TAP

from Exposed Magazine June 2023

ARTISTS SPOTLIGHT HELION ART

stuff that’s not been in Sheffield before and I’ve got a fantastic team who are all very into their beers.”

Darren’s knowledgeable team all have plenty of experience in the hospitality industry and local breweries, making sure you’re in for a welcoming experience where you don’t have to be an expert to enjoy what’s on offer.

All this is before we get to the comfy interiors and glorious terrace suntrap. Darren and his team have worked tirelessly over the past few years to make sure the unusually shaped, triangular space feels homely and comfortable, and more importantly the perfect place to enjoy a scoop or two.

@industrytapsheffield

I came to Sheffield for university in September 2022, with my initial knowledge being, admittedly, everything I had learned from listening to the lyrics of Arctic Monkeys for much of my life. I had visited only three times before my university experience began last year. One of those visits was the famous Tramlines festival, which meant my excitement was uncontainable when I realised it is held at Hillsborough Park, calling to mind yet again an Arctic Monkeys lyric: “It’s High Green mate, via Hillsborough please.”

Even a few months, weeks, days before moving I still had little to no idea what to expect from this city. After growing up in the north of Manchester I presumed they would be alike, even though I had few similarities to go off other than it simply being northern. I was definite this was the university and the city that I wanted to attend but I didn’t like the feeling of the unknown, moving to this new place essentially blind. So, whilst now I may only be in my first year, me and my mates seem to have made it our mission to experience Sheffield like a local, not just (as many of us had) through the eyes of the Arctic Monkeys.

This immersion began in freshers’ week with the mission to attend all the club nights we could, whether that was Mondays at Corporation, Code Tuesdays, ROAR at the Foundry on Wednesdays, or the classic Leadmill Fridays – we tried to find something for every day of the week. This has continued well into semester two with each of us

BY EMMA TAYLOR

gaining a fondness for a specific place. For me, the bafflingly cheap drinks at West Street Live and Leadmill has earnt them the spot for my favourite nights out.

It was only in semester two where we decided maybe some more wholesome activities should be added into our day-to-day life. That’s when we found The Nottingham House in Broomhill; granted, it was one of the first pub lunches in Sheffield that me and my mates tried, but their pies stuck with us and that’s now where we’ll always attend our silent hungover recovery sessions. After attending the hidden gem (or at least hidden to the eyes of a Fresher who has lived in Sheffield for half a year) that is Sheffield’s own Zaap Thai on the first day of uni with my parents, me and my flatmates all ventured down to Ecclesall Road for my 19th birthday ready and buzzing for the vibrant atmosphere and the chance to sit in the cool booths of their restaurant. I can’t close off this food section of my freshers view of Sheffield without mentioning the Sun House Chinese in Broomhill where I’m so glad we have decided to consistently order from, any time one person in the flat suggests a takeaway.

We started going on walks around all the different green spaces in the area including visits to the Winter Gardens, Endcliffe Park and Botanical Gardens. Whilst, criminally, I am yet to do a walk in the Peaks, I have fallen in love with the peaceful tranquillity that Sheffield’s landscapes have to offer. Speaking of tranquillity, we went through a phase of trying out a bunch of different cinemas and The Light was definitely quite the experience, offering reclining chairs and side tables – it felt like luxury!

I felt I couldn’t write this without mentioning my favourite pub quiz (which I’m sure is a must for most uni students). The Broomhill Tavern Monday pub quiz honestly makes my week, an event that’s so popular you have to head down at least 30 mins early to get yourself a seat! Me and my flatmates go every week to be ridiculously competitive, stressed over the anagram question, debate the most niche tie-break question, and stare for a fairly long time at the picture round, with hopes to win a shot of Baby Guinness or perhaps even (one day) a main prize. Our claim to fame is that we now go there so often the quiz master has finally started to recognise us!

Overall, it seems to be an aim amongst me and most first year students I’ve met to become as immersed into the culture of your university city as possible, to create that fully fledged home from home, and I’m so grateful that Sheffield is the city I chose to do that with and G2 is the flat I got placed into. Now I can say I truly know Hillsborough and Hunter’s Bar – and because of more than just a lyric.