Get Together Festival at The University of Sheffield Students’ Union
Johnny James, Managing Editor
This May Bank Holiday, The University of Sheffield Students’ Union is playing host to a cracking all-dayer featuring Squid, Confidence Man and The Murder Capital.
Get Together is a pretty new addition to Sheffield’s music scene. In May 2021 the likes of Self Esteem, Ibibio Sound Machine and Black Honey came together in a glorious celebration of live music, following a drearily long time without it. Building on last year’s success, the organisers have unveiled an even bigger line-up for the 2022 edition. Top of the bill are Squid, whose debut album Bright Green Field was one of our favourites of 2021. Making mincemeat of genre, the record conjures a dystopian cityscape, drawing parallels between science fiction and the bleaker aspects of contemporary society, from big pharma to right-wing propaganda. But it’s not all bleak; Squid’s music is bursting at the seams with energy and ideas, and so are the band’s incendiary live performances, which squeeze out every last drop from their tunes.
Before Squid it’s Confidence Man – a portable party that’s set fire to dance floors across the world, with performances that are designed to make you move. Before them, and bringing an entirely different flavour, it’s Irish post punks The Murder Capital. 2019 feels something like a different era now, but back then, the band’s debut album When I Have Fears (2019) was one of our top drops of the year. It rages and swells like a storm, ripping through topics like grief and existential anxiety with unblinking focus. We were lucky enough to catch the band on that album tour, just before the lights of the country’s venues went out. From raucous aggression to wounded love, they wear everything on their sleeves when they perform, putting on the kind of show that encapsulates why live music is so special.
The big three will be joined by a raft of other great bands, and the list is expanding all the time. Highlights include The Blinders, Goat Girl, NewDad, Pip Blom, Du Blonde, Loose Articles, Mewn, Opus Kink and Peaness – but check out the festival website (just hit ‘Book now’ below) for the latest word, because by the time you’re reading this, there’ll probably be a bunch more reasons to get excited about Get Together 2022.
