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Tommy Binks  Green Room

A good crowd had gathered tonight for what was to be four acoustic acts doing two 15minute sets each. I had come purposely to see Tommy Binks, a winner of an acoustic songwriting award and also frontman for rocknroll band Tommy Binks and The Alcoholics. I was interested to see what a scaled down acoustic set would be like from the Yorkshireman.    With his set-list written on his hand, Tommy strode comfortably to the microphone. Slender in build, the microphone stand almost appeared larger than he did. What is noticeable about Bink’s songs is they tell a tale. Unlike songwriters who try to spill their heart out in a riddle of ambiguous lyrics, the songs played tonight were enjoyable for their simplicity. “The Harrowing Tale of The Little Fly” is almost child-like in music and structure but it’s that very fact that allows the audience to be drawn in.    Another factor that made this an enjoyable evening was Tommy’s decision to, unlike the majority of acoustic acts, rock out on the guitar. “Ladies”, a wonderful song when electrified and still enjoyable when stripped down was a great demonstration of where Tommy Binks’ heart lies. He can easily do a song that explains his heartache and suffering (Broken Nose) but it’s the cheek and conviction to play “Ladies” which keeps people on his toes.    His voice is another facet which I enjoyed. His croaky growl was kept when I expected him to soften up on the mic like all acoustic acts invariably do. But again, as is the Tommy Binks way, there was no resting on his laurels here.    Tommy Binks has a knack of writing stories in his songs and can provide you with songs back to back acoustically that will lull you into thinking you can drift away into melodicness before he wakes you up with old fashioned rocknroll. Fri, 6th August 2004... Review by Laurence Landau

Firesuite + Aftermath + The Ultimate Kings + Less Than Zero  Boardwalk

Image is always a problem in unsigned music. Not that it is primarily important, but a lot of local bands don’t seem to manage it. Firesuite take to the stage first and are a great example of this. The drummer looks like he should be in Nine Inch Nails, the bassist in a real punk act, the young girl on keys looks and sounds too innocent for a rock band and the singer appears to have just come in from an appointment at Toni & Guys. Musically, though, these guys are rather good. Citing influences as diverse as Jeff Buckley and Deftones, they bridge the heavy rock and quiet rock gap wonderfully. The vocalist drifts from falsetto tones down to a more standard lower tone and seems to sing every word like he means it. Unfortunately, the songs seem to be bizarrely structured and the switches from clean to distortion are much too frequent to keep up with.    Up next are Aftermath sporting a rearranged lineup due to the drummer being away for “unforeseen circumstances” meaning the 2nd guitarist was drummer for the night. This didn’t matter though as the 3-piece kept a strong sound throughout, even through solos. Like so many bands in Sheffield, if Aftermath had been around 15 years ago, they could be up their with the likes of Metallica but unfortunately, this is 2004 and we’ve seen it all before. The band are entertaining though with a phenomenal guitarist and a Luke Perry-a-like front man who is loving every minute of the set.    From one heavy metal influenced band to another, The Ultimate Kings are another heavy metal band but seem to have a little edge than Aftermath – the singer sounds a little like Lemmy but also seems to play some amazing riffs while playing. The bass is almost inaudible as a nervous indie-kid gently strums the strings – not something that works in a powerful metal band. The drummer is also amazing but needs to stop showboating with his double bass drum.    Last but not least are funk-rockers Less Than Zero. Preconceived thoughts (probably to do with the punk band name) made me dislike this band but as soon as they started I was rather interested by them. With a quasi-System of a Down style, Less Than Zero run through their songs very quickly and leaves no time for rest. Another similarity to SOAD is that they switch from melody to zaniness without warning and they do it well. Complete with the most amazing female bassist I’ve ever seen, an equally astounding drummer, the punky member from Firesuite, and an excitable frontman, LTZ have the quirkiness and just plain good songwriting to go far. Sat, 24th July 2004... Review by SgtPepper100

Sheffield Sky  Trap 2

The Trap2 promo blurb claims they are "effortlessly contemporary". Excuse me while I fall out of my time machine laughing. For we have indeed landed back in 1996. Chris Evans winks impishly from the telly. Tony Blair and his new best mate Noel Gallagher look on, as across hallowed Wembley turf, Gazza deftly lifts the ball over the Scottish defence before drilling a low shot home. And from the Radio bursts the effortlessly contemporary Trap2. Ocean Colour Scene, The Charlatans and Reef nod approvingly as they sip their new fangled alcopops.     The Trap2 CD has three songs, all of which are perfectly executed, middle of the road, "classic rock ". The singer has a hint of Daltrey, a dollop of Plant. He probably swaggers a lot. A touch of Deep Purple hammond and a funky shuffle beat in the mix add a snarling groove. These lads know their heritage and those all-too familiar references abound over those ubiquitous tambourines and maracas. Ho hum. Effortlessly forgettable. Sat, 17th July 2004... Review by Darren O\'Connor

Here For You  Long Guns

Adorning an EP with a Chelsea Pensioner Redcoat is a bold statement. It either says "We are Libertines wannabee, NME worshippin', bandwagon jumpers" or "We have a keen interest in military history." For The Long Guns sake I hope it is the latter, because it would be a shame to see such tender exuberance left behind when the wind of indie fashion inevitable turns.    "I let you win" is a nonchalant slice of indie-pop. The vocal is laidback, perhaps even a little shy. The lyrical digs at a former lover are bitter and regretful in a way that only a spurned teenage would write. Ignore the dodgy middle-eight guitar solo and this song becomes a roughly hewn gem, reminiscent of The Only Ones. ‘Her Connection” ups the tempo and shuffles along nicely enough, but The Long Guns blow it with the last song. 'Forever Rolling' is a hotchpotch of stock phrases slapped together with Oasis horse-glue. It should have been called "Live Forever Rolling With It".     As with many new bands, the lads just couldn't wait to get into the studio and it really shows. The rhythm is erratic, the vocal on the self-conscious side and the guitar playing messy. But, at least on the first song, there’s a wonderfully teenage, garage feel. Their incompetence is goddamn heart-warming!    I get the impression The Long Guns are quite ambitious. They need to take example from Pete Doherty and pals: Put in one hell of a lot more graft. Sat, 17th July 2004... Review by Darren o\'Connor

Welcome  Surface

Here we have the latest 5-track sampler from the Surface boys, recorded earlier this year. First up is the anti-capitalist rant, ‘Brand Loyalty’ that rocks its way through with impressive 16-beat drumming and added synths. ‘Note To Self’ is more laid back and is very REM influenced, which works very well with the vocals which remind you of lots of different singers without being able to say which one! ‘Otherwise’ and ‘I Write Your Name On Rice’ run in the same vain as ‘Brand Loyalty’. ‘Lobster Girl #2’ needs a kick up the backside to get going. Overall though a very pleasant sound and I look forward to catching them live. Mon, 21st June 2004... Review by Robin Baker

Mystique/Sex 4 Sale  Smilex

Info: Quickfix Recordings This double A-side single from Oxford based band Smilex offers the unusual combination of glam-rock and pop-punk, that apparently came together from a mutual love of Guns ‘N’ Roses, Batman and PVC! The opening track ‘Mystique’ is a pop-punk tune very akin to Ash and has had some airplay on XFM. The accompanying track ‘Sex 4 Sale’ is where the glam-rock in their sound comes alive. Very reminiscent of some T.S.O.L. tracks in a way that front man Lee Christian’s vocals have a high-pitched strain. Other tracks included are the B-sides, ‘My Madonna Whore’, ‘Spike My Drink’ and ‘Noize!’. These don’t really offer the encouraging sound of the first two tracks. We may hear more from these boys and girls in the future. Mon, 21st June 2004... Review by Robin Baker

Lost EP  Pocket Gods

Info: The Pocket Gods Lost E.P consists of 6 tracks of easy going acoustic musing with the odd bit of country chucked in for good measure.    From what I can gather from it sounds like a solo effort from main singer songwriter Mark Lee knocking out a few tunes but just not knowing where to finish. The Damon Albarn sounding “Lost” a snip at just under 8 minutes and the more poppy “Danube” clocking in at a whopping 17 and a half minutes.  The first song “Liverpool Street” is kept short at 3 and a half minutes and is reminiscent of (smashing pumpkins guitarist) James Iha solo stuff and opens the C.D well. By far the best song has to be “Blessings” another little acoustic ditty with dreamy vocals and an all round good composition.    Unfortunately at times the monotone vocal wonders off key, which makes difficult listening for the full 6 tracks. In my opinion the Pocket Gods should stick to making short, nice crafted songs rather that 18-minute dirges.  Fri, 18th June 2004... Review by Rod

Home  Fallout

What we all want to know do Fallout rock?    The first track on this cd “home” starts with a mighty riff which descends into a nice slow groove where the Brandon Boyd/Eddie Vedder sounding vocal flows perfectly over the music, but when the chorus arrives I am expecting a full stage riot but instead I am left with a minor skirmish, as the chorus kicks in the guitars seem to be dropped to the back of the mix with the keyboard and vocals taking up most of the sound which to me leaves the track sounding a little flat.     The third track “Someone Else” shows the keyboard at its full potential, gracefully floating in-between the main guitar riff and the perfectly timed melodies, but I am distracted slightly as the chorus transforms into more of a Iron Maiden epic which doesn’t really make the song flow or complement the verse.  “I will bend but I will not break” is the last words of final track “broken Arrow” which could quite easily be a set closer with its big rock solo and catchy lyrics.    Overall Fallout have the potential to become a good rock band even if the mix lets them down a bit.     I bet they could rock your socks off live. Fri, 18th June 2004... Review by Rod

Three track demo  Dangerlust

Formed out of the ashes of pop-punkers Floater about a year ago, Dangerlust represent a far heftier prospect than their previous incarnation. Fortunately their ear for a good tune hasn't deserved them, and while claiming influences as diverse as The Wildhearts and Britney Spears, after the first few bars of "Forget about it" I think they ought to add The Pixies to their list. Not that that's a bad thing - the quiet/noisy/quiet thing works well and makes sure DangerRach's distinctive and lush voice isn't lost in the mix. "Sorry, but" spews forth from the speakers at a rate of knots, its hup-two-three tempo, dual vocals and speed changes meshing nicely. "Lie" is the gentlest of the trio and doesn't quite seem to gel as well as its predecessors, but that's a minor quibble. If this is what they can do in MikeyLust's bedroom, a bit of quality studio time would take this beyond talking about this being a great demo.  Fri, 18th June 2004... Review by Denzil Watson

Best Of The Boardwalk V  Leadmill

Opening the marathon of bands was EXISTEND, who played a slightly revamped look on the heavy metal scene. Over complicated drumming, let the sound down slightly, but overall a good performance from Dave and the lads.    BOSTON WOOD came up next with their very polished, piano led indie sound. Held together tightly by ex-Second Sight drummer Ed Cawthorne. With some catchy songs, BW could really make a name for themselves.    More metal with ATRAIOU, who played a great set of dark, eerie, atmospheric metal, coupled with James Heptfield style vocals, to leave you with that sense of fear and suspicion.    The first band to get the crowd going were THE KIPPERED EXPERIENCE. Different to all the other band most notably for the excellent sax playing of lead man Dave. His dueling solo with lead guitarist Dick in a rendition of Jimi Hendrix's 'Red House' was the highlight of the evening.     COLORPOOL's bouncing antics surprisingly didn't get the crowd dancing, but they carried on regardless. With Colorpool, you alwyas know what you are getting and they payed homage to their heroes, Nirvana, by covering 'Breed'. John's strained vocals and long ragged hair really finished off the Cobain look and sound.    ON THIS DAY were the surpirse package on the night. Having not heard of them before, their top sound of Zeppelin-influenced rock was very enjoyable. The crowd really got dancing and celebrated drummer Pete's 18th birthday in style!    Finishing off proceeding's were TOSCA, playing well-rounded Brit-Pop of Oasis breed. Not everyone's cup ot tea, but confident tight playing ensured no-one was left disapointed.    A great showcase of emerging Sheffield bands. Who said Sheffield's dead? Wed, 5th May 2004... Review by Robin Baker