Once considered a lifeless, concrete metropolis by those too scared to travel north of the Watford Gap, Sheffield’s music scene has been quietly morphing and expanding over the past three decades thanks to various pivotal record labels, bands and DJs, one of which - the new face of the Sheffield scene, Toddla T (Tom Bell) - supplies the lowdown on the wonder that is the Steel City.
Aptly enough, it was the remnants of the city’s once-thriving steel trade that helped give Toddla and other dance producers the opportunity to start DJing, at various free parties and raves held at disused industrial buildings scattered around Sheffield. After playing at parties and releasing a handful of tunes that mashed up ragga, dancehall, hip-hop and bassline in a delightful combination, Toddla rapidly began getting booked for indie nights and clubs across the city - a shock to the system, he confirms. “After I put out the first couple of tunes it was mad getting offered loads of money to play all these places. It freaked me out. Then I got used to it. I’ve found me feet, I’m confident in it and I fucking love it!”
This sudden success resulted in a hugely well-received and instantly enjoyable debut, ‘Skanky Skanky’, signing to the Ninja Tune record label and a second album due for release next year, following on from recent bounce-bashment single ‘Sky Surfing’.
Still immensely passionate about his home city and its residents - some of the friendliest people on earth, bar none - Tom is also acutely aware of the city’s influence on modern music over the years, from Heaven 17 to Pulp to Warp Records to Arctic Monkeys, all the while underpinned by a club and party scene that has encountered various states of health.
“When I was growing up and getting into dance music, there weren’t really any successful club nights in Sheffield” says Tom. “It was through this avenue of underground parties that I started to hear house and techno and garage.”
Today, however, the city’s clubbing scene has been revitalised and the free party circuit is as strong as ever, much to the delight of Toddla and countless other Sheffieldians: “There’s loads of people doing club nights and warehouse parties now. You’ve got an actual choice between doing something weird, proper and underground or doing something bigger and straight-up in a club, and it seems to be working really well.”
Finally, love them or loathe them, Arctic Monkeys unarguably put Sheffield back on the musical map after the city had been laying low for a few years. In turn, this helped to spark a resurgence of indie acts, both in Sheffield and across the UK. For someone like Tom whose priorities lay with dance beats it was a painful process, but one with a highly encouraging outcome:
“I ain’t gonna lie, it did my head in” says Tom. “Sheffield became really saturated. Every other night was an indie night and every other kid looked like Alex Turner, but no-one was doing anything different. At the time it pissed me off and we bitched about it, but looking back it was great, because we had a massive focus on music and things were back to where they were with Pulp or Warp Records or The Human League. Now it just seems like kids in the city are into bands as well as dubstep or indie or whatever. It’s wicked.”
That’s Sheffield for you. Reet good and that.
Words by Tristan Parker
Boozers
“There’s a couple of different areas where you get proper boozers where they homebrew all the beers, like in Kelham Island. One’s called The Fat Cat, where it’s pure homebrewed ale, and they’re all under two quid so it’s proper affordable. It’s right nice. There’s another pub called The Sheaf, which is the same sort of thing, but they’re not party pubs really, it’s just about right quality ale and a nice atmosphere.”
Niche appeal
“Niche has had the strongest scene in Sheffield of the last ten years - the most sustainable, on-it scene. The DJs there understand their own vibe. If you go to Niche and hear bassline and bassline house, that’s like our version of grime. Everyone knows the vocal tracks and the hooks - it’s proper home-grown. It’s our hip-hop; everyone makes the beats at home, people are spitting with local MCs, it’s not borrowed from anywhere. Any night you go there is rammed and just proper energetic music, no bollocks.”
Party animal
“When I was younger the only way we could hear decent dance music was to go to underground parties. The main party I went to and still go to and DJ at is Kabal. The first one I ever went to was in a recording studio. And now they’ve done them everywhere - in an old church, a disused morgue, under an archway. It’s mad, it’s all about where they can carve out a place to put in a soundsystem and a good atmosphere.”
Clash's A-Z of Sheffield
The Bowery
A city centre music-based pub and favourite of Toddla’s.
Duck
Affectionate local term for someone. As is ‘cock’. Honestly.
Headcharge
Sublime and utterly debauched hard techno night - now defunct - held in a former railway arch.
Moonshine
Lush pale ale brewed locally in the Abbeydale brewery.
Niche
Occasionally troubled but ever-important nightclub that helped create the bassline genre.
Pulp
Revered Nineties band who epitomised Sheffield and a more grounded indie sound.
Rare And Racy
Genius little book and record shop selling all kinds of cult delights.
Warp Records
The spiritual home of beats and bleeps was founded in Sheffield in 1989.