REVIEW: The Sherlocks

Talking Heads, February 22

Wedgewood Rooms, February 23

By Richard Derbyshire

Photos Tom Langford

YORKSHIRE’S rising indie stars The Sherlocks played to hundreds in Southampton and Portsmouth on consecutive nights and then confirmed another world famous summer festival date in the south.

Music acts usually only target one city at a time to tour on the Hampshire coast, not daring to split their audience, but this band of brothers do things their way and these shows at the new Talking Heads and The Wedgewood Rooms saw a full house of near enough 700 people across both venues.

It’s an astonishing achievement for a band who are yet to release a debut album.

Now half way through their 35 date marathon frontman Kiaran Crook, his brother and drummer Brandon, lead guitarist Josh Davidson and his brother and bassist Andy are determined to cover the whole country.

With practically every date played so far sold out, here is a genuine new band of Britain.

After coming off stage in Portsmouth the lads revealed that as well as Isle of Wight Festival in June they would be returning for a third year to Reading & Leeds in August, where they’ve been such a sensation before.

Both times the riotous Last Night kicks things off, while the raw and original urgency of Escapade and Live for the Moment, the band’s breakthrough first two releases, are still as popular as Brandon’s precision drumming is frantic.

New numbers Candle Light and Nobody Knows, plus the huge sound and intricate guitar work on the ominously haunting Will You Be There? had everyone bouncing. The band surprise even diehard fans with a fully reworked, country vibe version of Motions, another song that has been totally transformed with Josh and Andy’s trademark vocals creating an even bigger wall of sound.

Latest single and Radio One favourite, Was It Really Worth It?, one of the oldest in the set list, has also been nicely overhauled or, as Kiaran described, “sweetened up” with a fantastic new middle eight, extra lyrics and a heightened guitar solo at the end from Josh, adding to what was already a stand out song.

“We recorded the song in three very different ways before we got it right with producer Gavin Monaghan” Kiaran told me. “We learn an important lesson that every song is different and whatever worked well before may not always be right next time.”

“It’s getting bigger for us now, we’re stepping up production and lighting, so our music has to go to the next level too. We’ve broken down all our songs, making the most of every catchy line. People relate to good melodies and in higher capacity venues you can’t only rely on everyone going nuts for atmosphere, although we’re never short of that. The songs have to hold their own too and we have to be as good as we can.

“We’re four lads from Sheffield and coming this far and selling out famous venues like these blows our minds. Every gig on this tour has genuinely been class; we’ll play to anyone, we’re a people’s band on a people’s tour, and will always put on a god-dammed rock show.”

Boisterous Bolton support Jordan Allen quickly won over the large but initially bashful early crowds with lead singer Jordan’s infectious optimism and some cracking tunes, including latest single 101 Ways to Make Things Better and Helter Skelter, warming everyone up nicely. Expect to hear more from Jordan, guitarist Danny Quin, bassist Kieran Loughran and drummer Nathan Howard very soon.

The Sherlocks UK tour continues, they play Isle of Wight Festival June 8-11 & Reading Festival August 25-27. Latest single Was It Really Worth It? is out now. More at thesherlocksmusic.co.uk.