The Sherlocks at Sheffield City Hall online

The Sherlocks have clearly been chomping at the bit for the music industry to return to a state of pre-Covid normalcy. They have been sitting on a Dave Eringa-produced third album since last summer and announced the release date for new single End of the Earth a few weeks after the UK formally declared its roadmap, which included the return of live music. 

Friday’s stream, via Sessions.com, coincides with that very release. With festival shows pencilled in, it also acts as a warm-up for new members Alex Proctor and Trent Jackson to bed themselves in before they face the acid test of the boisterous stalwarts that faithfully attend their live shows.

The uneven cuts between songs at the start, though, tell viewers this show has retreated to the partial safety of being pre-recorded. Once fans seem to have assimilated that, use of the chat function to share their love for the event becomes more free-flowing.

It does not feel like coincidence that this more fervid response, also, comes mid-way through the set when the band seem fully warmed up and the songs burst with the live show energy that trustily actuates the adoration to which they have become accustomed. It is, though, difficult to point out why, prior to this, the set feels humdrum.

After all, the band have wisely chosen not to overload the gig with new material. Moreover, they sound tight and Proctor’s lead guitar beautifully shines through the sound to consummately belie any first gig nerves. Frontman Kiaran Crook’s vocals sound slightly raw to begin with and, at times, the accompanying vocals from Trent Jackson seem to jar rather than complement.

When I Want it All chugs into raucous action, though, all previous shortcomings are dispelled. It seems that, after all, they were merely adjusting to the cavernous space and it’s now possible to collectively envisage the raucous, invigorating response from their faithful crowd.

As a result, new tracks Wake Up and On the Run become the bangers where End of the Earth failed to ignite, and the anthemic show closers Live for the Moment, Waiting and Chasing Shadows end the concert on a complete high.

Altogether, the show is a solid singles-packed blast of sound that reinforces the fact that new changes and a year of live dormancy has not dampened the resolve of The Sherlocks one bit.

Francis Nash

For further information and future events visit The Sherlocks’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Last Night here: