The Monday Club, Sabella, Blind Drivers and The Verals: Queens Social Club, Sheffield

First up are The Verals, a young 3-piece group who seem unfazed by the size of the venue, or the small crowd which is gathering in it. The Verals’ influences range from modern rock such as Queens of the Stone Age or Foo Fighters, to more classic rock like Black Sabbath.

Singer, Kane Barton, has a voice which sounds much older than he looks, and dishes out confident guitar solos on pretty much every track. A bit more variety in their tracks wouldn’t go amiss, but they’re a promising young act who will hopefully be nurtured by Sheffield’s tight-knit music scene.

Next to grace the stage are Blind Drivers, a four-piece group who’ve been doing the rounds at various Sheffield venues for a while now, but who have only recently released their debut EP ‘It’s Been a Long Time’. Tracks such as ” and ” are reminiscent of indie classics such as the likes of The Courteeners and The View, topped with almost post-punk vocals. At times the band seem a little over-rehearsed, and the concentration is apparent on every band member’s face. They could do with letting go a bit more and embracing the rock and roll lifestyle these seem to endorse in their songs.

Up next are Sabella, who describe themselves as ‘normal lads with a passion for guitar music’. Their set pretty much does what it says on the tin; guitar driven tunes in the vein of early Arctic Monkeys, Milburn or The Enemy. ‘If You Wanna’, ‘Do You Dare?’ and ‘The Calling’ are all great snippets of catchy indie rock. They’ve recently supported Revered and the Makers and Catfish and The Bottlemen, and are already clearly a building loyal fan base, as there are plenty of people in the audience singing along tonight. As they launch into their final song which is “all about women!” after which the crowd are left chanting for an encore. The attitude, determination and raw talent is there, hopefully the hard work will pay off for these boys in the future.

Finally we are treated to the headline act for this evening, The Monday Club. The crowd is gathered to celebrate the release of their new EP ‘Rattle & Shake’ (released on Sheffield indie label Tiny Teeth), the follow up to their album released earlier this year. At first the band’s sound is retro and soulful, not unlike Miles Kane, but it soon descends into more bluesy rock, from the EP’s namesake ‘Rattle and Shake’. It’s not all rock and roll, and The Monday Club show their softer side with ballad ‘I’ll Be There’. The band reminisce with their burgeoning fan base about their amazing Tramlines show this summer before playing ‘Lay Down and Die’ from their album. They’ve just recorded a video at Pig Farm studios for ‘Don’t Come Back’, a real stomper of a track which goes down a storm. The trio power through a long set, dropping in a Temptations cover which inspires some amazing Northern Soul-esque dancing from a few members of the crowd. The curfew at Queens is 11pm, but the band push for two more songs, to the excitement of the fairly sizable group of fans. A triumphant gig for a talented local band, who look set to continue their trajectory over the coming months.

Read full review at Counterfeit Magazine