First up, apologies to local band Skint Knees – also on the bill on an October Sunday at Sheffields Sidney and Matilda, who I missed due to a combination of middle age problems, yknow children and work and those sort of things. Next time.
Luckily I didn’t miss the other two bands on show tonight, another local act (and promoters of the event) Period Drama, and brilliant Irish headliners Cherym. Both thrilled a smallish (you missed out) but enthusiastic crowd in the downstairs venue, and bands repped the LGBTQ+ communities which they identify with, much to the crowds delight, and made for a brilliant evening all round,
Period Drama skulk around in a world of punk and riot grrl, with angry riffs and angrier vocals, but crucially they display enough variety, melody and even charm to a) win over any crowd, and b) keep you interested and engaged in what they’re playing. They provided an adrenaline soaked noisy set that really got the crowd invested, and rightly so. We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on when they commit some of these songs to record.
Cherym, it has to be said, are magnificent. If you haven’t caught them yet, they are three extraordinary musicians, who have that rare ability to write classic sounding songs with immediate singalong hooks at the drop of a hat. Their set was full of brilliant moments, from Nyree’s soulful love letters to their partner, to the driving post punk fronted by Hannah, the band dragged everyone along with them, all driven along by the brilliant drumming of (wait for it) classical guitarist Alannagh.
Throw in a healthy dose of rock star moments, audience participation and funny and emotive patter, and joyous pop punk (and occasionally otherwise) songs such as Abigail, new single Taking app Sports, Do it another Day and others and it made for a really great night. Catch them when you can.
