Latest news with #Sheffield
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Yes, there was a riot, but it was great': Cabaret Voltaire on violent gigs, nuclear noise – and returning to mark 50 years
Fifty years ago, Cabaret Voltaire shocked the people of Sheffield into revolt. A promoter screamed for the band to get off stage, while an audience baying for blood had to be held back with a clarinet being swung around for protection. All of which was taking place over the deafening recording of a looped steamhammer being used in place of a drummer, as a cacophony of strange, furious noises drove the crowd into a frenzy. 'We turned up, made a complete racket, and then got attacked,' recalls Stephen Mallinder. 'Yes, there was a bit of a riot, and I ended up in hospital, but it was great. That gig was the start of something because nothing like that had taken place in Sheffield before. It was ground zero.' Mallinder and his Cabaret Voltaire co-founder Chris Watson are sitting together again in Sheffield, looking back on that lift-off moment ahead of a handful of shows to commemorate the milestone. 'It is astonishing,' says Watson. 'Half a century. It really makes you stop, think and realise the significance.' The death in 2021 of third founding member Richard H Kirk was a trigger for thinking about ending things with finality. 'It'll be nice if we can use these shows to remind people what we did,' says Mallinder. 'To acknowledge the music, as well as get closure.' It's impossible to overstate how ahead of their time 'the Cabs' were. Regularly crowned the godfathers of the Sheffield scene, inspiring a wave of late 1970s groups such as the Human League and Clock DVA, they were making music in Watson's attic as early as 1973. Their primitive explorations with tape loops, heavily treated vocals and instruments, along with home-built oscillators and synthesisers, laid the foundations for a singular career that would span experimental music, post-punk, industrial funk, electro, house and techno. 'There was nothing happening in Sheffield that we could relate to,' says Mallinder. 'We had nothing to conform to. We didn't give a fuck. We just enjoyed annoying people, to be honest.' Inspired by dadaism, they would set up speakers in cafes and public toilets, or strap them to a van and drive around Sheffield blasting out their groaning, hissing and droning in an attempt to spook and confuse people. 'It did feel a bit violent and hostile at times, but more than anything we just ruined people's nights,' laughs Mallinder, with Watson recalling a memory from their very first gig: 'The organiser said to me after, 'You've completely ruined our reputation.' That was the best news we could have hoped for.' Insular and incendiary, the tight-knit trio had their own language, says Mallinder. 'We talked in a cipher only we understood – we had our own jargon and syntax.' When I interviewed Kirk years before his death, he went even further. 'We were like a terrorist cell,' he told me. 'If we hadn't ended up doing music and the arts, we might have ended up going around blowing up buildings as frustrated people wanting to express their disgust at society.' Instead they channelled that disgust into a type of sonic warfare – be it the blistering noise and head-butt attack of their landmark electro-punk track Nag Nag Nag, or the haunting yet celestial Red Mecca, an album rooted in political tensions and religious fundamentalism that throbs with a paranoid pulse. Watson left the group in 1981 to pursue a career in sound recording for TV. Mallinder and Kirk invested in technology, moving away from the industrial sci-fi clangs of their early period into grinding yet glistening electro-funk. As the second summer of love blazed in the UK in 1988, they headed to Chicago instead – to make Groovy, Laidback and Nasty with house legend Marshall Jefferson. 'We got slagged off for working with Marshall,' recalls Mallinder. 'People were going, 'England has got its own dance scene. Why aren't you working with Paul Oakenfold?' But we're not the fucking Happy Mondays. We'd already been doing that shit for years. We wanted to acknowledge our connection to where we'd come from: Black American music.' This major label era for the group produced moderate commercial success before they wound things down in the mid-1990s. But in the years since, everyone from New Order to Trent Reznor has cited the group's influence. Mallinder continued to make electronic music via groups such as Wrangler and Creep Show, the latter in collaboration with John Grant, a Cabs uber-fan. Watson says leaving the group was 'probably the most difficult decision I've ever made' but he has gone on to have an illustrious career, winning Baftas for his recording work with David Attenborough on shows such as Frozen Planet. He recalls 'the most dangerous journey I've ever made' being flown in a dinky helicopter that was akin to a 'washing machine with a rotor blade' by drunk Russian pilots in order to reach a camp on the north pole. On 2003 album Weather Report, Watson harnessed his globetrotting field recording adventures with stunning effect, turning long, hot wildlife recording sessions in Kenya surrounded by buzzing mosquitoes, or the intense booming cracks of colossal glaciers in Iceland, into a work of immersive musical beauty. When he was at the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania with Oscar-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, recording sounds for the score to the 2019 TV series Chernobyl, he couldn't help but draw parallels to his Cabs days. 'It was horrific but really astonishing – such a tense, volatile, hostile environment,' he says. 'But it really got me thinking about working with those sounds again, their musicality and how it goes back to where I started.' Sign up to Sleeve Notes Get music news, bold reviews and unexpected extras. Every genre, every era, every week after newsletter promotion Mallinder views Watson's work as a Trojan horse for carrying radical sounds into ordinary households. 'The Cabs may have changed people's lives but Chris is personally responsible for how millions of people listen to the world,' he says, with clear pride. 'And one of the things that helped make that happen was the fact that he was in the Cabs, so through that lens he opened up people's ears.' Watson agrees, saying Cabaret Voltaire 'informed everything I've ever done'. Watson's field recordings will play a part in the upcoming shows: he'll rework 2013 project Inside the Circle of Fire, in which he recorded Sheffield itself, from its wildlife to its steel industry via football terraces and sewers. 'It's hopefully not the cliched industrial sounds of Sheffield,' he says, 'but my take on the signature sounds of the city.' These will be interwoven with a set Mallinder is working on with his Wrangler bandmate Ben 'Benge' Edwards as well as longtime friend and Cabs collaborator Eric Random. 'We've built 16 tracks up from scratch to play live,' says Mallinder. 'With material spanning from the first EP' – 1978's Extended Play – 'through to Groovy …' Mallinder says this process has been 'a bit traumatic – a very intense period of being immersed in my past and the memories that it brought, particularly of Richard. This isn't something you can do without emotion.' Mallinder and Kirk were not really speaking in the years leading up to his death, with Kirk operating under the Cabaret Voltaire name himself. 'Richard was withdrawn and didn't speak to many people,' says Mallinder. 'And I was one of those people. He wanted to be in his own world. It was difficult because I missed him and there was a lot of history, but I accepted it.' There will be no new music being made as Cabaret Voltaire because, they stress, tsuch a thing cannot exist without Kirk. Instead, it's a brief victory lap for the pair, a tribute to their late friend, as they sign off on a pioneering legacy with maybe one last chance for a riot. 'Richard would probably hate us doing this but it's done with massive respect,' Mallinder says. 'I'm sad he's not here but there's such love for the Cabs that I want to give people the opportunity to acknowledge what we did. You can't deny the music we made is important – and this is a way to celebrate that.' Cabaret Voltaire play a Forge Warehouse, Sheffield, 25 October, then tour the UK from 17 to 21 November. Tickets on sale 10am 6 June
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Three men stabbed during large fight
Three men were stabbed during a fight involving "a large group of people" in Sheffield, according to police. Officers were called to reports of fighting on Hinde Street in Page Hall just after 23:30 BST on Saturday. A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said three men suffered stab wounds and were taken to hospital where they received treatment for non life-threatening injuries, while a fourth man suffered minor injuries. Two boys aged 17 and a 24-year-old man have been arrested in connection with the incident. One of the 17-year-old boys has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, affray and assault causing grievous bodily harm. Another 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of affray. The 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and affray. A force spokesperson confirmed all three remained in custody. Officers used a dispersal order break up the group. Supt Lee Dowswell said: "We know this incident is likely to cause concern within the local community. "There will be a heightened police presence in the area, with additional proactive patrols planned today and over the coming days." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North South Yorkshire Police
BBC News
17 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Three men stabbed in fight involving 'large group' in Sheffield
Three men were stabbed during a fight involving "a large group of people" in Sheffield, according to were called to reports of fighting on Hinde Street in Page Hall just after 23:30 BST on Saturday.A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said three men suffered stab wounds and were taken to hospital where they received treatment for non life-threatening injuries, while a fourth man suffered minor boys aged 17 and a 24-year-old man have been arrested in connection with the incident. One of the 17-year-old boys has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, affray and assault causing grievous bodily 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and affray.A force spokesperson confirmed all three remained in used a dispersal order break up the Lee Dowswell said: "We know this incident is likely to cause concern within the local community."There will be a heightened police presence in the area, with additional proactive patrols planned today and over the coming days." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Sheffield street that appears on BBC Springwatch
A suburban street with an abundance of wildlife is the star of the new series of BBC the first time, producers of the popular nature programme decided to place hidden cameras in ordinary gardens for the show's 20th anniversary took place on a street in the Sheffield neighbourhood of Hillsborough, where residents have installed "swift bricks" to attract the cameras have captured badgers, foxes and hedgehogs as well as the nesting swifts. The location was selected because of its proximity to the National Trust-owned Longshaw Estate in the Peak District National Park, where Springwatch will be broadcast from for the first is also one of the UK's greenest cities, with a quarter of its land consisting of series began on 26 May and is presented by Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan. Researcher and ornithologist Jack Baddams was sent to Hillsborough to meet the human, avian and mammalian residents of the said he was delighted to see swifts nesting in the eaves of the houses and in the bricks installed by homeowners."Just being on this street and hearing their screams is absolutely fantastic - there's so much work going in to protecting swifts in Sheffield."The garden cameras were first set up in April and have recorded 12,000 clips so Baddams added he was surprised to see badger activity in the said: "Badgers are becoming increasingly urban, there's some fantastic populations of urban badgers in the UK, but to see it climbing over the wall, squeezing under fences it seems out of place. But it's very cool." One of the neighbours whose garden was "bugged" is Deborah Beck - who has a "no mow" policy for her lawn and has provided a pond, woodpile and plenty of flowers to attract wildlife.A fox and a hedgehog were filmed as well as a "big badger" jumping on and off her said: "We knew about the hedgehogs. And we have seen foxes here occasionally in the daytime but the badgers were amazing. "It's so lovely – it feels like the less you do in the garden, the more the wildlife come."I'm really pleased about that," she said. The series runs until Thursday 12 June on BBC Two and is also available on iPlayer. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
How gentrification has changed Sheffield's street art scene
Street art is ingrained in the fabric of Sheffield. Wherever you stand, in the city centre in particular, there is likely to be a wall in your eyeline adorned with a spray-painted McKee's "The Snog" on the side of Fagan's, Phlegm's eery monochrome pieces which have travelled to Norway and Spain, and Peachzz's world-renowned 25-metre tall "Reverie" are among the well-known pieces in the whose real name is Megan Russell, has co-founded an upcoming street art festival. She said the city was "ready for a boost" after artists found they were losing blank canvases on derelict buildings to redevelopment projects."I can feel excitement in the air. I'm hoping it's going to burst, and we are going to have a load of new art come through," she said. Sheffield's industrial history meant that when warehouses and factories were left abandoned, they created a breeding ground for street and graffiti former Cannon Brewery on Rutland Road, which closed in 1999, was an "amazing space" for artists but "very dangerous"."I wouldn't recommend anyone do it – my friend nearly fell down a hole there. We threw a cap down it and we heard it go, 'dink, dink, dink' for ages," she said."You've got to be careful in a place like that."Nowadays, Cannon Brewery is in line for regeneration, and will become part of a neighbourhood of more than 500 new homes, bars, cafes, a workspace and a padel club close to the gentrified areas of Neepsend and Kelham Island. Ms Russell added: "People get into it in a different way now – there aren't as many derelicts, so that just happens a lot less."When I started 13 years ago, the only way you could practice without getting in serious trouble was in warehouses."Trik 9, who asked to remain anonymous under his alias, was "born and bred" in Sheffield and has spent two decades working as an illustrator and first picked up a spray can at a graffiti workshop in secondary school, hosted by the NonStop Foundation."Sheffield has a really strong history of graffiti art and street art," he said. "In the nineties, it was one of the most tagged cities in Europe."Sheffield City Council has acknowledged the benefits of street art and has even commissioned pieces such as Reverie authority said tagging was still responsible for 30-40 reports of "non-offensive" graffiti each week. "These kinds of graffiti should not be confused with actual street art," a council spokesperson said."While some street artists' styles may resemble graffiti, their intent is clearly different. They are not aiming to vandalise, offend, or deface."There is a clear difference between [that and] murals or street art that aim to beautify or engage." By definition, graffiti deals with letters while street art deals with characters, Trik said - but they tend to come as a package deal."Without graffiti, you wouldn't have street art," he said."I grew up within graffiti and hip-hop culture, but a lot of people see me as a street artist because I paint characters."It's a complicated subject and very much a spectrum."He said new painters have always faced a "trial of fire", and Sheffield's changing cityscape could "give artists opportunity"."The hoarding boards around the city are not technically permanent - they give people scope to paint," he added. But, as various construction projects are completed, even boards are disappearing, said Street Art Sheffield founder Andy Carter."The artists struggle to find legal spots where they can paint and practice, and a lot of them do want to do it legally."There was a lull, but now there is more and more appearing each year."We are a really creative city, but we don't shout about it. I think we need to, which is a reason why I run the website." Mr Carter, a software engineer, said the site has had hundreds of visitors a day since he set it up in 2014."Street art appeals to most people, in my experience," he said, with older people often taking part in his tours."People you wouldn't expect to like it are really engaged and enjoying it."He said Lick of Paint Fest in September, founded by Ms Russell and artist Alastair Flindall, would "create a lot of noise" for an "often-overlooked" jams, where artists go head-to-head to create the best piece, and painting of walls across Castlegate and Kelham Island will be part of the free event. Ms Russell said she wanted the festival to show people the art form outside of its negative connotations."Graffiti has a bad rep, but it's the roots of street art, it's something we want to respect," she festival aims to make Sheffield a "hub for street art in the north" and is running longer-term outreach as part of the weekend Walton was one of 10 illustration students who put together and painted a mural at Netherthorpe tram stop, with Ms Russell's guidance. The 19-year-old, who mostly creates digital art, said it was "a chance to do something a bit different – I could touch it"."I had no interaction with [street art] before, so it's a new avenue," he said."I loved when people walked past when I was working on it, you can tell it kind of brightens up their day."I would like to do it again at some point. It's kind of opened a door." Just half a mile from the students' project is Kelham Island, where Trik said the street art scene was "blowing up" despite changes to the urban environment."The art scene does change with how the city changes," he said."When an area starts to get built up, artists get flooded into different places. We are seeing that now."But we've got a really good, vibrant section of people here. Younger artists are coming up, and older artists are still making waves."It's looking really positive right now." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
