Soundclash @ The Theatre Saturday 17th July 2010

We've been to lots of different venues over the years for gigs but on Saturday night, the venue was something else entirely.  Abbeydale Picture House was originally opened in 1920 and was a popular venue for film screenings and live performances until the mid 1970's.  It had a number of different occupants after this until 1991.  It then stood empty until 2003 when Friends of Abbeydale Picture House were formed.  Since then lots of work has been carried out to restore the building to it's former glory.  Hosting events such as last nights gig has helped them raise money and the profile of the building.

On entering the picture house you instantly smell a musty, old building smell.  The architecture is an ornate classical style on the whole although areas such as the bar are clearly awaiting some TLC.  The toilets are a case in point, with their pull flushes, lack of plaster, dangerously low ceilings and door frames (Doozr ended up with 2 bumps on the head).  The bar staff on the evening were very welcoming and friendly, though, and offered a good selection of drinks at really reasonable prices.  We were offered a bottle of wine which we found strange - how do you drink a bottle of wine at a gig?

After purchasing the drinks we headed towards what sounded like a band playing.  The first band Scoundrel were on stage having just started their half hour set.  The offer of a bottle of wine then became clear.  Where would have been velvet and mahogany theatre seating were a collection of chairs and tables.  We snagged ourselves a table in the middle, near the back and wished we'd taken the bar staff up on their offer.

Scoundrel are a 5 piece rock/funk band from Sheffield.  They played some very catchy pop rock tunes but were hampered by what appeared to be a terrible sound system.  It was hard to hear lead singer Megan Rae over the music and makes it hard to write a proper review.  They have definitely got potential though and a number of the tunes I was tapping my feet to.

Feelix were the next band and not what I was expecting at all.  I've seen flyers for Feelix around the city and assumed it was the name of some trashy club night rather than a collection of talented Sheffield musicians.  Sadly without their bassist, Feelix launched into a stunning set of chilled out almost acoustic tracks.  The lead singer, Kat Eaton was clearly confident, genuinely lovely and a little bonkers, talking with the audience and band like she was a pro.  The percussionist managed to get through the set playing half a drum kit, a stick, a dumbell and a box.  Doozr and I were so impressed that once they'd gone off stage we popped to the merc stand to purchase their two EP's.


**Top tip for bands who bring merchandise to sell at a gig.  Bring someone to mind the table with the items you are selling and don't just leave them there unattended.  It took us 20 minutes to find a band member to pay and in the meantime the rest of the pile were seemingly taken without any payment at all.

Next on stage was the tallest man I've ever seen.  Neil McSweeney, a Sheffield singer/songwriter playing progressive folk rock that was completely breathtaking.  His voice is deep and soulful, his music washes over you and completely draws you in, and he's pretty too.  During one section only Neil and the accordion/keyboard player were required and so the others stepped off stage for a short while.  The guitarist returned with a satsuma and proceeded to sit on the stage on a cushion and eat it.  How 'metal' is that?  It almost beats Alan Reed jumping off the stage to get a round in for the rest of Pallas during an instrumental section, or Damian Wilson drinking tea while performing with Threshold.  All of which have been witnessed by Doozr at gigs in the past.

We were so impressed that, once again, we wandered about outside looking for band members so that we could purchase their albums.  We ended up giving the cash to the guy organising the gig on the promise of passing it on.

Finally, Dead Like Harry took to the stage.  They have clearly been working on new stuff as their familiar tracks were intermingled with unfamiliar ones throughout.  They must also have had in influx of cash for musical instruments as Robin was sporting a very fancy new electric double bass and Alice had a new pink tambourine, of which I very much approved.

As ever the band didn't disappoint and we were all singing along and rocking from side to side like loons.  Sadly Dead Like Harry's set was slightly ruined for me by rude and ignorant people who have no place being at such an event.  (23inertia gets onto soapbox).  There is nothing worse than a group of people standing somewhere nearby blatantly ignoring the hard work of the artist on stage while talking and laughing loudly throughout.  Especially when the lobby is only a few feet away.  It not only disrespects the efforts of the (very likely unpaid) artist on stage but it also disrespects the audience most of whom have paid out their hard earned cash to support a band and listen to their music.  I wish more bands dealt with this situation like ex-Mostly Autumn lead singer Heather Findlay who literally stopped singing and demanded that the people at the bar be quiet because they were putting her off and making it impossible for everyone else to enjoy the band's hard work.

That aside, Soundclash @ The Theatre was an excellent night out.  It was lovely to sit around a table with friends, drink, talk, listen to excellent local music and do all of this in a beautiful building.  We will certainly be supporting Abbeydale Picture House and will be keeping our eyes out for other events we can go to - buildings such as this need to be restored, they need to be brought back to life and what better way than as a community venue for performing arts, visual media, theatre, live music and cinema.

Sheffield has so much musical talent.  I love Sheffield.