On The Scene: The Musical Pedigree Of Sheffield Is Diverse And Fully Intact

|

Sheffield might not be one of the UK’s best-known cities, but thanks to bands like [mp3com-artist]Pulp[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]Def Leppard[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]Arctic Monkeys[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]ABC[/mp3com-artist], and the [mp3com-artist]Human League[/mp3com-artist], its musical pedigree is up there with the greatest.

Photograph by Andy Barker, courtesy of Sheffield City Council

Sheffield might not be one of the UK’s best-known cities, but thanks to bands like [mp3com-artist]Pulp[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]Def Leppard[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]Arctic Monkeys[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]ABC[/mp3com-artist], and the [mp3com-artist]Human League[/mp3com-artist], its musical pedigree is up there with the greatest.

Photograph by Andy Barker, courtesy of Sheffield City Council

Photograph by Andy Barker, courtesy of Sheffield City Council

Sheffield‘s old factories, mills, and steel works have, in recent years, been transformed into warehouse apartments and art studios. And the band’s from in and around this Yorkshire city have made the most of it. Groups like [mp3com-artist]The Long Blondes[/mp3com-artist] and [mp3com-artist]65daysofstatic[/mp3com-artist] have emerged from here, and Sheffield was also a home to the legendary Warp Records during that label’s first decade.

But it’s not all loft-conversions and new-builds. Our picks of three free MP3s from the scene this week all share hints of Sheffield’s emptier streets and industrial estates. From neoclassical to grindcore, you can download some great examples of Sheffield’s delights for free below.

Artist: [mp3com-artist]Rolo Tomassi[/mp3com-artist]
Track: “From Ambience to Ambulance”
Sounds like: Enthusiastic teenagers giving birth to demons
For fans of: Pulled Apart By Horses, Hell Is For Heroes, Napalm Death

Rolo Tomassi

Rolo Tomassi

Artist: [mp3com-artist]Matt Howden[/mp3com-artist]
Track: “Europa For Lowell”
Sounds like: A Victorian-era soundtrack to Moon
For fans of: Brian Eno, Caribou, Belle Orchestre

Matt Howden

Matt Howden

Artist: [mp3com-artist]Adrian Carter[/mp3com-artist]
Track: “Low Orbit Descent”
Sounds like: A nightclub after 3am, with the lights turned down
For fans of: Orbital, The Chemical Brothers, Kraftwerk

Photograph by Andy Barker, courtesy of Sheffield City Council

Photograph by Andy Barker, courtesy of Sheffield City Council