^ photos by Charly Murgatroyd
Twisted Wheel Sheffield Leadmill
19th November 2010 by Tony Beesley
Photos from the band’s February gig on the Steel stage by Kevin Wells.
(For more Twisted Wheel photos check out the book 'This is Our Generation Calling')
Unveiling a new line up with only the leader singer/guitarist Jonny Brown remaining, the classic 3 piece Twisted Wheel from Oldham show they still have what it takes to a Leadmill crowd on a dreary November Friday night. New members Stephen Evans on bass and Eoghan Clifford on drums have certainly made themselves at home well and tonight’s gig convinces me that all is well in the Wheel camp.
Twisted Wheel played the smaller Steel stage earlier this year but have now claimed the main room to showcase their high energised rock n’ roll set. Blending a pot purée of frantic Rhythm and Blues, Punk, Indie Rock and Mod into their own individual sound, the band still have the confidence and talent to make it much further in the biz! Based on tonight's excellent set, mixing the bulk of their debut album with a scattering of new songs, Twisted Wheel have so much to offer and I personally want to have it all!
Opening up with single ‘Lucy the Castle’ the front of the stage soon erupted into an electrified throng of singalong fans, leaping bodies and excitable stage invaders: hats off to the Manchester posse who - some being friends of the band - were keen to show their exuberance and love of Twisted Wheel. A sing-along onstage with Jonny Brown resulted in one young lad being escorted off by three bouncers before being ejected from the venue. This kind of over-reaction is becoming more prevalent at Rock gigs of late: Health and Safety rules are stifling the Rock n’ Roll live experience and whilst fingers can’t be pointed as to who exactly is to blame, I wonder how far is it gonna go before we are really treat like clones and told not to get over-excited with the live music on show…Do not move until the show is over and the like? To be fair, the security guys and venues staff only do their jobs, but it still indicates how controlled and monitored live music actually is. Relax the policies to suit the style of the band performing in my opinion… in other words enter at your own risk!
Back to the Wheel: the energy of the band continued unabated throughout, only the solo rendition of ‘Bouncing Bomb’ and the pure Mancunian pronounced ‘Strife’ slowing things down. ‘She’s a Weapon’, ‘We are Us’, ‘Let them have it all’, ‘You stole the Sun’ and one of my faves ‘Oh what have you done’ are all here. The dynamic energy oozes from the stage and feeds through all willing participants creating a true Punk Rock injected experience. All the frenetic speed of the best in UK first wave Punk have been thrown into the recipe book… think Slaughter and the Dogs, The Clash and The Jam meeting a healthy does of sixties beat sensibilty and a slight extra sprinkling of the more recent sounds of the Arctic Monkeys and ‘Rock n’ Roll Star’ template song Oasis and you’re nearly there. But… above all it’s the final delivery and serving that belongs to the Wheel and in all instances, be it on disc or onstage, the band retain their own true identity. Along with a handful of UK young bands out there at the moment, I have high hopes for the Wheel and can’t wait to hear their new stuff come out. Second album stumbling block scenario should not be the case with these guys. I foresee them going from strength to strength. Take note: the future of Rock music is in good and capable hands. Let’s not let it get crushed by the political correctness of the modern world!!!
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