Sheafs headlined Night & Day Cafe in Manchester this Saturday night, bringing in support from The Rills and Sauce. Being the first band on is always a little dry at first, but The
Rills quickly got people standing and coming closer to the stage. The
London/Lincoln based band were a pleasant mix of indie/rock/punk goodness to
get you moving. These guys are definitely worth checking out for people that
are fans that early 2000s indie rock that had gruff rawness to it that
contemporary indie rock tends to lack.
I went to this gig having never heard of either of the support
acts, I love going to gigs where this is the case because more often than not I
leave having become a fan of new bands. And last night was no exception. Sauce
are a four piece band from Manchester, their sound is what I’d describe as real
rock and roll. Ive said similar things before, but I mean this as sincerely as
possible, to me ‘real rock and roll’ is the sound of the 70s and 80s. And Sauce
provided all the best parts of those eras. They had a heavy element of 70s
progressive rock, reminding me of bands such as Blue Oyster Cult and Rainbow
(who are two of my all-time favourite bands so this is probably the best compliment
I could give.) they also had moments that were slightly heavier and
instrumentally reminded me of bands verging on metal such as Saxon. Complimenting
their old school sound nicely; they were all stylishly dressed in attire that
looked like they’d stepped out of Dazed and Confused. Whether of not this 70s aesthetic
was a coincidence, I don’t know, but it definitely worked.
Sauce had an engaging
stage presence and gave a lot of energy on stage, leaving the room on a high
buzz ready for Sheafs. I’d happily go and see them again and again, this gig
alone has just put them high up on my list of favourite bands in the scene. Whilst
on stage they mentioned they’re recording an EP, I’m already super stoked to
hear it. 100% make sure you check out Sauce.
Where do I even start? If you’ve seen Sheafs live before you
know you have to mentally prepare yourself for the glorious chaos that is a Sheafs
gig. They put in more crazy energy than arguably anyone I’ve ever seen live.
There is no way you’re coming out of one of their gig without feeling high on
life and feeling like you just had one of the best nights ever. And if you
managed to leave without being drenched in sweat and beer than hats off to you.
These guys are not only incredible live but all their recordings are just as
good. Easily one of the best bands in the UK’s underground scene, and by no
surprise have emerged from Sheffield like many great bands before them.
Sheafs make the crowd such active part of the performance. They
don’t have to demand a mosh pit or a circle, or ask people to come closer to
the stage because everyone is already rushing forward. The band are constantly
coming to the edge of the stage and looking as though they are about to dive
into the crowd. Frontman Lawrence Feenstra, got into the crowd on multiple
occasions, taking his mic stand and tambourine with him, to which the audience
simply lost their shit. The energy in the room was at its absolute highest during
‘This Is Not A Protest’ As was expected, this incredible song will be Sheafs
very own Smells Like Teen Spirit. One of those rare songs that is so intensely
good, especially live, that the song itself takes on its own kind of life.
During their final track their ‘This Is Not A Protest’ signs came out and were
passed around the audience, people were on stage, Feenstra was in the crowd,
the static TV’s that had been placed at the front of the stage were now being
passed around. I doubt there was a single person stood still by the end of
their set.
To put it on simple turns, Sheafs put on a fucking awesome
night, be sure to catch them on the rest of their tour. This Sheffield band are
going to achieve some big things.
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