Spanning seven decades and with over 150 new interviews, including Richard Hawley, Arctic Monkeys, Self Esteem, ABC, Pulp, Def Leppard, The Human League, Toddla T, Cabaret Voltaire, Warp Records, Clock DVA, Heaven 17 and many more
From dazzling electronic futurism to pioneering post-punk, via pop, metal, bassline, bleep techno and generation-defining indie rock, Sheffield has long been a crucible for world-leading music.
Some artists have excelled on the fringes, others have achieved global success, but all remain connected through a fervently independent ethos. In Sheffield, creativity flourished in the face of isolation, economic decline and bleak political circumstances, resulting in some of Britain’s most groundbreaking and singular music. But the region’s ingrained humility and dogged stoicism means it has never been documented or celebrated to the level of more hubristic cities.
In Groovy, Laidback and Nasty, acclaimed Sheffield journalist Daniel Dylan Wray sets out to remedy this, telling the story of the city’s DIY spirit and the musical visionaries and innovators who helped build its inimitable legacy.
Both a compelling cultural study and an unapologetic love letter to the city, this – finally – is the definitive musical history Sheffield so richly deserves.
From dazzling electronic futurism to pioneering post-punk, via pop, metal, bassline, bleep techno and generation-defining indie rock, Sheffield has long been a crucible for world-leading music.
Some artists have excelled on the fringes, others have achieved global success, but all remain connected through a fervently independent ethos. In Sheffield, creativity flourished in the face of isolation, economic decline and bleak political circumstances, resulting in some of Britain’s most groundbreaking and singular music. But the region’s ingrained humility and dogged stoicism means it has never been documented or celebrated to the level of more hubristic cities.
In Groovy, Laidback and Nasty, acclaimed Sheffield journalist Daniel Dylan Wray sets out to remedy this, telling the story of the city’s DIY spirit and the musical visionaries and innovators who helped build its inimitable legacy.
Both a compelling cultural study and an unapologetic love letter to the city, this – finally – is the definitive musical history Sheffield so richly deserves.
Reviews
A passionate, painstakingly researched and richly detailed account of Sheffield's dreamers, eccentrics and visionaries - and the weird and wonderful sounds they created
A brilliant book by one of the best culture writers in the UK, that takes us through the joy and hilarity of Sheffield's always-lively independent music scene, and in doing so reminds us that this city has long been home to some of the UK's most excellent, experimental and eccentric musical giants
From '70s postpunk through '80s synthpop to '90s bleep techno and beyond, Sheffield has long been the U.K.'s unacknowledged capital for futurist pop. Finally the city finds the champion it deserves in Daniel Dylan Wray. A rich blend of urban history and music chronicle, Groovy, Laidback & Nasty tells in vivid detail the story of a place, a people, and a succession of innovative sounds that would change pop again and again.