6 hours of bassline, house and dub, all in one night; one might be mistaken in thinking Thursday night’s ‘Save Dev Street‘ at the Harley was anything but a fundraiser. However, with £900 raised in one night of mid-week skanking to the likes of Dubcafe, LSS and Off Me Nut, it’s clear that Sheffield knows how to fundraise.
Taking place in the Harley with its dark, grungy club atmosphere, both crowd and DJ’s showed their full enthusiasm for the cause. Starting the night with a raffle, t-shirts designed by local Sheffield artists, such as Syd & Mallory, Tom J. Newell and Rob Barber were to be won. Looking around the crowd it was obvious that in Sheffield when a cause needs to be supported a diverse gathering comes to support it. From students who after living with such a cultural hotspot, feel the need to keep it that way, all the way to the veterans of Sheffield wishing to keep Devonshire Street the way it has been for all their lives; a piece of Sheffield’s history.
Dubcafe started the night with heavy beats to get the crowd warmed up and moving, ready for the intense energy brought by the likes of LSS and OMN. LSS’s Shorty followed on, serving up house and garage and by 2am, with Flava D’s ‘In the Dance’ being played, it was clear both the music and atmosphere were intensifying. Looking onto the stage, none other than one member of OMN’s flagship act, Phatworld was on the decks, making a surprise appearance for the night, pumping out the Steel Cities dance music gem: bassline. Soon, classic Phatworld tunes were bringing the place down, with ‘Original Blues’ prompting widespread skanking. The set ends triumphantly, with LSS’s Autograff following on, blasting out everything from house to trap and bringing the night to a close.
The night was, to say at the least, a total success. Its ability to attract so many revellers mid-week, the amazing support from all those who contributed and the excellent performance from the DJ’s makes this a night for Sheffield to be proud of. Really, what better way to celebrate and protect Sheffield’s rich cultural heritage than with dancing to dub, garage, house and most of all, unrelenting bassline.
You can still donate to the Save Dev Street campaign here.
Words: Will Daly
Logo by Tom J. Newell
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