(I don’t want to go to) Sheffield. Elvis Costello Sheffield City Hall 7th March 2020

After a musically barren (gig wise) February I was really looking forward to seeing this show. We hadn’t seen Elvis Costello since he played an acoustic show in our hometown in the early eighties. Support act that night was someone I’d never heard of, T Bone Burnett. I vowed to myself to look out for this guy though doubted I’d ever hear about him again………………shows what a musical savant I am!!

When I saw Elvis was touring I booked tickets and bought his new album Look Now. I wasn’t disappointed; it’s a damn fine record.

I was also delighted to be returning to Sheffield. On our last visit we saw Mary Gauthier at the University, a great show. We also visited some good pubs and record shops. Gigs, Pubs and record shops………….Truly a holy triumvirate!

Sheffield doesn’t immediately conjure up visions of a major musical heritage in the way that London, Liverpool and Manchester do……………..does it?  Sheffield, however, spawned Joe Cocker, Paul Carrack, Def Leppard, Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, Pulp, Richard Hawley, Arctic Monkeys and who could forget the mighty Jilted John!!! Pretty damn impressive by anyone’s standards wouldn’t you agree? There are many more, I just got bored of typing, sorry.

First stop after checking in at our hotel was Bear Tree Records in the Forum on Division Street. I’d never visited this place but online reviews were good so my expectations were high. I wasn’t disappointed. My mission was to get hold of the new Cornershop album England is a Garden on vinyl which was released the day before. Not only was it in stock but in a limited edition blue vinyl with a poster……………..result. I also picked up a copy of Gillian Welch’s Harrow and the Harvest on vinyl (fantastic sound quality). Both albums were very competitively priced even compared to Amazon. Amazon can never compete with the satisfaction that music fans get from foraging in record shops, surrounded by fellow vinyl anoraks.

Pat doesn’t share my enthusiasm for getting heads down in record bins so I called her when my vinyl lust was sated and we met up at a nearby pub the Frog and Parrot. What a find, I greedily surveyed the selection of real ales on offer and settled on a locally brewed Porter, a fine selection. Sat near to us were a bunch of Sheffield United fans partaking in a little libation prior to heading to Bramall Lane to watch their heroes entertain the flatlanders from Norwich. I have a soft spot for Sheffield United as Everton have signed Phil Jagielka, Mason Holgate and Dominic Calvert-Lewin from them, all fine players who have played or will play for England. Sheffield United, or the Blades as they are known to fans, also have a highly respected firm. The Blades Business Crew (BBC) boast former Housemartin and Beautiful South singer Paul Heaton as a former active member and are much respected by Top boys from the firms of all England’s major clubs.

The Blades hated neighbours are Sheffield Wednesday.  Their home ground is Hillsborough.  In 1989 96 football fans tragically lost their lives at the FA cup semi-final game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Pause a moment, 96 people died watching a football match……………………killed by the incompetent actions of the Senior Police chiefs in charge that day.

I will never recover from watching the scenes on TV………………….innocent people dying………………..oh shit I weep as I type.

I have  loathed the Red top media ever since……………………..the bastards who tried to blame it on drunken fans…………………….Please, please look for the truth before believing the shite pedalled by the right wing media.

I am a proud Evertonian  but I feel desperately sorry for those poor Liverpool fans who lost their lives and their families who try to expose the hypocrisy of the official version of events.

My own Sheffield Wednesday experience cam a decade later.  1998 is a year I will never forget. I lost my Mam…………..My Mam always believed in me, always forgave me for the many things that I did wrong. A few months before she passed I went with my mate Craig to see Everton play Sheffield Wednesday. We were struggling but Wednesday were way worse than us. Any Nobhead could see that we were going to batter them……………………Oh dear, I never reckoned with Paulo Di Canio.

In all my years watching football at Goodison Park I have never seen a performance such like. ‘D-I Can-io sang the Wednesday fans to the tune of the appalling Otawan song. He was Fucking awesome……………………I saw all the greats from that era but none as good as him.

Wednesday won 3-1, the future looked bleak.

Ultimately Everton survived but my Mam didn’t……………….

The other song that resonates from that day was the Wednesday fans chanting to the tune of Singing the Blues;

I’ve never felt more like Singing the Blues

Wednesday win, United lose

Oh Wednesday

You’ve got me singin’ the blues

Indeed!

I hope the BBC caught up with you fucking woolybacks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, back to our day in Sheffield.

We took a leisurely walk to the Beer Engine. This pub looks decidedly nondescript from the outside. Inside is a different story. A warm welcome and cool décor await. A  great selection of real ales on tap and a menu of freshly cooked Tapas that would melt the hardest of hearts . We enjoyed an enjoyable couple of hours before adjourning for a power nap prior to the evening’s festivities.

Sheffield City Hall is a grade 11 listed building which dominates Barker’s Pool, one of Sheffield’s central squares. It is a neo-classical building with a giant portico. The inside of the building is equally impressive with wide staircases and very high ceilings. The great hall is spread over three floors each of which has a bar. We were on the top floor. Our seats were not particularly good. They cost £60 each and had a partially restricted view, a fact not advertised. Fortunately due to a few no shows we were able to blag better seats. The venue has 2217 seats and I would guess 2000 were filled. Support act was Ian Prowse. We didn’t go in to watch them but they sounded OK from the bar.

Elvis Costello and the Imposters wandered onstage at 8.15 and launched into Strict Time. In total they played 26 songs in a show that lasted two and a quarter hours. Elvis played most of my favourite songs though I would have liked to have heard a few more tunes from his latest album. Highlights for me were Good year for the roses, (I don’t want to go to) Chelsea, Alison and Pump it up. I particularly enjoyed watching a middle aged couple who were sat on the front row moving off to the side and enthusiastically bustin’ their moves to Pump it up. She throwing all inhibitions to the wind while he was more restrained. I detected a Northern Soul fan background in the shapes they were throwing. The only slight downer for me was that Elvis didn’t play Shipbuilding, one of his finest songs in my opinion. It had featured in all of the preceding shows on this tour although EC seemed to be suffering from a sore throat which would explain its absence. It was a very good show though perhaps not quite a great one. The Imposters are top notch musicians who provide an excellent platform to drive the songs along. I would recommend catching a show if you get chance.

Setlist

Strict Time

Clubland

Green Shirt

Accidents Will Happen

Watch Your Step

Just About Glad

Harry Worth

 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea

Suspect My Tears

Watching the Detectives

A Good Year for the Roses

A Face in the Crowd

I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down

Mystery Dance

Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter

High Fidelity

From a Whisper to a Scream

Alison

Mr. & Mrs. Hush

Pump It Up

Flutter & Wow

Getting Mighty Crowded

Everyday I Write the Book

Oliver’s Army

 (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

It’s hard to believe that it is 43 years since Elvis Costello and the Attractions released their first single Less than Zero on Stiff records (Buy 11 fellow anoraks). In the intervening years he has written songs with musical luminaries such as Sir Paul McCartney, Carole King and Burt Bacharach. He was once married to Cait O’Riardon the original bassist with the Pogues and also featured in the second Austin Powers movie………………….yeah baby!!

After the show we tried to get in the Spoons next door but it was way too crowded so we walked back to Division Street and the Frog and Parrot. The place was bouncing by now. The good people of Sheffield obviously have excellent taste as all six of the real ales were sold out. I had to settle for a pint of Camden IPA which wasn’t bad.  The age group of punters ranged from teenagers to some in their sixties and the atmosphere was really good. The DJ was blasting out Fifties tunes which was absolutely brilliant. Even the youngest punters were getting into the music and I vowed to buy some Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard stuff as they sounded awesome at high volume.  After a couple of hours in the Frog and parrot we headed back to the hotel for a nightcap to round off a great day out in Sheffield.

The following morning we met Jade who was coming off a nightshift at the Children’s hospital. We had breakfast at a good ‘Spoons and caught up for an hour or so. A great way to round off our trip.

I can’t wait to go back to Sheffield. There are many more pubs and record shops that I want to explore and several Indian restaurants that look tempting. I noticed many cool looking vintage shops which I didn’t get to browse in. If it wasn’t such a pig of a journey from our small Island home we would surely visit more often.

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