1. oFFbeat 3938 oFFbeat
thesound
A
game of Battleships probably isn’t
the most rock ‘n’ roll way to prepare
for a gig, but if it works forThe
Sherlocks, then you can’t argue with that.
“Normally we’re into Pop-Up Pirate,” smirks
Kiaran Crook,“but they didn’t have it.We had
to settle for second best.”
There’s something incredibly charming about
The Sherlocks. Kiaran, along with brother
Brandon Crook and other sibling duo Josh and
Andy Davidson are as down to earth as you’d
expect for a group of young lads who just love
playing music.And that becomes pretty clear
within minutes of chatting with them before
their sold-out gig at Leicester’sThe Cookie in
February.
“We don’t know how the band has grown
at all,” admits lead singer Kiaran.“Outsiders
probably think we’ve grown.We just think the
gigs have got better! Only people outside can
see how big we are. It’s just the same to us, we
don’t feel like we’ve stepped up.”
The talented quartet certainly have stepped
up since forming back in 2010. Hailing from
Bolton-on-Dearne, and now based in Sheffield,
the band have spent years relentlessly gigging
and building up a steady fan base to get them
where they are today.
And where they are is pretty impressive,
with their songs reaching the iTunes charts
and making people stand up and listen: this is
real music, and make no mistake, this band are
serious about being the next big thing.
After making their mark up north by playing
as many gigs as possible, the buzz really started
to gather more momentum in October last
year, off the back of the release of their debut
single ‘Live for the Moment.’
With thanks to their ardent and ever-growing
‘Sherlock Army’, the pulsating indie track
reached as high as Number 5 in theTop 40
Alternative Chart on iTunes, and even sneaked
into the 91st spot in the Official iTunes Chart.
Quite impressive for a band who are
unsigned. But their hard work both on and
off stage have enabled them to reap these
deserved rewards.
The Sherlocks’ social media presence is
huge.The band know they owe some of their
success to this, and to getting as many people
as possible talking about them.
“You’d be at a big disadvantage without it,
you’d definitely be daft not to use it,” remarks
guitarist Josh.
And Brandon agrees.“It gets you where
you want to be a lot quicker. If we weren’t
onTwitter or Facebook we’d have to come
here, play a gig, and just hope that people talk
about it.Where asTwitter just does it a million
times faster.You can’t rely on it entirely, but it
definitely helps.”
But the band made it clear that social
networking is not the be all and end all, and
that “the main thing is definitely the music,”
which has always been the case for all four of
them.
Since forming five years ago over a mutual
love of music (“we all fell in love,” Kiaran
laughs) the four-piece have created a catchy,
unique sound that is gaining them more and
more fans by the week.
And they’re all in agreement that being two
sets of brothers definitely makes them closer
as a band.“We have more of a laugh. If it’s
four strangers it’s all like ‘oh I better not say
that because he gets offended’. . . we’re all one
big happy family,” they laugh, and it really does
seem that way when you’re with them.
Although the release of a debut album is in
no way imminent - “definitely not this year”
were their exact words -The Sherlocks are still
brimming with fresh ideas and gigs-a-plenty to
whet our appetites further, before dropping
the much anticipated first album.
Their recent release of second single
‘Escapade’ created further ripples in the music
industry for the boys: reaching 45 in the iTunes
Chart and soaring to the nosebleed territory
of Number 3 in the Alternative Chart.
For now though, the sole focus is on their
tour, which seems like a continuous one for a
band who just love to play live.
“It never stops! Once we’ve finished this
we’re going straight to the festivals,” notes
drummer Brandon,“We did 15 gigs in January
and February, and now we’ve just stuck
another 20 on, or something daft like that.”
Certainly hard workers (“a band full of
James Milners,” they say), but when you’re
doing something you love, the grafting and
putting in hours of hard work becomes easier.
“We just do it for the music,” is probably
the standout comment from my chat with
The Sherlocks.As we talk record deals and
unsigned bands (and never selling their soul to
The X Factor) it’s clear that I’m sitting with four
boys who have never known anything different
from playing music - and never wish to, either.
“It’s exactly the same as when we were
playing in the garage,” Brandon notes before
Kiaran laughs and adds,“yeah, except we’ve got
a little bit bigger!”
And there’s most definitely room forThe
Sherlocks to get ever bigger than they are now,
and certainly even better, with their tour the
perfect opportunity to hone their talents.
Their 2015 tour has so far taken them
around the north; from Blackburn to
Darlington, before traveling further down
the country, playing sold out shows in Derby,
Manchester and now in Leicester.
With dates being added all the time,The
Sherlocks are sure to expand their fan base
far and wide: taking them out of their comfort
zone of the north and giving the southerners
some love - and some live shows.
For now, it’s all about getting their name out
there and notching up as many gigs as possible.
And hopefully playing venues who supply
games of Pop-Up Pirate…
The Sherlocks’ latest single ‘Escapade’ is
out now to purchase from iTunes. Their
UK tour runs until the end of June.
For more information on dates and
tickets, visit thesherlocksmusic.co.uk.
With the buzz surroundingYorkshire band The Sherlocks gaining momentum, Natalie Whitehouse sat
down with the four-piece to talk past, present and future with the band of the moment.
REVIEW:
THE SHERLOCKS @ THE COOKIE, LEICESTER
VERDICT:
9/10
F
or a band who play as many gigs as
they have hot dinners, any stage -
no matter how big or small - must
feel like a home from home forThe
Sherlocks.They certainly madeThe
Cookie their home for the night when
they took to the stage in Leicester on 27
February, bringing their catchy indie rock
sounds to the East Midlands’ city.
Beginning the night with ‘ShineYour
Light,’ the quartet upped the anti almost
instantly, flying into ‘One Of A Kind’ from
their 2013 EP First Bite of the Apple.
This allowed the full capacity room to
exercise their own vocal chords, with a
more familiar song.
The reaction to material most
in the room hadn’t heard yet was
overwhelmingly positive too, and must
give bands likeThe Sherlocks a good
idea of which tracks to release as their
next single. Songs like ‘Motions’ and
‘Heart of Gold,’ which are unreleased,
still got the crowd pumped up and ready
for more.
But the gig really cranked up a
gear when the band turned to songs
everyone knew.‘Live for the Moment’,
the first single they released back in
October 2014, incited a mosh pit, which
didn’t end until the boys played their
final song of the night.The tiny room in
the basement ofThe Cookie turned into
a real sweatbox: the perfect conditions
forThe Sherlocks’ anthemic, excitable
music.
Song of the night came in the form of
the band’s latest single ‘Escapade’, with
its punchy, guitar-lead intro and catchy
lyrics, whichThe Sherlocks are becoming
synonymous with.The song got the
whole room bouncing and singing, which
must have been a more than enjoyable
sight for a band who are just starting to
build their fan base and get their name
out there.
‘TimesTicking, Bye’ from their
previously mentioned EP also got a
deserved play, before ‘Get Up,’ a song
which was known by some fans in
the crowd who had clearly seenThe
Sherlocks before, and rightly returned
for another gig.
The band’s cover of Kasabian’s ‘Club
Foot’ was extremely apt for a gig in
Leicester, and a clever addition to a
set list which encompasses songs the
crowd weren’t familiar with, and this
one certainly had everyone in the room
joining in.
With the fans now eager for even
more,The Sherlocks provided a brilliant
finish to the night, flying into two songs
from their EP. Beginning with ‘Chasing
Shadows,’ the band then ended the
evening superbly on ‘You’ve Made a
Mistake,’ with onlookers singing at the
top of their voices, and the band visibly
loving every minute of it.
For those who went to the gig and
were already fans ofThe Sherlocks, their
support will only get more passionate
from here on out.And for those who
turned up not knowing anything about
them, they certainly won’t be able to
forget them after that.
The Sherlocks (from left to right) Brandon Crook, Josh Davidson, Kiaran Crook, and Andy Davidson.
“We have a laugh.
We’re all one big
happy family!”
“We don’t know how the band has grown.
Only people outside
can see how big we are.
It’s just the same to us,
we don’t feel like we’ve stepped up.”
“The main thing
is definitely
making music.”