Sheffield on Twitter – update eight

12 07 2009

July 2009 update

Here are this month’s additions to the list of Sheffield people and organisations of interest on  Twitter. The full directory can be found on the Sheffield Twitter users page.

The Antics – improvisational comedy troupe
@TheAntics

Toby Foster – comedian and BBC Radio Sheffield breakfast presenter
@TobyFoster

Nat Johnson and the figureheads, former Monkey Swallows the Universe singer’s new project
@natjohnsonband

Bloc projects – contemporary art space and studio complex
@blocprojects

Flags PTA – campaign to keep Abbeydale grange school open
@FLAGS_PTA

The Boardwalk – live music venue
@boardwalklive

The Harley – live music venue
@Harleylive

Eat Sheffield – eat and drink in Sheffield
@eatSheffield

The Milestone – gastropub
@TheMilestone

Magic enterprises magic dealer
@MagickWords

New Start – NS+ ltd, interested in regeneration and sustainable communities
@newstartplus

BullsEye – car parts
@BullsEyeCarPart

Shield – peak of fitness swimathon
@PeakOfFitness

Saved by sound – Sheffield-based charity gig tour
@SavedBySound

Sheffield and Hallamshire FA
@SHCFA

SheffieldCityUK – automated feed of Google alerts mentioning Sheffield
@SheffieldCityUK

Hillsborough hotel – hotel
@HillsboroughBar

Copthorne hotel – hotel
@CopthorneHotel

Spoon juice records – record label
@spoonjuice

Spice Yorkshire – adventure and social club for adults
@YorksSpice

The wedding daze – wedding planners
@WeddingDaze -

ask4 – broadband provider
@onlinelifestyle

Prism – programme of contemporary art events commissioned by the Showroom
@prismsheffield

Midas copy – copywriter
@midascopy

S24SU – Sheffield United community
@s24su and @2in3

Websell – web design company
@websell

GoldDigger – girl band
@GoldDiggermusic

If you want to be listed on it then follow @sheffieldblog, get in touch or comment below.





How to fill your lunch break in Sheffield

1 07 2009

Lyrical streets or a lunchtime pint

A few weeks ago a Guardian journalist got in touch and asked whether I would contribute to a feature about what someone should do with an hour to fill over lunchtime in different cities around Britain.

They were after ideas for what to do in the centre of Sheffield, so I asked a couple of friends and we came up with – and dismissed – several possibilities:

In the end I submitted the suggestion of a stroll around town to take in the poetry that can be found on various buildings. This is what appeared in Saturday’s paper:

Sheffield: lyrical streets
You don’t need your head buried in a book to appreciate poetry on a lunchtime wander through Sheffield. Visitors are welcomed with Andrew Motion’s What If? … on the side of Sheffield Hallam University’s Owen building (Howard Street). Emblazoned inside the Winter Garden (90 Surrey Street) is Roger McGough’s affectionate ode to a revitalised city. There are three pieces by Benjamin Zephaniah on the metal plates of Rockingham Street student residences. Slightly further away, in brushed steel on the side of the Forge building off Boston Street, are Jarvis Cocker’s musings on student life.

I also sent them another option, which was the (perhaps slightly less culturally stimulating) idea to go down to the Kelham Island Tavern for a pint:

Sheffield: a lunchtime pint in Kelham Island
The idea of a lunchtime pint after a morning’s work might seem unremarkable but when you’re drinking local ale in the sunny beer garden of CAMRA’s national pub of the year you know it will be special. Sheffield is home to several independent breweries that proudly keep the pubs all over the city well stocked with award-winning beer, and there is always a fine range to be found at the Kelham Island Tavern. Located in Sheffield’s part-industrial real ale heartland, this lively pub is worth the 15 minute walk from town for its wonderful beer garden, good food and most importantly, a changing selection of excellent beers and ciders. Just don’t forget to go back to work later.

What would you suggest as a good idea for a lunchtime activity? Did I miss something really obvious that would have been much better?





Forgotten Sheffield bands: the Suncharms

23 06 2009

Sheffield’s shoegazers

The Suncharms were part of Sheffield’s contribution to the shoegazing music scene of the late 80s/early 90s.

Shoegazing is characterised spacey tones, a groovy feel and melodic vocals often buried in a wall of fuzzy guitars. Notable bands of the genre include Ride, Catherine wheel and Chapterhouse, and although not as successful, those that remember the Suncharms do so with fondness.

I’m told that they were named after a soft drinks factory in their home town of Huddersfield called Suncharm which sold dandilion and burdock and lemonade in glass bottles.

The two 12″s that they released are now quite collectable. Their debut EP – out 18 years ago this month – included the track Sparkle and got good reviews after being sent to the music weeklies in a Catherine wheel record sleeve. It was also played by John Peel.

Tranquil day was the follow up release and continues in much the same vain of their debut. Hear this at the Static fuzz blog where it is described as ‘fuzzy pop melodies wrapped in sugar-coated melancholy’.

According to this article, the band continued until 1993 with a final live appearance at BBC Radio 1’s Sound City in their adopted home of Sheffield. It turns out that the drummer went on to be a teacher here where he was also known to play drums in bands with his pupils.

Here is a psychedelic video for Sparkle, edited using live footage from a Library theatre gig in Sheffield:





Sheffield on Twitter – update seven

6 06 2009

June 2009 update

Here are this month’s additions to the list of Sheffield people and organisations of interest on  Twitter, with perhaps the most notable being the addition of the council (@SCCPressOffice). The full directory can be found on the Sheffield Twitter users page.

Sheffield city council press office – the council’s press office
@SCCPressOffice

Art Sheffield – Sheffield contemporary art forum
@artsheffield

Sheffield Hallam university – the university’s central Twitter account
@sheffhallamuni

Quba new media – web agency
@quba_nm

Sheffield live – community radio station
@Sheffieldlive

Fuse  – show on the university’s Forge radio station
@FUSE_forgeradio

Celluloid screams – Sheffield horror film festival
@sheffhorrorfest

SSiD Sheffield – University of Sheffield student services
@SSiDSheffield

Vox Sheffield – Volunteer-led organisation that exists to nurture, encourage and showcase creative expression and experimentation
@voxsheffield

Sheffbookclub – Twitter-based book club on Sheffield
@Sheffbookclub

The Earl – Queens Road pub
@EarlPub

SCCWeb – Sheffield city council web team
@SCCWeb

Sheffield university Japan society – University of Sheffield student Japan group
@shefjapansoc

ELR auctions – Antique and fine art auctioneers and valuers
@ELR_AUCTIONS

teamNomad – digital agency
@teamnomad

Becky Hayes – Hallam FM presenter and former High street honey
@Bhorhais

PH weddings – wedding photography and planning
http://twitter.com/PHWeddings

Shane Rounce – designer and photographer
@srounce

Martin Field – photographer
@martinfield1

Team Cooper – Flash developers
@tim_cooper_uk

BFFS – British federation of film societies
@_BFFS_/

PHS Sheffield – Psychological health website updates
@PHSsheffield

Sheffield alumni – University of Sheffield alumni department
@SheffieldAlumni

CAaD – contemporary art as dialogue blog
@CAaDSheffield

Bex knitwear – hand knitter and designer of knitwear
@bexknitwear

If you want to be listed on it then follow @sheffieldblog, get in touch or comment below.





The Rude Shipyard cafe and bookshop, Abbeydale Road

2 06 2009

‘The only place to buy Guinness cake in Sheffield’

A few months ago I asked @sheffieldblog Twitter followers where the best independent coffee shop was to be found in Sheffield. The responses included many of the popular outlets, although Bragazzis wasn’t mentioned which surprised me a little, as I rate that as one of the best.

While there is talk of Bragazzis imminently moving down the road to a bigger location, another gem of a shop opened last week a little further down Abbeydale Road: the Rude Shipyard.

You might have seen it mentioned in last week’s Sheffield Telegraph, and I would definitely recommend a visit. The place has a lovely feel to it, with bookcases lining the walls, proper old furniture and a collection of musical instruments in the corner which customers can play if they want. In fact, the atmosphere reminds me a bit of both Cocoa and Bragazzis.

The drinks are good – excellent coffee and a range of teas including sweet chilli – and the Guinness cake is amazing. The rest of the homemade food menu looks tasty, with eggs sourced locally from hens owned by friends of proprietors Sally and Pete.

You’ll get a warm welcome from the owners and they have plans for plenty of events including jukebox Sundays, open mic poetry and prose nights, bistro evenings and there is currently a competition to design the sign for their toilet door. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for what is going on.

Oh, and it is open until 8pm during the week and 10:30pm on a Saturday so offers a cosy alternative to the pub.

Amazing Guinness cake at the Rude Shipyard coffee shop, Sheffield

Amazing Guinness cake at the Rude Shipyard coffee shop, Sheffield





Sheffield streets by Amy Allison

31 05 2009

A musical tribute from a Long island girl based in New york

Jim Buck left a comment on this blog earlier about Amy Allison, a Long island girl who used to live in Sheffield. The title track from her forthcoming album is this love song to the city called Sheffield streets:

And to quote directly from the information on the YouTube video page on monstersoftheid’s channel:

Back in the early 1980s, there used to be a pub in Sheffield called Woodstock diner. It was set out like an American diner, but of course the waitresses spoke with local accents – all except one: she not only looked straight out of a Woody Allen movie, but talked like it too. It turned out that her name was Amy Allison, and she had left Long island to live in Sheffield with her husband (I found that out when I met them both at an evening class).

Much to my surprise, Amy loved living in Sheffield! She adored Castle market; the Kashmir, on Spital hill; the Leadmill; and, of course, the beautiful suburbs and their framing countryside.

Most of all. Amy loved the friendliness of Sheffielders, so much so that when her husband wanted to move back to work in New york, she did her best to persuade him to stay. Her efforts were unsuccessful, and the couple returned to the US at the end of 1983.

A couple of months ago, I looked her up on Facebook; obviously, there were a lot of Amy Allisons to filter through; but I found her her eventually. Amy was really pleased to hear from me, because she had just recorded a new CD; it is called Sheffield streets. The title song is a love song to the city of Sheffield.

It is a great story and amazing to think that after 26 years away from Sheffield her fond memories are still vivid enough to inspire this touching tribute. Hearing all the local references sung in an Amy’s American accent over an alt-country backing is also quite cool.

The Woodstock diner is of course now the Prince of Wales pub in Ecclesall. I wonder if she ever served me up a knickerbocker glory on one of our Sunday lunchtime family visits?

Amy’s official website and MySpace page feature more of her music.





Sheffield daily photo blog

30 05 2009

A picture a day from the steel city

If you like photos of Sheffield then this new photo blog and Twitter account is worth following. It does what it says on the tin: each day a new photo of the city is posted with accompanying comments giving some background information and related links.

Recent entries have included Sheffield’s smallest hotel, The three tuns and a contrasting picture of Old and new Sheffield.

Many of the pictures appear to be taken on the move and for now they are being taken using a camera phone, although the person behind it says that a better camera will be used soon. Perhaps one day it could grow into some sort of collaborative effort?

Find it at sheffielddailyphoto.blogspot.com and @sheffieldphoto on Twitter.





Architectural tour of Sheffield

20 05 2009

‘Sheffield just doesn’t seem to know how good it actually is’

People reading this blog who aren’t on Twitter may have missed the link posted at the end of last week to a great article on the Building Design website.

The author, Owen Hatherly, took a walk around the city for the magazine’s Urban trawl feature and the resulting article and follow-up blog post are well worth a read.

Eyebrows have been raised in the past in response to some of Sheffield’s planning decisions and buildings, however Owen recognises that our examples of post-war, modernist architecture are actually mostly better than what London has to offer.

Of course not everyone loves this style of building design, but reading his feature does make you look again at some of the city’s well-known landmark structures with a new appreciation.

Castle market is described as ‘a shopping centre with a weirdness and individuality that puts all the Arndales to shame’; the Manpower services building at Moorfoot and Jefferson Sheard’s electricity substation are ‘thrillingly paranoid Cold War megastructures’; and Park hill is labelled as ‘one of the great buildings of the century, anywhere – a truly astonishing architectural achievement’.

He also picks up on one of the reasons why local people have such affection for Sheffield: whichever way you look, the charming haphazard sprawl of the city is nearly always neatly framed by the beautiful surrounding countryside, which is only minutes away.

And his advice for ensuring that Sheffield remains such a unique place? We need to concentrate less on trying to be like everywhere else and spend more time celebrating the individuality of the city and its distinctive collection of buildings. With Sevenstone in the pipeline and Urban splash attempting a delicate balancing act with Park hill, this will no doubt prove quite a challenge.

Caption by Paolo Màrgari - paolomargari.it, used under the Creative Commons licence

Park hill: 'one of the great buildings of the century, anywhere - a truly astonishing architectural achievement'. Photo by Paolo Màrgari - paolomargari.it, used under the Creative Commons licence





Sheffield on Twitter – update six

14 05 2009

May 2009 update

Here are this month’s additions to the list of Sheffield people and organisations of interest on  Twitter. The full directory can be found on the Sheffield Twitter users page.

Rocket – Broomhill-based design agency
http://twitter.com/rcktsheffield

University of Sheffield – the  university’s central Twitter account
http://twitter.com/sheffielduni

Article – pop culture magazine
http://twitter.com/articlemagazine

Crucible theatre – theatre and home to the world snooker championships
http://twitter.com/crucibletheatre

Lyceum theatre – theatre
http://twitter.com/SheffieldLyceum

Wednesday night live – Creative Sheffield’s summer season of Wednesday night events in town
http://twitter.com/WedNightLive

Bar one – Sheffield university student bar
http://twitter.com/shefuni_barone

Mr Ben fancy dress – Crookes-based fancy dress store
http://twitter.com/Mrbenfancydress

Sheffield centre – Church army’s research unit
http://twitter.com/SheffieldCentre

Rhyme and reason – children’s bookshop at Hunter’s bar
http://twitter.com/ShefBooks

Remember the name – publisher of Replay magazine
http://twitter.com/richardfidler

A mind apart theatre - theatre company making performing arts accessible to communities
http://twitter.com/amindapart

Smith and Clarkson – fine art collaborative duo
http://twitter.com/SmithClarkson

Run hide survive – DJs, producers and promoters of Club pony
http://twitter.com/runhidesurvive

Sheffield irregulars – Minature model painting group
http://twitter.com/sheffieldirregs

Yorkshire county cricket club – Leeds-based cricket club
http://twitter.com/Yorkshire_ccc

Clickety click – photographer
http://twitter.com/clicketyclicks

Resound design – web and print design company
http://twitter.com/resounddesign

Vital Sheffield Wednesday – Wednesday news from Vital football
http://twitter.com/vitalwednesday

DS print & design – print company based in Walkley
http://twitter.com/DSPrintDesign

If you want to be listed on it then follow @sheffieldblog, get in touch or comment below.





Sheffield music city

6 05 2009

A new music festival for Sheffield

The most recent City centre news email from the council mentions a new music festival that is due to take place from 24-27 July in Sheffield.

Dubbed ‘Sheffield music city’, the email says that the line-up should include some big names performing at both indoor and outdoor events.

It doesn’t really give a clue what genres of music will feature at the festival, although I guess the organisers will try to please a wide range of music fans. And despite the big names that have been promised, I expect the emphasis will be on regional talent instead of the major performers that you might seen at an established city festival like the Liverpool summer pops.

If communal city centre open spaces are used for the outdoor venues then it will probably mean free entry, which would further rule out any significantly well-known and expensive acts. It certainly would be good to see the revamped Devonshire green host some live music, although it will be too soon for the new Tudor square.

I’m trying to recall any other large council-run live music events that have taken place over the last few years, but am drawing a bit of a blank. Can anyone remember anything similar from the recent past?

Music in the sun returned last summer to the Don valley bowl but after reports of DJs and artists not being paid, it looks unlikely to be back in 2009. Could Sheffield music city be the festival that a city with such a strong musical heritage and large population is able to make a success of?