Sheffield is a city of seven hills – rural, bleak and bursting with wavelengths of sound.
It cracked the codes of Northern post-punk but it purveyed more: blues, synth-pop, electronica, industrial, dance, techno, indie rock, baroque pop. The style in the city transitioned with the sound.
An integral timeline, in order of formation:
1963: DAVE BERRY.
Sound: a basis of pop ballads injected with doses of the blues. Style: slim-fit mod blazers, knitted ties, continental collared shirts. Way before Goodfellas.
1973 : CABARET VOLTAIRE.
Sound:experimental electronica, a pioneer for British industrial music. Style:English counterparts to Kraftwerk. Sharp black shirts. Bright white ties.
1977: THE HUMAN LEAGUE.
Sound: a masterful merge of synthesisers and pop melodies – later entering Heaven 17. Style: streamlined silhouettes. Zero colour. Avant-garde eyeliner.
1978: ARTERY.
Sound: artsy post-punk driven by infectious bass lines. Style: lambswool v-necks loosely tucked into straight black jeans. Motorcycle jackets on top. Motorcycle jackets on top.
1978: PULP.
Sound:disco-influenced pop-rock lyricised by kitchen sink realism. Style:spindly spectacles, velvetcotton fabric with a complex weave, it is composed of a simp More suits, striped shirts, leather boots. Courtesy of Jarvis Cocker: a modern dandy.
1980: CLOCK DVA.
Sound: abrasive technological noise in praise of Anthony Burgess. Style: concealed by graphics, single-breasted blazers and leather footwear. A sartorial cul-de-sac.
1980: ABC.
Sound:catchy compositions that turned glam rock into dance-pop. Style:classic tailored bases complete with contemporary blazers. Often jacquardloom invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard at the beginning of t More – a symbol of the 80s.
2006: ARCTIC MONKEYS.
Sound:indie rock dipped in modernised sensibilities of Pulp.Style: worn-in pumps, washedaspect of a fabric having undergone one or more washes to gi More jeans, polo shirts, Fred Perry cardigans, zip-up parkas. Sometimes a pea coat. Confidently British.
2008: THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS.
Sound: Scott Walker meets David Bowie in a half Sheffield, half Liverpool hatch of baroque pop. Style: skinny suits, black boots, open shirts. Outrageously classic.
![](https://husbands-paris.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1-Sheffield-en-1981-par-John-Davies.jpg)
DAVIES, John, phot. Sheffield, United Kingdom. 1981.
![](https://husbands-paris.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/2-Clock-DVA-par-Pete-Hillin-Sheffield.jpg)
HILLIN, Pete, phot. CLOCK DVA. Sheffield, United Kingdom. 1979.
![](https://husbands-paris.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/3-Different-Class-par-Pulp-1995.jpg)
PULP. Different Class. 1995.
![](https://husbands-paris.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/4-Arctic-Monkeys-par-Dean-Chalkley-devant-The-Boardwalk-Sheffield-2005.jpg)
CHALKLEY, Dean, pho. ARCTIC MONKEYS. The Boardwalk, Sheffield, United Kingdom. 2005.
![](https://husbands-paris.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/5-Jarvis-Cocker-1983.jpg)
COCKER, Jarvis. 1983.
![](https://husbands-paris.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/6.A-The-Age-of-the-Understatement-par-The-Last-Shadow-Puppets-2008.jpg)
THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS. The Age of the Understatement. 2008.
![](https://husbands-paris.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/6.B-Whatever-people-say-I-am-thats-what-Im-not-par-Arctic-Monkeys-2006.jpg)
ARCTIC MONKEYS. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. 2006.
- JAMES BALDWIN« clear, lucid, and familiar, yet punctuated and powerful »
- THE SHOULDER« tailors also see it as the place of their uniqueness»
- KITANO, THREE MOVEMENTS« His countenance and clothes then become the way to read him.»
- THE PICK STITCH« historically done by hand, with a striking visual detail in lighter, brighter fabrics »