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CONTENTS 16
GAFFERS
Phil Turner (MD) phil@exposedmagazine.co.uk Nick Hallam (Sales Director) nick@exposedmagazine.co.uk
FINANCE
Lis Ellis (Accounts) accounts@exposedmagazine.co.uk 16: THE BUMPA EFFECT
From making tunes for his pals to selling out London’s Roundhouse, Silva Bumpa’s rise has been meteoric. Ahead of this month's big homecoming event, we grabbed a coffee with the hotly tipped DJ to talk about taking the city’s sounds worldwide and how a Sheff attitude keeps his feet on the ground.
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28: PEAK PUBBIN’
We head for the hills and pull up a chair at the Ladybower Inn, where some former Rafters talent is putting its stamp on the pub menu. With reservoir views outside and some seriously good pie on the table, Exposed settled in for a lunch worth loosening belts for.
84: A TALE OF TWO CITIES
Sheffield’s former poet laureate Otis Mensah has been finding a new rhythm in Berlin. Ahead of a new album, Come Beautify the Night, we catch up to hear how the move has reshaped their music and why South Yorkshire's quieter corners still serve a purpose when a little breathing space is required.
Joe Food (Editor) joe@exposedmagazine.co.uk Ash Birch (Online Editor) ash@exposedmagazine.co.uk Lizzy Capps (Content Creator) lizzy@exposedmagazine.co.uk Marc Barker (Design Dogsbody)
GI’ US A HAND PLZ
Ruby Deakin, Heather Paterson, Isabel Butler, Max Hayward, Lowri Rennick
36: MIND MATTERS
Centuries-old drinks recipes and ambient electronica performances on the same programme? Must be Festival of the Mind. As the free festival returns, we caught up with the organisers to talk unlikely collaborations, taking research to the public and why this year marks a fond farewell for co-founder and director Professor Vanessa Toulmin.
GRAFTERS
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THE BUSINESS STUFF
Exposed is published monthly by Blind Mice Media Ltd Unit 1b, 2 Kelham Square Kelham Riverside Sheffield S3 8SD The views contained herein are not necessarily those of Blind Mice Media Ltd and while every effort is made to ensure information throughout Exposed is correct, changes prior to distribution may take place which can affect the accuracy of copy, therefore Blind Mice Media Ltd cannot take responsibility for contributors’ views or specific entertainment listings.
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GO BIG OR GO HO-HO-HOME Sheffield’s festive plans are taking shape, with an artificial ice rink returning to Tudor Square for the first time in more than a decade and a new Christmas lights spectacular heading to Devonshire Green.
The new additions form part of an expanded seasonal programme, which will also feature a snow slide on Surrey Street, more than 50 market cabins and a weekend of entertainment across the city centre. The celebrations begin on Thursday 12 November, when Sheffield’s Christmas markets open across Fargate, Pinstone Street and The Moor. More than 80% of this year’s traders will be local businesses, offering festive food and drink, gifts and handmade products. An opening weekend follows on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, with street entertainment, children’s characters, craft activities, live music and performances providing plenty of reasons to head into town. Rounding things off on the Sunday will be the new lights event at Devonshire Green, bringing the area into the city’s Christmas opening weekend celebrations for the first time. Entry will be free but ticketed, with details of how to secure a place announced later this month.
Cllr Ben Miskell, chair of Sheffield City Council’s economic development, skills and culture committee, said: “Christmas in Sheffield is always special, but this year we’re making it bigger, brighter and better than ever, with more reasons to come into the city centre and enjoy everything Sheffield has to offer.” He added: “I’m particularly excited that we’ll be bringing a Christmas lights spectacular to Devonshire Green for the first time. It will be a fantastic way to round off our opening weekend and bring even more festive atmosphere to this part of the city centre.” Elsewhere, Christmas illuminations will stretch across Haymarket, Fargate, Barker’s Pool, Surrey Street, Division Street, Pinstone Street, the Peace Gardens and Cambridge Street. The programme will continue through November and December and into January. Further details about the Tudor Square rink, Devonshire Green event and other activities are expected soon.
DECK THE STALLS Sheffield Xmas Markets at a glance Opens: Thursday 12 November. What’s on offer: More than 50 cabins selling festive food and drink, gifts and handmade goodies. Shop local: More than 80% of traders will be local businesses. Opening weekend: Saturday 14– Sunday 15 November, with live music, street entertainment, children’s characters and crafts. What’s new: An artificial ice rink in Tudor Square, a snow slide on Surrey Street and a free, ticketed Christmas lights spectacular at Devonshire Green on Sunday 15 November. Still to come: Market opening hours, closing date and ticket details for the Devonshire Green event.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH…
A DIFFERENT CLASS EVENTS CENTRAL? WHAT ARE THE MAIN TAKEAWAYS? Sheffield’s Event Central development on Fargate will not open until 2027 after complications securing a permanent electricity connection for the building. First announced in August 2020 as part of plans to revitalise Fargate, the project was included in a £15.8 million government funding package secured in January 2021. Planning permission followed in October 2022, with Willmott Dixon appointed as lead contractor in February 2024 and an anticipated opening in early 2026. Sheffield-based arts organisation CADS was subsequently named preferred operator in March 2025, with the venue expected to host community events, exhibitions, workshops, talks and cultural showcases. DRILLING INTO IT The latest setback means another significant delay for one of Fargate’s flagship regeneration projects, with the council now working alongside Northern Powergrid and specialist contractors to establish an alternative permanent power connection. The previously agreed electricity connection is no longer available, prompting further technical assessments and discussions about how best to supply the building while minimising disruption to Fargate. Some exploratory work, including trial holes, began last month, although the council says the options being considered aim to limit the impact on surrounding businesses and public spaces. The discussions will also consider electricity capacity for future developments on Fargate. A further report outlining technical proposals, costs and delivery arrangements is expected by the end of 2026. WHO SAID WHAT? Councillor Alexi Dimond, chair of Sheffield City Council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee, described the delay as “hugely disappointing” for the council and those looking forward to using the venue. He added: “Our priority is to secure the permanent power the building needs while limiting any impact to Fargate and protecting the investment already made in the area.” The council says it remains committed to delivering Event Central as a major cultural and community venue, showcasing Sheffield talent and supporting the wider regeneration of the city centre.
Pulp have joined Sheffield’s pavemented roll call of local legends, with a plaque outside the Town Hall celebrating their musical contribution and enduring connection to the city. They’ve given us plenty to sing about over the years. Now Pulp have a permanent place in the city’s civic spotlight, after being honoured with their own Sheffield Legends plaque. Unveiled outside the Town Hall on Friday 30 October, the tribute recognises the band’s outstanding contribution to music and their lasting association with the Steel City. The Sheffield Legends programme celebrates people and organisations that have helped shape the city’s cultural identity. Other recipients this year have included musician Paul Carrack, football referee Uriah Rennie and much-loved charity fundraiser John ‘The Man with the Pram’ Burkill. Formed in Sheffield in 1978, the band spent years finding their audience before becoming one of the defining acts of the 1990s. ‘Common People’ reached No 2 in 1995, while Different Class took them to the top of the album charts the same year. Of course, their story has continued well beyond their Britpop heyday. In 2025, Pulp headlined Tramlines and released eighth studio album More, their first record in almost 24 years – and their first UK No 1 in 27 years.
PULP IN NUMBERS 1978: Year the band formed in Sheffield. 8: Studio albums 2: UK chart peak of ‘Common People’. 27: Years between chart-topping albums This Is Hardcore and More
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TOP OF THE HOPS
Plans are brewing for a new museum celebrating the city’s beer heritage and the wider history of the UK’s pubs and breweries. Co-founder George Brown spoke to Joseph Food about the project and how the public can help shape it. Sheffield has long had a reputation for its beer scene, with a rich brewing history and an enviable collection of independent breweries and pubs. There are now plans underway to give that heritage a permanent home, with a group of local beer enthusiasts looking to establish a dedicated beer museum in the city. The Sheffield Beer Museum project is the brainchild of four friends who, after discovering a surprising gap in the UK’s museum offering, decided to do something about it. “It essentially all came from a few beer lovers wanting to visit a beer museum in the UK,” explains director George Brown. “There are so many abroad, but there isn’t one here. The National Brewery Centre in Burton-upon-Trent shut down a few years ago, and while some breweries have their own visitor centres, there’s nothing dedicated to beer and brewing heritage across the UK. It seemed like an obvious thing to do in Sheffield.” The group has spent the past two years developing the idea, establishing a community interest company and
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speaking with organisations including Museum Development North and Collections Trust to understand what bringing such a project to life would involve. Having worked largely behind the scenes until now, the team has now launched a public consultation to gauge interest and find out what people would like to see. “We want it to be community-driven,” George says. “We’ve sent a survey out to landlords, breweries and the public to see what they want from it. That’s still on our website now and we’ll use that feedback to help decide what direction to take.” The consultation will run until December, after which the team hopes to organise an event sharing the findings, alongside stories from the brewing community and opportunities for potential sponsors to get involved. The next step would be a series of pop-up exhibitions in pubs, museums or vacant spaces, provisionally planned for mid-2027. These would help demonstrate the concept and build support before the team seeks funding
and finds a permanent home, hopefully towards the end of 2027 with a view to opening in 2028. Although Sheffield will naturally provide the starting point, George says the ambition stretches to sharing hopheavy stories well beyond the city. “We definitely want to look at local breweries and pubs but also recognise the national history. There’s a gap in the UK for something like this, and eventually we’d love it to become the Sheffield National Beer Museum.” For the museum’s proposed exhibitions, the team envisages interactive displays charting the locations of Sheffield’s former pubs, examining how brewing influenced the development of various towns and cities, and research exploring the social and political significance of pub communities. “Our little tagline is ‘there’s more to beer than drinking’, and we want everything we do to revolve around that,” George adds. That said, you can naturally expect an on-site bar to complete the experience. Interestingly, none of the founders come from a professional brewing background. George and fellow director Steve work in IT, while another member of the team works in the legal sector. What does unite them is a shared passion for good beer, its history and Sheffield itself. “We’re not claiming to be experts,” he admits. “We’re hoping to be the glue that brings all the experts together to launch it.” All the founders are keen to develop the project carefully rather than rush what could be a huge addition to the city’s cultural offering. In the meantime, they hope to make appearances at a number of beer events over the winter while encouraging local residents and businesses to get in touch with ideas. Anyone interested in helping shape the museum can complete the public consultation at sheffieldbeermuseum. co.uk, where they can also join the mailing list. Updates are available through the project’s Instagram account, @sheffieldbeermuseum.
New Henderson’s Relish Hand cooked Crisps!
HOME TRUTHS
While winter means cosy nights in for many, it can be a question of survival for those sleeping rough. The Archer Project’s WrongMove campaign brings that reality to Sheffield’s shop windows, raising vital funds to support its mission of helping people move away from homelessness.
Estate agents’ windows usually sell us an idea of how our lives could be upgraded: a bigger kitchen, an added bedroom, somewhere to put down roots. However, this winter, two shopfronts in town will present a very different set of properties on the market. WrongMove, the new winter campaign from the Archer Project, borrows the familiar appearance of a high street estate agents to show us the sort of places where people are often forced to sleep rough, asking us to consider the difference between choosing somewhere to live and having nowhere to go. Running from 30 November to 12 January, the exhibition will occupy two city centre locations: the corner of Pinstone Street and Cambridge Street, and 49 Leopold Street. Both will be window displays, viewed from the pavement, with people encouraged to stop and look through at the available ‘properties’ on offer. For the Sheffield-based charity, which has been running for over 30 years, it continues a direct approach to making the realities of rough sleeping harder to overlook. Previous winter campaigns have invited people into a fridge trailer chilled to -3C, a temperature regularly reached on our streets during the winter period. Last year, Concrete Dreamz turned a mattress showroom into a public exhibition where every bed was a cold concrete slab. “By presenting rough sleeping locations through the visual language of an estate agent, WrongMove highlights the stark contrast between the homes we aspire to live in and the places 12 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
some people are forced to sleep,” Ella Capstick, the charity’s marketing and communications officer, told Exposed. “While we can never fully capture every person's unique experience, we hope the exhibition sparks conversation, builds
understanding and most importantly raises vital funds to help people progress away from homelessness.” The fundraising matters well beyond the exhibition’s six-week run, as the Archer Project gears up for another resource-stretching winter period. Last year, the organisation supported 1,201 people and served 23,000 free meals. Alongside nourishing food, its on-site services include showers, toilets, laundry facilities and fresh clothing – practical essentials that can be difficult to access without a stable home. It also works with more than 30 external services, including medical practitioners, accommodation agencies and probation, while offering a number of therapeutic activities.
Opportunities to volunteer and take on paid, supported employment through its social enterprises are also provided to help people build towards a life beyond homelessness. Joe Logan, head of fundraising at Archer Project, underscored just how vital this appeal is to keeping support available both during and after the cold weather passes. “We are reliant upon donations in winter to keep us open for the rest of the year. Aviva providing matched funding for our winter campaign for the third year in a row is incredible. Doubling donations up to £250 is a wonderful incentive to give.” During its run, you might also spy a WrongMove van out and about the city. If you do spot it around Sheffield, take a photo and tag @archerproject on socials to help get the campaign seen.
FIND THEM ONLINE Web: archerproject.org.uk Instagram: @archerproject Facebook: @archerproject sheffield
MAKE YOUR DONATION GO FURTHER
From 30 November, Aviva will match donations of up to £250 during a six-week fundraising window, with £25,000 in matched funding available.
Scan the QR code to donate today, or visit archerproject.org.uk/donate.
WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 13
THE EXPOSED FESTIVE GIFT GUIDE
Crimbo is just around the corner, kids, and there’s no need to look far for a thoughtful gift. From Sheffield-made sweet treats to memorable experiences, our guide is packed with ideas that’ll make someone’s day while supporting local independents. WAX LYRICAL Cahve Jewellery Making Kit Fancy making quality jewellery without leaving the sofa? Cahve’s award-winning kit has everything you need to carve a design in jeweller’s wax, ready to be cast in recycled silver, gold or platinum. Pick up the kit on its own and pay for casting later, or opt for the kit and silver casting package for the full shebang. £45–£145 uk.cahve.com
GAME ON
A TASTE OF SHEFF
National Videogame Museum Gift Voucher Know someone who’s happiest with a controller in hand? Treat them to a trip to Sheffield’s National Videogame Museum, where they can get stuck into retro classics, iconic consoles and modern favourites. Vouchers are available for individual and family visits. £11–£45 thenvm.digitickets.co.uk
Sheffield Food Tours Gift Voucher Give a foodie an excuse to eat their way around Sheffield’s independents. Choose a guided tour of the city centre or Kelham Island, explore at your own pace on a self-guided tour, or pair local brews with street food on the Steel City Beer & Food Tour. Vouchers can be delivered by email or sent in the post. Discounted vouchers for two also available. £55–£75 sheffieldfoodtours.co.uk
A HOPPY CHRISTMAS
A CUT ABOVE
Abbeydale Brewery Advent Calendar Forget the tidgy, tasteless chocolates – count down to Christmas with 24 independently brewed beers from one of Sheffield’s finest. Released to celebrate Abbeydale Brewery's 30th anniversary, this limitededition advent calendar features a different beer behind each door. One for the Abbeydale fan in your life – or even a little December treat for yourself. £95, including delivery abbeydalebrewery.co.uk/shop
Whiteley Kitchen Scissors Made in Sheffield by Whiteley, who’ve been handcrafting scissors around these parts since 1760, their stainless steel kitchen shears are ready for pretty much anything. Snip herbs, prep food, tackle tins, crack nuts, or open a bottle – then pop them in the dishwasher when you’re done. £69 whiteley.co.uk
WOODEN IT BE NICE?
Barks x Locksley Mulled Wine Following the huge success of last year’s collaboration, two local legends – wine shop Barks and Locksley Distilling – are teaming up for another batch of their Co-Lab mulled wine. The tipple was a hit in 2025, with more than 550 bottles sold in a month, and you can expect this one to be another festive favourite. Perfect for warming your cockles on a chilly winter evening. locksleydistilling.com // @barks.wine
Willow Tree Decor Teak Utensils For the cook who’s always got something on the go, these solid, hand-carved teak utensils are made to outlast the pans they’re used on. Choose six utensils in The Essentials set or go the whole hog with The Full Kitchen, which includes 12 and is available gift-boxed. Both come from an independent family business based in Penistone. £38.99–£78.99 willowtreedecor.com
MULL IT OVER
THE SWEET STUFF Bullion’s Best Sellers 4 Bar Vault Tray Gift Set Can’t decide which Bullion bar to gift? This neatly packaged quartet brings together four favourites: gold award-winning Milk Mocha, Candied Orange, Hallmark Dark and Mint Choc Nib. It’s the perfect sweet selection for the chocolate lover in your life. £29.95; gift wrapping available for an extra £2.50 bullionchocolate.com
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Gift a snowflake for Sheffield Children’s
locations! Help light up the region this festive season and support the life-changing and the joy-sparking at Sheffield Children’s.
Registered Charity No. 505002
COVER: SILVA BUMPA
THE
WORDS: MAX HAYWARD // PHOTOGRAPHY: DORIAN DAY
It's been quite the year for Sheffield's Silva Bumpa. A sold-out headline show at London's Roundhouse, 87 million streams for his hit single ‘On 2nite’, a UK top 10 and a Best Breakthrough DJ award are just a few of the milestones in a rapid rise that's taken the 25-year-old from the Steel City's underground scene to festival stages at Coachella, Parklife and beyond. Now, he's bringing it all back home. On 7–8 November, the DJ and producer will host his Sterling Weekender, featuring a sold-out headline show at Electric Studios, a pop-up at Sidney & Matilda and a Sunday session at Peddler Warehouse alongside fellow homegrown favourite Big Ang and special guest Mella Dee. Exposed caught up with Silva over a coffee at Hygge, tucked among the shiny new surroundings of the city's flourishing Heart of the City redevelopment, to talk about the Sheffield sounds that shaped him, his journey from making tunes to impress pals to international recognition and what the future holds for the next generation of Steel City electronic music talent.
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This is good timing, actually, as Niche held its relaunch night at Network at the weekend. How important has the club been to Sheffield’s music scene, and what influence has it had on your own sound? I feel like you earn that importance over time. The older sounds of Niche definitely inspired me more, sort of around 1998, when the DJs were Andy Spoff, Shaun Banger Scott and Nev Wright. The OG sounds of Niche. Before the warpy, wobbly bassline came in, it was very much organ house, with a lot of records coming from Amsterdam and London, even from Italy. Just super cool stuff. Would you say Sheffield is the standout city in the North for artists in the bassline scene? I think the fact that Sheffield has niche adds a layer to the entire thing because anyone who likes that sound is going to be inspired by it and have that extra inspo they can apply to their own music. But other places are also thriving. Leeds has that jackin house, Tom Zanetti vibe; Manchester's got the Haçienda and Warehouse Project; and Liverpool's got loads going on as well. So, all across the North, you have it, but Sheffield specifically has that sound which has inspired me. I'm one of the artists who have come from it and turned that into something inspired by the original sounds. I think we will see a lot more things unfold in the next couple of years. House and garage are the biggest underground genres in the UK, bigger than drum and bass now. All these artists who play house and garage, 130bpm music, like Interplanetary Criminal and Sammy Virji, have just brought in so many new fans and increased the scale of the music.
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COVER: SILVA BUMPA Where did your love of making music first come from? My mates were going to lots of free parties in town and in the Peaks that I didn't really go to. I was sort of the nerdy indie kid playing guitar at home. My mates came back and told me about the parties, and I thought, I'll have a go at making a few of these tunes for some credit. To be honest, there ended up being a summer where everyone was coming to me to make tunes for them. I was showing people how to make jackin house at, like, 16. I was self-taught originally. I saw on YouTube about Ableton, and I was like, maybe I can make some cool songs. I kind of came into it from a more questioning aspect: 'How does it work?' My scene was bassline, so every weekend I was going to places like Tank, Hope Works and Tekkers instead of these free parties where my mates went every weekend. What artist or producer would you love to collaborate with right now? For producing, I'd say Prospa would be really cool. I've already done a collaboration with them, but actually releasing a track with them would be awesome. Other than that, I would be down for whatever, really. What is your creative process like? I think it's just about being surrounded by things that put you in the right mood. I try to be alone for a while and listen to really good old-school music. It's that combination of being bored and not listening to anything contemporary – just listening to acid house EPs from the 80s for a week, then creating a tune. You need to come from a place of pure creativity and not be overly influenced by a scene. I'm a big fan of new artists now, and there's a great scene, but with my sound, I try not to let that influence me as much. I go in the other direction and see how I can be inspired by an old bassline record. I just move the chords around and the sound of the chords instead of being like, let me just make a track that sounds like the person who's just had a Beatport No 1. Bassline crowds up north are very passionate. How has this experience readied you compared to DJs from elsewhere? I think the thing about being from Sheffield is that I feel I have nothing to prove. I remember when I was 18, and all I wanted to do was to make the sickest tune to impress my mates on a Friday night, and it was like that for a couple of years. It's also because people are humble here, it allows you time to experiment. There's no deadline, as you don't have to prove yourself. With anything creative, you just need time. All you need is five or six years to just lock in and try new stuff out, and by then you will come out with something proper and fresh that people haven't heard before. Do you feel any pressure to carry the torch or continue the city’s history of electronic music? Originally, Silva Bumpa almost had an archival
aspect to it, as I was trying to carry on tradition. But I've definitely evolved from that now. For me, I love the process of getting some speed garage samples and then making a tech house tune out of only speed garage drums or whatever. I've come to this creative process of: how can I make a track that makes me feel like an old bassline track would? But it's not just that; it's also something new.
I THINK THE THING ABOUT BEING FROM SHEFFIELD IS THAT I FEEL I HAVE NOTHING TO PROVE… PEOPLE ARE HUMBLE HERE.”
On that note, how important is it to look beyond nostalgia and make room for the next generation of talent? I think with places like Niche specifically, you're always gonna have these spots built on nostalgia. It's gonna be there either way, whether you like it or not. I think it's important for people to have that little throwback. As far as new talent developing out of the North, it will happen; I just don't think it happens very often. I've been in this scene for ten years now, and in places like Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield, you always get one or two artists who break through. From Sheffield this year, we've had people like TeeDee. He's really connected, and there've been some cool people from Sheffield doing stuff, but it doesn't happen very often. But it will. There is a kid in Sheffield right now who will be listening a little bit harder than everyone else, waiting for their turn. Was there a particular gig, track or experience that changed things for you? I remember going to see Sammy Virji play Tank WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 19
COVER: SILVA BUMPA
QUICKFIRE SHEFF WITH SB Three words to describe a Silva Bumpa set? Bumpy, cheeky and UK. Favourite Sheffield venue to play or catch a gig? My favourite used to be Hope Works, but I'm really looking forward to playing Electric Studios. To go to, probably a cheeky night out at Dryad Works when they've got the good sound system out.
when I was 17. It was really cool, and it stuck with me. He was really ahead of his time, and in that era, he was still a relatively small artist, but everyone knew he was different and just awesome. Things have blown up for you this year. What felt like the turning point? I think it was around this time last year when I released ‘Wanna Party’. I think that track really nailed it for me. It was getting played in Ibiza, but it was also getting played by all the UK garage DJs. It was the first record I had that crossed over into multiple different scenes, and everyone was playing that specific track. It happened at the same time as a few of my other tracks were going viral online, so I had three or four of my songs being played by everyone. After that, the next three tracks I released all reached either No 1 or No 2 on Beatport. It was just a crazy six months where I was lucky that every track I released performed well. Which track gave you the biggest headache in the studio before it finally clicked? A lot of my songs have been a battle to finish, release and get out. ‘On 2nite’ – the vocal from it, I tried to remix it three or four times before getting that remix right. ‘Doin' it’ had a different vocal on it. It didn't even used to say “shake your bumpa”; it was another lyric there. I just take so long to finish tracks. I never like the mix and the way it sounds, and the structure is always changing. I'm definitely a perfectionist. I think a lot of 20 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
artists will relate. I think the best ideas are the ones that come quickly. But then again, I'm all for sitting on a song and letting it do its thing. I ask myself, when is the world ready for this song? When does it make sense? I take about a year to know what's next and how it should sound. I have a couple of releases coming out between now and the end of the year. One is a collaboration with Rossi, which is a garagey sort of track. I have also got a track with an Akon sample in it, which is kind of like an R&B thing, so hopefully a couple of tracks out before the end of the year. What can people expect from this two-day event coming up in Sheffield? It was inspired by something which I see in America quite often, which is the idea of a Sunday celebration after a night out. So, when everyone wakes up from the Saturday night hungover, the perfect solution is to go to a rave on the Sunday. You wake up eight hours after you go to bed, and you go straight back out. There's gonna be a pop-up shop selling exclusive vinyl and T-shirts. I have my show at Electric Studios, and then I wake up and I'm converting Peddler's Night Market into a Sunday session place, just rolling house and garage all day. I've put a lot of care into ensuring that it's fresh but also classic Sheffield as well. I want to see if it's possible to make this a yearly thing as well, with an exclusive Sunday party and loads of Northern legends. @silvabumpa
Best place for a pint in Sheff? The Broadfield. There’s no other; that is the best one. Ultimate Sheffield bassline anthem that never leaves your USB? I'd have to go with Big Ang – ‘Angry’. That's a proper Sheffield tune. Honest opinion on Henderson's Relish? I think it's amazing. I don't have it often, but there are a few scenarios when it is a very crucial element. Favourite memory of playing here? The residency I used to have at Hope Works, where we did the medium room maybe three or four times a year, was very cool. Every night, the sun was up by the time we were done. Garage or bassline? To listen to, bassline. But to play, I would have to say garage.
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INDIE PICK
O U R R EGU L A R S H O UT- O UT TO THE IND EPEND ENT SPOTS MA K I N G S H E FFI E LD A MORE INTERESTING PL ACE TO BE .
SOUTH STREET KITCHEN
With an unmatchable view of the city’s skyline and a range of quality dishes made from scratch, South Street Kitchen has been giving people a solid reason to head up to Park Hill since 2018. We take a closer look at the venue putting seasonal veg, local suppliers and thoughtful cooking right at the heart of things.
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There are worse rewards for a walk up to Park Hill than a warm welcome and a stunning Sheffield panoramic. Throw in speciality coffee, a thoughtfully compiled menu or two and the possibility of coming back for dinner and cocktails later, and the case for getting yourself up to South Street Kitchen starts looking even more convincing. Founded by Tim Jenkins and Rachel Cornish in 2018, the café and restaurant was an early arrival in Park Hill’s regeneration, establishing itself before the development had much of a hospitality scene to speak of. Eight years on, it’s standing strong – still proudly independent, not-for-profit and firmly attached to its vantage spot overlooking the city. It’s also picked up the Best Vegetarian or Vegan Restaurant gong at the Exposed Awards twice along the way, which just goes to show how highly the place is regarded by local foodies. Open seven days a week, South Street offers breakfast, lunch and the sort of coffee stop-off that can easily see you sticking around once you’ve clocked the food being brought out. There’s a Middle Eastern influence running through the cooking, with seasonal menus giving the kitchen room to work with whatever’s good at the time. The emphasis is on making things
properly, from raw ingredients. That extends well beyond the main dishes to the pickles, chutneys and kombucha, all produced in-house. The salad bar is a particular point of pride, showcasing the variety and flavour at the heart of the kitchen’s approach to vegetarian food. During the growing season, produce comes from Sheffield Organic Growers, while the team’s own organically tended garden often contributes to dishes too. Wholefood supplier Lembas is another regular port of call for ingredients. These relationships connect what’s on the plate to the wider network of independent businesses keeping Sheffield fed while committing to sustainability. A similar approach carries through to the drinks. Dairy milk comes from Our Cow Molly, while anyone opting for oat or another non-dairy alternative won’t find an extra charge added to their coffee. It's a small gesture, perhaps, but a welcome one when you’re ordering your daily flat white. The coffee itself deserves more than a passing mention. A collaboration with Sheffield roaster Cuppers Choice has produced South Street Kitchen’s own house blend, with Park Hill-inspired packaging also in the works. Alongside that are guest coffees and options for those who prefer to take their time over
is Saturday 7 November, when a Palestinian-inspired menu will raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians. South Street Kitchen will donate £5 for every person booked onto the menu, with diners able to make an additional contribution. It’s part of an ongoing fundraising effort at the venue. With festive plans beginning to fill the calendar, there are Christmas lunch, private dining and buffet menus available too. The space can accommodate events of up to 75 people, with bespoke food packages covering everything from an informal gathering to a sit-down celebration. That flexibility extends beyond Christmas parties. Weddings, birthdays, cultural events and baby showers are all welcome, while the back area can be hired for daytime meetings and smaller get-togethers. For anyone tasked with finding somewhere a little different for the office get-together, it’s an option to put on the list. As we all know, November’s shorter, nippier days call for somewhere worth settling into. With thoughtful seasonal food, carefully chosen drinks and a commitment to championing independents – all served with a view – South Street more than earns its place as this month’s Indie Pick.
SOUTH STREET KITCHEN
For menus, evening bookings and Christmas enquiries, visit southstreetkitchen.org. For private hire, email events@ southstreetkitchen.org. Web: southstreetkitchen.org Socials: @southstreetkitchen Address: 19-20 South Street, S2 5QX OPENING TIMES: Mon-Thurs 09.30-15.30 (Kitchen 9.30 breakfast, 11.30 full menu until 3) Friday & Saturday 09.30-22.30 (Kitchen 9.30 full menu until 3.45 evening 5-9.30) Sunday 09.30-16.00 (Kitchen full menu 10-3.00)
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PHOTOGRAPHY: MARC BARKER
a V60 or AeroPress. Come Friday and Saturday evening, the daytime café becomes a restaurant. November brings a seasonal evening menu, including a stunning homemade Yorkshire parkin – a particularly fitting prospect as the nights draw in and thoughts turn towards warm, hearty dishes. There’s a full wine list, craft beer and cocktails to go with it. Local breweries including Bradfield and Triple Point feature among the beer suppliers, while the signature cocktail selection takes some cues from the kitchen’s Middle Eastern flavours. The non-alcoholic cocktails are popular in their own right, selling alongside their boozy counterparts and finding takers during the daytime as well. Handy if you fancy something interesting with lunch, have an early start looming or simply aren’t drinking. The evening programme gives the chefs opportunities to explore different cuisines. Previous events have included Italian menus and popular dumpling nights led by the kitchen’s Czech chef, complete with imported Czech beer. It’s always worth checking what’s coming up before settling on your next dinner reservation. One date for November’s diary
NEW MENUS ON FRIDAY & SATURDAY EVENINGS
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Join us for two delicious seasonal evening menus this November and December Plus a special fundraising Palestinian menu on 7 November. 19-20 South St, S2 5QX www.southstreetkitchen.org Best Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurant 2024 & 2025* Exposed Magazine Awards
COFFEE MATCHA BAKES BITES AND A LITTLE BIT OF INDIA... Two house Roasts Uji Kyoto matcha. Indian-inspired bakes & bites. And a menu that rarely sits still.
SURYA + CHANDRA House coffees
UJI, KYOTO Matcha
CHAI • MANGO • TIKKA • UBE Familiar things, done a little differently.
COME CURIOUS. 384 Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield S11 8ZP | 14 Terrace Road Buxton SK17 6DU
@rasakofee | Rasakofee.com
SLICE CLUB WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
PIZZA DECISIONS GETTING YOU IN A SPIN? A NEW SHARROW VALE RESTAURANT IS SERVING UP SLICE AFTER SLICE, WITH EVERYTHING FROM FAMILIAR DOUGHY FAVOURITES TO APPLE CRUMBLE AND CUSTARD ON THE MENU.
David Stache and Kier Hodson first met around 10 years ago, when David owned healthy fast-food restaurant Nourish and hired Kier as a kitchen assistant. Kier quickly worked his way up to head chef. When Nourish eventually closed, their careers went in different directions. David returned to performance nutrition, working with elite athletes including Tyson Fury, Nicola Adams and Kid Galahad, while continuing to consult in hospitality, whereas Kier stayed in kitchens, going on to work at and lead a number of pizza restaurants. The idea for Slice Club came to David around two years ago, but its roots go back further. Years earlier, he used to order the same half-and-half pizza from Da Vinci’s on South Road: half BBQ pollo, half veggie
without mushrooms, with pepperoni across the whole thing. It took weeks to persuade them to make it because the two halves used different bases. The experience stuck with him. When committing to a whole pizza, he reasoned, most people order what they already know they like – a special might sound tempting, but if it doesn’t hit the spot, that’s your entire
meal gone. Slice Club takes a different approach. Instead of choosing one pizza from a menu, diners are offered different pizzas as they circulate around the room. You only have to commit to a slice – or even just a bite. If you like it, have more; if not, the next pizza is already on its way. The format gives the kitchen more freedom, too. Alongside familiar classics and Slice Club signatures are changing wildcards that venture beyond the usual toppings. Current creations include double bacon cheeseburger, apple crumble and custard, teriyaki mushroom, kimchi carbonara, buffalo smoke and hotdog, with additions always being developed. After researching the rodíziostyle pizza model, David approached Kier just over a year ago and asked him to come in as
a consultant. Kier’s answer was effectively no – but he would do it as a partner. It took a while to find a home. Two deals fell through, first on Cambridge Street in Sheffield and then at a site in Nottingham, before David and Kier took over the former Mediterranean restaurant at 271 Sharrow Vale Road. There’s no traditional ordering system: a light on each table controls the flow. Leave it on and the pizza keeps coming; switch it off and the slices pause. The aim isn’t to turn dinner into an eating challenge, but to make going out for pizza more social, take away some of the decision-making and give people an excuse to try something they might not order as a whole pizza. Slice Club opens on Sharrow Vale Road on 30 October, with bottomless pizza priced at £17.50 per person. Follow @sliceclubuk on socials for the latest updates.
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FOOD AND DRINK
SPOTLIGHT ON: WONKY LAB
CELEBRATING SHEFFIELD’S COOLEST INDEPENDENT VENUES, NEIGHBOURHOOD HANGOUTS AND HIDDEN GEMS.
Fancy getting into the festive spirit without battling the Christmas market crowds? With seasonal cocktails, film nights and plenty of neighbourly warmth, the Wonky Labrador on Oakbrook Road is making a strong case for staying local this winter. Exposed pulls up a chair for a chat.
WORDS: JOSEPH FOOD // PHOTOGRAPHY: @MARCBARKERPHOTOGRAPHY
Call me Ebenezer, but there comes a point in almost every Christmas market visit when I start questioning choices. Usually, it’s while shivering into a mulled wine I’ve just remortgaged the house for, eyeing up the thronging masses at the bar with trepidation and avoiding eye contact with anyone suggesting it’s my round next. Up on Oakbrook Road, the Wonky Labrador offers another suggestion: come inside, find a seat and let somebody bring your drink over. There are hefty blankets on hand if you fancy braving the chill out front, but the temptation to pull up a stool and settle into this warm, colourful little boozer is pretty irresistible during the winter months. Owner Mac McGrath understands the appeal and is gladly ramping up the cosiness. Since opening in March 2023, he’s built a place where the welcome matters as much as what’s on the menu – and for this winter period, his team have been putting considerable thought into both. We start with Ember & Ash, a cocktail created by Amelia, who works alongside Ruth and Toby on the drinks menu. Honeyed Irish whiskey meets dark rum, burnt orange and Angostura bitters, with ginger beer and Appletiser adding some lift. It smells a lot like nostalgic Christmas Days in a glass – if your nan ran a speakeasy, that is – and I'd happily abandon some crucial festive shopping for a couple of snifters. Meanwhile, the Sloe-groni brings together Hepple Sloe & Hawthorn Gin, Carpano Rosso and Dolce Vita Aperitivo for a wintry twist on the classic. Honestly, the shopping can wait. At this rate, everyone's getting a gift voucher. 26 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
“We want our winter menu to be natural, interesting and something a bit different to what people are used to,” the ever-smiling, ever-bearded Mac tells Exposed. That curiosity extends to the wine list, where newcomers include a sparkling Slovenian pét-nat from Matic, sitting alongside a Bordeaux Rouge courtesy of Jean-Marc Barthez and Mary Taylor. The pub favours smaller, family-owned vineyards, carefully sourcing bottles that give people something new to try. Add a hefty Waterall’s pork pie into proceedings and there’s little reason left to move very far, if at all. As ever, beer drinkers are catered for with eight constantly rotating taps, including a regular Abbeydale Brewery offering and an import line for discoveries from further afield. Glutenfree choices are a particular priority for Mac, who has coeliac disease himself. But the festive plans go beyond putting on a fair sup. Mindful Mondays offer free craft sessions, with Christmas cards and paper chains among the activities planned. The first nonalcoholic drink is free, too, if you’re off the booze – a natural inclination for an often alcohol-heavy time of year. “The thing is, Christmas is expensive, very busy and often difficult in many ways,” Mac says. “The idea is to give people something to do with their hands and space to talk, if that’s what they want to do. Previous sessions have included printmaking and candle decorating, which went down really well, and people have come with friends or on their own. It’s a really warm, welcoming night and fits nicely into what we’re all about as a venue.” Naturally, there’s a festive film night in the works, with customers voting for their choice on social media. The
screen comes down, the lights dim and the evening takes care of itself. Entry is free, with a £2.50 booking payment redeemable against your first drink. Last year’s screenings included The Muppet Christmas Carol, with Die Hard coming up next. Mac’s position on the latter is firm: “Die Hard definitely is a Christmas film. I’m happy for that to go on record.” Early December brings a Cheese Riot collab, pairing five cheeses with five drinks, while the ever-popular Winter Wonkyland returns on the 22nd with three cocktails, three wines and three beers, plus food from Porter Brook Deli. Looking to impress a loved one with a thoughtful present? Customisable gift boxes combine beer, wine and artwork by Sheffield’s India Wilkinson (check out @illustratedbyindia on Instagram). You can order online, although Mac mentions that popping in means a cheaper price and a chat about what the recipient actually likes – just so you can get those selections perfected to palates. So, I’ll leave you with my Scroogestyle festive revelation: Christmas socialising doesn’t have to involve 12deep queues, naff drinks and a desperate scrap for somewhere to sit. I’d argue that a toasty neighbourhood pub with something interesting on tap and people happy to see you is more than enough. As Mac puts it: “If you’re coming in alone or with a friend or a group of friends, there’s a warm welcome here. We give people time and space – and there’s always something excellent to drink. In my opinion, that’s pretty much all you need.” Find them at 212 Oakbrook Road. For gift boxes, event details and bookings, visit thewonkylabrador. co.uk or head to their Instagram (@ thewonkylabrador).
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FOOD AND DRINK
EXPOSED VISITS...
THE LADYBOWER INN For this month’s communal munch, a few members of the Exposed team swapped the city’s urban confines for the lush surroundings of the Peaks. Our destination was the Ladybower Inn, overlooking its namesake reservoir and promising a pub lunch to remember. Taken over last year by restaurateur Tom Lawson – former co-owner of Rafters and the culinary brains behind The Psalter – we needed little persuading to head for the hills and give it a whirl. WORDS: JOSEPH FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY: MARC BARKER
It is something of a cliché, but it never gets old how quickly Sheffield turns from city to countryside. One moment we’re driving past the modern trappings of Ecclesall Road – all micropubs and vape shops and bar-hopping students – the next, it’s undulating hills interspersed with dense woodland and tiny humanformed dots ascending ancient crags in the distance. It takes just 20 minutes to reach the Ladybower Inn, perched on a corner of the famous reservoir, with a stunning view of Bamford Edge to ogle from the tables out front. The stone frontage, hanging baskets and timber-framed windows give it the reassuring look of an old-school country inn, with recently refurbished rooms in the old coach house on display to the left. Inside, dog walkers and ramblers rub shoulders with city folk like us, betraying our identities by immediately scanning for the Wi-Fi password. The traditional feel continues as you’d expect inside: cosy surroundings, low-hanging beams and wooden chairs. The sort of place you’d put your house on getting a good, hearty feed. The menu is fairly compact, which is no bad thing, covering pub favourites such as steak and ale pie and beerbattered haddock alongside a few less expected temptations. Teriyaki wings and homemade crumpets with beer and cheddar rarebit caught our attention, so we ordered both to share before the mains. The wings were spot on, liberally coated in a sweet, sticky glaze. The crumpets, meanwhile, were a carby, cheesy belly-tickler – a very agreeable warm-up for the main events. 28 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
For the mains, we’d managed to assemble something of a holy trinity of British pub grub. My Cumberland sausage ring arrived nicely browned and generously herbed, sitting on the creamiest, butteriest mash I’ve encountered in some time. Rich onion gravy pooled around it, with the customary helping of fresh greens adding a bit of nutritional respectability to proceedings. Across the table, the steak and ale pie prompted similarly appreciative noises about the velvety mash, though the pie itself deserved top billing. A golden pastry case with a good bit of crumble gave way to tender beef in a rich, savoury filling. Add braised red cabbage and a jug of gravy for pouring at your own discretion, and you’ve got a pub pie doing everything it should. The
obligatory bottle of Hendo’s was within reach, naturally. Completing the trio was the Batemans beer-battered haddock, later pronounced by its recipient to be the best pub fish and chips he could recall. High praise indeed, but warranted by light, crisp batter encasing fish that fell away in big, delicate flakes, with hand-cut chips, mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce providing exactly the supporting cast you’d hope for. The chef – another former Rafters head – told me they’d recently changed fish supplier to ensure everything arrived as fresh as possible. On this evidence, I’d say the switch has certainly paid off. One of our number had tapped out by this point, but we, the remaining two, agreed that you haven’t done the full countryside pub meal experience without sampling the sticky toffee pudding. We quickly felt justified by the result: soft, yielding sponge with just enough firmness to hold its own in a generous pool of toffee sauce, alongside vanilla ice cream and a cinnamon crumb bringing crunch and spice. I’ve never regretted ordering sticky toffee pudding, and that streak remains happily intact. The verdict? We’re blessed in this neck of the woods with so many country pubs serving great traditional food, but the Ladybower Inn has definitely earned its place in that conversation. With less than a year under new management and a team who know their stuff, it already offers plenty of reasons to make the short trip out – and we’d expect it to get even better as they further settle in. So, next time you’re heading into the Peaks, pop in for a bite. Just take a healthy appetite – and don’t let anyone talk you out of dessert.
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WE ARE OPEN FOR LUNCH/ ® BRUNCH Ashoka Sheffield
FOOD & DRINK NEWS
A MOVEABLE FEAST
LICENCE TO GRILL
Independent burger restaurant Fat Hippo will open on Division Street on Friday 6 November, bringing “big burgers, filthy fries, loaded sides, big vibes” to the former Creams dessert parlour. Founded in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2010, the business will already be familiar to plenty of Sheffielders, having previously served up its burgers at the now-closed Kommune food hall in Castlegate and games bar Lane7 on the Moor. This time, Fat Hippo is getting a place of its own. The opening comes with a recently revamped menu promising bigger beef patties, new buns and a burger and side offer starting at £11.90. There’s plenty to get stuck into alongside the burgers, too. Starters include ‘frickles’ – fried pickles with Fat Hippo sauce – and corn ribs with smoked chilli butter, parmesan and chilli and lime salt. The Trash Browns tater tots are another popular choice with punters, complete with cream cheese aioli, chilli jam, jalapeños and a cheesy garlic crumb. Anyone leaving room for dessert can tackle Lamar’s Bar, a battered, deep-fried Mars bar served with salted caramel, chocolate sauce, Biscoff crumb and ice cream. Other options include the Biscoff-heavy Baby Spice, Gimme S’more! with torched marshmallow and an ice cream cookie sandwich. Fancy an early taste? The restaurant is giving away 10 ‘golden tickets’, each covering a meal for two at its pre-opening evening. To enter, head to @fathippofood on Instagram and follow the link in its bio.
Sheffield Food Tours has launched a self-guided city centre trail, taking in five independent food and drink venues with tastings included along the way. Created in partnership with Sheffield BID to coincide with last month’s Dine Sheffield event, the route focuses mainly on local street food. Visitors get a signature dish at four stops and a drink tasting at the fifth, following a digital guide on their phones. The format is designed to let people explore at their own pace, whether heading out solo, as a couple or with a group. With no guide setting the schedule, there’s room to linger over each stop and fit the trail around other city centre plans. Sophie Barber, founder of Sheffield Food Tours, said: “We have many brilliant independent venues in Sheffield. Teaming up with Sheffield BID to launch this alongside Dine Sheffield feels like the perfect fit. It gives people total flexibility to eat their way around 5 fantastic city centre venues in their own time.” Gift vouchers are available online for anyone looking to buy a tour as a Christmas present, with a number of experiences on offer. For more information about the differents tours on offer, head to sheffieldfoodtours.co.uk or follow @ sheffieldfoodtours on Instagram.
Find out more and view menus at fathippo.co.uk.
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FOOD & DRINK
GREETALY
Already an Exposed Award winner for its Greek-Italian restaurant, Greetaly in Oughtibridge is turning its attention to breakfast and brunch. With a new menu of freshly made dishes, quality coffee and an inviting cosy café space downstairs, could this be one of north Sheffield’s best-kept brunch secrets? As the colder months roll in, the appeal of a cosy café with steamy windows, paired with a decent coffee and a leisurely brunch becomes harder to resist. And while central Sheffield has no shortage of popular spots for an early weekend feed, those living further north might be pleased to hear that one of the city's most popular recent additions is getting in on the act. Since opening in March 2025, Greetaly has made quite an impression in Oughtibridge. The brainchild of restaurateur Michael Hayes and Italian chef Danilo Mirko Maugeri, its combination of Greek and Italian cooking has proved a hit with diners, even picking up Best New Restaurant at this year's Exposed Awards. Now, with the upstairs restaurant firmly established, the team is looking to make more of its inviting downstairs café space, introducing a new brunch menu designed to give people another reason to visit. "We've become well known for the evening restaurant, which is always busy, but we know there's room to grow our breakfast, brunch and lunch offering," explains Michael. "We've had ideas for a while about what we could do with the space. We already get people coming in for coffee and our Italian sandwiches, but we wanted to offer something more." 32 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
And something more is exactly what's arriving. The newbies include eggs Benedict with slow-cooked pulled pork, given a distinctly Sheffield twist with a good splash of Henderson's Relish, alongside freshly made hollandaise sauce. There's also creamy mushrooms with caramelised onions on toast, with the option to add poached eggs, plus eggs Florentine served on grilled sourdough with a choice of toppings. "We're foodies ourselves, so everything has to be right when it comes to flavour," says Michael. "We wanted to take familiar brunch dishes and put our own little spin on them, making sure the quality is there." It's a slight departure from the Mediterranean cooking that made Greetaly's name, but that's entirely intentional. While the restaurant's evening menu remains rooted in Greek and Italian traditions, the daytime offering is taking a more relaxed, bistro-
style approach. That doesn't mean abandoning the favourites. Rustic Italian sandwiches, Greek wraps and freshly prepared pastries remain part of the café's offering, while an afternoon tea with a Mediterranean twist is also proving popular. But you can forget the standard finger sandwiches and scones. Instead, guests can tuck into Italian deli-style sandwiches, cured meats, cheeses and taralli biscuits, followed by homemade tiramisu, cannoli, brownies and strawberries with cream. Then there's the coffee. Greetaly serves Caffè Vero, a premium Italian coffee brand, alongside hot chocolate and freshly baked treats from Sheffield's own Bullion Chocolate, including its popular cookies and brownies. Matcha options are also being expanded for the autumnal season. "We want to be known as one of the best places for coffee in north Sheffield," says Michael. "We've had really good feedback from customers already, and working with the best local suppliers like Bullion means we're offering something a bit special." For Michael, who lives locally, Oughtibridge's location is part of the appeal. Away from the bustle of the city centre, Greetaly has become something of a destination restaurant, attracting visitors from across Yorkshire and beyond. "Oughtibridge is a beautiful place,
but you don't necessarily get the same passing trade as you would in town," he explains. "People make the effort to come here, so you've got to give them a reason. We've had customers travelling from Leeds, Manchester and Wakefield because they've heard about us or seen what we're doing online." And with the colder weather setting in, the timing couldn’t be better. The downstairs space, with its warm colours and relaxed atmosphere, was always intended to feel different from the busy restaurant above. "Since opening, we wanted downstairs to be a warm and welcoming coffee shop space where people could enjoy good hot drinks and brunch," says Michael. "Now we're really putting our attention into making that side of Greetaly as good as it can be." Greetaly is open daily from 9am at 9 Langsett Road, Oughtibridge. Follow @thegreetaly on socials for updates.
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Christmas at Longbow Venues Six ways to celebrate the festive season in the Peak District From cosy village pubs and countryside escapes to refined dining and Art Deco glamour, Christmas looks a little different at each Longbow venue.
Celebrate the season with festive menus available from 27th November, with two courses for £32.50 or three for £39*. From Monday to Thursday until 17th December, My Longbow members can enjoy three courses for the price of two. *Two courses for £48, three for £60 at The Peacock at Rowlsey
The Maynard
The George
The Ashford Arms
Grindleford, S32 2HE
Hathersage, S32 1BB
Ashford-in-the-Water, DE45 1QB
19 boutique bedrooms, festive feasts and a full calendar of Christmas events. Cosy lunches, Afternoon Tea with Santa, live music and New Year’s Eve make The Maynard a great base for the festive season.
A proper village Christmas in Hathersage, with cosy corners, crackling fires and 24 bedrooms. Settle in for locally sourced festive meals, afternoon tea and good company, then stay the night in comfort.
Stone fireplaces, 9 boutique bedrooms and a relaxed Christmas in one of the Peak District’s prettiest villages. Enjoy a festive meal, explore the countryside or nearby Bakewell, then retreat for the night.
the-maynard.com | 01433 424110
thegeorgehathersage.com | 01433 650436
theashfordarms.com | 01629 690490
The Peacock at Owler Bar
The Peacock at Rowsley Rowsley, DE4 2EB
The Charleston
Bakewell, DE45 1BT
Take in sweeping views of the Peak District while settling into the festive season. Breakfast with Santa, fireside drinks and relaxed Christmas meals make The Peacock at Owler Bar a welcoming place to celebrate.
Refined dining, festive menus and a little Christmas luxury in the Peak District. Try our £85pp Saturday tasting menu, join us for wreath making or celebrate New Year’s Eve with our £155pp tasting menu.
Art Deco glamour meets a little Roaring Twenties magic in the heart of Bakewell. Brunch with Santa, festive brunches, stylish dinners, live jazz and New Year’s Eve bring plenty of sparkle to the season.
peacockowlerbar.com | 0114 3037074
thepeacockatrowsley.com | 01629 733518
the-charleston.com | 01629 692892
Owler Bar, S17 3BQ
Wreath Making at The Peacock at Rowsley
Friday 4th December • Tickets £45 per person
Get into the festive spirit with a relaxed morning of wreath making on Friday 4th December, 10am–12pm. Make a morning of it by including a festive afternoon tea with a complimentary glass of fizz for £37pp.
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BRUNCH MONDAY - FRIDAY | 12PM - 4PM
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olia n A From mth wh war
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There aren’t many occasions when centuries-old drinks recipes, Roman glassmaking and a live performance by ambient electronica pioneers The Black Dog share a programme. But Festival of the Mind has always enjoyed making unusual connections – particularly between Sheffield’s academic minds and the artists who can help bring their research to life. Delivered by the University of Sheffield, the free festival returns to city centre venues from 6–15 November, with 43 projects spanning exhibitions, performances, films, talks and interactive activities. You could find yourself stepping inside an immersive starbirth installation or sampling a historical tipple, with opportunities to explore everything from fusion energy to sustainable futures along the way. Now in its eighth edition, the festival has attracted more than 200,000 visitors since launching in 2012. This year also marks a farewell: co-founder and director Prof Vanessa Toulmin is stepping down after 15 years at the helm, having first developed the idea following a conversation with friend and local sculptor Anthony Bennett. Ahead of this edition, Exposed caught up with Vanessa and fellow organiser Greg Oldfield, head of public engagement at the University of Sheffield, to discuss memorable collaborations, the joy of taking research beyond campus and what comes next for a festival rooted in the city’s creativity.
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Vanessa, take us back to that first conversation with Anthony Bennett over 15 years ago. What did Festival of the Mind need to bring to Sheffield that was missing at the time? VT: Festival of the Mind grew out of two things happening simultaneously: a push for greater public engagement with and awareness of higher education research, and my return from Blackpool after being asked to serve as a co-investigator on a major public engagement funding bid to UKRI. The seeds were planted, funding was available to bid for and all we needed was a programme that was innovative and distinctly different from what other universities were doing. Having attended various academic festivals as a researcher, I often found their approach to engagement a bit amateurish, formulaic and lacking in production value – keep in mind, my background is as a circus and outdoor events producer! That was the core concept and the underlying need. Anthony Bennett had already worked with me for five years on projects such as Ohmy, Barnum and my 2012 Roundhouse show Professor Vanessa’s Performing Wonders. When we spoke, he expressed a desire for a mechanism that would foster broader partnerships across academic disciplines. With those core principles set, it was up to me to devise and produce a full programme, securing venues, funding, production teams and participants. I brought in key partners from the production world, such as Scott Barton from Yellow Bus, to make the external aspects of the festival work. Greg, for anyone who’s never been, how would you describe the festival? GO: Festival of the Mind is the University of Sheffield’s flagship public engagement festival, designed to firmly place world-class academic research at the heart of the city. It’s where researchers and creatives collaborate to build something unique, captivating and fun for everyone. What I love most is that there really is something for
everybody: whatever your background or interests, you’ll find something that sparks curiosity or encourages you to view a topic through a fresh lens. Pairing academics with local artists can produce some unexpected results. Is there a collaboration over the years that particularly sticks in your mind? VT: My favourite collaboration was between Prof Sharron Hinchliff and artist Pete McKee, exploring the sex lives of people over 50. Maybe that’s because I’m over 50 myself now! But joking aside, it was such an important project, delivered with real humour, subtlety and a fantastic partnership. Beyond individual pairings, another highlight was bringing in the Spiegeltent, devising Futurecade and taking over Castle House and Castlegate alongside John Moreland and Human Studio. The work we did around Castlegate helped unlock substantial funding for Sheffield city council, making a huge impact on the city and playing a vital role in the broader work on Sheffield Castle. GO: One of my personal favourites was Resurrection, a collaboration between Dr Tori Herridge and artist Paul Evans featuring life-size charcoal drawings and projections of two extinct elephant species: a massive four-metre-tall steppe mammoth, depicted in a drawing measuring 5 metres by 5 metres, and a one-metre-tall Sicilian dwarf elephant. By using charcoal, an ancient cave art
medium, the exhibition drew striking contrasts between scale, emotion and humanity’s urge to imitate nature through technology. As a big science fiction fan, I also loved Prof Ed Daw’s partnership with the musical theatre company Leo & Hyde to create Inside Out: A Dark Matter Musical. It took audiences directly into the quantum realm to explain how physicists search for hidden particles – and Ed even played the piano! This year’s programme covers everything from star formation to centuries-old drinks recipes. How do
you turn such varied research into something people can connect with and enjoy? GO: In reality, preparations begin a year in advance with the Ideas Bazaar, where academics exchange ideas with local creative partners, artists, filmmakers, musicians, digital creators and performers. Matching academic expertise with regional creative talent ensures that complex research is reimagined through compelling storytelling, visual media and hands-on interaction. We also ensure that even the most complex subjects connect back to
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THINGS TO DO FESTIVAL OF THE MIND everyday life. By framing research around shared human themes – such as health, local heritage, climate change and sustainability – we help audiences feel a direct personal connection to the topics. Finally, it comes down to the variety of formats. Rather than relying on traditional academic lectures, projects are co-produced with creatives using media such as virtual reality, mixed reality and interactive digital exhibits that allow audiences to physically or visually experience topics such as astrophysics or environmental science. Historical narratives and health research are brought to life through performance, music, botanical illustrations and interactive workshops that invite active public participation. Vanessa, with this being your final festival as director, what will you miss most – and what would you most like to see carried forward? VT: The festival will naturally continue to evolve. I shaped much of its direction, venue choices and production style over the first decade, but things have matured significantly and there are far more venues available now. I was a bit disappointed we couldn’t use the old Cole Brothers building, but then again, having done a full department store takeover in 2014, we didn’t necessarily need to repeat it! What I’ll miss most is learning about my academic colleagues’ incredible research. For six months every two
WHATEVER YOUR BACKGROUND OR INTERESTS, YOU’LL FIND SOMETHING THAT SPARKS CURIOSITY OR ENCOURAGES YOU TO VIEW A TOPIC THROUGH A FRESH LENS.” 38 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
years, I become a walking Wikipedia of fascinating and complex insights into our world-leading research, which is a rare gift and a privilege. As long as that spirit carries forward – and as long as it never becomes amateur or boring – I’ll be delighted with whatever comes next. Looking beyond this edition, how will the university build on what Vanessa and the team have created, and what might the festival’s next chapter look like? GO: We fully intend to build on Vanessa’s phenomenal legacy by continuing the successful model of pairing academics with creative partners to deliver an ambitious, engaging programme that deeply resonates with the public. We will always champion cutting-edge research that showcases our university’s excellence, while exploring new ways to reach different communities, including taking Festival of the Mind directly out into neighbourhood spaces across the region. When someone heads home after a day at Festival of the Mind, what do you hope they’ll have experienced or discovered? VT: Engaging, fascinating and complex research that makes them think, inspires them and explains the world around them – and that it was fun! My all-time favourite piece of feedback came during our very first festival in 2012. Someone left a Post-it note on one of the exhibition tables that read: “I could never afford to go to the University of Sheffield, but this week the University of Sheffield came to me.” Honestly, I cried. That note has stayed with me through all 14 years since. I will miss the festival dearly, but I know it’s in wonderful hands.
FESTIVAL OF THE MIND RUNS FROM 6–15 NOVEMBER, WITH FREE EVENTS ACROSS SHEFFIELD CITY CENTRE. FIND THE FULL PROGRAMME AT FESTIVALOFTHEMIND. SHEFFIELD.AC.UK OR SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW.
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COMING THIS MONTH
From a return to the Hunger Games arena to Johnny Depp’s take on Ebenezer Scrooge, there’s plenty to get stuck into on the big screen this November.
I PLAY ROCKY
A struggling actor with a partially paralysed face and a speech impediment writes a script that a big film studio wants to buy, but he refuses to sell it unless he gets to play the lead. Turning down an offer of life-changing money, he instead works for pennies to get the film made with himself in the starring role.
THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping returns to the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, beginning on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. Release date: 20 November // Director: Francis Lawrence // Cast: Joseph Zada, Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Kieran Culkin
GODZILLA MINUS ZERO
War reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into the minus. Two years have passed, and the country has endured an agonising struggle to recover and reclaim everyday life. Just as humanity begins to enjoy a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant. Release date: 6 November Director: Takashi Yamazaki Cast: Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Miou Tanaka
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WICKER
On the outskirts of a village by the sea lives a fisherwoman: smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed. Fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbours, she commissions a husband made from wicker. In the otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos. Release date: 30 October Directors: Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson Cast: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, Richard E Grant
WILD HORSE NINE
Set in 1973, during the US’s attempt to overthrow the Chilean government, a government hitman with connections to the JFK assassination suddenly realises that his own people have put a hit on him to cover up the mess.
Release date: 6 November Director: Martin McDonagh Cast: John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Parker Posey
Release date: 6 November Director: Peter Farrelly Cast: Anthony Ippolito, AnnaSophia Robb, PJ Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Matt Dillon, Stephan James
EBENEZER
The classic Christmas tale, told like never before. Johnny Depp takes a turn as literature’s most infamous festive miser, joined by a star-studded cast for a ghostly journey through Christmases past, present and yet to come.
Release date: 13 November Director: Ti West Cast: Johnny Depp, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlie Murphy, Tramell Tillman, Ian McKellen
SCAN THE QR CODE FOR THE FULL LISTINGS AT VUE CINEMAS SHEFFIELD
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NIGHTLIFE: NICHE Why is now the right time to bring Niche back to Sheffield? Drew: The genres associated with it, especially bassline, have really taken hold across the world. We’ve seen it pop up in the States, Japan and Southeast Asia. I think we have distanced ourselves far enough from our troubled past with the brand. It just seemed like the right time to do it. The hospitality and club scenes have nearly recovered from lockdown and Covid, and now it seems like the right point to give Niche another chance.
More than 20 years after the original Sidney Street nightclub closed, one of Sheffield’s most recognisable names in dance music is back. Ahead of its October relaunch at Network, Max Hayward caught up with the team behind Niche’s revival to talk about its complicated history, the enduring appeal of bassline and their ambitions to take the Sheffield sound worldwide. Few Sheffield nightclubs have left a legacy quite like Niche. More than two decades after the original Sidney Street venue closed its doors, the name still carries considerable weight in the city’s dance music scene. For a generation of clubbers, it was the spiritual home of bassline – a sound that emerged from speed garage, took on a life of its own and became so closely associated with the venue that it was simply known as ‘Niche music’. The original club, run by Steve and Kate Baxendale, became a fixture of the city's nightlife scene before its closure in 2005. Its reputation was complicated, with the venue attracting both a fiercely loyal following and attention from the authorities. But its musical influence extended well beyond Sidney Street, helping establish a distinctly Sheffield sound that would find audiences across the UK and, eventually, further afield. The Niche name lived on through subsequent incarnations at venues including Club Vibe and the Wicker Arches, although neither matched =the impact of the original. Following another closure in 2018, the brand’s future remained uncertain. Meanwhile, the music continued to evolve, with a new generation of DJs and producers drawing on the bass-heavy sound that helped put Sheffield on the map. Now, under new ownership, Niche has been given a fresh lease of life. The latest chapter began with a relaunch at Network on Saturday 17 October. 44 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Michelle Platnum, Bassboy and several DJs associated with the original era were among those on the bill, alongside artists representing the city’s newer underground sounds. The choice of venue was no coincidence. Network occupies a building with its own connections to Niche’s history, having previously housed Capitol, one of Steve Baxendale’s early club ventures. But the new team have ambitions that stretch beyond Sheffield, with plans for events across the UK, a record label and, potentially, an international audience. Ahead of the relaunch, Max Hayward caught up with operating director Drew Garber and brand director Fraser Rowlin to discuss the challenges of reviving a name with such a complicated past, the changing face of bassline and their hopes for the next generation of local talent.
How will you disassociate the new Niche from the venue’s troubled past? Fraser: There has been such an improvement in technology, with clubs being able to have facial recognition ID scanners. It’s a completely different world nowadays from what it was when it first opened over three decades ago. The landscape of nightclubbing and that sort of scene has completely changed. Niche was an underground club where the music was not as commercialised, whereas now it’s played on mainstream radio. It’s totally changed. We’ve got new people in to help. We’ve got a health and safety officer who will be at events, with numerous other things in place to stop anything unsafe from occurring. What role do you see it playing in the city's ecosystem and where could it go? Fraser: It’s probably got to be the night itself. With loads of new students coming into the city and younger generations who have heard about it, I think people were waiting for it to come back. There have been the odd pop-ups here and there over the last few years, but since last year, there’s been nothing. What we want to do is support upand-coming artists. It’s not about any one individual; this is about helping new acts have a platform. So, new guys coming onto the scene and DJing at the nights and events, bringing people onto the record label, helping push new talent and getting them globally recognised. Obviously, we want to put events on throughout the UK and branch out, if we can, into the States and Europe. We would also like to bring some cool merchandise along the way. You look at something like Defected Records or Boiler Room – they’re killing it. They’ve done such a good job, and it’d be amazing if you could take a Sheffield brand to that level. Why did you choose Network as your launch venue, and how will Sheffield artists be featured?
NICHE SHEFFIELD – A BRIEF HISTORY 1992 – NICHE OPENS ITS DOORS Steve Baxendale opens Niche in a former cutlery warehouse on Sidney Street. Initially playing house music, the club becomes a destination for speed garage and the developing bassline sound, attracting crowds from across the North and Midlands.
LATE 1990S–EARLY 2000S – THE NICHE SOUND TAKES SHAPE Resident DJs including Jamie Duggan, Shaun ‘Banger’ Scott and Nev Wright help develop a sound built around warped bass, shuffling beats and R&B vocals. Mix CDs and recordings passed between clubbers carry the music far beyond Sheffield. The club becomes so closely associated with the emerging genre that bassline is often simply called ‘Niche’.
NOVEMBER 2005 – THE ORIGINAL CLUB CLOSES
Drew: We’ll start locally, but we’re happy to take talent wherever they come from. The line-up includes a lot of people from Sheffield as well as people from further afield. We want to work with anyone who wants to work with us. We want to play around in different places. It’s more of a touring project than a single static club. The thing with Network is that it has a history with Niche. The original owner and creator, Steve Baxendale, had one of his first clubs in that building back in the day when it was called Capitol, which was what existed before he set up Niche. So, it’s a fitting first venue for the relaunch. Who would be your dream booking? Fraser: Silva Bumpa is big on our watchlist. Drew: If not him, it would be either Interplanetary Criminal or Dizzee Rascal, as he’s a fantastic act to work with. We saw him at Tramlines and he was awesome. He's also just released a bassline track. If the walls of the original Niche could talk, what would they say? Drew: What happens at Niche stays at Niche. Which single track best defines the Niche sound? Drew: The first track I ever heard that I recognised as bassline was probably ‘Heartbroken’. At the time, it just exploded across the UK, so I think that’s the easiest
one to recall. But then there were also plenty of tracks by artists like DJ Q. How did the opening night event go down? Drew: We had two stages, essentially. On the first stage, leaning more towards a classic Niche sound with associated artists from back in the day. Headlining was Michelle Platnum. There was Bassboy doing a live show, alongside Kaylee, and DJ EJ with Zoe performing over the top of his set. Nev Wright and Don Brown also doing a back-to-back Sidney Street set. There were some of the older associated heads like Jon Buccieri and DJ Richard, plus an up-and-coming talent, Sam Baker, taking care of that main room. In the other room, on stage two, there was a focus on the new era of what happened after Niche, with artists like Thorpey, DJ Spenno and JTJ. They’re representing some new Sheffield sounds, giving an insight into what’s next. The original Niche helped pioneer a distinct bassline sound. What will the new era bring? Drew: That’s the thing with music, man. It’ll evolve the way it does depending on the producers and the people we get involved with, and we’re not going to stunt its growth in any way. If something new and cool comes out of it, yeah, I’d consider that a success.
Around 300 police officers raid the Sidney Street venue as part of Operation Repatriation, following concerns over drugs and violence. The club closes, although no arrests are made during the raid. Its closure becomes one of the most controversial chapters in Sheffield’s nightlife history.
2007 – BASSLINE BREAKS INTO THE MAINSTREAM T2’s ‘Heartbroken’, featuring Jodie Aysha, reaches number two in the UK singles chart. The track becomes one of bassline’s defining crossover hits, introducing millions of listeners to a sound developed in clubs across Yorkshire and the Midlands.
2009–2018 – NEW HOMES, FAMILIAR NAME The Niche name returns through various Sheffield incarnations, including Club Vibe and the Wicker Arches. Further controversies and closures follow, with the brand’s previous chapter ending in 2018.
17 OCTOBER 2026 – A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS Niche returns to Sheffield with a tworoom relaunch at Network, bringing together DJs associated with the original club and artists representing the next generation of bassline.
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MUSIC: CORPORATION
Backstage Pass We had some fantastic live music moments this month, with sold-out shows from Jessops, Hayseed Dixie bringing their unique hillbilly stylings and a big shout-out to Belphegor, who were held up at customs but managed to make it to the venue just as doors opened before putting on an incredible show! Decendancy played their homecoming show following an appearance at Bloodstock, having won this year's Metal 2 the Masses competition. And to the man who attended Punk Rock Factory dressed as SpongeBob SquarePants, then was still spotted in the venue at 2am, we applaud your commitment to the outfit. How can we talk about October without mentioning Halloween? We can’t, so here we go… You sold out not one, not two, but three incredible Halloween club nights, with the most impressive array of costumes we’ve ever seen. When the occasion calls for fancy dress, you guys really know how to deliver. You packed the place out for the One Direction vs 5 Seconds of Summer takeover and showed off just how many songs from your childhood you remember at the Disney & Nickelodeon party, Freak the Freak Out! Just in case you missed the memo, New Year's Eve tickets are now officially on sale, so if you want to keep the party going all the way to the end of the year, grab yours before it’s too late!
WHAT’S ON?
SHEFF’S BIGGEST NYE BASH 31 DEC // £12+BF (FIRST RELEASE) Corp is gearing up to see out 2026 in typically raucous fashion, with four rooms of music, a midnight fireworks display from the venue’s roof and drinks prices that won’t suddenly shoot up for New Year’s Eve. Whatever your musical tastes, there’s a dancefloor with your name on it. The Main Room will be dishing out huge singalong anthems, while Room 2 goes big on pop, cheesy classics and noughties throwbacks. Indie fans can head to Room 3 for the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The 1975 and Sam Fender, while Local Authority will be turning things up with rock, metal, emo and alternative bangers. IMPERICON FESTIVAL PRESENTS DEATH DOMINION EU 2026 6 NOV // £30+BF Three heavyweights of extreme metal join forces for a punishing tripleheader. Montreal deathcore pioneers Despised Icon bring their crushing riffs and hardcore grit, alongside Californian deathcore veterans Carnifex and New York death metal legends Suffocation. OVERPASS OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY & DJ SET 6 NOV // £8-£9+BF The official afterparty for Overpass’ gig at Electric studios with special guests… Overpass! After their sold-out show, keep the night going with the band themselves in Local Authority. SKIDS & THEATRE OF HATE 19 NOV // £30+BF Two influential names from the UK punk and post-punk scenes join forces for a co-headline tour. Scottish punk veterans Skids bring classics including ‘Into the Valley’ and ‘The Saints Are Coming’, while Kirk Brandon’s Theatre of Hate deliver their trademark dark, brooding post-punk sound. BIG COUNTRY 22 NOV // £32+BF Scottish rock favourites Big Country return with founding guitarist Bruce Watson keeping the band’s legacy alive. Expect soaring guitar riffs and anthemic classics including ‘In a Big Country’, ‘Wonderland’ and ‘Look Away’, alongside special guests Evan Peters Presents The Alarm. NOVACAINE FESTIVAL 28 NOV // £30+BF Following a near sell-out debut in 2025, Novacaine Festival returns with another stacked line-up of rising UK alternative acts. Post-hardcore heavyweights As Everything Unfolds headline, joined by Tropic Gold, TheCityIsOurs and FOXHAUNT for a night of crushing riffs, big choruses and high-energy performances, with more acts still to be announced. WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 47
HERE’S THE DEAL
A sold-out Octagon, a packed Tramlines main stage crowd and now a record deal – The Rosadocs have had a fair bit to shout about this year. With their debut album taking shape and support slots with Milburn in the diary, the Sheffield four-piece are heading out on an autumn tour that brings them home for two nights at Crookes Social Club. Exposed caught up with resident guitarist and ivory-tinkler Myles Henderson to talk big choruses, intimate venues and what comes next. WORDS: LOWRI RENNICK
For any readers who haven’t had a listen yet, can you tell us a bit about your sound and where you drew inspiration from? I’d say it’s good old-fashioned northern indie rock with anthemic choruses. We have very disparate tastes individually, so the outcome is a bit of a melting pot. There’s a record deal and debut album on the way, as well as your upcoming tour. How are you feeling about the busy year ahead? Great! It feels like the culmination of a lot of years spent in studios and vans. It will be an incredibly proud moment when the record “hits the shelves”, so to speak. You’ll be performing alongside local indie legends Milburn in some huge venues – what would you say are the best things to come from that connection?
Yes, in some rooms we have always wanted to play, too. I think just being associated with a Sheffield band who carry that kind of legacy is an honour and an indication that we must be doing something right! You started out in the city’s grassroots scene, and scenes like this across the country have been under increasing pressure since Covid. What impact did those roots have on you, and how important are smaller venues to the wider music ecosystem? Well, if it weren’t for the little rooms, nobody would ever have seen us in the bigger ones. We were all shaped massively by our local indie and rock scenes. It’s about so much more than just music – it’s a sense of community and shared understanding. I think there’s a sad irony to the fact that, at a time when people seem increasingly interested in
I THINK THERE’S A SAD IRONY TO THE FACT THAT, AT A TIME WHEN PEOPLE SEEM INCREASINGLY INTERESTED IN SPENDING THEIR MONEY ON EXPERIENCES, WE DON’T SEEM TO BE INVESTING IN THE SCENES THAT WILL PRODUCE THE FUTURE HEADLINERS…” spending their money on experiences, we don’t seem to be investing in the scenes that will produce the future headliners we will later spend the big bucks to experience. Hear, hear! How did your new record deal come about? It was the result of coming up through our scene and meeting a lot of new people. Thankfully, our wonderful management helped us navigate the options and we collectively decided on Tritone. Can you tell us anything about your upcoming album? We have been working on the record for the past few months at Kempston Street Studios in Liverpool. It’s the best mix of new and old material, which we have managed to pull together and really
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create a special album out of. What do you hope people take away from your music? Honestly, we really just hope that people can relate to our songs, stories and ideas. If they feel as fulfilled as we do creating them, then we’ll have done our job. It’s a busy touring schedule planned for the autumn – how’ve you been coping? All good – we’ve consistently toured and played festivals for years now. We’re used to it. We didn’t fully anticipate jumping on to the Milburn tour in amongst our own dates, but it’s nothing a couple of hotels and strong coffees won’t sort out. Finally, what do you think audiences
will most enjoy about your upcoming shows? No spoilers, but there may be new tunes on the setlist! Aside from that, we are just playing really well at the moment. We have honed our craft over the festival period and are ready to take that out on a full-length run of shows. And is there anything else you’d like to add? Well, thanks for having me, for a start. Otherwise, we are massively looking forward to seeing everyone on tour and getting this record out there! The Rosadocs play Crookes Social Club on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 November. For tickets and the full autumn tour dates, head to therosadocs.com.
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GROOVE IS IN THE ART
Seven decades of Sheffield music are taking over Memory Dance, with a free exhibition bringing together photographs, films, flyers and more from the city’s independent music history. Running until 4 November at the Chapel Walk gallery, record shop and mini cinema, Groovy, Laidback & Nasty – The Exhibition sees Memory Dance team up with Sheffield journalist Daniel Dylan Wray to bring his acclaimed gospel on Steel City music off the page. Published in May, Groovy, Laidback & Nasty: A History of Independent Music in Sheffield draws on more than 150 original interviews to trace the city’s musical development across seven decades. Its scope stretches from post-war dance halls to contemporary indie and electronic music, taking in post-punk, pop, metal, bassline and bleep techno along the way. That breadth carries through to the exhibition, which gives bands and dance music space alongside each other. Expect material spanning Warp and Self Esteem, Pulp and The Human League, with ABC, Clock DVA, Richard Hawley and Arctic Monkeys among the other names represented. There’s also a special nod to Cabaret Voltaire. With the exhibition coinciding
with what’s being touted as the group’s final UK show, the venue's mini cinema houses an audiovisual wall recognising their pioneering use of film and video. A rotating selection of films and music videos changes each week, giving returning visitors something different to catch. Beyond the familiar faces, the exhibition explores the clubs, labels and institutions that helped make those sounds possible. Photographs, posters, flyers and other ephemera offer a route into the spaces and scenes where Sheffield’s musical identity took shape, while films and music videos add another dimension to the story. In a city whose musical history is often told through its biggest bands, the emphasis on club culture is somewhat unique. Heaving dancefloors, industrial settings and innovative electronic experimentation are given the same weight of importance to the narrative. The Memory Dance venue, which can be found at 21 Chapel Walk, opened in June this year and brings together several ways of discovering music culture under one roof: a gallery to explore, records to browse and a subterranean cinema in which to spend a little longer with the moving-image material. Groovy, Laidback & Nasty runs until 4 November. Free entry. ataMemoryDanceChaWalk, Sheffield city centre. Entry is free.
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WHAT’S ON AT PERFORMANCE VENUES: NOVEMBER ONWARD
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MARIAM SINGS AMADOU & MARIAM
T H U 8PM | OCTAGON CENTRE NOV‘26 Vibrant, Malian, worldbeat tunes from a legend of African music. Featuring music from the duo Amadou & Mariam, as well as new work by Mariam herself.
16 M O N NOV‘26
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THE PANIC ROOM 8PM | OCTAGON CENTRE A hybrid of dance and drama. Driving choreography, fractured dialogue and relentless tension make The Panic Room a psychological thriller in motion. A World Premiere by PCK Dance.
10 THE HUNNA T H U DEC‘26
T H U NOV‘26
8PM | OCTAGON CENTRE Since first steering their golden rover into swift public acclaim back in 2020, Leeds quartet Yard Act have become one of the great UK indie success stories of the decade so far.
18 MOTHER COMPUTER W E D NOV‘26
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NISH KUMAR 7:30PM | OCTAGON CENTRE
F R I N O V ‘ 2 6 Kumar is 40. His mind is breaking. His body is worse. Expect existential angst and political disquiet from comedy’s cheekiest boy.
26 T H U NOV‘26
After over a decade of music and touring, 2026 will be the final chance to see the band in action. Share one last big party with them and their ever dedicated fan base.
8PM | OCTAGON CENTRE Massive choruses, gritty guitars, thunderous riffs, and an incredible live chemistry. The Brummieband continue to break barriers, redefining what is possible for an independent act.
8PM | OCTAGON CENTRE
Ancient folklore collides with imagined futures in this bold and visually captivating dance performance. This word explores how stories of womenhood are carried, inherited and reimagined.
25 LAMBCHOP W E D NOV‘26
7:30PM | OCTAGON CENTRE
10 THE CLAUSE F R I NOV‘26
12 YARD ACT
THE FAREWELL TOUR
8PM | OCTAGON CENTRE
After a run of memorable shows, including appearances at London’s Barbican and Primavera Sound, Lambchop return to Europe and the UK for a new series of intimate performances.
Bongo’s Bingo is THE definitive bingo experience. It’s a wild shared social extravaganza. Expect big cash prizes, dance-offs, rave intervals and more all here at the Octagon Centre!
UPCOMING DATES
THE SNUTS
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8PM | OCTAGON CENTRE
6PM doors | 7:30PM last entry
Scottish indie-rockers The Snuts will be bringing their signature sound to the Octagon, following the release of the highly anticipated album Joy in Short Moments in October.
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6PM doors | 7:30PM last entry
SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR FULL LISTINGS THROUGH TO 2027: PERFORMANCEVENUES.GROUP.SHEF.AC.UK
DOING THE GROUNDWORK From Cabaret Voltaire’s industrial experiments to the inclusive spaces nurturing growing scenes today, a new short doc traces the people and places behind Sheffield’s electronic music story. Filmmaker Jordan Carroll tells Exposed what he discovered along the way.
WORDS: JOE FOOD
From the Ground Up: How Sheffield Inspired the Evolution of Electronic Music traces the city’s journey from the industrial, avant garde experiments of Cabaret Voltaire through to the grassroots venues nurturing the scenes of the future. Created by local filmmaker Jordan Carroll and commissioned by Marketing Sheffield as part of its Sheffield Inspires campaign, the film features artists, DJs and venue owners whose work has helped shape the city’s sound over the decades. Among them are Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder, Warp Records co-founder Rob Gordon, DJ and producer Toddla T and Katie Matthews, co-founder of independent music venue Gut Level. Their stories are threaded together through narration by journalist Daniel Dylan Wray, whose book Groovy Laidback & Nasty: A History of Independent Music in Sheffield helped inform the documentary. Jordan tells Exposed he learned plenty along the way, explaining that he initially expected the film’s early chapters on electronic pop to focus on the Human League’s commercial success. But researching the Cabs revealed a story he felt deserved more attention, particularly among younger viewers. “At first, I think I didn’t fully understand how important Cabaret Voltaire were,” he admits. “I’m 35, so you can class
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me as a millennial, and I’d kind of missed them somehow – and I think that could be the same for other younger generations. So I wanted to acknowledge that, as there’s something about the Cabaret Voltaire sound that is a bit more DIY, underground and grassroots, and that angle was really important to the story we were telling.” From there, the film follows the synthpop revolution through to the emergence of club nights such as Jive Turkey, the formation of Warp Records in the late 1980s and the sweaty, euphoric dancefloors of the Gatecrasher era. It moves on to Sidney Street’s Niche and bassline era in the 2000s before arriving at modern-day spaces such as Gut Level, where new generations continue to
carve out creative spaces for themselves. The sounds may vary significantly from decade to decade, but Jordan sees a shared spirit running through them. “The thing with all of these different scenes, it’s people doing things for themselves. We don’t need some big commercial thing to come from Manchester or London and be like, ‘This is the new way or place to have fun.’ The best things are created by and for the people here.” He points to parts of the city’s industrial legacy – namely its old warehouses and abandoned factories – as an important part of this, giving people somewhere to try out ideas and throw parties. Just as striking was the mix of people visible in the archive footage he uncovered, with venues and club nights often bringing different communities together on the dancefloor. “A lot of these clubs and spaces were really good at bringing different ethnicities and cultures together,” he says. “If you look at the Jive Turkey nights, it's a perfect example of that. You see that continued today with spaces like Gut Level: it’s a safe space, it’s inclusive. There’s so much hate these days,
especially in online rhetoric, but I think the film is a reminder that we work stronger when we come together.” More than anything, Jordan hopes the documentary will encourage more people to dig into the city’s musical past and recognise its often-underrated contribution. “Daniel mentions in the doc that Sheffield often goes under the radar,” he says, “and that’s why he wrote the book – to give props to Sheffield and plant a flag for its place in music history. I think it deserves to have its moment, and Sheffielders definitely deserve to watch things that celebrate their city and help bring us all together.”
WATCH THE FILM Scan the QR code on this page to watch From the Ground Up: How Sheffield Inspired the Evolution of Electronic Music.
THE THING WITH ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT SCENES, IT’S PEOPLE DOING THINGS FOR THEMSELVES … THE BEST THINGS ARE CREATED BY AND FOR THE PEOPLE HERE.”
Friday 27 Nov 2026
Thursday 5 Nov 2026
The Entitled Sons £16.00 · Doors 7:00 pm Friday 6 Nov 2026
Craig Charles Funk & soul house party £20.00 · Doors 7:00 pm Tuesday 10 Nov 2026
Becky Hill Bear Tree Records
Album launch party · Doors 7:00 pm Thursday 12 Nov 2026
Mike Joyce & Stephen Street
Saturday 20 Mar 2027
Northside
Erasured
Saturday 28 Nov 2026
Friday 2 Apr 2027
£20.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
£22.50 · Doors 6:30 pm
£25.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
£19.50 · Doors 7:30 pm
The Bracknall Sunday 6 Dec 2026
Bleech 9:3
Manchester Calling
SOLD OUT
£17.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
Monday 12 Apr 2027
The Rumpled £25.00 · Doors 7:30 pm
Friday 11 Dec 2026
Monday 19 Apr 2027
£22.50 · Doors 7:30 pm
£20.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
Connor Mclain
Willie J Healey
Saturday 12 Dec 2026
Thursday 22 Apr 2027
In conversation £27.50 · Doors 7:00 pm
£32.00 · Doors 5:30 pm
Under Pressure £28.50 · Doors 7:00 pm
Friday 13 Nov 2026
Perfectly George Rob Lamberti
Friday 30 Apr 2027
Saturday 23 Jan 2027
30 year anniversary of OK Computer £20.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
Indiepalooza Indie tribute festival
Friday 18 Dec 2026
The Tumbling Paddies £25.00 · Doors 7:30 pm
£31.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
Bad Girls of Country
Saturday 21 Nov 2026
The Smyths
£25.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
£20.00 · Doors 7:30 pm
Saturday 6 Feb 2027
Day Discos £25.00 · Doors 3:00 pm · 18+ Saturday 14 Nov 2026
Country Day Party Saturday 19 Dec 2026
Whatever Oasis tribute
80s Day Party
£18.00 · Doors 7:30 pm
Saturday 6 Mar 2027
Rock Day Party
Tuesday 2 Mar 2027
Finn Forster
Saturday 1 May 2027
West End Day Party
Arkayla
SOLD OUT
Livewire
Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg Saturday 13 Feb 2027
Thursday 6 May 2027
Friday 14 May 2027
£16.00 · Doors 7:30 pm
£32.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
Just Radiohead
£19.25 · Doors 7:30 pm
Knotslip Sunday 7 Feb 2027
Danny Bowes (Of Thunder)
ACDC tribute £20.00 · Doors 7:00 pm Saturday 29 May 2027
The Smiths Ltd £20.00 · Doors 7:00 pm Saturday 3 Jul 2027
The Bon Jovi Experience £20.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
£15.00 · Doors 7:30 pm
Friday 6 Nov 2026
Stuart Goldsmith £15.00 · Doors 7:00 pm Saturday 7 Nov 2026
Hannah East
£24.00 · Doors 2:00 pm / 7:00 pm Saturday 7 Nov 2026
Amy Matthews £14.00 · Doors 6:30 pm
Wednesday 11 Nov 2026
The Dark Room £20.00 · Doors 6:30 pm
SOLD OUT
Friday 20 Nov 2026
Tuesday 23 Mar 2027
£28.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
£28.00 · Doors 7:30 pm
Ginger Johnson
Tape Face
Wednesday 25 Nov 2026
Saturday 10 Apr 2027
£20.00 · Doors 6:30 pm
£16.00 · Doors 7:00 pm
Mark Simmons
Geoff Norcott Work in progress
Saturday 5 Dec 2026
Thursday 29 Apr 2027
Live podcast £35.00 · Doors 6:00 pm
£24.65 · Doors 6:30 pm
Undr the Cosh
Lost Voice Guy
Scan for tickets All shows open to the public (14+ unless stated otherwise) Tickets available from foundrysu.com Box office: 0114 222 8777
Foundry, Sheffield Students’ Union, Western Bank, S10 2TG foundrysu.com · foundry@sheffield.ac.uk · @foundrysheffield
BECKY HILL ANNOUNCES INTIMATE SHEFFIELD SHOW The two-time BRIT Award winner is swapping festival main stages and arenas for a much more intimate setting this November, with a special one-off performance pencilled in at Sheffield’s Foundry.
YARD ACT 12 NOV // THE OCTAGON // £26 Leeds quartet Yard Act have become one of British indie’s biggest success stories since bursting onto the scene in 2020. With two top-five albums, a Mercury Prize nom and countless international shows under their belts, they’ve evolved beyond their post-punk beginnings into something altogether bigger. PERFORMANCEVENUES.GROUP. SHEF.AC.UK
JOSHUA IDEHEN 14 NOV // ELECTRIC STUDIOS // £22.50 Blending spoken-word poetry with electronica, house, jazz and gospel, Joshua Idehen brings his genredefying sound to Sheffield. His latest album tackles life’s struggles through impassioned poetry, conversational storytelling and preacher-like declarations, backed by infectious grooves and moments of tenderness and introspection.
ELECTRICSTUDIOS.CO.UK
LUXURY GOODS 13 NOV // YELLOW ARCH STUDIOS // £10 Back after a short break, Netherlands/ Sheffield outfit Luxury Goods combine soaring vocals, shimmering synths and hook-laden guitars to create bold, emotionally charged indie-rock anthems. YELLOWARCH.COM
FLAT MOON
Presented by independent Sheffield record shop Bear Tree Records, Becky Hill’s intimate show plus guest DJ will take place on Tuesday 10 November, giving fans a rare opportunity to catch one of the UK’s biggest dance music voices up close. The announcement comes alongside the arrival of Becky's eagerly anticipated third album, REBECCA, which sees the singer exploring new musical territory while reflecting on themes of ambition, identity and the contradictions of life in the spotlight. Described by Becky as "curated chaos", the record draws on the guitar music that shaped her early influences alongside the dance and drum & bass sounds that have defined her career. Heavy electro production, alternative influences and euphoric electronics combine in what promises to be her boldest and most personal work yet. Having made her name with a string of huge dance anthems and performances on some of the country's biggest stages, the chance to see Becky in the relatively intimate surroundings of Foundry is a particularly exciting prospect. Bear Tree Records has developed a reputation for bringing major artists to Sheffield for special, close-quarters performances, and this latest announcement looks set to be another hot ticket. Fans can expect music from REBECCA alongside some of the hits that have made Becky one of the most recognisable voices in UK dance music. Tickets are on sale now at beartreerecords.com
26 NOV // YELLOW ARCH STUDIOS // £10 Self-proclaimed ‘microwaveable psychfunk-punk’ outfit Flat Moon are back on the road, bringing their chaotic blend of sounds to Yellow Arch Studios. Expect infectious grooves, offbeat humour and plenty of unpredictable energy as the band embark on another headline tour. Dancing shoes strongly advised. YELLOWARCH.COM
BLEECH 9:3 6 DEC // FOUNDRY // £21 Dublin-born, London-based four-piece Bleech 9:3 deliver a ferocious blend of grunge, alternative rock and postpunk, channelling the raw intensity of 90s guitar music with a darker, contemporary edge. Formed around songwriters Barry Quinlan and Sam Duffy, whose shared experiences of addiction helped shape their sound, the band arrive in Sheffield with new single ‘Cannonball’ and a reputation for explosive live shows.
FOUNDRYSU.COM
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www.theladybower.co.uk
Restored entrepreneur, former nightlife kingpin and Sheff’s resident rhythmic consultant, DIMITRI has turned his sonic attentions to buildings. New album 'Exploring the Relationships Between Buildings and the People That Use Them' brings architectural enquiries and philosophical musings to the record player. Intrigued, we collared the shadowy figure to find out more. For Exposed readers yet to encounter DIMITRI, how would you introduce yourself – and how much of that introduction should we believe? DIMITRI is a rehabilitated businessman, former nightclub owner and scientific music aficionado based in Sheffield. He has also appeared in action films, created their official soundtracks and regularly performs specialist rhythmic consultancy for other artists.
You worked with the legendary Dean Honer on mastering. What has he brought to proceedings? Dean Honer enabled the pure audio quality intended by the artist. This mastery also safeguards the public from any unwanted aural frequencies. What does a live performance of this record look like? And which building would you most like to perform it in, assuming fire regulations could be easily negotiated? A live performance of this work looks like a panel discussion hosted by DIMITRI Himself with esteemed building users – an architect, a builder and a regular citizen. We have a frank and honest discussion about how these songs have influenced them and how they will positively impact their views and uses of buildings. The optimum venue for this must be very dimly lit but also completely accessible.
The album began with you stuck in your flat watching architecture documentaries. At what point did “eh, this is quite an interesting programme about buildings” become “I must make an entire record about this”? There was not an intention to create this piece. The essence of it came after most of the songs had already been born. There was then a moment of realisation of what this collection had to become: an investigation into how mankind uses buildings now, how we used them in the past and how we are likely to use them in the future.
PHOTOS: DEEP ROY
How did that interest translate into the music itself? Throughout this project, it became clear that creating a song is very much like creating a building. It must have a foundation and structure – the bass and rhythm. It must have a façade – a melody and sonic footprint. It must have a purpose – the lyrics and vocal delivery. Your earlier work includes My Synthesizer, Modern European Philosophy & Me. What prompted the move from philosophical enquiries to the built environment? Had you solved the former? It is more of a continuation of that matter and collaboration between those fields. I discovered there are many intertwining concepts within philosophy and architecture. For example, only
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when an idea has a physical presence can it be considered truly real and therefore something that actually exists. Until it has a tangible form, it is merely an abstract idea and cannot be experienced through human senses. This album and its teachings now have a home; it is therefore real and can be consumed. That home is the vinyl album you can own.
Finally, if DIMITRI were a building, what would we find inside? Many of the standard items found within a regular person if they were a building, such as metal machinery, entertainment equipment and storage boxes. However, these storage boxes contain the vast knowledge of classical history, quantum phenomena, business methods and frameworks, and recording techniques that will help shape the lives of future generations.
LISTEN TO ‘SAVE SOME SPIT FOR ME’
Exploring the Relationships Between Buildings and the People That Use Them is available now on 12-inch vinyl through Do It Thissen Records, with a wider digital and streaming release in November. Give it a home via doitthissenrecords.bandcamp. com.
It’s another busy month for Sheffield’s LGBTQ+ scene, with queer club nights, drag shows, live music, film screenings and plenty of opportunities to meet new people. There’s also space for reflection and solidarity as the community comes together to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance. Let’s start with the club nights. Grapefruit (Thu 5 Nov) returns to Foundry with chart hits, dance, disco and queer anthems. At Gut Level, Happy Endings w/ FAFF (Fri 6 Nov) welcomes residents from London’s Dalston Superstore for a night of house, prog, acid and breaks. CYB3R: 5th Anniversary Party with GFOTY (Sat 7 Nov), also at Gut Level, celebrates five years of the hyperpop and electronic party collective, with GFOTY headlining alongside returning CYB3R favourites. For something darker, Sleazy Peelers with Rosie Ama, Kay Fabe, Betty and Paniolo (Fri 13 Nov) takes over Gut Level with hypnotic, rock-adjacent dance music. LEATHERDYKE: 4 Years of Piss, Sweat, and Tears (Sun 15 Nov) celebrates four years of the dyke-centred party with music from MYNA, TB-316 and Bluebottle, plus birthday clowning. Later, Cruise: LeatherDyke Bar Night (Wed 25 Nov) offers a more laid-back evening at Gut Level for those who enjoy the pervier side of queer nightlife. Fancy trying your hand behind the decks? FLAW Collective: DJ Workshop and Social (Tue 3 Nov) returns to Gut Level, offering LGBTQ+ people, women and marginalised genders a space to 64 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
learn DJ skills, share music and meet others. PUB WORLD: Folk Session (Thu 5 Nov) brings traditional tunes and singing to the venue, while Key of She: Jam Night (Mon 9 Nov) offers a relaxed improvisation session for women and minority genders. Instruments and microphones are available, with no pressure to sound polished. There’s plenty of live music too. Gut Pleasers: Communal Meal (Wed 4 Nov) combines vegan food with folk music from Becka Wolfe and Stuart Graham, a talk about the ECHO Mobile Library and an open jam. Out Aloud 20th Anniversary Concert (Sat 14 Nov) at
Firth Hall celebrates two decades of Sheffield’s LGBTQ+ choir, followed by a ceilidh with Queer Folk. For experimental sounds, Gut Level Presents: Ben Vince, Leo Hermit and Phoneutrian (Thu 19 Nov) brings together looped saxophone, experimental R&B and atmospheric electronics. Private Regcords with Turnspit, Buffee and Floco (Sat 28 Nov) offers another three-act bill at Gut Level, while Music Declares Emergency: KYTH, The All Night Chemist and ROSH (Sun 29 Nov) combines live music with environmental action. Anti Raids Sheffield FUNdraiser 2.0 (Fri 20 Nov) returns to Gut Level, with Ashley Holmes, Mer-Mee, MYNA and Wahala providing the music. There’ll also be a raffle and stalls from local antiracist and anti-authoritarian groups, with proceeds supporting Anti Raids Sheffield. Drag fans have some big names to look forward to. Horror Icons Show with Dragula Season 666 finalist Auntie Heroine (Thu 5 Nov) at Corporation features the finalist alongside three local performers for drag, games and a Q&A. Come dressed as your favourite horror icon. Ginger Johnson: Show Pony (Fri 20 Nov) arrives at Foundry with high camp and ridiculous comedy following the success of Ginger Johnson Blows Off! Cryptid Queers #13: 5th Birthday (Sat 21 Nov) celebrates five years of alternative drag at FORGE Warehouse. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK finalist Black Peppa returns to headline alongside Crowned Cryptid 2026 winner Xena Morph and a cast of drag monsters. Hosted by King Confuza, there’s also an alternative market and two rooms of music. For drag with a side of bingo, Comedy Drag Bingo (Sun 22 Nov) at the OEC promises festive comedy, games and performances, with lunch included and a disco into the evening. On the comedy front, Larry Dean (Mon 16 Nov) brings his latest standup show to The Steamworks, tackling marriage, adulthood and his apparent refusal to grow up. ALOK (Fri 27 Nov), also at The Steamworks, explores love, heartbreak, desire and the end times in their intimate new show. Showroom hosts screenings from Queer East, the festival bringing queer Asian cinema to UK audiences. Girlfriends (Tue 3 Nov) follows a filmmaker navigating relationships, career pressures and expectations around marriage. A Useful Ghost (Tue 10 Nov) takes a stranger turn with a Thai satire about a dead wife returning as a vacuum cleaner. Between Goodbyes
(Tue 17 Nov) follows a queer Korean adoptee as she reconnects with her birth mother, while 3670 (Tue 24 Nov) tells the story of a young gay North Korean defector finding community in Seoul. Twilight in Your Eyes (Thu 26 Nov) presents short films centring queer elders and their experiences of love, resistance and care. Away from the festival, QTIBPOC Cinema Club (Tue 17 Nov) continues its monthly screenings at Gut Level, with bring-and-share food and discussion afterwards. Juno Books has several events exploring queer identity, fiction and politics. ‘Out There’: William Keohane in Conversation with Tara Tobler (Thu 5 Nov) introduces Keohane’s memoir of gender transition, family and belonging. Ray Filar: Choke (Tue 10 Nov) sees the writer discuss their novella, a dyke sex-worker revenge fantasy. Little Spark: Conversation with Jess Kidd (Thu 12 Nov) brings Victorian gothic fiction to the bookshop, while Unsafe: The Carceral Roots of the Anti-Trans Backlash (Tue 24 Nov) welcomes academic and community organiser Lamble to discuss their new book. Looking to meet people? Trans Safety Net (Mon 2 Nov) returns to Gut Level
with peer support, social activities and one-to-one drop-ins. Sheffield Queer Parents Meetup (Sat 7 Nov) launches its monthly gatherings at the Hillsborough Park play area. Calabash! Social (Sun 8 Nov) celebrates Black diaspora creativity at Gut Level with crafts, book swaps and music, while Breathe Easy (Tue 10 Nov) offers enhanced measures to reduce airborne infection risks. The Over-50s LGBTQ+ Group (Thu 12 Nov) meets at Weston Park Museum for peer support, conversation and creative activities. Kweer after work drinks (Thu 26 Nov) at Hideaway offers an informal way to meet people, while Rainbow Gamers (Sun 29 Nov) returns to Treehouse Board Game Café. For sports fans, Inclusive Football (every Monday) continues at Leisure United Woodbourn Road with Rainbow Blades and Sheffield United Community Foundation. Trans Footie (Fri 6 Nov) offers a friendly session for trans players at the UMIX Centre. Sheffield Wednesday’s LGBTQ+ supporters group hosts Rainbow Owls Socials (Sat 14 & 28 Nov) at The Pangolin on Middlewood Road before the Plymouth and Reading matches. There are creative opportunities too.
Craft Social (Wed 11 Nov) at Gut Level invites people to bring along art, craft or mending projects. KWR Life Drawing V15 (Wed 18 Nov) at Hagglers Corner offers a self-directed LGBTQ+ session, while Degenerate Art Club: Trans & Non-binary Life Drawing (Wed 18 Nov) at Gut Level focuses on trans and non-binary participants. Safe Ground Yoga (Sat 28 Nov) offers traumainformed yoga for self-identifying women and marginalised genders. For quiz fans, PUBWORLD: Pub Quiz with Church (Thu 12 Nov) returns to Gut Level with general knowledge, pop culture and silly prizes. Transgender Day of Remembrance (Fri 20 Nov) will be marked with Sheffield’s annual vigil at the Winter Garden. The event offers space to remember trans people who have lost their lives to transphobic violence and abuse, with charity stalls, speeches, music and performances. As always, check out the latest event announcements at facebook.com/ sheffieldlgbtevents.
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PREMIUM EXPERIENCES
OFFICIAL MATCHDAY BEFORE AND AFTERPARTY
ON SALE NOW
FIND YOUR PLACE IN SHEFFIELD Sheffield is one of Europe’s greenest cities, with more trees than people. Perhaps unsurprising when you realise that the stunning Peak District National Park is just five miles from the city centre, so outdoor enthusiasts will feel right at home. If you are looking for affordable student accommodation in Sheffield, Unite Students offers a range of en-suite rooms, studios and accessible rooms, all conveniently located close to the city’s universities. Unite Students offer over 1,000 rooms across Sheffield, all within easy reach of the city’s universities, including the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University. Also close to the city centre and its nightlife, making it an ideal base for experiencing the city’s renowned music scene and events, including the legendary Tramlines Festival.
SO, WHY BOOK WITH UNITE STUDENTS? With more than 60 university partners, ANUK/Unipol accreditation and over 30 years of experience, Unite Students is proud to be the original name in private purpose-built student accommodation in the UK. You’ll pay no deposit or booking fees – and all bills are included in your fixed 2027/28 rent. That’s electric, water, heating, Ultrafast Wi-Fi and even contents insurance.If you want to find your place in a ready-
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made community at Unite Students, you can book with them directly at unitestudents.com.
BOOK EARLY FOR BEST CHOICE Book early for 2027/28 to access the best choice of available rooms, flats and studios. Securing accommodation early means that you can choose the option that suits you best, without the stress of a last-minute search. With Unite Students, you can also secure the right room at the right price, which is backed by their Price Promise*. If the price of an equivalent room drops after booking, they will offer the lower price. Want to live with your besties for 2027/28? Secure a shared flat with friends - whether moving in with mates for the first time or keeping your current crew together. You will receive a £250 retail voucher each when you book as a group of 4+ for 2027/28.*
LOOK BEFORE YOU BOOK! If you want to see it for yourself, you can book an inperson property viewing, or view online 360° tours of their properties, all via unitestudents.com/viewings *Ends 31 July 2027. T&Cs & exclusions apply – see unitestudents.com/promotions
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Student accommodation bookings for the 20272028 academic year are now available. KEY FEATURES: • All bills included • No deposit • 24/7 on-site support • En-suite rooms in shared flats • Private studio rooms FACILITIES: • Bike storage • Laundry • Vending machine • Recycling • Social and study • Outdoor social space • Communal study space • Gym • Common area • Cinema room
STUDENT PROPERTY IN FOCUS:
BRASS FOUNDERS
130 Scotland Street S3 7DD
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Home to over 430 students, Brass Founders is just a 10-minute walk from the University of Sheffield and the city centre (Sheffield Hallam is only 15 minutes away too). It’s the boutique-style, ground floor common room that makes it a special place to live. When you want some quiet time, head for the sofas, the comfy ‘nook’, the solo and group study tables, or the plush cinema room. And if you need to let off steam, there’s a free on-site gym, table football, built-in Twister, air hockey and a huge outdoor courtyard. Also, if all of that wasn’t handy enough, every kitchen here has a free-to-use washer/dryer, saving you time and money when doing laundry!
LIVING ESSENTIALS (INCLUDED IN YOUR RENT): • Heating • Water • Ultrafast Wi-Fi • Electric • Unite Students app SAFETY AND SECURITY: • CCTV • 24/7 on-site team • Secure access • On-site maintenance • Contents insurance • Support centre and wellbeing • Maintenance support
JOIN A READY-MADE LD COMMUNITY IN SHEFFIE
£250 EACH RETAIL VOUCHER
WHEN YOU BOOK AS A GROUP OF 4+ FOR 2027/28*
BOOK FOR SEPT 2027 *Ends 31 July 2027. Exclusions & T&Cs apply - see unitestudents.com/promotions
Great sausages have been quietly flying under the radar in Sheffield and it’s time they got the exposure they deserve. Nick and his team are casing up fine eating experiences for everyone to enjoy at home. Sausage is our way of delivering global, traditional and creative flavours at their peak.
Pipers Artisan Sausages
44 Sandygate Rd,Sheffield, S10 5RY www.pipersartisansausages.com Email: Pipersofsheffield@gmail.com
SIX AND A HALF Fire dining. Cooking over open wood fire brings us back to basics — great ingredients, bold flavour and dishes shaped by flame. Watch as we tame the flames, turning the best seasonal produce into menus of small plates and sharing plates. All enhanced by the aromas and flavours of this ancient way of cooking.
Celebrate this Christmas with us... make sure your book a table and enjoy the flavours of a traditonal Christmas season 61/2 DYSON PL, SHARROW, SHEFFIELD S11 8XX PHONE: 0114 348 3621 MENU: SIXANDAHALF.CO.UK
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CULTURE: REVIEW REVIEW
HOW COULD I FORGET? @PLAYHOUSE WORDS: ASH BIRCH // PHOTOGRAPHY: PEDALO
Rushing into the Crucible on a busy Saturday afternoon, I was immediately struck by the generations arriving together: sons with mothers, daughters with fathers, grandchildren accompanying grandparents. This afternoon already felt like something to share with loved ones, and that was before we’d even started. We were here, of course, for How Could I Forget?, Joe Carnall Jnr’s debut foray into playwriting and composing, which first took to the stage in the university’s drama studios last year. Following positive reviews, this run had sold out pretty sharpish, and there was a low hum of anticipation around the place ahead of this dementia-friendly matinee. And that’s because it captures something quintessential in our collective experience. There is a shared recognition around the subject of dementia. Sadly, most people have some experience of a loved one, or someone they know, living with the degenerative condition, and the musical expertly taps into the emotions surrounding those experiences. Judging by the blubbering wreck this audience member was in, and the state everyone around me was reduced to by the closing scenes, it does a bloody good job of it. Like all good drama, though, it isn’t just relentlessly sad. It earns its tears by being warm and full of wit throughout. There’s a familiar Northern charm (as well as a dig at Carnall’s brother and fellow Milburn bandmate) that had me laughing aloud. The story centres on Jack McBride (Gerard Fletcher), his wife Jean (Cathy Breeze) and their grandson Billy (Jamie Wray), as Jack’s dementia begins to change the familiar rhythms of family life. Billy is a music-loving university student trying to find his place in the world, with a talent for playing but considerably less appetite for putting himself in front of an audience. His grandad, meanwhile, has enough confidence for both of them. As the story moves between past and present, it becomes about more than Jack’s illness. It’s also about working-class aspiration, the opportunities available to different generations and the things we pass on without necessarily realising it. 74 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
The scenes between Billy and his grandparents feel like you’ve stepped into your own grandparents’ living room. The relationships between the central characters feel so real as to almost intrude on your own life. It’s really impressive character building. The recurring crossword is a particularly effective touch. It becomes a measure of Jack’s worsening condition but also reveals Billy’s intelligence and Jean’s abilities. There’s a sense that she could have achieved plenty herself, had the opportunities available to her been different. Then there’s the piano, around which both the household and much of the play revolve. Music is a shared language between Jack and Billy, and the songs often allow the characters to express feelings they might struggle to say aloud – a useful outlet for a family of proud Northerners. The songs themselves are solidly crafted, but there’s a weird sort of uncanny valley in some of them, particularly those Billy plays on electric guitar, as you can sort of hear Joe and musical director Ed Cosens in their other guises as rock stars. That might be a quirk of knowing the author, though. Elsewhere, the music draws on Carnall’s memories of his own grandad
singing Glasgow street songs such as ‘Murder in the Chip Shop’. Those moments help make the family’s musical life feel lived-in, rather than something added for the stage. Jean’s solo was my favourite, though my main takeaway is that there isn’t really a standout song that stays lodged in your head afterwards. It’s very much a collection of songs and the characters and their relationships that you take home. The performances are excellent throughout. Wray captures Billy’s awkwardness and affection, while Breeze gives Jean the warmth and intelligence
that make her such an important presence. Richard Galloway and Holly Durkin also move confidently through a range of supporting roles. But it’s Fletcher’s Jack who steals the show. With his thick Glaswegian accent, a twinkle in his eye and the swagger of a man who could light up any room with a song, he makes it easy to see why Billy idolises him. That makes the changes in Jack all the harder to watch. Anyone familiar with dementia may recognise how confusion can turn into frustration, anger or aggression. Fletcher handles those shifts convincingly, making the darker moments painful without losing sight of the person at the centre of them. For all its harrowing moments, How Could I Forget? is full of warmth, humility and humour. I can’t remember having a more emotional response to anything I’ve seen at the theatre. The tissues being handed out afterwards were certainly needed. A love letter to Carnall’s grandparents, then, that leaves you thinking about your own. And if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to have another cry about the fact that my nan never got to meet my daughter – her namesake – or my partner. 5/5
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CULTURE: REVIEW
TWELFTH NIGHT @ CRUCIBLE THEATRE WORDS: RUBY DEAKIN PHOTOGRAPHY: MANUEL HARLAN
Following the triumph of last month’s production of King Lear at the Crucible, the second instalment of Sheffield Theatres’ Shakespeare double bill had big shoes to fill. Jamie Glover’s new adaptation of Twelfth Night is an ambitious undertaking, but one that delivers in spades, offering plenty of laughs alongside more emotional and provocative moments for a truly immersive theatrical experience from beginning to end. As twins Viola (Bebe Sanders) and Sebastian (Harry Redding) find themselves separated on an unfamiliar island after being shipwrecked by a brutal storm, they encounter a bizarre cast of characters in a topsyturvy world of infinite revelry and chaos. What follows is a fast-paced and endlessly funny tale of mistaken identity, unrequited love and a cruel joke gone too far. Set against a warm orange sun on a minimalist stage, Shakespeare’s quick-witted dialogue is given plenty of room to breathe in Glover’s reimagining. One of the production’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to deliver Elizabethan comedy as humour fit for the modern day, with occasional confused glances to the audience and perfectly timed pauses making some of the play’s most effective comedic moments. It is Milow Twomey’s Toby Belch, Katie Wimpenny’s Maria and most strikingly James Chetwood’s Andrew Aguecheek that rightfully steal some of the deepest belly laughs, appearing perfectly at home in their roles and embellishing the play’s more lewd and bawdy elements. Mathew Horne’s puritanical Malvolio offers a welcome dose of farce throughout, and effortlessly delivers the play’s comedic climax as he parades across the stage in the famous cross-gartered yellow stockings. Beginning as a hilariously pompous and exaggerated figure who harshly condemns the merriment of others, Malvolio is gradually reduced to a shadow of his former self by Toby Belch 78 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
and his mischievous crew. It is here that Glover’s adaptation confidently leans into the play’s darkest moments; as the door slams shut on an imprisoned and tormented Malvolio, the audience is left questioning why they themselves were fooled into finding humour in a man’s
misery and misfortune. Music is central to both the plot and atmosphere of Twelfth Night, and it is always a joy to see how every adaptation reimagines Shakespeare’s lyrics through original compositions. Musical director and composer Genevieve Dawson flawlessly captures the mood of each scene with guitar, clarinet, and violin, weaving the musicians seamlessly into the action throughout. The music is most haunting when it accompanies David Birrell’s standout performance as Feste, a well-dressed fool who always appears to know more than he lets on, and whose melodies hint at a world that exists beyond the play’s narrative. Glover cleverly bookends the production with Feste’s closing song, ‘The Rain it Raineth Every Day’, which reflects on the bittersweet
passage of time. By introducing the song at the beginning, he subtly suggests that Feste and the musicians may have evoked the ‘wind and the rain’ that ultimately sets the play’s events in motion. These ‘meta’ moments leave the audience asking questions long after the play finishes, and offer a fresh take on the well-known plot. Jamie Glover’s Twelfth Night is a spectacular adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most tonally complex plays. It boldly interrogates why we laugh at others’ expense, explores how social hierarchies might be reimagined and does not shy away from the queer subtext that is so integral to the play’s lasting relevance in the modern day. An immensely entertaining and rewarding production that offers something for every audience member. 4/5
173-179 West Street, Sheffield S14EW Phone: 0114 405 5055
CULTURE: PREVIEW
How Soon Is Now? is a new indie musical by award-winning playwright Siân Owen, set to a soundtrack of 90s classics. Following its debut at the Lowry, it heads to Sheffield this month as part of a UK tour. We caught up with Siân to discuss the music, memories and friendships behind a show capturing the highs and lows of a big New Year’s Eve night out.
How Soon Is Now? is set in 1997. What makes that year particularly significant for you? 1997 was a huge year for me. I turned 18 that year and where I grew up, Newport, south Wales, was buzzing. It had this incredible indie music scene, and I had this brilliant group of friends (luckily, I still do!). We were out all the time and it was a rite-of-passage year. I also worked in an indie nightclub which was mad and magic. That year I voted for the first time, experienced loss for the first time and had to make those huge decisions about what came next after leaving school. It felt like such a pivotal moment for me 82 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
and my friends because we were all so close and then suddenly had to decide where to go next. Politically, it was an exciting time too – there was such a sense of optimism and possibility. Does much of the story come from personal experience? Definitely. Some of it is pure imagination, but some of it comes straight from experience and from the memory box. I think I’m a bit of a magpie. My brain collects little films and photographs from life and then, somehow, years later, they find their way into the writing. Working in the nightclub left such
vivid memories. Watching a crowd react when a certain song comes on, seeing friendships form, seeing fights break out, watching people fall in love or fall apart – all of those moments stayed with me. Some parts are deeply personal, others come from friends, stories I’ve heard or people who were only in my life for a season but somehow left a lasting mark. It’s a kind of mixtape of people, nights and memories. Do any of the characters resonate with you personally? I’d say there are bits of me in all three, but Jean is probably the closest to my heart and life. That feeling of leaving somewhere you’ve always known, meeting people at exactly the right moment when life isn’t going well, and them somehow helping to save you … that’s something I really wanted to capture. The production began as a play before becoming a musical. Can you tell us about that journey? I always like talking about that because I don’t want new writers thinking these things happen overnight. Sometimes they take years and arrive when the time is right. We’ve actually been working on it since 2016, although the seed was planted even earlier in 2011.
Originally it was a play inspired by music. After I’d had my children, I realised what I really wanted to write about was music itself – what it does to people, how transformative it can be and the people we find through it. Music is the soul of this show. Which artists or songs from that era have stayed with you? It’s impossible to choose just one because I still listen to all of it. Radiohead, Blur, Oasis, the Smiths, Elastica … they all shaped me. I went to Glastonbury in 1997 and saw Radiohead, which was iconic. And I wanted to be Justine Frischmann from Elastica. I’d steal my brother’s Fender guitar, stand in front of the mirror playing ‘Connection’ and just try to look cool (never has worked!) Was choosing the playlist difficult? Honestly, it was one of the most joyful parts of the process because I basically got to make a giant mixtape! One of the earliest songs was ‘No Surprises’. Then I heard Regina Spektor’s cover of it and it completely broke my heart. That version really unlocked something for us. We realised these characters could use songs like this to tell their stories. The songs we chose are songs that still work when they’re stripped right back. If someone else can reinterpret them and
they’re still emotionally powerful, they’ll stand the test of time. I hope audiences hear something new in songs they already know and love. What do you hope audiences will feel when they watch the show? I want people to have a really good night out. I want them to feel like they’re standing in the middle of a nightclub watching this story unfold around
them. I want them to laugh, cry, dance and escape for a couple of hours from everything happening outside. There are dark moments in the show, but it doesn’t leave you there. It shines a light into those moments and reminds us that we all have them, but there are ways through. The show celebrates friendship. It celebrates the tribe you find on nights out and in communities that become your family. It celebrates music and everything music can do. Even though there is darkness within it, the whole play is really asking, where is the light? And believing there always is some. One of the earliest notes I ever wrote about it still feels true: “It starts with one lonely voice – quiet, broken and discordant. Then it grows into colour, movement, harmony and strength, until it ends with dancing, mirror balls, neon, beating hearts and hope.” And that’s exactly what the show is. It starts with one broken heart and ends with three mending hearts. If someone came into the theatre on a really bad day, I’d love them to leave believing there’s hope somewhere. How Soon is Now? Is on at Sheffield Theatres’ Playhouse 4-5 November. Tickets and more info available from sheffieldtheatres.org.uk.
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CULTURE: OTIS MENSAH
PHOTOS: STEPHANIE O'CONNOR
From Sheffield's green spaces to Berlin's experimental music scene, former city poet laureate Otis Mensah has found fresh inspiration in a change of surroundings. With a new album on the horizon, we catch up with the artist to talk jazz, creative freedom and the enduring pull of home. First things first, welcome back! Does Sheffield still feel like home, or has your relationship with the city changed since moving away? Thank you! It does feel as though I’m returning home when I travel back to Sheffield. I find myself craving slow moments that the city has always spared me. There’s a contentment in having that familial connection with the city’s landscape, feeling like you see yourself in the space and that its nooks and crannies hold intimate memories and experiences you’ve had, like little hiding places of self in plain sight. Berlin feels like home too but offers a different phenomenon of freedom and newness. Trying to find a bridge between those two states feels murky waters sometimes.
sonically teetering the lines between a pursuit of softness and agitation. Being surrounded by incredible and highly skilled musicians who are open to experimentation has been a godsend. There’s a DIY essence to musicianship here that has expanded my sound deeply, allowing me to delve further into realms of jazz and jazz fusion. I contextualise my work as jazz despite what genre shape it takes, whether alternative or more traditionally rap-leaning, because of my relationship to time, nonlinear time and unquantised rhythm. I envision my vocal delivery as percussive and the way I deliver cadence as instrument. Collaborating with live musicians here has allowed me to improvise further into that direction.
What do you miss most about home when you're away? Any particular places, people or little quirks of the city that you find yourself getting nostalgic about? I miss the pace and warmth of the city. I miss the opportunity to stumble on unoccupied green space. I always did a lot of creative reflection in Sheffield and found tranquillity in nature here. Being in an overstimulating metropolis with a constant influx of input will push you into a state of nostalgia around that, especially for an introvert like myself.
Your new album, Come Beautify the Night, began taking shape in the north of England before being completed in Berlin. Can you take us back to where the idea first emerged and how it developed into the record we're about to hear? Come Beautify the Night began with what I like to call ‘piano freestyles’. I was spending a lot of time at Hybrid 3 Studios in Sheffield with their acoustic pianos that have such a rich inspirited warmth. I was looking for new acoustic and analogue ways to express my musicality as someone creating contemporary hiphop music. Minimalism and space are such defining factors of the music I love, like in I Need to Start a Garden by Haley Heynderickx. There’s such a presence and spatiality to the instruments that allow the depth of her songwriting and vocals to blaze through. This kind of work really influenced my approach to rap. I wanted to find a way to inject a feeling of ambience and free-form(ness) to the work, the way my artistic heroes do – Alice Coltrane's Ptah, the El Daoud or Abdullah Ibrahim's Solotude. I just hit record and started improvising on piano
Sheffield and Berlin both have strong histories of experimental music and alternative culture. How has your artistry evolved since leaving South Yorkshire, and what has living in Berlin opened up for you that wasn't possible before? I feel like there’s a shared experimentality between the two cities. My music has found new shapes and Berlin opened me up to exploring a whole new sonic pool. The frequency and energy of the city has pushed my sound into a feeling of urgency and I find myself
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for hours on end. I began the process of sampling from myself and inviting artists like Adebola Oyekanmi (seigfried komidashi), foundational to the album’s creation, who then responded with saxophone, percussion and sometimes flute. This started a whole new improvisesample-response process for me, a fire that grew in collaboration with the musicians I met in Berlin after my move. You've described the album as an 'experimental rap sonata' unfolding across seven movements. What does that mean in practice and what drew you towards that type of structure? The rap sonata is a conceptual framework. I wanted to play with the idea of classical music form, bend it and break it. That idea and framing maybe encompass the punk and liberty of this jazz-rap fusion for me: to look at a musical structure, find holes in the way it functions, bend it and reshape its pockets of rhythm. There’s a freeness and defiance in trying to break form, I feel. We've had our first taste through ‘prayerhands & headnods’, featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow. What’s the story behind that track? ‘prayerhands & headnods’ is the album’s closing track that I composed solely in Berlin on Fender Rhodes piano. I wanted to capture the slow moments one finds in a trail of light across a busy city or haze of nostalgia inside a pixelated television series. I wanted the song to land as a closing incantation or prayer, and inviting legendary artist-musician Georgia Anne Muldrow on this one felt like a perfect energy and a dream collaboration for me. The rich depth and jazz essence of her songwriting and vocals gave the piece a complete hymnfinish with such mesmerising atmosphere and beauty. This simply came about by being a fan of her work and humbly reaching out to see if she would offer something to the project. I felt honoured and blessed by this. Come Beautify the Night is released 13 November on First Terrace Records. Scan the QR on the right to watch the video for ‘prayerhands and headnods’.
I ALWAYS DID A LOT OF CREATIVE REFLECTION IN SHEFFIELD AND FOUND TRANQUILLITY IN NATURE HERE.”
WATCH THE VIDEO
THE MOUSETRAP 3-7 NOV // LYCEUM // £15-£75.50 The world’s longest-running play hits the road for its 75th anniversary tour. When seven strangers find themselves snowed in at a remote country guesthouse, news of a shocking murder sparks suspicion among the guests. As secrets unravel and tensions rise, one question remains: whodunnit? SHEFFIELDTHEATRES.CO.UK
SELECTED WORKS: TABLE TOP SHAKESPEARE
FALSE AUTUMN
James Clarkson explores the pressures of working life, corporate culture and the uneasy relationship between growth and decline in his latest solo exhibition. There’s something unsettling about the phrase False Autumn. It describes a phenomenon in which trees, placed under environmental stress, begin shedding their leaves prematurely. For artist James Clarkson, it also offers a way of thinking about the pressures of modern working life – particularly the expectation that we should keep growing, producing and adapting, whatever the circumstances. Opening at Sheffield’s Exchange Place Project Space this November, False Autumn brings together work produced by Clarkson over the past three years, drawing on his own experiences of working in office administration and repeatedly facing the threat of redundancy. It's familiar territory for anyone who has spent time navigating the peculiar language of corporate life, where uncertainty is often dressed up as opportunity and job losses become exercises in 'restructuring'. Through a combination of sculpture and photography, Clarkson examines how these pressures seep beyond the workplace and into everyday routines, shaping the way we think, behave and respond to uncertainty. His sculptural pieces take cues from the clipped language and repetitive gestures of office communication, while a series of photographs, captured during stolen moments using an office scanner, finds creative possibilities within the machinery of the working day. 86 | WWW.EXPOSEDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
10-12 NOV // PLAYHOUSE // £13£15 Two performers bring six of Shakespeare’s plays to life using everyday household objects on a one-metre tabletop. From a salt and pepper pot representing royalty to a ruler playing a prince, each miniature retelling puts a playful spin on the Bard’s work. Expect inventive versions of Macbeth, Richard III, The Tempest and more across three evenings. SHEFFIELDTHEATRES.CO.UK
CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER – BEYOND ‘I’M FINE’ 10 NOV // LEAH’S YARD // £20 Sheffield-born author and coach Louise Budgen brings her first Conversations That Matter event to Leah’s Yard. Inspired by years of working with women, this intimate evening explores what lies behind the familiar words ‘I’m fine’. Expect stories, humour and honest conversations encouraging women to reflect on their lives, recognise their potential and start living the life they really want. EVENTBRITE.CO.UK
The exhibition's title provides a further layer of meaning. Just as trees respond to environmental strain by shedding their leaves before their time, Clarkson draws parallels with economic systems built around cycles of growth, scarcity and renewal. There's a quiet absurdity running through the premise: the idea of turning the tools and routines of office administration into material for artistic expression. In this artist's hands, the familiar becomes a means of examining the systems that shape our working lives. KEY INFO James Clarkson: False Autumn Where: Exchange Place Project Space, Exchange Street, Sheffield S2 5TR When: 21 November 2026 – 22 January 2027 Opening times: Fridays, 12pm–5pm and by appointment Instagram: @jamesklclarkson
BONES IN THE DESERT 19 NOV // PLAYHOUSE // £15 Berlin, 2022. Artur, a 19-year-old refugee, struggles to find his place in a city that doesn’t feel like home after fleeing the Syrian civil war. When someone from his past unexpectedly reappears, a joyful reunion becomes a reckoning with identity and memory. SHEFFIELDTHEATRES.CO.UK
GOOD MORNING: A DAY IN ART UNTIL 17 JAN // MILLENNIUM GALLERY // FREE From bleary-eyed mornings to getting ready for a night out, this exhibition explores the art of everyday life. Featuring paintings and drawings by Chantal Joffe and Ishbel Myerscough alongside more than 80 works from Sheffield’s art collection, the show follows a single day from dawn to dusk. SHEFFIELDMUSEUMS.ORG.UK