Jetski at the Leadmill, Sheffield.

By Joel Arthur.

The Leadmill is a highly reputable venue in Sheffield. It’s famously known across Yorkshire and even internationally for hosting rock legends like Pulp, Def Leppard and the Arctic Monkeys to name just a few. It’s also been the launching pad for upcoming bands within the scene, the in-house promoters nurturing new talents or collaborating with independent artists to allow their vision to come true.

That being said, witnessing a band from their earliest shows headline the Leadmill’s small stage and then take on its main stage and pack the room is truly awe-inspiring. You had to be there to see it; Jetski rocked the Leadmill - and there’s more where that came from.

Photos by Joel Arthur

Off the back of their biggest release yet with EP ‘The Four Before’, it was only appropriate that modern pop-punk emo band, Jetski, followed up with their biggest show yet. Having chatted to them extensively months before the event, I could already tell the band was getting ready to level up. It’s clear that they take influences from across the board but the four of them particularly have been attending hardcore shows at the recently thriving Lughole. Despite Chained Up being a wide stretch from their genre, it only felt right when I walked in and saw a two-step moshpit open up as the lead vocalist demanded movement.

The name of Chained Up had passed my ears a few times in conversation with fellow musicians in the scene so finally seeing them felt like the final piece of a puzzle slotting in. They were energy, anger and presence. It wouldn’t surprise me if Chained Up managed to break into more mainstream audiences with a shift in alternative tastes heading towards hardcore music. It’d be amazing to have them on a lineup with Guilt Trip and a band outside of the genre come and take on the Leadmill’s small room. I think there’s a demand for it now and with genre-blending like this, there’s something for everyone.

Next up was Leeds-based emo band, Beauty School, who I’ve had the pleasure of working with before. When Jetski shared the lineup announcements, Beauty School didn’t come as a surprise. I’d been hoping they’d be on it because, in my head, it just made sense. I won’t deny I was a little smug when the name appeared on the poster but I saw it as a win. The band have been growing at a steady pace and circling the same areas as Jetski and the audience crossover was a simple equation. On my fifth time seeing the band, what was different? Confidence. They were oozing with it. They know their songs, their interactions and most importantly, they know each other. Which means they can relax and have fun with the set onstage. I got to catch up with Joe briefly after the show and it’s hinted that the set may be changing up soon in the future with new songs in the works. They’re going to be playing at Slamdunk Festival so if you can make it for their set, I’d strongly recommend it.

Another band I’ve seen, shot and even played alongside only a few months ago, graced the stage next. This was the stompy trio all the way from Brighton, Snake Eyes. I’ll be the first to admit that the show I played with them, whilst plenty of fun, maybe lacked the numbers to make it a properly exciting night. Despite that, one thing stuck out to me then, the band are vocal about celebrating musicians and people. They’re also vocal about political issues and social rights. They call their sound grit pop but the influence of punk, especially considering their peers, is loud and glaring. It was so good to see them perform in front of a much larger audience but on my fourth time seeing them, what was different? Actually, despite having changed a member and dropping an utterly dopamine-inducing EP in the form of ‘health’, I’m pleased to say that their performance and stage presence have remained consistent. They stomp, they scream, they stagger and they jump. I’d argue the instruments are the puppeteers rather than the puppets, visible in songs like ‘lean’. I’ll be catching the band again on the mainstage of 2000Trees and hopefully, I’ll be stomping with them in the pit.

Jetski had curated a lineup I couldn’t fault. It had to be right for their biggest show yet. Consequently, they played a set that I couldn’t fault. It had everything. From Alex Pullen jumping on Jack Gunn’s back before they even started, being a sure foreshadowing for the waves of crowd surfers that followed later into the set. I told vocalist Charles Fitzgerald how proud of them I was as they were setting up and the man couldn’t stop smiling. I don’t think anyone in the audience could really. No matter what corner of the room I shifted to as the band played hits from ‘The Four Before’, the singles in between and emotional heart tuggers from ‘For The Family’ there were people enraptured by the show. A fellow photographer told me how the lads had put in the extra effort to decorate the set with lamps and faux fauna, creating an intimate vibe that really made it feel like a hometown show. And it was true, there were many faces I recognised within the audience. I’d first seen the band supporting Roam in a since-demolished venue back in 2019. It was a small room but it was fun. This was just a bigger room, with more people and still just as fun. Between the traded vocals of Charles, Eliot and Alex, each member got a chance to play their instruments freely or altogether make beautiful harmonies. All DIY, all hard work and it all paid off.

I wouldn’t call it an underdog story, I’d call it a coming-of-age. So if you missed it, I can assure you the next chapter for the band will be as exciting and I hope to keep following their tale.