Local Sheffield legends Steal The City play their final show at Sidney and Matilda. Emotions are high for the farewell, and Metal Junkbox fortunately got the chance to be part of this intimate goodbye.
Baranovich
The first performance of the night was from Baranovich, who are known for always putting on an incredible and unique performance. You can tell they’ve been performing for years and that their bandmanship is solidified due to how naturally they perform together; they are a band of ‘brothers’. They have a different bassist filling in for this show, but it’s made clear that he’s known and played with the members for years, as he puts on a completely in-sync and harmonised performance with the rest of the band.
There’s a fan blowing, and long hair is flipping manically from the guitarist while he’s performing impressive riffs, which lead to solos. They’re all giving 100% energetically to the performance. Visually, the aesthetic is as authentic as their sound is.
They engage with the crowd and ask us, “Do you want a cover song or an original one by us?” The crowd chants back “ORIGINAL”,; to which the band delivers.
The small and packed-out room is already super hot, and the lead singer, Steve, thankfully holds up a giant fan to the crowd. He gets into the crowd and makes us feel connected and part of this very intimate performance. The crowd is captivated throughout, and it makes for a beautiful energy exchange between the band and the crowd. Baranvoich makes classical rock and metal sound new and fun. They joke and engage well with the audience throughout, and there’s so much passion delivered for the duration.
For reasons beyond our control, I missed the majority of the second act- Fear Lies– performance. From what I saw from the last few songs, they were delivering hard-hitting music wholeheartedly with riffs that were elongated, with unexpected pauses before full-throttle chaos, and had the crowd fully engaged.
Steal The City
Steal The City is up next, for one last sing-along, and the room is packed, sweaty, and the crowd is loud. You could feel the raw emotions in the room that were being suppressed for some time, but once the band is on stage, they’re now being fully expressed by all. Steal The City exudes emotive feelings while performing from the stage, which are matched by the crowd.
The set list was pre-chosen by the fans in an online vote, which makes the songs even more adored by all. They play a combination of older and newer sounds- each just as well-received.
They bend genres effortlessly from metal riffs to pop punk sounds, alarmingly fast-paced melodies, some sounds heavier, some more melodic, sonic, and consistently emotive. There really was something for everyone, and we’re grateful to the fans for picking such a combination of an ever-changing and unique set list.
Emotional speeches were delivered by the band throughout the set. There was a huge sense of community within the space. The band thanked Baranovich for all their support and influence over the years.
Joe the lead singer expresses “We’ve been a band for a fucking long time, we’ve been been going since 2014, anyone who’s been here form the start or even two minutes we do appreciate you all so much. As we’ve been a band for so long, we’ve had lots of different members”, which leads to invitations on stage to their previous guitarist and first ever singer.
The stage is now extra packed with all six musicians up there, but they collaborate with complete fluidity and share the stage well. Guitars are in hand, pointing to the sky, then quickly down to the ground in rhythmic movements, with the whole band headbanging while playing in sync. There are extremely intricate and impressive guitar solos and unique sounds throughout their performance.
Their album “Road To Nowhere,” which was previously released, was highlighted as a joke now that the band is coming to an end. Joe, the lead singer, asked the crowd: “If we came back, would you all come back?” The audience was the loudest they’d been all night in response, and a clear yes was given.
The way the band looks at each other and communicates musically is special. They have a really beautiful rapport with each other, and it’s clear they’ve created and maintained a strong bond over the years.
Fans sing the majority of the songs back to the band word for word. The lyrics are delivered by all in an intensely emotional capacity in this one last creative final push. Their songs are seriously catchy and belted to perfection. The band and crowd’s sounds intertwine in chaotic harmony. High-pitched repetitive sonic sounds emphasise the lyrics, with the drumming impressively holding the multitude of sounds together and keeping everything timed to perfection. The drummer spins drumsticks and throws them up in the air, making his performance look effortless, but the sounds remain defined.
Towards the end of the show, a wall of death and a mosh pit were strongly encouraged. The crowd parts as we visibly wipe widespread tears from our eyes, for one last mosh.
The guitarist and bassist join the mosh pit, and we all feel hugely connected for the last song. Drums rhythmically timed lead us into the final chorus for the night and to the end of an era.
Until next time <3
