he’d be up for featuring in our April issue, a little thing called Covid-19 began making itself known in the UK. We parked the idea as the magazine went on a pandemic-induced hiatus, but later established contact with the Sheffield artist around November time to see if he’d be up for designing a cover for our January 2021 comeback issue – a publication dedicated to raising spirits and looking ahead to all the wonderful things that’d hopefully be heading our way soon. However, the virus scuppered plans again: a fresh wave of cases and the discovery of a new variant meant another national lockdown was imminent and forced us to call off printing that issue.

But finally, almost a year after life as we knew it was shattered before slowly, delicately beginning its rebuild, we were able to get Andy into Exposed Magazine, put his mood-lifting cover artwork to good use and discuss his journey from frustrated staffer to becoming one of the city’s most in-demand artists. All in good time, eh?

So, let’s start from the beginning. How did you get into illustration?

I was never very academic at all, and I left school wondering what the hell I was going to do. I remember going to get careers advice at school and just telling them that I like drawing. They mentioned graphic design and I had no idea what that was, so they suggested that I do an art and design course first. I did that for two years at Norton College, which I absolutely loved. I remember thinking at the time that I was supposed to do a proper job, rather than just be creative and find your way; I thought the closest thing to that for me was to be a Graphic Designer. I went to Manchester to study Graphic Design, then I worked in the warehouse my dad worked at in the summer just to keep me going. This company employed a Marketing Manager and asked me to help, and then after three to four months they asked me if I wanted to be Marketing Assistant. Of course, I said yes! The Marketing Manager left around three years later, and so they asked me if I wanted to fill the role. Five or six years later I’d worked in the same company for ten years – still wanting to be a graphic designer, but realising that all my experience was in something I hadn’t studied.

Was there a bit of a ‘Eureka’ moment where you realised how you were going to break out of that?

Not as much, but I definitely grew sick of doing something that I’d just fallen into. To be honest, I had a bit of a mental breakdown. I

32 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

eventually decided that life was too short and took the plunge: handed in my notice, moved back in with my parents, and knowing that ultimately I wanted to do something in drawing and illustration, I set up an Etsy and Instagram page and just went for it.

What were the first illustrations you put out there?

I’d created a few designs that I really loved, and because of my graphic design background, I liked to include wording into my designs. I did a few of these, and the idea really stuck in my mind. I was playing around with greeting cards, got them into a few shops in Sheffield, but it just didn’t feel right. Then I remember one day I sat and created the Sheffield cityscape, and it was then that it just clicked: I enjoy drawing buildings and cities, I’m more into urban than countryside, I like to be lost in a big city. That was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me, and it helped me to find my niche.

Your output has increased loads recently, and it feels like you’ve reached a point where you’re really comfortable in your own skin. Would you say this is true?

It’s still really scary to put yourself out there, a very personal thing to do, and if someone doesn’t like something you’ve done, there’s no way of deflecting from that. It’s not like when you just show your mum and dad and they tell you it’s lovely. It’s still quite personal, but you do get over it a bit and begin to put trust in doing what you enjoy. I think if you don’t enjoy it, you might as well just be sat behind a desk; you have to have some confidence in yourself to do illustration. Even though I’ve only just started, I’ve learnt that you can say no to things, too, and there’s strength in that: finding the thing you really want to do as an artist. If I didn’t do that, I’d eventually find myself back in a job that I didn’t want to be doing.

There’s a recurrent thread of nostalgia running through your work. Is a lot of it linked to personal stories and influences?

It is. There has to be something behind it. A lot of the time people ask me to draw something, but if there’s no passion or history behind it then I can’t. I don’t want to put something out there as me if it’s really not, just for the sake of it being popular.

Sometimes people have asked me to draw certain music venue, for example, and if it’s somewhere I didn’t go or feel close to, I’d rather see someone else who had a connection to that place do it.

I think Sheffield, with its quirky buildings and sometimes quite strange local icons, lends itself to that style of art nicely.

Sheffield’s a bit of an enigma as a city, isn’t it? People move here and usually stay, and they don’t quite know why. I think

Sheffield’s a bit of an t enigma as a city, isn’ it? People move here and usually stay, and they don’t quite know why. I think that as e Sheffielders we quit like that we can’t put our finger on it, because then it can’t be lost.

www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 33

Cover that as Sheffielders we quite like that we can’t put our finger on it, because then it can’t be lost.

It’s a city full of hidden gems and people are proud of them, but in a reserved way.

For example, (*pointing at illustration on the wall*) look at somewhere like Yellow Arch Studios and the albums that have been recorded there. It should be famous, but you go outside of Sheffield and no one knows. We quite like the fact it’s on a backstreet in Neepsend; we know what albums were recorded there and that’s enough.

Yeah, and iconic things like Tinsley Towers, which are just very connected to Sheffielders. There are plenty of other nostalgic memories that inspire me: heading down to Castle Market on a Saturday whenever we needed jeans or trainers and going into the fish market so my mum could bring my Granny back a bag of cockles. All I remember is how much it stank!

My Granny used to live in Chapeltown, and we always caught the same bus, this actually features in one of my illustrations, so there are always little personal touches dotted throughout my work.

Reyt Good Illustration has recently taken things up a notch, moving to this lovely new studio and shop space in Kelham Arcade. How has the move been?

It’s great to have my own professional space. I was at Abbeydale Picture House before, which was great for allowing me to have my own space to be creative, but I knew I needed a new place of my own to make me feel like I was doing something for myself. I saw this place in Kelham, and I looked at first thinking I really couldn’t afford it, but a couple of weeks later I just decided to go for it. Then Covid-19 happened…

34 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

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INFO@URBANPIZZACO.CO.UK PHONE: 07988 264965 Urban Pizza Co. Steel Yard Kelham, Bardwell Rd, Sheffield S3 8AS

Cover Perfect timing. How have you managed workwise throughout the pandemic?

When it first hit I’d only just got myself sorted, having built my website right at the end of 2019. It ended up being the website that kept me going, which was so fortunate, and it just grew and grew through social media, local collaborations and people seeing things around. I’ve worked on a couple of collaborations which have been really fun, and obviously help build your profile, it’s great to help people visualise what their brand means to them. I look forward to working on more collaborations as it means meeting more people doing amazing things around the local area.

How’s the rest of 2021 shaping up for Reyt Good Illustration?

I guess it’s just more of the same. Printed By Us have asked me to work with them, so that’s in the pipeline, and I have to get that just right without rushing. I’m really keen to do something that fits in with what they do and suits their style. I also have a few more commissions to get on with, and want to work on some bigger pieces myself just in terms of size. I’ve also got a mural I’m working on. I’ve done a couple in the past, like one for Nether Edge Pizza on Abbeydale Road, so I’m excited to get that finished.

Hopefully I’ll continue being busy and more interesting projects will come this way. www.reytgoodillustration.co.uk

culture

If These Walls Could Talk Sarah Haworth reflects on how the city’s urban galleries provided welcome stimulation during those seemingly endless lockdown walks.

Pete McKee: The Snog

Local artist Pete McKee is deeply rooted within the city, and this gloriously larger than life elderly couple embraced in a kiss is one to make you smile. Painted on the side of Fagan’s pub, the message is resounding: “Till the end of our days I will love you forever. Through the ups and downs I will never leave your side”.

Harrison Qi

Lockdown can be dull and monotonous, yet seeing colour and creativity etched across the city’s walls often helps you to muster up those happier feelings. Particularly this year, the positivity that radiates from street art too often taken for granted has really struck a chord with me, adding a few welcome bursts of light into the darker days.

Sheffield’s street art is symbolic to the city and constantly evolving; some murals have stood the test of time and become etched into the city’s culture, while plenty of others have popped up in the past year. While taking my government-approved strolls during a cold and often miserable lockdown, a few pieces in particular spoke to me, and this is my way of paying tribute to the art that kept me dreaming of better days.

Mila K: This is Just an Interval 1 With the long, dark days and unforgiving weather during a winter lockdown, it was easy to feel like the whole thing was never-ending.

However, it’s important to remember that things will get better – this is just an interval!

This work by Mila K, painted on the doors of the 02 Academy in 2020, reassured me that we will sing and dance again one day.

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JupiterFab: The Conversation 2 Internationally renowned Italian street artist Jupiterfab visited Sheffield in the summer of 2019, leaving behind this beautiful image in Kelham Island. The mural shows three people having an engaging conversation, phones cast aside, providing an important moment of reflection on how we communicate in the modern world. It’s quite strange to see this today, with most interaction still being held from afar or via an internet connection, and I found myself longing for moments like this to return.

Marcus Method, Stog, i.d.s.t. and Skeg: Bethel Walk Collab Mural 3 This colourful collab piece between Sheffield street art icons popped up only recently, and it’s well worth checking out for its sheer vibrancy. The lettering was created by Stog and i.d.s.t, whilst the patterns and fills were painted by Marcus Method and Skeg. It was lovely to see such bold shades added to an otherwise dismal passage, contrasting everyday greys with beautiful colours.

Jo Peel: Alma Street Mural 4 Jo Peel’s murals are instantly recognisable.

She juxtaposes bold black and white industrial locations with bright blocks of colour and natural beauty in the background. Often including Sheffield staples, she takes great pride in the city, and this iconic Alma Street mural features the old Henderson’s Relish factory in the foreground. Although grey and industrial in places, Sheffield also has many natural colours to showcase, and Jo manages to translate that dichotomy brilliantly in her work.

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Street Art Bubba 2000: Tribute to the NHS 5 Bubba 2000 is a stencil artist with many iconic sketches dotted around the city. His art is always engaging and thought-provoking, and this one is no different, using his talent to show his gratitude for the NHS during the pandemic.

Phlegm: Devonshire Quarter 6 Born and bred in Sheffield, the enigmatic Phlegm has been painting walls in the city for many years.

His surreal monochrome illustrations are beautifully done, paying homage to the collection of sculptures in ‘Mausoleum of the Giants’, his hugely popular showcase that debuted in 2019.

This impressive mural is one of his earlier works, featuring a giant holding onto a dreamlike world, and you soon find yourself lost in its intricate details.

Kid Acne: That’s the Spirit Born in Malawi, based in Sheffield, Kid Acne is an illustrator and hip-hop musician, and his inimitable street art will be familiar to many. From large-scale slogans to female warriors, his art is inspiring, connecting the community on a deeper level. Though painted a few years ago, this mural now has a more poignant meaning; the words are hopeful and motivating, reflecting the strong spirit of the city in the face of the pandemic.

Rob Lee: Picture House Social Brazenly 70s, retro and geometrical, Rob Lee painted this larger-than-life optical illusion onto the Picture House Social in 2019, linking music and popular culture with street art. His illusions draw in passers-by, and they are immersed in the movement of the mural, which reflects vibrations in its lifelike curves. Something about the piece feels warm and familiar, and it has quickly become one of my favourites.

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Trik 9: The Gay Quarter Wings 7 Well known in Sheffield, Trik 9 has created numerous murals over the years, using a wide colour palette to brighten up many a wall around the city. This most recent one is no exception, with the stunning wings paying homage to the Pride flag on the outside of Queer Junction, celebrating the community by communicating visibility and strength.

Faunagraphic: Brooklyn Road 8 Faunographic brightens up the city by painting birds onto brick, fusing nature with urban landscapes. Focused on the topic of environmental awareness, she spreads the colour green around the city to remind us to be kind to our beautiful planet and the life that lives upon it.

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Simon Wigglesworth-Baker: Welcome to Kelham Simon Wigglesworth-Baker has painted an array of cabinets across the city, adding small pops of colour onto our streets. This work is a literal ray of sunshine, cleverly using the shape of the cabinet to give the mural an added sense of depth.

Created as part of the Kelham Island arts and cultural heritage trail, it’s well worth visiting to see the other amazing contributions in the area.

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things to do Taking place at Sheffield University Students’ Union, the dates for Get Together Festival have been rearranged for 7th-8th August 2021.

The two-day event has announced an exciting lineup featuring Self Esteem (right -top), Black Honey (right-below), Tim Burgess, Dream Wife, Billy Nomates, Ibibio Sound Machine, plus many more established and up-and-coming acts.

Brighton four-piece Black Honey will headline the Saturday of Get Together, having just reached no. 7 in the album charts with their latest release ‘Written and Directed’.

Closing Get Together on Sunday 8th August is Sheffield favourite Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor). Having played in every venue across the city and toured the world with South Yorkshire duo Slow Club, Rebecca fired up the solo project and unveiled debut album ‘Compliments Please’ in 2019 – a critically acclaimed record loaded with bombastic pop bangers.

Charlatan’s frontman and record shop expert and all-round lovely bloke Tim Burgess also joins the line-up. Tim’s latest solo record ‘I Love The New Sky’ came out on Bella Union in 2020, and with his popular Twitter Listening Parties Tim’s positive vibes were a shining beacon of optimism during a difficult year; now he’s bringing the feelgood factor back in the flesh and on a live stage.

Tickets for Get Together Festival are priced at £27.50 for the day and £44 for second release weekend tickets, available at somewhere. seetickets.com/get-together-2021.

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Sensoria Festival 1-9 October Sensoria, the UK’s festival of film, music and digital will return to Sheffield from in October 2021.

After a year of being confined to online projects, the event will bring a combination of real-life and streaming events, performances, screenings and talks to the city.

Over the years, Sensoria has hosted performances from the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Bill Drummond, Richard Hawley, Forgemasters, Chris and Cosey, Laurie Anderson, Jlin, DJ Stingray and many more.

Renowned for its use of unusual venues, events have included city centre drive-sns, swimming pool screenings and an AV installation in a 60s hotel ballroom.

The lineup will be announced early summer but, for now, the festival is on the hunt for exciting new work based around this year’s themes of ‘SuperNature’ and ‘Better Together’ to feature at the event. sensoria.org.uk

Image: laura merril

Get Together Festival 7-8 August

Image: charlotte patmore

Time to dust off the calendars! Here’s a selection of confirmed IRL events that you won’t need a Zoom code for…

things to do

Yorkshire Chocolate Festival 24 October After a bitter 12 months, we can now look forward to the taste of sweet luxury this year as youth homelessness charity Roundabout hosts the first Yorkshire Chocolate Festival.

Taking place at Sheffield’s historic Kelham Island Museum on October 24, the festival will be the perfect event for chocoholics, bringing together live music, workshops and over 50 stalls featuring a veritable smorgasbord of treats to get stuck into.

We are super excited to launch Yorkshire’s first ever chocolate festival,” said Roundabout Event Fundraiser Emily Bush. “There is going to be something for everyone, from brownies and doughnuts to hot chocolate and rum.You’ll find numerous treats to indulge in and other non-edible chocolate themed gifts that will save your waistline too.”

Anybody interested in having a stall at the Yorkshire Chocolate Festival should email Emily at emily.bush@roundaboutltd.org for full details. roundabouthomeless.org

Cecil Beaton’s Bright Young Things Middle of May–4 July

An exhibition organised by the National Portrait Gallery, Cecil Beaton’s glittering portraits from a golden age will be brought together to view at the Millennium Gallery. The fascinating exhibition will explore the extravagant world of the glamorous and stylish ‘Bright Young Things’ of the twenties and thirties through the lens of the renowned British photographer.

150 works will showcase a dazzling cast of society figures, artists, writers and partygoers, each seen through the prism of Beaton’s portraits. In addition to Beaton’s own work, the exhibition also features paintings by friends and artists known to Beaton, including Rex Whistler, Henry Lamb, Ambrose McEvoy and Christopher Wood; portraits of Beaton by Paul Tanqueray, Dorothy Wilding, and Curtis Moffat; as well as books magazines, photograph albums, and other ephemera.

Visitors can plan and book their visit online at museums-sheffield.org.uk/ welcome-back

Image: henry rees

Sheffield’s famous film festival returns this year, announcing plans to deliver a hybrid festival to bring people together with a selection of in-person and online events.

The opening and closing films were announced last month. Kicking off proceedings will be the European premiere of ’ Summer of Soul (...Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’, by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. It is a film that will inspire the next 10 days of programme through its testimony of a unique moment in history, the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, and the transformative power of culture and music.

The closing film will be the world premiere of ‘The Story of Looking’, the latest film by Mark Cousins. In a time when our common experiences are shaped by long confinements and a constant assault from images, this film proposes that we look again into the world’s complexities, contradictions and beauty. Cousins will also participate in a live-streamed Q+A following the screening.

The international Industry Programme for 2021, including the marketplace, pitches and panels, will be taking place online only. Information on how to access the public programme of physical film screenings, exhibitions and talks in Sheffield, subject to Covid-19 guidelines, will be announced online on 12 May. sheffdocfest.com

Image: oliver ibbotson

Sheffield’s newest artspace, Artcade Gallery, situated amongst the Forum shops on Division Street, recently reopened its doors for a new exhibition by Tom J Newell, which will be running through to the middle of May. ‘Inner Space’ will see the popular Sheffield artist and DJ, whose work you may recognise adorning number of bars and retail spots, exhibiting a series of new artworks, including a collection of 366 daily drawings that he produced throughout 2020.

Tom will also be decorating his ‘Bears of Sheffield’ sculpture live in the gallery ahead of the Sheffield Children’s Hospital art trail that will appear later this summer. A selection of original artworks, prints and other limited edition merchandise will also be available to purchase exclusively through as part of the exhibition. The gallery will evolve as the show progresses, becoming an open studio where Tom will continue to produce and exhibit new work and play records in the space during his residency. @tomjnewell

Doc/Fest 2021 4-13 June

Peddler: Triple Cooked Garden Party 21 June Oh, it’s been too long since we had a proper Peddler bash!

Thankfully, Sheff’s tastiest social event is planning a return to form with a big ol’ do at 92 Burton Road and plenty of their usual shtick: great food, music, drinks, art and independent traders showcasing their wares.

Joining the party will be Triple Cooked – a collective of artists, musicians and creatives travelling the length and breadth of the country since 2015 in search of the quirkiest event spaces to party together with open minds and huge smiles.

Combine Peddler, Triple Cooked and a plenty of hungry/thirsty Sheffielders and you’ve got a social occasion we’ve been yearning for since the party came to a halt last year. As such, it’s almost guaranteed to sell out, so get yourself on t’internet and book in if you fancy it.

Of course, the event is still rolling in a slightly more stripped-back fashion at the moment and with all the correct safety restrictions in the Peddler car park. There’s another taking place this month over 7-8 May – it’s the usual mouthwatering arrangement but focused mainly on the food and drink side of things with table service.

Bookings and walk-ins both available. peddlerwarehouse.com Image: will roberts

‘Inner Space’ by Tom J Newell Running until 15th May

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The

Greedy Greek Deli The Greedy Greek has been serving delicious homemade Greek food for 20 years. Everything from our famous wraps with spit roast Pork, Chicken or Halloumi, to meals like Moussaka or Lamb Kleftiko. See also our delicious Vegan and Vegetarian Menu with dishes like lemon artichokes and stuffed vegetables plus many more. Try our meal deals with main and 2 sides.

Our Full Menu is available on our website www. thegreedygreekdeli.co.uk or download our App. We also can be found on Just-Eat. We deliver lunch time and evening, and are open 7 days a week from 11am to 9:30pm call in and say hello.

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The Greedy Greek Deli, 418-420 Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield S11 8ZP. 0114 2667719. www.thegreedygreekdeli.co.uk // www.greekdelidirect.co.uk

comedy

comedy central THEY say laughter is the best medicine, and Sheffield could certainly do with a good laugh after a ridiculously difficult, if not heartbreaking, year for many.

It’s exciting news, then, that a new comedy club is setting up shop in the city – promising laughs aplenty for those looking for a good time.

ROFL, a business which began life in Stoke-on-Trent around six years ago, has secured the former Pizza Express premises on Division Street, where they’ve carried out a £170,000 - £200,000 refurb project to create Sheffield’s first custom-built comedy club.

The venue, which is over three-and-a-half floors, has two entrances at the door – turn right and you go into the comedy club, or turn left to go into Hemingway’s cocktail bar. The upper ground-floor is a Belgian beer bar with hot stone cooking.

Host of the club, local comedian Joe Zalias, says the premises is about as good as you can get in terms of a strategic Sheffield location.

He told Exposed: “The venue is right opposite Devonshire Green, with a big carpark on the doorstep and close to all the night life if you want to go out partying until 4am after the show.

“However, its not right in the middle of it, if you just want a nice place to go for a few drinks and to see a show without wading through crowds of hen parties and nightclubbers.”

The comedy club exists, says Joe, to: “bring the very best stand-up comedians from all over the world – including TV names – to the stage, in an intimate venue with the best possible atmosphere.”

The club itself is to seat 100 people, and the bar will seat 150. The comedy is aimed at all ages – from 18 years to 118 years – “If they can manage the stairs,” quips Joe. Punters can expect a diverse range of acts. Every line-up will be different, with each show having three varying styles of comedy. So there might be a storyteller, a one-liner comedian and a guy with a guitar, for example.

“You won’t be seeing Bernard Manning or Cubby Brown,” explains Joe, “This is comedy for people who have a sense of humour.”

Initially the events will run on Friday and Saturdaynights. Joe Zalias will host the shows along with three pro comedians. An interval will be held between acts for toilet breaks and so that the audience can order food or drinks – table service only.

“A visitor to the club will feel like they have been truly cared for and thought about,” says Joe. “ROFL comedy clubs are not just a good night out, they are the BEST night out. Every single detail has been thought of to ensure a great experience. Plus it’s affordable, so you can come as often as you like.”

So far the club has secured a long list of acts. The club’s opening night is on 21 May and will feature three incredible comedians for the big show including: Esther Manito from ITV’s Stand Up Sketch Show and Eshaan Akbar who people may have seen on Mock the Week, Qi or Frankie Boyles New World Order.

Customers need not fear the pandemic as appropriate Covid-secure arrangements and sanitising is all in place.

As we come out of lockdown, Joe believes the comedy club will play its part in revitalising the city’s post-pandemic night-time economy.

He said: “Sheffield and most towns are going to have a bit of a roaring 2020s, I think. Shops and offices might be struggling a bit and city centres will definitely change but people will really want to socialise and spend time with friends and family.

“I think the forced separation that we have all been through will have altered a lot of people’s priorities and leisure time – especially comedy and laughter – is going to be valued more than ever.”

Tickets for ROFL comedy club need to be booked in advance via roflcomedy.com at £12 per person. Doors open at 7pm and the show will be over by 11pm.

Words: Phillip Dolby

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sheffield: city of brewers

THERE’S SOMETHING BREWINg DID YOU KNOW THAT SHEFFIELD HAS ALMOST FIVE TIMES AS MANY BREWERIES PER CAPITA THAN LONDON? This means that on any given (pre-pandemic) day there are almost 400 locally made beers on offer across the city, with new microbreweries continuing to spring up even during these unfathomably difficult times for the industry.

Such is the love for a ‘proper’ pint and drinking hole in the Steel City, the likes of Kelham Island Brewery, Abbeydale Brewery, Bradfield Brewery and True North enjoy almost household name status amongst Sheffielders. That said, there are plenty of smaller, somewhat lesserknown craft breweries creating innovative brews and providing us with hoppy refreshment at home until our beloved boozers reopen.

From gleaming microbreweries bubbling away in city centre bars to quaint suburban taprooms and small-scale family operations, here’s some to keep an eye out for when browsing the beer menu in your local – or, better yet, sling them a delivery order online instead of grabbing tinnies from the supermarket next time you’re stocking up.

The Brewery of St Mars of the Desert (SMOD) Head into a small courtyard just off Stevenson Road, Attercliffe, overlooked in true Sheffield fashion by a historic steel foundry, and there you’ll find The Brewery of St Mars of the Desert (SMOD) tucked away with a few benches parked out front for sunnier days. Inside the quaint taproom decorated invitingly with quirky artwork and bright colours you’ll meet Dann and Martha, former owners of beloved Boston brewery Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project, who after hearing about Sheffield’s UK-wide beer reputation decided to take a chance crossing the pond and opening a business here in 2018. Next to the taproom you’ll find the brewing operation itself housing Yorkshire’s only coolship, a large bathlike vessel used for getting extra character out of hops. As such, they’ve kicked out some truly cosmic brews over the last couple of years – from juicy NEIPAs to rich and luxurious Imperial Stouts. beersofsmod.co.uk Triple Point Brewery A city centre brewery and bar located on Shoreham Street, Triple Point Brewing Ltd is ran by father and son duo Mike and George Brook. Their award-winning brews are sold straight from tank to glass in a spacious industrial-chic setting, while the taproom also houses Sheffield’s famous delightfully dirty burger purveyors Twisted Burger.

When it comes to brews, Triple Point are impressive all-rounders in the game, catering nicely for lovers of quality lager, IPAs, DIPAs, stouts and porters. Situated a stones’ throw from Bramall Lane, their KOP Lager is a natural favourite with Blades fans, whereas they recently knocked up a few festive favourites including their Parkin Amber Ale, a baltic porter in collab with Bullion Chocolate; and 2020 special ‘Substantial Meal’, a Session IPA from which £1 of every can goes towards combating food poverty. triplepointbrewing.co.uk 46 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

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sheffield: city of brewers

little mesters

A recent addition to the Steel City brewing scene, the Little Mesters brewery and taproom was established in 2020 and situated next to and above the famous Sheffield booze shop Mitchell’s Wine Merchants.

Their locally brewed, carefully crafted selection currently includes the Little Mester Originals – a session lager (4%) and traditional bitter (3.9%) – as well as a hazy unfiltered IPA (5.5%). There are also a couple of wintertime specials (Christmas pudding stout, anyone?) available to purchase online, with a number of exciting new releases out now too. Plenty of big plans are underway for brewery in 2021, so sling them a follow on socials and keep an eye out for any new brews heading your way. littlemestersbrewing.co.uk

Fuggle Bunny Brew House

This family-run brewery in Rother Valley focuses on one thing: serving up a ‘proper pint’ of real ale. Headed by award-winning Master Brewer Dave Steeple, who boasts over 37 years of experience in the industry, Fuggle Bunny pride themselves in crafting full-flavoured, full-bodied real ale and so far four out their first nine brews have bagged awards. No messin’ about. fugglebunnybrewhouse.co

Tapped Brew Co.

Nestled inside the decadent surroundings of railway hops haven The Sheffield Tap, the gleaming copper clad vats of Tapped Brew Co. have produced eight tasty brews thus far: Sheaf Street Pale, Mojo Session Pale, Toha New Zealand Pale, Jericho West Coast Pale, Ale Best Bitter, Sorsby Stout, Station Yard Golden Ale, and Station Porter.

As well as being responsible for a welcome hoppy aroma floating around the venue, an on-site brewery ensures some of the freshest beer in the city and allows for handy instantaneous feedback from customers to brewers.

The key ethos overlaps nicely with that of the venue itself: a deep-founded respect for tradition and heritage coupled with a modern touch. tappedbrewco.com

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heist brew co

Crosspool Ale Makers Society

Originally Hopscotch Craft Brewers, this exciting microbrewery has been producing beer under Crosspool Ale Makers Society since 2019. Recently, their ‘Straight Outta Crosspool’ West Coast IPA (5.6%) has been a huge hit; throw in their traditional lager-pils ‘He Ain’t Heavy’ (4%) and smoky treacle stout ‘Mount Zion’ (4%) and you’ve got a trio of delicious Steel City brews to get acquainted with. PS: They do free ‘Thirsty Thursdays’ deliveries on all orders over £30 for S1-20 and S32. crosspool-ale-makers-society.com

Last year popular Derbyshire brewers Heist announced their move from Clowne to the heart of Sheffield’s beer capital Kelham Island, taking on an exciting project that would see the renovation of a large factory space into a brewery bar hosting interactive tours, street food vendors, tastings and events. Of course, a worldwide pandemic has put these plans on hold somewhat, but you can keep up to date with the latest by following them on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re looking to sample a drop, the Heist website shop contains their quad box deal (£24.95), which allows customers to try out four new beers (limited, small batch or collab) along with an optional virtual tasting session hosted by gaffers Adam and Dan. heistbrewco.com

sheffield: city of brewers

Neepsend Brew Co.

Steel City Brewing

neepsendbrewco.com

Facebook: Steel City Brewing

Perhaps best known for their easy-supping, steady away Neepsend Blonde (4%), this zero airs and graces outfit have been consistently brewing enjoyable beers since 2015. The original brewery was housed next to the River Don, just up from the historic Ball Street Bridge, until last year it moved around the corner to join a host of other independent businesses at 92 Burton Road – not to mention providing fresh tank beer for the recently opened Factory Floor bar. They’ve branched out from their core beer with a broad range of additions, the latest of which are feature a 4.3% dry hopped sour, 5.4% hopfenwizen (or wheat beer) and 9% tonka, cocoa and vanilla stout. Certainly no resting on laurels here, and once the pubs are back open – you’ll be guaranteed to spot some of their brews on the bar at traditional alehouses like The Sheaf View, The Wellington and The Blake Hotel.

Forged in Sheffield since 2009, Steel City Brewing is something of a nomadic brewing company, or a “cuckoo brewery” as they are known in Europe, where brewers move around different premises to borrow equipment to work with. They first began at Brew Company, before a move to Little Ale Cart, then to Toolmakers Brewery, and finally moving again to Lost Industry in 2016.

They’re all about creating big hoppy beers and regularly collaborate with other independent brewers. Last month Steel City linked up with Spanish brewers Reptilian Brewery, releasing a 12% Panettone Imperial Stout and 6.3% Pineapple Sour, if either of those tickle your fancy? Keep up to date with what else they’ve got going on their open Facebook group below.

Little Critters

This family-run Neepsend brewery pride themselves on using high quality grains and the finest hops from around the globe to create an exciting variety of top-notch ales. Much of their canned range has been decorated in colourful fashion by Sheffield illustrator Jim Connolly and are available for nationwide delivery along with clothing merch and glass sets.

If you’re looking for an IPA that packs a punch, the 6.5% C Monster unites American C hops, lime leaves and citrus peel for a refreshing brew bursting with flavour.

Fancy some craft on draught? They also offer a variety of brews in 30L key kegs, while 9 and 18 gallon casks are available for their ale range.

Lost Industry

littlecrittersbrewery.com

exit 33 brewing

This independent micro brewer is currently taking a break due to Covid-19 disruption, but hopefully we’ll see them back in production and on the taps at their spiritual home of The Harlequin soon.

Distinctive flavoursome beers are the name of the game at Exit 33, and the S2 brewery have pumped out everything from hop-heavy real ales to floral IPAs, silky stouts and even a chocolate cookie flavoured porter. Om nom nom nom. facebook.com/Exit33Brewing

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A small but mighty brewery based in Wadsley Bridge, Lost Industry sell their avant-garde brews all over the UK and even Europe. In pre-Covid days, their mobile van would serve punters up and down the country at various festivals.

With pubs closed during lockdown, owners Lesley and Mick took the opportunity to launch a significant refurbishment of the brewery and have recently launched a sumptuous New Zealand-hopped IPA called ‘Distant Sun’. Hopefully we’ll soon be seeing them back where they belong – in our favourite local bars and stockists across the city. facebook.com/Lost-Industry-Brewing

CAMRA CITY CENTRE PUB OF THE YEAR 2020 FANTASTIC NEW WINE AND GIN MENUS FOR THE SUMMER Sheffield’s Largest Beer Range Award Winning Restored 1st Class Refreshment Rooms.

10 cask Ales, 14 Draft Continental Beers and over 200 bottles and cans.

Onsite Micro Brewery “Tapped Brew Co”

PLATFORM 1B, SHEFFIELD MIDLAND STATION, SHEAF STREET, SHEFFIELD S1 2BP.

TEL 01142 737558 INFO@SHEFFIELDTAP.COM WWW.SHEFFIELDTAP.COM

Music

Talking Truths

For Sheffield artist and rapper Matic Mouth (real name Marcus Smith), the first lockdown of 2020 allowed him the time and space to pen his thoughts on the highprofile social injustices occurring amidst the backdrop of a worldwide pandemic.

The resulting album, Here Comes the Pain, represents his most personal and visceral piece of work to date; it’s a haunting, hair-raising record that packs no punches while exploring race relations, normalised oppression and the fragility of postmodern identities.

With a second lockdown coming into effect not long after the interview, the magazine was forced back into a hiatus, meaning we had to sit on the feature until we were able to return to print.

However, a few months down the line, Marcus’ points remain as salient as ever – perhaps more so as we leave what could be a final lockdown and reflect on the social impact of 2020 – while the album is still very much available to stream and download online, with all Bandcamp proceeds donated to Blueprint for All, formerly known as the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.

Crazy times to catch up for a chat, Marcus. How was lockdown for you?

Such a weird one at the beginning. It was like “What’s a lockdown?” My night job is managing a nightclub, so obviously that was zipped up and put away to one side for a bit. Once I realised what happening – and I found this was common amongst a lot of creatives – it was like *claps hands together* “Right, OK!” I went and bought a second-hand drum machine; every day in my kitchen I’d be working on music until I went to bed. It got a bit claustrophobic but with the first lockdown you had the good weather, and that provided a bit of a band-aid for the situation.

There were some positives to be taken out of the first lockdown, I think. It took a lot of people back to basics, which isn’t always necessarily a bad thing.

I heard these amazing stories about people striking up proper conversations over fences with their neighbours for the first time. Ironically, it reminded me a bit of my childhood, seeing people sat in the street on garden chairs drinking pints. It was all a bit DIY. Yeah, almost like being forced back into a sense of community. You couldn’t go anywhere else, so you made do with what was on your doorstep again. Like with most big cities, a lot of socialising tends to gravitate towards the city centre rather than within communities, especially for the younger generations.

I think we needed a bit of that, living within our communities a bit more. People were always looking for the big night out, or something impressive to put up on social media. It did take everyone back to basics, and I enjoyed the equality involved in how we all had to do it as well. It was a leveller: this was probably the first thing since the World Wars that affected us all together as a planet.

I always thought that for artists there

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was almost a bit too much going on and it must just put your mind into overdrive.

How did you find that aspect of things?

You are constantly absorbing. For me, the racial injustices that we saw throughout lockdown, a thing so close to my heart, enabled me to direct my attention almost solely on those events. It might have even helped my sanity in a strange way.

I think lockdown meant there was nowhere to hide for people in terms of the coverage: none of the usual life distractions were available and it meant everyone had to face up to the Black Lives Matter movement and what was being said. People only really had social media and the news-scrolling for entertainment during lockdown, which worked well in terms of raising awareness.

Nobody could get away from it. As a mixed-race person, someone who has dealt with these issues my whole life, what’s really sad is you can get used to it. You are raised by your parents, who tell you it’s going to happen, that’ll you have to work twice as hard, etc, so you can kind of fall into smiling and ‘being the bigger person’ when you come across racism. Or when someone’s being racist indirectly, you’re like “Hey, I can’t really explain that, so I’ll just fall in line and get on with it.”

But, for me, George Floyd and Amy Cooper showed the world that there’s two different types of racism among many other difference degrees of racism: blatant, direct and physical racism that saw a man die, but we also saw this weaponised racism that gave all people of colour the proof to say “Look, this is what we’re dealing with.” It was almost like a big chunk of the world woke up and said “Jesus Christ! We never knew this shit happened! I’m not into this!” I had some wonderful dialogue and open conversations with my non-black friends in which they would try to understand what they were seeing [in the Amy Cooper video]; they knew it was wrong, but just didn’t understand why this woman would call the police. There was really important dialogue happening, and big parts of the world started to come together. But it does take real action – a real awareness and culture change, not a quick profile picture change. This is something we’ve collectively known, as a people, for so long, and how many campaigns do we have to have? But I’m hopeful that this could be the turning point.

The whole year has felt like something of a tipping point on so many things, and you wonder where we go from here.

I think with Covid-19 – and it doesn’t even matter what you think about lockdowns and the virus itself – the point is: everyone has suffered. It gives us a common thread. It’s triggered changes in so many things: how we work, socialise, the importance of being a bit kinder to ourselves. I

think we’re going to see a renaissance soon from this, which seems like it a weird word to use, but we’re going to get so much in terms of culture, music, films, art – all inspired by this past year.

It’s gonna be a while before it simmers.

On that note, you’ve described Here Comes the Pain as a musical time capsule. Tell us a bit about putting it together once studios reopened.

As soon as we were allowed out for the first time, I was straight into the studio. I got in touch with the producer, TeeJ, and wanted to get it done. The music itself sounds a bit like how I felt during lockdown – thoughts just going at a million miles an hour. I had to speak on it all, I had to. When you’ve been the subject of racism, it doesn’t hurt any less when you witness it happening to others.

To me, it sometimes feels like you can’t hit back, but I was in the mind state of NEEDING to hit back this time. Music was my way to hit back, so was donating all proceeds to the Stephen Lawrence Trust.

There’s a line in the track ‘Phoenix’ which kind of nails it: ‘misery into music, pain into a passion’.

This has been the most therapeutic music I’ve ever made in my life. Sometimes that’s said as a cliché, but I genuinely mean it. It allowed me to say things that I’ve wanted to say for a long time.

The track ‘Those Eyes’ was inspired by the couple who came out onto the lawn of their house pointing guns at Black Lives Matters protesters who walked past, and an image of the couple was shared on Instagram by human rights activist called Shaun King with the caption ‘Those eyes’.

It felt good to take a quick inspiration like that, transform it, and get it back out there – and a lot of the album worked like that, as a response.

Was there any track on that was particularly cathartic or emotional for you?

Yeah, ‘Elijah McClain’. I literally cried when I read about what happened to Elijah McClain.

I did a bit of research about Elijah, getting to know his spirit and the type of person he was – a beautiful soul until the end. I was a bit conflicted about making that song because I didn’t want to be seen as exploiting his death to make me look good, so I thought the best way to speak about him was just to use his last words and let that be a way of him living on. You can see what I mean about this record being a bit like therapy? After I finished making the album, it was like my body and mind knew I had said what I wanted to say.

Interview: Joseph Food Maticmouth.bandcamp.com Facebook.com/maticmouth @maticmouth

“But it does take real action – a real awareness and culture change, not a quick profile is picture change. Th is something we’ve n, collectively know so as a people, for y long, and how man campaigns do we have to have? But I’m hopeful that this could be the turning point.”

Photo: Andy Nicholson

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Music

SISTER ACT Words: Joshua Bell // Photography: Laura Merrill Inspired by and innately connected to nature, Sister Wives are all on the same epistemological page. Influenced by a topos defined by Welsh landscapes with its ancient rolling hills, the group are bound by a comradeship of ancient Celtic culture, immersing themselves in the animism, sites and memory of witches, women and outcasts of past and present.

‘Crags’ vibrates through the ages, a cacophonous calling which leads into ‘I Fyny Af/Rise’ – a movement of matriarchal power.

The overpowering grooves and Welsh chanting bring forth images of agrarian cults, howling at Hecate, dancing amidst circles of stone, raising arms towards trees, basking in eternal moonlight. There is energy, urgency, but most importantly, that bespoke connection to the earth is very real.

How important is Welsh to Sister Wives? Do you think there is a systemic threat to the Welsh language? Do you see Sister Wives as a way to reconnect popular audiences with Welsh language and culture?

Donna: We see Welsh as an integral part of Sister Wives, and when I proposed singing Welsh, it was very liberating.

It’s hard to explain how important it is. I feel Wales and the Welsh have such an oppressed culture, there’s been a historic effort to stamp out the language for centuries, so we see our record as protest music. We have been amazed by the amount of support in Sheffield for our vision; our heritage contributes to an extra level of meaning within our music when presenting our culture is an act of defiance.

Liv: Our lyrics tend to follow a call and response pattern. For ‘Rise’, Rose and I sung the English parts, and Donna sings the other parts in Welsh.

Donna: The calls and chants follow a narrative of two women encountering a witch invoking protective markings. The song is based on old folklore from Creswell Crags, which is situated close to us as a band. The translation of ‘I Fyny Af ’’ from English to Welsh is not exact, but it’s something really unique which means “up I’ll go”; it represents the women and the witch standing alone against the forces oppressing them.

Rose: On the subject of witches and language, ‘witch’ is a unique word – it’s female-fronted and is fully-owned, and we want to maintain ownership of the good and positive aspect of witches, of casting out evil, embracing community and the earth and nature. We hope that our music will make people want to burn things, take their clothes off and become a witch.

Sister Wives are visual artists and the garments you wear hold a lot of meaning. Could you elaborate on that?

Rose: Sister Wives as a name was a nod to Mormonism and the polygamy within the LDS Church. The outfits we wear are their traditional temple garments they wear to bed. I’ve worked in costume for ten years, so it was natural to have a go at putting our own ‘uniform’ together.

Lisa: The patterns on the clothing

are synonymous with witch marks; it was really fun as we all contributed and painted our own costumes. We looked at runes and all sorts. I even stayed up all night frantically painting the costumes, falling asleep on the floor.

Donna: We love creating this bubble, something for ourselves, and putting on the clothing is ritualistic and takes us to a different place. We become different people: we’re a group but we’re one, a gang, and there is no lead. Sister Wives is a big social equalizer. We enjoy building up the mythology, and we talk about this kinda stuff all the time; it’s transferable to art and music. Sister Wives is a little bit genre-nonspecific, so we want to create our own sound.

Liv: We want women to be leaving shows empowered; we need to show that women can be on stage making heavy music. It’s still not normal or common.

Donna: Women don’t take up enough space, but they really need to.

(When chatting about COVID and the impossibility of gigs, the topic of male sound engineers who can’t help but mansplain synthesizers comes up.)

Liv: It happens at every single gig! It’s really problematic.

Lisa: I learnt drums late on in life and because of the innate sexism in the industry there’s an extra pressure. The industry is still male-dominated, so even if you’re a full female band it’s still difficult. We need fundamental change and to be given earlier opportunities.

Donna: I don’t enjoy sound checking at all [rest of the band nod]. We often get catty remarks like “You’re the band?” I had a lot of fear about what it was gonna be like as a pregnant woman or having a young child while in a band on tour, as you very rarely see pregnant women onstage. But I’ve always wanted to play onstage as a mother. There’s the cliché of women being the necessary primary caregiver, which reiterates the cycle of “woman can’t be in bands because they can’t play when they have kids.”

Donna: We’re taught to apologize for being a woman – Sister Wives refuses.

“We become different people: we’re a group but we’re one, a gang, and there is no lead. Sister Wives is a big social equalizer. We enjoy building up the mythology. It’s transferable to art and music. Sister Wives is a little bit genre-nonspecific, so we want to create our own sound.

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A 10” version of Crags is out now on Sheffield’s Delicious Clam Records.

What’s next for Sister Wives, you might ask? Well, they’ve recently signed for Welsh label Libertino, home to a full roster of exciting Welsh bands, and their plan is to future to get working on the album as soon as possible. Check out their Bandcamp (listed below) for any new releases. sisterwivesmusic.bandcamp.com // @sisterwivessisterwives Listen to more from the Clam at deliciousclamrecords.bandcamp. com

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Image: Thesupermat

Jimmy Cliff: Leadmill (2004) It’s not often you get to see a true music legend perform. I’ve been lucky enough to see a couple – Stevie Wonder and Eric Burdon spring to mind – but to see one at the legendary Leadmill here in Sheffield was to good an opportunity to pass up. By 2004, I’d listened to and loved a lot of reggae music but had never really experienced it in a live situation. I went to the Leadmill that night full of anticipation and a real sense of wanting to experience something new to me. Coincidently, I’d watched the seminal film ‘The Harder They Come’ starring Jimmy himself not long before the gig. I remember his band taking to the stage first and, with a slickness I’d not really experienced before, seconds after picking up their instruments, dived straight into a short instrumental medley of Jimmy’s hits. The sound was incredible and immediately there was a real joyous vibe in the crowd. Jimmy took to the stage not long after and with a similar sense of timing and showmanship launched into his opening song without missing a beat.

A particular highlight of the set was his mesmerising performance of ‘Many Rivers to Cross’,, where his voice, despite his advancing years, was just as clear and crisp as the day he first sang it. My kry memory of the gig was that joyous sense of togetherness and how incredibly good Jimmy and his band were – a real eye-opener for me. I don’t think I’ve been to a happier gig since.

a night to remember For the best part of two decades now, singer-songwriter Ed Cosens has been an ever-present influence on the Sheffield music scene.

Since co-fronting Judan Suki in the early noughties with school pal Jon McClure and fellow bandmates Alex Turner and Matt Helders, Ed has been on a journey that has seen him top the charts and tour the world with Reverend and The Makers, soaking up life-changing experiences and honing his craft until the came to strike out on his own, releasing debut solo album ‘Fortunes Favour’ last month.

It’s been an incredibly tough time for the industry, so to celebrate the local venues that’ve provided some important steps on his musical story so far, Ed’s put together a guide to some of his favourite gigs experience in the Steel City.

Fortunes Favour by Ed Cosens is out now via Distiller 56 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

Oasis: Sheffield Arena (1997) For people of my age who were into music and the whole Britpop culture, especially here in the north, the Be Here Now tour were THE gigs to go to. Oasis, at the height of their fame and the Britpop movement at this time, were without doubt my favourite band and a huge reason why I was in a band myself. We all queued for three days to get tickets! This was a time before booking tickets online was really a thing, as the internet itself was still in its early days. No mobile phones, certainly no social media, so the only way to guarantee a ticket was to get in the queue and wait. There was a real community spirit between all those mad enough to queue; there were people with guitars playing all the Oasis songs and no trouble or bad vibes to be seen at all. It also transpired that my future wife, Rachel, was also somewhere in the queue, quite possibly only a few people away as we’ve later worked out! We were all there for one thing and one thing only: to get that golden ticket. The actual gig itself is a bit of a blur. I remember a hugely elaborate stage setup, mirroring the Be Here Now album cover, where the band themselves emerged from a giant red telephone box on the side of the stage and just a sense of absolute carnage at the front! More than just the gig, though, I knew it was just important to be there and to celebrate something that was such a big part of my life at that time.

Image: steve matthews

Music

Wilko Johnson: The Greystones (2011)

Image: Paul Windsor

Image: Dean Chalkley

Wilko Johnson, for those who don’t know him, was a former member of 70s Rhythm and Blues band Dr Feelgood, and has also played with Ian Dury and the Blockheads amongst others. He is perhaps not as well-known as he should be, but his influence as a guitarist is much greater than his fame. He certainly had a big influence on me as a guitarist and opened my eyes to new ways of playing. I had seen Wilko once before whilst working behind the bar at The Boardwalk on Snig Hill – a much missed venue – just a few years earlier. This was my first time seeing him properly as a punter and to be able to see him at such an intimate venue meant I was more than excited. I met a couple of friends in the bar to have a couple of drinks before the gig, it was December-time, so rude not to, when all of a sudden the lights went out. Literally. There had been a power cut in the area and no one really seemed to know what was going on. After a short time, we got word that the power outage shouldn’t last too long so everyone in the now packed Greystones bar decided to hang on in hope the gig went ahead. Now, huge credit to the Greystones and its staff that they managed to keep the bar open and the beer flowing, which ultimately would be my undoing later that evening. Time ticked on and hope was beginning to ebb away when all of a sudden, at the last minute, the lights sprung back into life, welcomed by a huge cheer from the crowd, who only seconds later had begun to resign themselves to the long walk home. We were quickly herded into the backroom where to an especially rapturous greeting, Wilko took to the stage. It was magical. The less said about the end of this boozy evening the better, however!

richard hawley: leadmill (2003) arctic monkeys: boardwalk (2005) Having been really close to the Monkeys in those early days, I’d been to gigs and played with them on many occasions, so I was well aware that by the time of this gig something really interesting was beginning to happen for them. Their EP, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys, had just been released and excitement was rife. This gig has always stuck in my mind, but not really because of seeing the guys play, as I’d seen that many times before, but it was the audience that made it memorable. This was the first time that the crowd pretty much sung back every lyric and had really started to go nuts. I especially remember when the opening strains of ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ (then still called ‘Scummy Man’) started: the volume of the singing visibly took Alex a bit by surprise and it really was a moment where I think we all knew things would never be the same again.

This gig was to promote Richard’s 2003 album, Lowedges, my favourite album of his, and I’d even go as far to say one of my favourite records full stop. I’d been recording not long prior to the gig with Colin Elliot, Richard’s co-producer and bass player, at the renowned Yellow Arch studios. It was a session only to do a couple of demo recordings with an early band of mine, and I was just my finding my feet really, but whilst in the studio Colin played me a couple of the tracks from Lowedges. I was blown away, and my love affair with Richard’s music began. The Leadmill on that night was busy, but certainly not full – which, quite frankly, at the time I couldn’t believe and I remember thinking, “Where is everyone?” It was maybe a year or so before Richard’s real breakthrough album, Coles Corner, so I guess the audience was only made up of those who’d already cottoned on! My overriding memory of the gig was just being transfixed by Richard, his guitars, and how the songs sounded being played live – just beautiful. www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 57

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Music

Pushing Forward Exposed meets Rumbi Tauro Breaking into the music industry is a tough enough gig for aspiring musicians, never mind with the added strain of a global pandemic making progress even more difficult. That’s why this year’s Pattern + Push competition, launched by the team behind Sheffield’s famed Hope Works venue, provided a vital platform and invaluable experience for up to 40 rappers and singers in the region.

Hosted by established South Yorkshire artists Coco and Seppy, the competition was created to promote empowerment through music with a key focus on positive lyrics. Following auditions, successful applicants were chosen to join a fourmonth process that included 120 hours of mentoring, masterclasses, workshops, studio recording days and 121 sessions with industry professionals.

Eventually competing alongside seven other finalists, 24-yearold soul/RnB signer Rumbi Tauro won over a panel of music industry professional judges last month with a studio recording and live performance of her song ‘Run Run’. We caught up with the Doncaster-based musician following her win to discuss her journey so far and what the future may hold.

First of all, congratulations on your win! How did you find your experience with Pattern + Push?

Thank you so much! P+P was such an amazing experience for me. I almost didn’t apply back in 2020 when I saw the advertisement. However, I just decided to go ahead and see where the competition would take me. The masterclasses were particularly incredible, hearing from the likes of Steve Edwards, Otis Mensah, Breis, Toddla T, etc. The mentors were incredible too – I was team Danae! It was so encouraging to hear from established artists/creatives who are from Sheffield and the surrounding areas; I felt that with every step of the competition I was growing and finding out more about myself as an artist. Each week we would work on our lyrics and present them to our mentors and peers. We’d then get some feedback on how we could take our ideas to the next level.

Could you briefly introduce yourselves to our readers with a bit about yourself as an artist?

So, I’ve been involved with music since I was child. Ever since moving from Zimbabwe at the age of four, we’ve lived in Doncaster. I started off being classically trained in piano and violin from the age of five. I then started singing around the age of seven and joined my church choir. From then up until the age of 18, if I wasn’t at choir, I’d be at a piano lesson, orchestra or choir practice. I studied Media & Music at Birmingham City between 20152018. Ever since leaving university, I have been focusing on writing my own music, releasing my first ever project, ‘The Process EP’, in July 2020. Ever since then, I have released visuals for my songs and I’ve had a few single releases, too. I would describe my sound as R&B, Soul, truth-telling, feelgood music.

I’m still finding my sound, but I’m enjoying the journey so far.

As part of the competition, you recorded the single ‘Run Run’ at MU Studios in Sheffield. What made you choose that particular song?

I was tuned into a conversation with established Londonbased artists who have previously been to prison and found themselves in gangs. The artists were trying to encourage the youth from the surrounding areas in London to try and do better for themselves, to leave the lifestyle they’re living and find what they’re passionate about instead of committing crimes.

The first verse had already developed before I tuned in to this conversation; however, after the conversation the rest of the song and lyrics just came so naturally. I wasn’t speaking from experience with this song, so that conversation really allowed me to understand a little bit more about these individuals’ circumstances.

How important do you think projects like Pattern + Push are in providing a leg-up for aspiring musicians?

SO important. Projects like P+P give artists a space to be heard.

As an up-and-coming artist sometimes it can feel like no one cares, especially if you don’t have a big following or know someone who knows someone. So having a space like P+P to be in a healthy competition, one that’s so heavily focussed on positivity, you can’t beat that. This competition has allowed me to understand more about the music industry and I’ll be taking what I’ve learnt forwards.

After a crazy year, how have you coped artistically?

We’ve spoken to some artists who’ve said it allowed them a bit of time and space to focus solely on their work without distraction, but there are others who’ve admitted finding it difficult to create during such difficult times. How would you reflect on that?

I totally understand that. I think, for myself, lockdown itself was/has been mostly positive for me: I managed to record a full four-track EP from my bedroom last year. I have never been so still, and looking back now, I needed all of the distractions to be taken away. I was left with just myself, my recording equipment and a pen. Without the stillness of lockdown, I don’t think we’d have The Process EP. Otherwise, due to how monotonous life started to become, it would be hard to feel inspired and creative at times. However, speaking for myself as an artist, I think I’ve learnt that health is wealth.

Without truly looking after yourself mentally and physically, you can’t be the best version of yourself.

Now we’ve got this experience under the belt, what’s the future looking like? Any specific plans in the pipeline?

The future is looking bright! I’m excited for the rest of 2021. Firstly, the ‘Run, Run’ music video will be out soon; the track will be on all streaming platforms too. There’ll be continued support from the P+P team and a couple more singles and features on the way this year. Most importantly, though – hopefully some live performances!

“Due to how monotonous life started to become, it would be hard to feel inspired and creative at times. I think I’ve learnt that health is wealth. Without truly looking after yourself mentally and physically, you can’t be the best version of yourself.”

‘Run Run’ was recorded at Mu Studios in Sheffield and is out now @rumbitauro @patternandpush

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Music

Steel City Sounds: Pulp – His ‘n’ Hers Delving deep into the teeming waters of Sheffield’s musical heritage, one significant album at a time.

It’s no secret that Pulp are often at the forefront of the Steel City’s rich music heritage, so what better influential album to shine a spotlight on this month other than their Mercury Prize nominated record, His ‘n’ Hers.

Released in 1994, His ‘n’ Hers provided the Sheffield-based band with a breakthrough which would secure their legacy as icons in the Britpop scene, its irresistible realism when exploring relationships and intimacy simultaneously reflective of the era and consistently relevant even today.

Though tracks from Different Class (‘Common People’, ‘Disco 2000’) are far more likely to be heard on the dancefloor of indie clubs (in a world where they’re actually allowed to open up, of course…), His ‘n’ Hers seems to have stood the test of time because of its understated gems and witty lyricism.

There’s a certain desperation to a lot of the tracks on this album, a desperation which is as hopelessly relatable as it is unnervingly seductive. This quality – arguably quintessential to Pulp’s very core – is particularly prevalent on tracks such as ‘Babies’, ‘Do You Remember The First Time?’, and ‘Pink Glove’.

The former of the aforementioned songs embodies an almost juvenile perspective of sexual encounters; ‘Babies’, a tongue-incheek tale of voyeurism, is punctuated with a backhanded line of reassurance – “I only went with her ‘cos she looks like you!”.

This expression of cluelessness mixed with sheer anguish encapsulates the trials and tribulations of sexual exploration versus adolescent attempts at loyalty.

Conversely, ‘Do You Remember The First Time?’ and ‘Pink Glove’, which appear further down the track list, reflect upon far more grown-up scenarios involving a lack of fulfilment, bitter third parties, and the hopeless acceptance of receiving but a ‘piece’ of your lover’s attention. It is this reluctance to romanticise any given period of a person’s amorous journey which makes the

album so timeless; it encompasses a coming-of-age spirit without ever really coming of age.

As well as his uniquely desperate tone, I think that Jarvis Cocker’s ability to narrate a female perspective is wholly underrated – and never more so than on track number 2 of His ‘n’ Hers, ‘Lipgloss’. With lipgloss acting as a metaphor for a woman’s sex appeal, Jarvis tackles the insecurities surrounding being rejected by a person who may not have, in reality, been all that appealing themselves: “Oh, and you feel such a fool. For laughing at bad jokes and putting up with all of his friends (…) What are they gonna say, when they run into you again?!”

In an age where songs which promote female empowerment are quite rightly dominating the charts, it’s sometimes hard to remember the vast discography throughout music history which tells the tale of women who don’t feel good enough, who feel rejected – or who even feel, to put it frankly, a bit past it – and ‘Lipgloss’ falls perfectly into this now long-forgotten about narrative. Once again, Pulp’s realism when viewed through this kind of lens is what makes this album so unmistakably raw and honest, the kind of truthfulness which acted as the perfect catalyst for the band’s future and longstanding success.

His ‘n’ Hers took its listeners on a journey to Stanhope Road, Sheffield, back in 1994, and established Pulp as one of the city’s true greats; its ‘Kitchen Sink’ essence is what grounds Pulp as a band whose coolness transcends eras and trends – a Britpop classic which sounds just as marvellous nearly 27 years later here in 2021.

Words: Issy Cox

“There’s a certain desperation to a lot of the tracks on this album, a desperation which is as hopelessly relatable as it is unnervingly seductive.”

Got a special Sheffield album you want to tell us all about and maybe feature in an upcoming issue? Drop a line to joe@ exposedmagazine.co.uk.

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for the record Words: Mark Perkins

Tony Christie than ‘Amarillo’ and ‘Avenues and Alleyways’.

Yes, there have been some notable and celebrated albums recorded here in Sheff. No doubt about it. And while much-lauded efforts from your Turners, Cockers, Hawleys, Oakeys and co. deservedly receive plenty of plaudits, becoming somewhat synonymous with the city’s musical culture as a result, there are plenty of fantastic albums out there, made here, which you’d stick firmly in the ‘criminally underrated’ folder.

To shed a bit more light on a mere handful of these oft-overlooked gems, we asked our esteemed music writer, Mark Perkins, whose been going to gigs here since Joe Cocker was a gas fitter, to devote some column inches to showing some love to some records that all too often slip under the radar.

Animat: Earplay This is a sad choice for myself and fellow fans of Animat, as Michael Harding, one half of the group, died recently and very unexpectedly.

Earplay from 2008 was their first album release, and in all honesty I could have picked any one of their releases as an unsung Shefield classic.

Their low-key, ambient dubstep sound has been a constant in my musical life ever since I first saw them perform, when Michael and Mark Daly were performing their soundtrack to David Lynch’s film ‘The Straight Story’. Earplay is a perfect title for the album: it plays with your expectations as it twists and evolves, sometimes with vocals, but more often without, into a completely absorbing album of music which I never tire of listening to.

The last time I saw them live, performed their music live to Robert Redford’s epic film ‘All Is Lost’ at Regather. Much missed, but we have their music to listen to as Michael’s legacy.

Tony Christie: Made In Sheffield The obvious contender for albums that were made in Sheffield, but somewhat neglected, must be this one. Tony Christie and Richard Hawley installed themselves at Yellow Arch Studio to record a selection of songs that they decided had to be written by Sheffield songwriters. Projects like this can sometimes miss the mark, but this one hit the bullseye. From the opening track, ‘The Only Ones Who Know’, written

by Alex Turner, to Hawley’s own ‘Coles Corner’, this was a brilliant return to form, and was one of the best albums Tony Christie had made in years. In between those tracks, he covered Pulp and The Human League, along with contributions from lesser-known local songwriters such as Martin Bragger, Sara Jay and Mark Sheridan. It surprised the music press, who fell over themselves to heap praise on it, and will make you realise there’s far more to

Stoney: The Scene and The Unseen This is possibly the least remembered of the albums I’ve chosen, but when it came out it was hailed as one of the best to come out of Sheffield in years from a major new talent. I’ve just had a look at some reviews of the album, and it gathers universal praise from anyone who has heard it. He was from Croydon, but we won’t hold that against him, as he escaped to the Steel City to record this in his basement in 2003. It is just full of perfect pop tunes; I’m even more astonished listening now that it has been forgotten. I went to the launch gig at the Boardwalk, and I wasn’t the only one thinking we were in at the start of something big, and that we’d hear so much more of Stoney. Sadly, as happens so often in such stories, the initial hype came to very little, but we still have this near perfect album to console ourselves with. I’ve played this to friends from

OK… we get it.

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Monkey swallows the universe, picture taken by chris saunders

Dare.

Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Different Class.

Penthouse and Pavements.

Coles Chuffin’ Corner.

music

out of town who cannot believe such a talent has been forgotten, but at least they’ve all gone on to spread the word about Stoney. If you haven’t already, give it a listen on your preferred platform and spread the word, too.

I Monster: Neveroddoreven It was only when I interviewed Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling, over a pint upstairs in the Fat Cat, that I realised how much of their music I’d heard without realising it was by I Monster. Their stuff was everywhere it seemed: film soundtracks, TV commercials, the charts. Neveroddoreven was their second album, recorded in Dean’s Bowling Green studios, overlooking, perhaps not surprisingly, one of Sheffield’s bowling greens. It was released in 2003, but completists will have welcomed the 2012 albums, Rare and Remixed, which contained everything there wasn’t room for on the original release. Listening now, it seems to distil all that was perfect about early Noughties pop, when there was as much fun and enjoyment to be had in the charts, as there was on albums such as this, where the familiar sits side by side with the less well known. ‘Daydream In Blue’ will be recognised by just about anyone, and the track ‘The Blue Wrath’ is much better known by its unofficial title as ‘Theme Tune To Shaun Of The Dead’. For a short while I Monster were even a touring band, but they have mainly been a studio creation for most of their long and impressive career.

In The Nursery: A Page Of Madness In a similar way to how I feel about Animat’s output, I find it almost impossible to choose a favourite album by In The Nursery. Often it’s simply the last one I listened to, but I’ve chosen this, 2004’s A Page Of Madness, as I think it’s the one I’ve listened to the most. From opening track ‘Susanoo’ to the appropriately titled ‘Final Page’, this is a masterpiece: I can still listen to it and hear something I’ve not heard before. It

is an instrumental soundscape of textures and moods, with depth and subtlety that always fascinates. They have been making music with varying line-ups since 1981, but the core of the band is Klive and Nigel Humberstone. In Sheffield, they walk the streets largely unrecognised; when they play festivals around the world, airport baggage handlers rush over for autographs. I heard this album performed in the Showroom Cinema, as it forms their soundtrack to the film of the same name, and have been a big fan ever since. It features some of their most haunting melodies, which worked perfectly with the film, but they work equally well as standalone tracks in their own right. They are an example of how Sheffield, once the birth place of electronic pop, has continued to produce outstanding and pioneering electronic music.

Monkey Swallows The Universe. The Bright Carvings In the days when Alan Smyth ran his 2Fly studio in Stag Works and Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation record label was the go-to for local talent, Monkey Swallows The Universe issued their first album.

It was the product of a friendship between Nat Johnson and Kevin Gori, when they met at Sheffield University in 2003. By 2006 they were no longer an acoustic duo, having recruited some local musicians, and had recorded the first of their two albums. Alan captured perfectly the timeless magic of their sound at that time. It opens with ‘The Sheffield Shanty’, imagining a sea journey around the seven hills of Sheffield, somehow flooded, with the peaks standing proud, which had become a standard of their live shows, as had fellow standout track ‘Jimmy Down The Well’. Along with other fans, my fellow MSTU obsessive Chris and I crowded into a Division Street bar on launch night, which was so packed the band hardly had room to play. Ah. the memories...

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Film

Film Review: In the Earth In the Earth is the new film by British writer-director Ben Wheatley. It tells the story of two scientists who venture into a forest to test equipment which measures the local flora and fauna. Meanwhile, there’s a deadly virus which means people have to separate themselves from one another raging on, meaning they forest is completely devoid of people (“this is usually a tourist hotspot,” one of the side characters says).

Alfred Hitchcock’s classic chiller remains one of the most powerful and frightening films of all time. Its impact upon horror cinema is insurmountable and responsible for inspiring many of the greatest horror films in the following decades through to the present day. The sequel, currently up on Netflix, is also worth a look!

At the beginning of the film, a local children’s story explains a local legend, about a strange forest being who haunts the area, so we immediately know what territory we’re in: In the Earth is a folk horror film, but it does go places which, although they mean be familiar to fans of Ben Wheatley’s previous work, are not things which would traditionally be associated with the horror genre.

For Wheatley, In the Earth goes somewhat back to his roots; although there are echoes of the Tarkovsky film Stalker present in this film – there is a sense, like in that film, that the characters are discovering the area at the same time as the audience, and it does a good job of drawing you in. However, In the Earth is less overtly philosophical than Stalker; instead of ruminating on huge ideas, the two main characters, played by Joel Fry and Ellora Torchia, make small-talk.

From there, In the Earth shifts from a psychological film to a slasher, but to explain how this transpires would ruin the film’s narrative, to the

extent that it has one. Ben Wheatley makes two kinds of films – mainstreamfriendly action movies like Free Fire and the upcoming sequel to The Meg, and more left-field surreal films like Kill List and A Field in England. As In the Earth progress, it becomes increasingly like the latter, and this experimental offering will never garner the same mainstream success as those films.

But for those who prefer Wheatley’s more experimental offerings, In the Earth will be a fresh air. It may be difficult to parse exactly what the film is about from the first viewing after a certain point, but there is enough ingenuity on display here to merit multiple viewings. The best of Wheatley’s work has always plunged the viewer headfirst into its world, and that’s exactly what happens here: more than anything else, Wheatley’s intention is to allow the audience to inhabit the characters and view the strange and unpredictable landscapes he creates through their eyes.

At its core, In the Earth is a film about environmental nihilism: people have a tendency to believe that they can control nature and manipulate it for their own benefit, but in the universe of this film, the countryside is ruled by something far more abstract and ancient than human beings, and no amount of scientific ingenuity can supercede those forces. Wheatley has always been interested in films about people losing psychological control – this is evident from Kill List and A Field in England – but his latest is the apex of that atmosphere.

In the Earth is a very intense and demanding viewing experience, and although it’s a definite return to form for Wheatley, I can’t help but wonder where Wheatley will go from here. If this film is anything to go by, he will only get bolder, more adventurous, and continue periodically making films which appeal to film fans looking for something a little more left-field.

4/5 Review by Frazer MacDonald

tune in!

Introducing the brand new Exposed film podcast, created by our very own film writer Cal Reid. In the first episode of Reid’s Reels, Cal takes a look at the latest in 2021 film and TV releases. Available on Spotify now!

www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 65

BRacknall

together

as one

66 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

During the first lockdown much attention was given, and rightly so, to the impact of temporarily losing our restaurants, pubs, cafes and shops.

But another body blow perhaps not given the coverage it deserved was the cancellation of Sunday league football across the country, an impact felt harshly in cities like Sheffield where grassroots footy serves as the lifeblood of amateur competition.

If Sunday league is the lifeblood of Steel City sport, then Steve Bracknall is a seasoned donor to the cause: one of many unsung heroes routinely washing kits, pumping up match balls, chasing subs payments, booking training pitches, printing out directions, and – with limited success – ensuring key players aren’t turning up too hungover on game day.

It’s been a tumultuous year for the game, and just as Steve’s beloved Royal Oak FC prepares for a return to the pitch the club has found itself weathering a fresh storm. Rumours of an imminent takeover have sparked tensions amongst the staff, with the outspoken assistant manager pulling no punches in airing his views on the matter. We caught up with Steve last month to get an update on the situation.

Nah then Steve, how are you getting on in this crazy world we’re living in today?

Happy to see some restrictions lifted?

Ey up. Firstly, let me thank you from bottom of my heart for taking an interest in my club, Royal Oak FC. It’s nice to see the press take an interest in grassroots football for once. That’s the heartbeat of the footballing community. Never mind the Premier League or the Champions League, Sunday mornings are where I am at, developing the next generation. In terms of this Covid lark, well, it’s been a nightmare hasn’t it?

I’m worried what shape my lads will be in when we return to action this month. Our number 9, Tommy, bought a beer machine in lockdown and our utility man, Housey, isn’t exactly Joe Wicks in the kitchen – but these are all things we can assess when we get back training. We’ve got a new 4G training pitch up at Hillsborough Club and that excites me. Although I don’t fancy seeing Our Nikki’s face when she sees all them black bits of rubber in the carpet, but that’s all part and parcel of the game. It’s a rollercoaster and I’m here to ride it.

Let’s talk Royal Oak. Big change seems to be on the agenda with a takeover bid incoming from Malin Motors magnate Gary Wainright. What’s the latest at the club?

Listen! I know how these money men work and they don’t phase me. Yer see, what’s happened is our manager Paul Sampson no longer drinks in Royal Oak, where we run the club from. He takes his wife Deborah to some fancy wine bar up Dore now. That’s where he’s seen Wainright!

Thing is with these 10 bob millionaires, they promise you the world: new kits, new tracksuits, fancy sponsor. I’m led to believe that he’s part of a consortium that includes Tommy Craig who used to play Tommy Harris in Coronation Street. He’s even telling us that he will get Jamie Cook from Arctic Monkeys to play right-back when he’s not on tour. What he doesn’t know is that I know Cooky’s dad and he’s heard nothing about it. It will take more than name-dropping to impress me. Anyway, I want commitment; I need to know that my players will be ready to play week in, week out.

What are your worries about a fresh influx of cash – surely it’s all part of the modern game?

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Bracknall

“Give me honesty, give me passion, give me loyalty and you’re welcome at the Oak. Once you’ve established that with me, I can work with you, develop you.”

We’ve all seen what these owners do. They get their feet under the table, splash the cash and before you know it you’ve moved grounds, you’ve changed the colour of the kit and people who speak their mind, like me, are history. Look what’s happened with Chris Wilder at Sheffield United with this prince… I WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN TO THE OAK. There have been rumours of a rift between yourself and the Royal Oak manager, Paul. How would you describe your relationship at the moment?

Listen pal, me and Paul go back twenty years.

We played together at Red Rose. There’s nothing we haven’t won between us both. I’m not talking about 5-a-side tournaments we’ve won, I’m talking proper domestic success at county level.

Between us we know the game inside out. He’s a mate and always will be. I also respect that he’s First Team Manager and I’m Assistant. I’ve not got a problem with that. I also respect the fact that he’s my gaffer at work and owns the electrical firm I work for; that could have been me and he knows it, but I chose a simple life. I don’t need the stress. I’ve got enough on my plate with our Nikki, our Olivia and Bonehead, our dog, at home. Paul just needs to realise that all that glitters ain’t gold. We are the Royal Oak, always have been and always will be. I haven’t forgotten my roots – that’s the difference.

How’ve the players been responding to it all?

They want clarification; we all do. Talk of a takeover only causes unrest. On the Royal Oak badge it says ‘SIMO AMUL’ – that’s Latin, that, for ‘Together as One’. It’s what we stand by. We’ve got a lad in Matthew Wynne who could walk into

any Sunday league team in Sheffield. Okay, he’s unpredictable and sometimes doesn’t turn up, but he’s my Jack Grealish, him. If there’s uncertainty behind the scenes he’ll walk. I don’t want that and neither does Paul. Wainright needs to put up or shut up!

Let’s try and drill down into the Bracknall footballing ethos here. Are there any past and present coaches you’d say you’re particularly inspired by?

Fifteen years ago everyone told me that tika-taka would change the game of football forever. They called me old fashioned when I stuck to playing four at the back. However, I’m not saying I always play 4-4-2: I often play Wynny in a free role, give the lad some freedom. I want my players to express themselves but what I don’t want is them messing about with it at the back. If you get ball in a fullback position, it goes and goes long. Have you seen the size of the grass on Concorde Park recently? You can’t be playing triangles on that. No chance. I don’t like to model myself on other managers, but if you’re making me then its Brian Clough or Alex Ferguson.

If you were given an unlimited budget to bring in five players to improve the squad, who are you tapping up and why?

I don’t need money. I never have needed money.

I can tell if a player is worth signing within five minutes of watching him. It’s the same when I meet them off the pitch: I figure them out straight away. I want honesty, there’s not enough of it these days. Give me honesty, give me passion, give me loyalty and you’re welcome at the Oak. Once you’ve established that with me, I can work with you, develop you. I see myself as a mentor both on and off the field. I don’t need money. Pay your subs

every week, put a few quid behind the bar for Terry and June (they’re the landlord and landlady at the Royal Oak) and that’s me happy.

Must be nice to see the lads back out on the pitch. How’ve the performances been since the season started up again?

We haven’t played since the re-start. We are waiting for the Imperial League to provide us with a plan on how we are going to finish the season. They relegated us via algorithm in lockdown. Well, they won’t break me. It’s same with any governing body: they’re all out of touch with the common man. They sit in their suits and dish out the rules and regs. They don’t think about us on the shop floor. That’s all I’m wiling to say on the matter before I get myself in hot water. We’ll be ready for Operation Restart when it happens. Mark my words.

Finally, what are your aims for the league this year?

Relegation means we are in the third tier of the Imperial League for the seventh time in our history, so it’s got to be promotion. I’ve made no secret of what my overall aim is for this club. It’s to take them to the Meadowhall Premier League. If I do that, I can retire a happy man. There’ll be tears, anger and sadness on the way but me and my lads dream. If you can’t dream then what have we got? I still believe.

A short film ‘Bracknall’ is available to watch online now. Follow @SteveBracknall for the latest updates on Royal Oak FC. All images courtesy of Static Flow Productions.

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Film

SHEFFIELD: SET CITY Produced by Steel City visionaries Warp Films and set in and around the nearby town of Matlock, Frazer MacDonald explores Shane Meadows’ gritty 2004 cult classic ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’.

Released in 2004, Dead Man’s Shoes is one of Shane Meadows’ early films. He would later go on to direct the drama This is England, by far his most wellreceived film to date, which spawned a successful TV spin-off series that was often filmed in and around the Steel City.

But Dead Man’s Shoes is a more humble affair: set largely in the Derbyshire town of Matlock, a short drive from Sheffield centre, the film had a miniscule budget of around £700,000.

(For reference, Greenland, the latest mid-budget Gerard Butler vehicle, had a budget of $35 million.) This low production value does very much show in the film, which is primarily set on location, in local flats, social clubs, and farms on the outskirts of the town. Nevertheless, Dead Man’s Shoes is a testament to what can be done with a small budget. There’s no need for high-octane car chases and explosions because what it lacks in pizazz it more than makes up for in good performances and thematic depth.

At its core, Dead Man’s Shoes is a revenge film, but like the hit South Korean film Oldboy, there’s more going on here than grizzly deaths and gore. Both films are more interested in the psychologies of their main characters, though they couldn’t really be more different from one another. Unlike the protagonist of Oldboy, the main character of Dead Man’s Shoes is a war veteran who can go wherever he chooses, and the place he chooses to go just happens to be his old hometown.

Although he’s become nothing more than a distant memory to the place, Richard remembers the town and some of its inhabitants very well: it turns out it’s the place where his brother, who has a learning difficulty, was relentlessly abused by a group of drug dealers.

It’s apparent at the beginning of the film that Richard has been living with the guilt of allowing his brother to suffer abuse for several years. Why wasn’t he there? Why wasn’t he around to protect him?

These are questions that remain unanswered, but one thing is for sure: he’s going to use the skills he used in the army to take revenge on those who did the killing. For most of its runtime, although he speaks, Richard is more akin to the killer in a slasher film: he identifies his enemies, and picks them off in various brutal and remorseless ways, all the while toying with them, angering them and making them look foolish. Similarly, too, to

Michael Myers, Richard seems invincible: there is nothing that can faze him, and when someone tries to shoot him mid-way through the film, someone else is caught in the crossfire. All of this makes him seem like a terrifying figure, and for the most part, Dead Man’s Shoes is a deeply cynical film.

All this cynicism lends itself to the film’s narrative drive. Matlock isn’t so much a place of secrets as it is a place where truths go unspoken, and the focus of Dead Man’s Shoes is the men who live in these places and what that inability to feel often results in. Richard’s rivals in the film are small-time gangsters and drug dealers who drive around in a beat-up old car and talk like tough guys, constantly insulting and fighting each-other in a way to stave off the necessity of emotional connection. Anybody who’s lived in a small British town will have met, or been friends with, a person like this; it’s not to say they don’t exist in cities, but that they’re so much more noticeable in small places.

But there’s more to Richard than anger and resentment: somewhere in that mind of his, there’s a deep-seated sense of guilt, and he looks to alleviate that guilt through replicating the crimes his enemies committed. There’s no sanitisation of death in the film; there are no stylish kills nor kinetic action sequences. In Dead Man’s Shoes, murder is ugly, raw and about as realistic as it gets.

But despite that, Richard revels in it for the most part: he thinks he is getting what he wants as the list of people to take revenge on gets shorter, but towards the end, he realises there’s actually no respite in his quest for revenge. What are we supposed to make of this, as an audience? The concluding scene doesn’t feel like an ending, and I suppose it isn’t one, at least not in the traditional sense, but Meadows is less concerned with a sense of closure than he is exploring the issues which face small-town England. The real enemy in Dead Man’s Shoes isn’t Richard, and it isn’t the people who bullied his brother; it’s the unmentioned strain of hostility towards people who don’t fit into a very rigid set of socially accepted boundaries. In a place with so few people, those boundaries become even more prominent, and the result is often concerning.

Ultimately, Dead Man’s Shoes is as much an interrogation of the revenge genre and what it means as it is one that belongs to it. The violence on display in the film feels cruel and difficult to watch. At the film’s climax, there is no resolve for any of the characters: there’s only more loss and grief, and it gives you space to reflect on how inconsequential Richard’s violent spree ended up being. It’s this endorsement of pacifism that separates Dead Man’s Shoes from more generic revenge thrillers.

“There’s no need for high-octane car chases and explosions because what it lacks in pizazz it more than makes up for in good performances and thematic depth.”

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LGBT+

t u o k c Ba

It’s been a long, long year of Zoom calls, “next slide please” and new norms, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel as we start to be let out again – back into the wild!

If you’re looking for where find LGBT+ spaces that are back open, Sheffield’s newest LGBT+ venue Spirit of Sheffield is on Cumberland Street (opened just before the pandemic then, like many venues, closed, opened and closed again) and back open to take bookings or walks-ins. The Dorothy Pax at Victoria Quays is back, with a percentage of their bookings being donated to Sheffield LGBT+ charity SAYiT. The Rutland Arms is the home of queer beer collective Out and About, and the pub has confirmed its reopening fates on 17 May. At the time of writing, we are still awaiting confirmed reopening dates for Dempseys and Gay Quarter, but keep an eye on their social media pages for the latest announcements.

We’re not quite there yet with face-to-face events, but we still have a couple of online events this month. 17 May is IDAHoBiT (the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia), a day marked around the world since 2004 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexuals, transgender, intersex people and all others with diverse sexual orientations, sex characteristics, and gender identities or expressions. In Sheffield this is traditionally marked with a vigil in the Peace Gardens; however, with restrictions still in place, this year’s event will

! t u o b and a

take place online hosted by SAYiT (full info on socials and at sayit.org.uk).

On the same day, we see Andro and Eve join forces with the Festival of Debate to host an online Gender Exploration Workshop. This online workshop will provide a space for those questioning or wanting to explore their own gender. Andro and Eve’s Artistic Director Finn Warman will be joined by drag artist Christian Adore to facilitate this creative and playful session. Using conversations and creative exercises, this workshop will help participants reflect upon and be inspired by different ways to express gender in their own lives, rather than on stage. It is intended as a space for self-reflection, understanding and connection for people of marginalised and diverse genders.

If you are eager to get some live dates in the diary to look forward to, fear not, as we have a host of rescheduled and new queer events coming up. Drag Race fans will not be disappointed this year, with Leadmill confirming a whole list of dates showcasing RuPaul’s favourites, including Adore Delano’s album Launch and Crystal Method’s Wonderland. Drag Race UK Series 2 Tour will also be arriving in the Steel City at City Hall featuring UK Season 2 Finalists Tayce, Bimini Bon Boulash, Ellie Diamond, Laurence Chaney, plus other stars from Drag Race UK. And our local queens will be taking to stages across the city with the return of Drag Queens in the Garden (17 Jul) at Malin Bridge Inn with five amazing drag queens, glitter artists, themed

cocktails, and fireworks to close the show.

The Funky Beavers will be hosting a full drag cabaret stage show with a three-course dinner at the OEC (31 Jul), and last but not least we have Ivy Alexxander, Emma Maezin and Kylie Rey bringing a night of camp cabaret and comedy to Yellow Arch Studios for God Shave The Queens (29 Aug).

If you’re craving live music, Sheffield favourites and former Pride headliners The Bowie Contingent have dates booked in at Sidney & Matilda and West Street Live in July and December respectively. 90s grunge-inspired icons Hands Off Gretel (pictured), of bisexual anthem ‘Kiss Me Girl’ fame, will be returning to the Leadmill on 7 September; while, in events that seemed impossible not long ago, it appears that we will finally see a return of big arena gigs, with camp dance routine icons Steps scheduled in at Fly DSA Arena for 2 November.

If you have been missing your clubbing fix and want to dance the night away, check out CuckooBox Carnival (26 Jun) at Sidney and Matilda – a nightlife event that promotes social inclusion and freedom of expression. The main thing that matters is the atmosphere, with a music policy of straight-up house music and all genres covered: funky, vocal, disco, uplifting, tech, dirty, deep – basically, if it’s got a groove, it’s all good. Then later in the year, gay disco legends Horse Meat Disco will make a welcome return to Signal (19 Nov).

That’s your lot for now, but keep an eye on facebook.com/sheffieldlgbtevents for updates.

Until next time, socially-distanced Love and rainbows...

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Culture

Sheffield is open!

Largest artist showcase outside of London celebrates 23 years Open Up Sheffield, one of the largest and most successful open studio events outside of the capital, will return in a new online format for the whole of May. With no event taking place last year due to coronavirus restrictions, this is the first Open Up since 2019 – an event which saw a total of 86 individual artists and 9 groups hosting a series of workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions.

This year, artists will have their own dedicated page via the Open Up Sheffield website with photographs featuring their artwork, along with information about the artist, virtual studio demonstrations and artwork tours, contact details and whether the artist will be open to visits by appointment. These pages will be left available to access and browse for up to a year.

Open Up Sheffield is a free event and prides itself on being family-friendly. It is now a validated Children’s University Learning Destination, meaning that children can complete an art activity in their own time in order to earn credits to gain awards and certificates. Please follow the link below to access the activity: openupsheffield. co.uk/childrens-university.

This year’s event is dedicated to Paul Schatzberger, from Walkley, who passed away from kidney cancer in December 2020.

Paul was an Open Up Sheffield artist for many years. He was an inspirational former Sheffield GP, a talented photographer and an accomplished musician, making in each one a strong

contribution to the life of the city.

Paul was a regular Open Up Sheffield artist and great supporter of the annual event for many years. Hailing from Walkley, he was an inspirational Sheffield GP, retiring from medicine in 2007 and devoting himself to music and photography.

Whilst still a GP, he photographed staff and patients on a health worker’s trip to Cuba in 1992 and highlighted the commitment of staff despite huge economic difficulties at the time.

His work also included images of innercity Sheffield and a series on death and dying, capturing key moments in people’s lives through his warm, sensitive and unobtrusive presence.

Paul’s later works explored and presented his own observations of personal and external space. His photographs have been exhibited across the world, gaining many accolades and his work is in private collections – a lasting tribute to his skill, compassion and vision.

Open up Sheffield is one of the largest and most successful open studio events outside of the capital, which will return in a new online format for the whole of May due to coronavirus restrictions.

This year, artists will have their own dedicated page via the Open Up Sheffield website with photographs featuring their artwork, along with information about the artist, virtual studio demonstrations and artwork tours, contact details and whether the artist will be open to visits by appointment.

This year there will be no published brochure but all information will be on openupsheffield.co.uk, or you can email info@openupsheffield.co.uk.

“This year’s event is dedicated to Paul Schatzberger, from Walkley, who passed away from kidney cancer in December 2020.

Paul was an Open Up Sheffield artist for many years. He was an inspirational former Sheffield GP, a talented photographer and an accomplished musician, making in each one a strong contribution to the life of the city.”

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“I am both a ceramic artist and a craft potter.

I love making things out of clay and have found it a medium that constantly throws up new possibilities.”

movers and makers Photography: Marc Barker // @Marcabarker Penny Withers is a Sheffield-based ceramic artist with a studio at Yorkshire Artspace in the city’s Cultural Industries Quarter. She has a degree in Fine Art from West Surrey College of Art and a post-graduate certificate in Education. Penny curated the Sheffield Ceramics exhibition ‘Shaping the Earth’ at the Millennium Galleries in 2016 and has been instrumental in setting up the no-smoke community wood kiln at Manor Lodge. In 2019 the artist launched the solo exhibition ’Scale”, a celebration of the Peak District landscape including monumental ceramic columns based on grit stone edges and standing stones.

“The technique of throwing on a wheel drew me into ceramics,” says Penny. “It requires a focused, meditative state of mind. I began by making functional pottery, which led to experiments in off-centre throwing. The pieces I make today are thrown and flattened forms on which to create illusionary landscapes, by pouring and combining interactive glazes.”

Penny’s work is sold through several UK galleries.

For more info visit pennywithersceramics.co.uk.

76 | www.exposedmagazine.co.uk

movers and makers

www.exposedmagazine.co.uk | 77

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