Live Review: The Sherlocks // Old Fire Station, Carlisle, 13.09.15

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The Sherlocks are one of the most talked about up and coming bands in Britian at the moment. Ever since supporting The Enemy, the band have experienced increasing popularity on social media, and it would seem they are soaring new heights after every single energetic live performance. At The Indiependent we reviewed their hometown gig at the iconic Leadmill back in June.

Since then, the boys are freshly buoyed by a formidable, thrills-aplenty set at Leeds Festival, which notably drew a surprisingly vast crowd of constant carnage. There are certainly signs of early cult devotion from the fans and all of this hasn’t gone unnoticed. ‘Heart of Gold’ is the next single scheduled for release on November the 6th. The track has received significant backing on the BBC Radio 6 Steve Lamaq show in addition to a play on Huw Stephens Radio 1 show.

With all of this going on in the background the band continue to embark on their seemingly endless UK tour. On Sunday night, the Sheffield quartet ventured into the unchartered territory of the border city: Carlisle. The two sets of brothers arrived onstage at the fresh-paint-scented Old Fire Station in front of an intimate crowd. Taking into account all the anticipation surrounding the band, any sign of pressure was non-existent. Kiaran Crook channelled a certain Liam Fray in his side stance and vaunted confidence, with the calmness of a young Alex Turner. The show started to take off when the farrago riff to their sophomore single ‘Escapade’ was frisked. The slamming sound of the kick-drum neatly cascaded into a huge refrain. Those in the crowd familiar with the track reacted with an instantaneous head nod and Sunday night chancers in the room reacted with a pervasive arch of the eyebrows looking at their friends to say “not bad!”.

The most appealing facet about The Sherlocks is their likeness to several British bands. While it’s hard to distinguish direct influences, it’s clear that bands like The Jam have been their bread and butter growing up. They have the guitar brash of The Clash and the observatory night out conclusions of first-record Arctic Monkeys provincial pop: “You spend half your wage before you get paid”. Brandon Crook’s prominent fast paced work and crashing symbols on the drums obtain a Gary Powell-like dominance. This is what makes the band immediately likeable for first time listeners – they portray the qualities of everyone’s favourite bands. While style and sound may be borrowed from various sources, the 4-piece stand atypical. Each song sounds quintessentially The Sherlocks.

‘Heart of Gold’ is the clearest vindication that they hold their own uncompromised sound. The refined guitar sound and vigorous drums neatly lead into powerful manta of protracted ‘woahs’ – its evident that The Sherlocks are all about raw composition and big chant alongs choruses. Unlike Leeds Festival there was no crowd surfing, people on shoulders, or thankfully a red smoke bomb. It was a more chilled affair, yet they delivered a performance just as good.

Their Steel City predeccessor, Jarvis Cocker once said you need one equation to make it: Music + Lyrics + Performance = Dynamite. The Sherlocks were starting to prove they unequivocally have all three in their locker as the night went on.

Touring the country and playing certain venues for the first time, like Carlisle, does mean audiences won’t be as familiar with the music as opposed to proverbial rowdy crowds at their Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow gigs. While this is a challenge, this is something band aren’t new to, playing over 500 gigs in the past couple of years with punters walking away religious followers. They took on Carlisle with ease. The young band played with a controlled stage presence. They look like a band hungry for success while looking like they aren’t trying too hard. The band finished with the anthemic ‘Chasing Shadows’ before walking down into the crowd and taking the time for photos and conversations with the audience.

One thing is guaranteed: next time the band play in Carlisle, the band will be bigger, the songs will be more familiar, and the crowd will be significantly greater in numbers. Catfish and the Bottlemen and Circa Waves have showcased that 2015 is very much the year for the return of British indie. The Sherlocks have the songs, the fans, and the live performances to join them in the not too distant future. Record labels will be fighting to sign them and the tracks released so far indicate this band have serious potential.

Judging by Sunday nights performance, their reputation as an exceptional live band will continue to build as they play more venues nation wide. The buzz will continue to grow and the commercial success is imminent. It is certainly onwards and upwards for the Crook and Davidson brothers.

Listen to ‘Heart of Gold’ here and pre-order on iTunes here

Words by Aaron Spencer
Twitter: 
@aaronlspencer

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